25 - Family Foundations 3 - Manhood and Womanhood
Family Foundations, Part 3 – Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Recommended Resources:
www.cbmw.org/Resources/ (Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood)
God, Marriage, and Family, by Andreas Kostenberger, Crossway Books, 2006.
Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism, Edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Crossway Books, 1991.
Different by Design, by John MacArthur.
Men and Women, Equal Yet Different: A Brief Study of the Biblical Passages on Gender, by Alexander Strauch, 1999 (57 pages).
Key Terms:
Evangelical Feminism – or Christian egalitarian (‘equality’ movement); a view that affirms Scripture but their re-interpretations claim it ‘does not teach different roles for men and women in marriage or in the church that are based on gender alone... An egalitarian would say that there is no unique leadership role that belongs to the husband in a marriage, and that all governing and teaching roles in the church should be open to both men and women alike’ (Grudem)
Complementarian – Biblical view that God created man and woman for His glory and our good to complement/complete each other in our differences and different roles in the home and church
Biblical Manhood – ‘At the heart … a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for, and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships’ (Piper)
Biblical Womanhood – ‘a freeing disposition to affirm, receive, and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman’s differing relationships’ (Piper)
Key Foundational Truths Grounded in Genesis 1-3:
1. God’s glory and image being spread is the ultimate reason for man, woman, marriage, life
2. God created man and woman equally in many ways (in God’s image, inherent individual value, dignity, personhood, spiritual standing before God, etc.)
Genesis 1:27-28
Genesis 2:18 (“suitable to him” – or “corresponding to him” or “comparable to him” or “his counterpart” or “like him” or even “equal”)
See also Galatians 3:28, and 1 Peter 3:7
3. God created man and woman differently in many ways and for different roles by God’s design (these are rooted in creation itself, not culture, or the corruption caused by sin)
a. The wife has “a helper” role toward her husband (Genesis 2:18). Such support and submission to headship does not mean inequality or inferiority (1 Cor. 11:3) b. The husband has a responsible loving headship role over his wife
1. He is created first by God (see 2:7, 18-23 and 1 Timothy 2:12-13)
2. He is put in charge by God before Eve’s creation (Genesis 2:15-17)
3. He, instead of God, names his wife (2:19-23), an OT role of authority; ex: God (1:5, 8, 10, 26 -> 2:19-20; 17:5, 15), parents (4:25-26, 5:3, 29, 16:15, 19:37-38, 21:3)
4. He has greater and primary responsibility before God (Genesis 3:6-12)
5. He has a representative role for the whole – God gives name adam for both man and wife (5:1-2) and his descendants (1 Cor 15:22, 45-49; Rom 5:12-21)
6. Sin affects (Gen 3:16) not erases God’s creation design (Eph 5:22-23)
c. God calls a few godly men to lead / teach His church (1 Tim 2:9-3:15, 1 Cor 13:34-38)