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My Sunday morning message explored the meaning of manhood. Is the essence of manhood physical strength, emotional reserve, or sexual potency? No. At the moment of creation the Lord revealed what true manhood would mean: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him” (Gen. 1:27). A male is truly a man only when he is reflecting the character of God, that is, when he is providing for those who depend on him, protecting the weak, living a pure life, making sacrifices for others, speaking the truth in love, and fighting for what is right. What, then, does it mean to be a woman? Menstruating, nursing, and bearing children are unique to the feminine sex. Are these reproductive functions the essence of womanhood? Is that what Paul intended when he wrote that “woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty” (1 Tim. 2:15)? No. In context, the apostle is reassuring the Christian woman that her role of submission to male leadership in the assembly of the church is no slight to her worth. She, as a woman, “will be saved” as surely as her male counterpart. Besides, some of the most admired women of the Bible were infertile. Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Elizabeth experienced long periods of yearning for children. Though these women all eventually enjoyed the thrill of motherhood, their devotion to God strongly commended them before they conceived children. Furthermore, the Scriptures present exemplary women whose reproductive powers are either unknown or irrelevant. Did Miriam have a husband or children? Was Deborah a mother? Was elderly Anna still able to bear children? Was Priscilla able to conceive a child by Aquila? Moses wrote that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Men are created in the image of God--but so are women. A female is truly a woman only when she is reflecting the character of God, that is, when she is showing compassion to the needy, nurturing those who depend on her, living a holy life, speaking the truth, and giving herself to others. |