What is a man and a woman?
In this series we are exploring seven truths derived from Genesis 1:26-28 concerning God’s creation of man and woman so that we would understand God’s design of manhood and womanhood for our lives today.
Here’s the two previous five truths that we looked at:
- 7 Truths about God’s Creation of Man and Woman from Genesis 1: Point 1
- 7 Truths about God’s Creation of Man and Woman from Genesis 1: Point 2 & 3
- 7 Truths about God’s Creation of Man and Woman from Genesis 1: Points 4-5
In this post we will look at point 6 and 7.
Truth #6: Man and woman are created with different but complementary roles.
- Point: Man and woman is different, equal and need each other.
- Passage: “and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the ear+th,.” (Genesis 1:28b)
- Proof
- Can man alone fulfill this command of multiplying by himself? Of course not.
- In fact Adam as a man cannot fulfill the Dominion Mandate without a woman he cannot be fruitful and multiple by himself
- We see here the idea of Complementarianism: The idea that God has created man and woman with both dignity and value. However their functions are different but complementary.
- The woman is the mother who bear the child to life.
- The father is also needed for life to begin.
- Woman nurse the child.
- Men have other responsibilities.
- Practice
- Do you see man and woman as equal though they are different?
- Also do you see men and women role are complementary and not necessarily conflicting?
Truth #7: The creation of man and woman and their assigned roles are good
- Proof
- Look at middle of verse 28: “God blessed them;”
- “God created man under divine blessing, actively promoting man’s glorious destiny.”[1]
- Look at verse 29: The order God created He called it very good.
- Look at middle of verse 28: “God blessed them;”
- Practice
- We should not grumble against God for creating man and women as different. We should celebrate God’s wisdom and beauty in the creation of man and woman.
- Sometimes people don’t like the way God has established manhood and womanhood. Sometimes people think it is evil, oppressive, etc. Make sure your view of manhood and womanhood is first of all Biblical. Then realize if it is biblical we cannot say it is bad because God created the role of man and woman as very good. We must change our opinion and not demand God’s ways be changed.
[1] Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 18-19.
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Maybe I’m wrong but this growing confusion about gender may be at least partially because the roles of men and women are so similar. Children are being raised in homes
…with no clearly defined gender role models. Plus a lot of single mothers out there raising children by themselves.
Tom I think you hit it on the nail. I think that certainly is a big contribution to the current crisis: Broken homes and broken families. May the Gospel save sinners and Gospel-centered Christian obedience heal our nation’s marriages and family…
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