Sunday, October 12, 2008

What Does God Expect of Women?

I have heard so many things over the years about what God expects of women, but unfortunately most of it was taken out of context from the Bible or was taken more from the world’s standard (feminism). I have been doing a lot of studying over the past four years of what God expects of me, why He created me and now I have decided to share it.
I will start with the beginning. Why did God create me, or why did He create women? In Genesis 2:18, 21-22, God said “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone I will make him a helper suitable (corresponding to) for him.” “So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place. And the Lord God fashioned (built) into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.” So we see that the woman was created to be a suitable helper, she was equipped, prepared, perfect for supporting her husband in his work. And because God has not rescinded that purpose for creating women, we can reason that that is the still why women are being created, because it is not good for the man to be alone and he needs a suitable helper (help meet).
In Ephesians 5:22-24, we see that it says “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, (notice it doesn’t say you are to be subject to other men, just your OWN husband) as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Saviour of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.” (Surely God doesn’t really mean we are to be subject to them in EVERYTHING, He must mean only in some things, or the things I feel like being subject to or just the things that I agree with, or, or, or…) We are also shown in 1 Corinthians 11:3, how God ordered humanity, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”
If that isn’t enough, it is also mentioned in Colossians 3:18, “Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”
We find in Timothy a lot about being a wife and women of the Lord. In 1 Timothy 2:9-14, it says “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, (does God REALLY care what I wear?), modestly (with modesty, bashfulness toward men) and discreetly (self controlled), not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim of godliness. (it doesn’t mean that we can’t braid our hair, but that we shouldn’t spend a good deal of our time doing our hair and making ourselves LOOK good, but we should spend our time and energy more on what we do for others, then with how our hair looks). Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. (Here again we see that submissiveness is complete, not partial, but ENTIRE.) But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.” 1 Timothy 3:11, says “Women must likewise be dignified (honorable, honest), not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.” We also find in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, “Let the women keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the Law also says. And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper (disgraceful) for a woman to speak in church.”
Titus 2 is quite explicit on what God wants women to be doing and how they should act. Titus 2:3-5, “Older women likewise are to be reverent (holy) in their behaviour, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, that they may encourage (train) the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their husbands, that the word of God may not be dishonored (blasphemed).” Is there any doubt that God wants women to be at home taking care of their husbands and loving them, loving their children, taking care of their homes and training their daughters to do likewise?
I have a long way to go, but I am understanding more and more what God expects of me and I am attempting to put into practice what I am learning from His Word and training others to do likewise.

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