Woman, the Neglected Glory of Man

By Desmond Allen, PhD, ThM, MDiv

Introduction

Throughout the annals of antiquity, with few exceptions, men have held dominant roles in both the family and society. Thus, it has often been said, “It is a man’s world.” However, when this power is abused, women are devalued and dishonored as second-class citizens; in extreme cultures, females may face extreme poverty or even enslavement.  All of which is a consequence of fallen humanity and the exact opposite of sound biblical doctrine. Sinful behavior alone is at the root of the woman’s humiliation: the male’s ungodly inflated ego and his mistaken estimate of the female’s abilities and worth.  

But physical strength and endurance do not define humanity. Mankind, male and female, is created in the image of God. It is this nature of personhood, the possession of soul and spirit, with all its attributes in the likeness of God, that defines human worth, and thus, the sanctity of life. Because males and females share these attributes equally, they are of equal value. It is nothing less than moral perversion that seeks to replace the qualitative nature of essence and worth with the quantitative nature of physical superiority.

Historically, biblical societies of Judeo-Christian theology consider the female to be of equal substance to the male. In contrast, most other societies hold the female in lesser esteem to one degree or another. This biblical perspective of equality and worth is opposed to the perspective and practice of virtually every world religion and pagan culture; even those ancient cultures that worshipped female gods debased the females.

The Bible is the woman’s greatest proponent. Godliness, as outlined in Scripture, respects and protects women. As such, regardless of how piously it may present itself, any society, religious philosophy, or supposed Christian organization that devalues the female is a society, religion, or organization that does not follow biblical principles. Not that respect for women is the sole litmus test for righteousness; but its absence is a clear indication of unrighteousness, for, as in the Garden of Eden, the woman is the enemy’s first target.

Although many attempt to blame Christianity for the woman’s devalued status, it simply is not the case. This is not to deny that women are generally treated with less regard than men, nor is it to deny that some who profess Christianity are culprits; but it is to deny that Christianity is the cause or that it teaches such a thing. The inferior treatment of women by anyone who claims Christianity is the result of personal sin and/or a flawed hermeneutic; for the Bible, and thus Christianity, considers the female qualitatively equal in every way to the male.

It is Christianity’s enemy, the great deceiver, Satan himself, who perpetuates both lies: that the woman is inferior to the man, and that Christianity teaches such nonsense. His objective is to create turmoil and confusion, and to discredit the truth of the Gospel. The absurdity of these lies is that Scripture and Christian theology have nothing but respect and honor for women; at the same time, women are held with disregard in virtually every world religion and pagan cultures.

Adam—The Unit

Moses declared, and Jesus confirmed, that when a man and a woman marry, they become one flesh (Ge 2:24; Mt 19:5). But even before this intimate union, there is another, essential union between the two. God created them in His own image, and together, as an indivisible unit, they comprise humanity: “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created he them…. and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created” (Ge 1:27; 5:2). The LXX has ἄνθρωπος, ánthrōpos, humanity, human being, rather than ἀνήρ, anḗr, male.

By creating the female from the male’s rib, God established an inseparable bond between the two that would not have existed if she had been formed directly from clay, as he was. As we might imagine, when God brought her to him, he was delighted and immediately recognized their equality and their inseparable connection: “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man” (Ge 2:23). Matthew Henry observed an astute analogy concerning the rib from which the woman was created.

That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved. (Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary, Ge 2:22)

Paul provided additional insight. The male “is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man” (1Co 11:7). Again, as the renowned commentator also observed, “The man was dust refined, but the woman was dust double-refined, one remove further from the earth” (Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary, Ge 2:25). The term “glory” (δοξα, doxa) speaks to dignity, honor, and praise. Thus, we might well say: All that is praiseworthy in man is accentuated in the woman, for she is his glory, the crown of God’s creation, the final touch of perfection.

So it is that God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him” (Ge 2:18). The term “helper” (עֵזֶר, azar) means to surround, to protect, to aid, or to succor. The idea is that of an intimate union and fellowship. She is much more than a mere assistant; she is his counterpart, essential to the perfection of his very existence. Without her, he is not man (אָדַם, ʼâdam) in the fullest sense of the term, as the LXX has it, ánthrōpos, i.e., humanity. As such, God called their name Adam (Ge 5:2), and Paul carefully explained that each necessarily needs the other “for as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman” (1Co 11:12).

Most of us will remember the scene in the 1996 romantic comedy, “Jerry Maguire,” when Jerry and Dorothy watch a deaf couple communicate in sign language in the elevator. After the couple leaves, Dorothy interprets for Jerry, telling him the man told the woman, “You complete me.” This is not an unbiblical concept; a man shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh (Ge 2:24). They are completed by each other. They are essentially one; they are created in God’s image, each possessing all the attributes that make them human, yet each highlighting different natural qualities of their Creator, so that each responds to the other, and together they are a complete unit.

