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Adam, Eve, and the Created Roles

Some folks don't cotton to God's plan for man and woman back in Genesis and elsewhere in Scripture, so they resent it and even rebel. Sometimes we hear things like, "Girl power!", as if women feel they have been made subservient to men. I'll allow that societies have treated women as second-class citizens, especially Mohammedan cultures, but that's not the way God planned it.


God created distinct roles for men and women. This does not mean one sex is "better" than the other, and a proper understanding of God's plan back in Genesis clarifies many things.
Background image: Adam and Eve in Worthy Paradise, Peter Paul Rubens, 1610-1615 (cropped)
There are roles that have been assigned, and this even applies in the Trinity itself. We see various roles in our daily lives: my supervisor is someone I need to obey, but that does not make her a better person than I am, it's just the way the job is structured. Unfortunately, men have abused Bible passages to force women to submit in a way contrary to God's Word and design. Men and women are different, there's no getting around that. Men are better at some things than women, and vice versa. A proper understanding of the hows and whys of creation puts things in proper perspective.
You only have to look at the starry sky or a butterfly’s wings to see evidence of our Creator’s design. God’s indelible imprint exists on all of His creation. Yet one aspect of creation, His crowning work, is worthy of special study: the making of man and woman, which the Creator pronounced “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The psalmist exclaims, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:3–6).

Understanding God’s design for males and females is central to understanding His plan for our lives. The modern confusion regarding gender identities shows the devastation that can result from ignoring God’s perspective. The Bible provides specific, clear, and abundant guidance on the noble purpose for each sex from the very beginning.  
To read the rest, click on "A Match Made in Heaven".