God's Heart for Equality Among Women and Men
This might end up at some point being a working post, but at this time, it’s added commentary archived in post form from previous discussion and replies to other posts that I want collected in one place. I’m empassionately floored at the world’s ways and standards when it comes to, well anything, but especially women. I know the world, made up of a bunch of us humans of course, is selfish and prideful by nature. But there are some of us that have a conviction for humility, servitude, equality, and dignity of all people.
I get very stirred when coming across various articles and posts that tap the depths of my heart, and I find it difficult not to respond with compassion towards the one in need, and godly indignation towards oppressive presence. One such area that boils lava in my bones is when anyone tries to not only dominate or control women in any way, but most abhorrently use the Bible to justify it. While the text space of this post and my personal patience with writing do not have the capacity to contain exposition and exegesis on Old Covenant Law and Jewish tradition, coupled with cultural context, to express and clarify where gender imbalance in the Old Testament seems to be advocated and stemmed from God Himself–or to break down in similar fashion the letters of Paul regarding the same [e.g., the meaning of ‘head’ in Greek and context, the reason behind certain churches being told about public conduct]–I will take a very brief moment to drop a few thoughts for consideration.
All throughout the word of God, He reveals this balance in the nature and equality of men and women. We were truly meant to be one with horizontal distinction only, and not vertical. Anyone who ever taught or believed that men were supposed to dominate, control or otherwise dictate women, and dared to use the word of God as their validation, they were horrifically wrong, to the utmost degree. They were either ultra naïve in their understanding of the Bible and did not know how to search out the scriptures with fullness of context, or they were using the Bible as a crutch and excuse for their self-seeking, prideful, arrogant ways.
Jesus emphatically made a point to embrace women, not only those He ministered to, but those that followed Him. There was an inner circle of women who were actually as close to Him as John, closer than the other disciples and people.
One thing that people forget to adjust their subconscious tendencies to is that God made the original Adam in His image, and Adam had Eve ‘within’, embedded in himself. And even after she was physically separated from him to be her own being, God said He made them both in His image. So although He has indicated Himself as a Father to us, He clearly has the nurturing and sensitivity found so prominently in the female nature. In the Bible, in addition to the many places that describe His character as Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Father…there are passages that also express His nurturing, nursing, caregiving nature even as a mother, most distinctly described in Isaiah 66:13.
Also, though Christ was a Man (and fully God), and describes His people as His Body, the Church, He also describes them as a beautiful Bride for whom He is returning. And there are other passages that express this cohesion, this equality, this oneness, such as, There is no longer Jew nor Gentile, man nor woman, slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus.
That’s enough for now…it’s my post, and not a term paper. So I’m done talking, till later…
Eagles Point | A safe place of rest...
I get very stirred when coming across various articles and posts that tap the depths of my heart, and I find it difficult not to respond with compassion towards the one in need, and godly indignation towards oppressive presence. One such area that boils lava in my bones is when anyone tries to not only dominate or control women in any way, but most abhorrently use the Bible to justify it. While the text space of this post and my personal patience with writing do not have the capacity to contain exposition and exegesis on Old Covenant Law and Jewish tradition, coupled with cultural context, to express and clarify where gender imbalance in the Old Testament seems to be advocated and stemmed from God Himself–or to break down in similar fashion the letters of Paul regarding the same [e.g., the meaning of ‘head’ in Greek and context, the reason behind certain churches being told about public conduct]–I will take a very brief moment to drop a few thoughts for consideration.
All throughout the word of God, He reveals this balance in the nature and equality of men and women. We were truly meant to be one with horizontal distinction only, and not vertical. Anyone who ever taught or believed that men were supposed to dominate, control or otherwise dictate women, and dared to use the word of God as their validation, they were horrifically wrong, to the utmost degree. They were either ultra naïve in their understanding of the Bible and did not know how to search out the scriptures with fullness of context, or they were using the Bible as a crutch and excuse for their self-seeking, prideful, arrogant ways.
Jesus emphatically made a point to embrace women, not only those He ministered to, but those that followed Him. There was an inner circle of women who were actually as close to Him as John, closer than the other disciples and people.
One thing that people forget to adjust their subconscious tendencies to is that God made the original Adam in His image, and Adam had Eve ‘within’, embedded in himself. And even after she was physically separated from him to be her own being, God said He made them both in His image. So although He has indicated Himself as a Father to us, He clearly has the nurturing and sensitivity found so prominently in the female nature. In the Bible, in addition to the many places that describe His character as Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Father…there are passages that also express His nurturing, nursing, caregiving nature even as a mother, most distinctly described in Isaiah 66:13.
Also, though Christ was a Man (and fully God), and describes His people as His Body, the Church, He also describes them as a beautiful Bride for whom He is returning. And there are other passages that express this cohesion, this equality, this oneness, such as, There is no longer Jew nor Gentile, man nor woman, slave nor free, but all are one in Christ Jesus.
That’s enough for now…it’s my post, and not a term paper. So I’m done talking, till later…
Eagles Point | A safe place of rest...
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