Not only is she the glory of man in the physical sense, as being the fairer sex, but she is the glory of man in the very working of her mind and soul; for she highlights the attention to such tender matters as affection, family, and nurture—those qualities that often seem less urgent to the male; yet without them, man can be like a beast. In this regard, modern neurological research has discovered a profound process in the male embryo that transpires about 17 weeks into gestation. His brain is bathed in testosterone, which begins a fundamental alteration of the structure, density, and signaling strength of synapses between the left and right brain hemispheres. Then, during puberty, his brain is bathed in testosterone once again, causing even more pronounced changes: muscle mass increases and the pathway between the left and right brain is permanently altered; whereas the female remains fair and beautiful (as we are reminded with the likes of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Abigail, Bathsheba, Tamar, etc.) and her brain remains pristine. But human value is not measured by strength, or beauty, or neurological pathways. Human value resides in the spirit and soul, having been created in God’s image and possessing the attributes of personhood.

Equal, yet Different

While Scripture clearly attributes qualitative equality to both the male and the female, with each sharing the same divine perfections, it also speaks of the different yet vital roles ascribed to each. We might say the roles are not dissimilar to those of the right and left hands. As part of the same body, each is qualitatively equal to the other. They are similar yet different, and their differences are not merely mirror images. Each is hardwired, as it were, to perform some functions more efficiently than the other. For example, guitar players quickly realize that the fingers on their right hand cannot do, with efficiency, what the fingers on the left hand can do, and vice versa. And it is not a learned behavior, but something very apparent the first time they pick up a guitar, so that it is natural, even necessary, to play it either right- or left-handed, depending on their dominant hand. 

Furthermore, continuing with this analogy, one might think the fingers on the dominant hand would be more adept at the difficult task of stretching and forming scores of various, sometimes contorted, chord shapes. But that's not how the brain works. While the less dominant hand masters these difficult positions, the dominant hand is busy strumming and keeping time, which, of course, is also of vital importance, but admittedly, less difficult and much easier to learn. Similarly (although much of modern culture is rebellion against it), traditionally, the female, the less dominant half of humanity, is often tasked with the thankless and more complex responsibilities such as managing the daily details of the home, and the most important task in life, child-rearing.

The Divine Order

Although it is not popular in today’s society, Scripture presents and explains a divine order in which the male is to provide leadership. But as pointed out above, Eve was not created to be Adam’s servant. The woman’s role is not that of a wench hustling about to fulfill the man’s every desire, as is the practice of many cultures, and even in some aberrant “Christian” cultures with a poor hermeneutic. Such a debasing scenario of the wife’s servitude, subjection, or bondage is foreign to Scripture. This distorted idea, as practiced by heathen cultures, cults, and false teachers, is propagated by Satan.

Far from being the male’s wench, the female is the male’s essential counterpart, surrounding him with protection and help; and she is man’s splendor, the crown of creation. The male’s leadership role is to be exercised with the same sacrificial love that Jesus had for His saints and gave Himself for them (Eph 5:25). Such love is the exact opposite of a domineering bully concerned only for his own interests. Not only is the husband to love his wife, but he is not to be bitter toward her (Col 3:19). And, lest his prayers go unanswered, he is to understand and honor her as the weaker vessel and fellow heir of God’s grace (1Pe 3:7).

She responds favorably to this genuine love and honor. His love is the desired compensation for submission to his leadership, while her submission is satisfactory compensation for his love and sacrifice. By contrast, the lack of such love generates mutiny and has led to the current confusion and rebellion over women's status in society.

We might imagine the analogy of the husband leading the family wagon westward on the Oregon Trail in the mid-1800s, scouting the way forward and fending off dangers. At the same time, his wife supervised and cared for the children and managed the necessary details that eased the arduous journey. Both roles were necessary and equally important.

Paul provides seven specific reasons for this paradigm of male leadership. 

1)      Adam was created first: “for Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1Ti 2:12-14).

2)  Eve was created from Adam: “for the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man” (1Co 11:8-9).

3)  Woman was made for man: “neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (1Co 11:8-9). 

4)  Eve, not Adam, was deceived: “Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression” (1Ti 2:12-14).

5)  It was a result of Eve being deceived: “your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Ge 3:16)

6)      Men are physically stronger than women: “husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel” (1Pe 3:7).

7)      The relationship is a type of Christ and the Church: “for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church” (Eph 5:23).

Again, this divine order is merely functional. It is an organizational chart, not a declaration of inequity. Just as a 60-year-old son is equal, qualitatively, to his 80-year-old father, each has his own role; each has a structure and function throughout life. It does not mean the father is always right, or more knowledgeable, or qualitatively superior in any way. Both are persons created in the image of God, and both are to be respected and treated as equals. Yet, their roles within the family unit and within society remain those of father and son.

There is no moral superiority, no better than the other; there are merely differences, in which each fills a role that is vital to the other. When functioning correctly, godly, righteously, these different roles do not conflict. There is no internal strife, no envy, one for the other. They work in complete harmony, each in need of the other’s abilities, each completed by the other’s presence. When this concept of unity and completion is understood and achieved, the idea of being “one flesh” takes on a whole new meaning.

