So lets start where the Bible starts, with God.
God created a perfect world, everything was right and good. Into that perfect world he put a man and a woman and along with this perfect creation came the perfect culture. God and humanity walking and talking together, enjoying one another and marveling at all that was.
If this pre-fall eden is a kind of blueprint for us as to how things are meant to be then the nature of those relationships are key to our understanding of how Biblical masculinity and femininity is to function.
Let’s try and answer a few questions.
- Were Adam and Eve equal in their standing before God before sin entered the world?
- Did Adam and Eve have clearly defined rolls prior to the fall?
- Did any such understand of rolls cause conflict?
Genesis 1 v 27 speaks of male and female equality at the point of creation. It affords us the incredible honor of being made in the likeness of God Himself.
“So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1 v 27
They were equal but clearly distinct – Adam had been charged with subduing the garden God had made (Genesis 2 v 15). The command concerning the forbidden tree was given the Adam (Genesis 2 v 17) Adam was responsible for naming the animals (Genesis 2 v 19).
We could say at this point that of course Adam was given the instructions to do all this as Eve was not yet created? This might hold some sway but for two issues. Firstly God didn’t create Eve as an afterthought and secondly Paul refers the the created order as significant when he addresses these issues in 1 Timothy. (1 Timothy 2 v 13)
There is no indication that Eve struggled with this distinction of roles before the fall. There is warning of conflict to come after sin had entered the world. (Genesis 3 v 16)
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you.”
Genesis 3 v 16 – emphasis mine
This idea that there can be absolute equality of worth while maintaining different roles is a mirror of God Himself. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal in status but have different roles the Son in submission to the Fathers will the Holy Spirit glorifying Jesus. There is no conflict or clamoring for worth based on role (Philippians 2 v 5-11). In some way this submission and authority were nesecary for the great work of salvation to succeed.
Next time we’ll look at how this plays out in the marriage relationship.