As we continue to think about the fall of men and women into sin, we truly come to the best part – our redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. We were desperate without hope, left with only a sinful nature that resisted God’s perfect plan for our role as a woman. But then God stepped in.
The eternal Son of God took on human nature as a man. He was born of a woman – He is the promised offspring of Eve. Scripture presents Christ as the second Adam, the perfect man. As Colossians 1:15 says, “He is the image of God” in the deepest, fullest sense. He offered his life as a sacrifice, rose from the grave, and calls men and women alike to repent and believe in him. So, now that Christ has redeemed us from the curse, what does the New Testament teach us about living as men and women?
Men and women both need a Savior!
Galatians 3:28 says, “There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” In other words, neither gender is more spiritually worthy; both men and women are heirs of redemption, part of the body of Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Some have taken this and said that there is no legitimate distinction, in God’s kingdom, between male and female. But just because our sex has no role to play in our salvation doesn’t mean that we somehow become genderless beings,
What we see in the New Testament is that Christ’s work doesn’t obliterate role distinctions, it redeems them.
When we come to faith in Christ, each are “fellow heirs of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7) Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with your wives with understanding, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.
Yes, male and female are one in Christ Jesus. But in Ephesians 5, God calls wives to submit to their husbands and calls husbands to love sacrificially. In 1 Timothy 2, we see that only men are authorized to exercise authority in the church and teach the congregation.
In the redeemed community, then, redeemed men don’t oppress, but bless, and both men and women live according to God’s original design to compliment one another and glorify God! Now we are able to reflect Christ.
What about eternity? We will live as gendered people. When Jesus went to heaven, He was still Jesus – the God man in a resurrected body! We will still be ourselves, but we will be given a perfect body that will no longer sin!
The curse will be gone and we won’t have a struggle about the gender God has given us. On that Day our gender will not be the focus – Christ, our bridegroom will be!!
Remember the story about my china cups that had gotten broken? They are now stored away in a cabinet. They are safe. Our eternal security is the most important question to be answered. So, the greatest question we need to answer as a woman today is:
- Am I safe in Christ? You can be if you put your trust in Him as your Redeemer.
- Do I reflect Christ? Do I show Him to be my Savior – the One Who put me back together again and gave me purpose to live as a woman for His glory?
- Am I living a biblically-relevant life? Only if you are being what you were made to be: a fearless, unflappable, God-fearing woman. Do not abandon the very differences that make you essential.
Look at the lyrics to a wonderful song, Oh Great God of Highest Heav’n…
Help me now to live a life
that’s dependent on your grace,
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face.
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed
O great God of highest heaven
Glorify Your Name through me
The emphasis is always the glory of God. So, through our gender, through our obedience, through our spoken testimony, may God be glorified through each of us!
RefreshHer 