The issue of Eve’s deception brings us back to Adam’s love for her. This woman was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, and he loved her more than life itself. Because of her disobedience, she was immediately spiritually separate from God and Adam, and doomed to death; yet he and she, together, were humanity. 

Adam had a choice to make: Obey God and remain forever separate from this woman whom he loved like himself, this one who completed him, or join her in disobedience, join her in her death. Driven by his intense love for her, he made the conscious decision to disobey and to eat of the forbidden tree willfully; thereby sacrificing his own life to be reunited with her. Many novels and plays have been written about tragic romances, but the account of Adam and Eve is first and the greatest of all; and it was a figure of the sacrifice Christ would one day make for His beloved saints.  

Adam had no way of knowing God would have mercy and offer forgiveness. He had no way of knowing that God would provide for their salvation by becoming a man Himself to take their punishment upon Himself. Up to this point, the divine attributes such as forgiveness, mercy, longsuffering, and grace had never been revealed. Adam only knew that if he followed Eve’s disobedience, he too would die, but he would also be reunited with her. Intellectually, he understood this reality, but he loved her and, seemingly, could not envision life without her.

After Adam decides to die with Eve, the tragedy takes a new turn. Upon their first encounter with God (the pre-incarnate Jesus), He alluded to the coming Redeemer. Speaking to the serpent, an agent of Satan who had beguiled Eve, He said,

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (Ge 3:15).

After the confrontation in which the Lord explained their dire punishments that would culminate in death, the man’s immediate response was to give a new name to her, whom he had called Woman. Thus, “Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (Ge 3:20). There was no hint of bitterness. No resentment or regret for the sacrifice or the punishment he received. He had nothing but love and respect for her, and had expressed his admiration by acknowledging her as “the mother of all living.” This is what Paul meant when he insisted that husbands love their wives without bitterness. The term “bitter” (πικραινω, pikraino) speaks of being exasperated, angry, indignant, irritated. Adam exemplified this concept.

As Scripture unfolds, it explains the conflict and the wounds of the Redeemer in greater detail, but this is the first indication of the sacrifice Jesus would endure to redeem mankind. Thousands of years later, Paul spoke of the woman’s ability to procreate, to provide the means for salvation.

Adam was not deceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in the transgression. Notwithstanding, she shall be saved in childbearing (1Ti 2:14-15).

And so it was, the Savior of both Adam and Eve, and humanity itself, came forth from the loins of the woman (Isa 7:14; 9:6). The Lord Jesus, the second person of the Godhead, born of a virgin, entered creation as a perfect man without having inherited Adam’s sinful nature, nor being subject to death. Then, He willingly gave His life as a sacrifice to appease the penalty of death demanded by justice; and He now offers forgiveness, a pardon, to all who will accept it. 

A Flexible Paradigm

While male leadership is the preferred paradigm because of the issues listed above, it can be flexible if needed. Miriam and Deborah held leadership positions, and others were prophetesses and teachers, but it is not the biblical norm for women to rule over men. Indeed, the Lord warned Judah of their impending Babylonian captivity because the youths were oppressing the people and women were ruling over them (Isa 3:12-13). But this is not a message the current population wants to hear. Even certain nominal Christian congregations have come to believe this is outdated nonsense. But Scripture does not grow outdated. The seven truths listed above that establish male leadership have not changed, and it is foolish to pretend they have. Furthermore, it is arrogant to discount them as if one knows better than Scripture; unless, of course, one rejects the authenticity and authority of Scripture, in which case, why would one even claim Christianity?

 Although the oppressed role women have suffered in Western society for centuries is not nearly as heartless as it is in many other countries, there is no denying that it has existed. As early as the late 19th century, in certain parts of Europe and the United States, women began speaking out against the oppressive constraints placed on them. Various movements and organizations were formed to protest and counteract their devalued status. Initially, the goal was simply for women to gain the right to vote and hold public office. By the 1960s, many women began seeking to right other social injustices. By the 1970s, organizations had formed to fight for legal and social equality with men, equal pay, the right to make contracts, the right to own property, and protection from sexual discrimination and harassment.

These were injustices that needed correction. But as these movements for equality grew, so too did the corruption, so that the pendulum began to swing in the direction of unrighteousness, with some women rebelling against the very nature of womanhood and demanding the right to abort their own babies; others promoted the ousting of men from their lives altogether; others became convinced they could become men themselves; and most curious of all, others have gladly accepted the notion that males can become females, which, simultaneously, is the ultimate devaluation and dismissal of the female, such that it abducts her very identity. Thus, the woman’s role in modern Western society is more confused than ever, and many young people find it difficult to find a partner with whom they can agree.

Final Thoughts

Sadly, this confusion and rebellion against the divine order has crept into many Christian congregations. While there is not much that can be done to ease this ever-growing tension among non-believers, it can be alleviated within Christendom. It is the dearth of love and honor for the female that has led to the current state of affairs, and it is the man’s sacrificial love and valuation of the woman as his equal heir, indeed, as being the very glory of man, that will ease the tension.