Biblical Femininity

The previous article on masculinity focused on the uniqueness of being a man from a biblical perspective. This article is about what the Bible says about being a woman. As I start this article, let me remind you of a couple of general pointe:

• Humans are unique. The creation of humans on day six of creation week was the peak of the creation process. It is said uniquely of humans that they were created in the image of God, Gen. 1. 27. But, as we consider the characteristics of men and women, bear in mind that God is so great that we can never fully reflect His glory.
• We are distinct from animals. The cultural trend, because people have rejected God and rebelled against Him, is to see humans purely as a higher form of animal. The bullet point above has addressed that in part, but human memory, imagination, creativity, language, our ability to cook, our dexterity, our moral responsibility, and our spiritual awareness force us to consider how different we are.
• There is a distinction between the sexes. God has created men and women with distinctive qualities. We may have many similarities, but there is something very special about women. This is equally true about men, and if we miss this we lose sight of what an amazing work God did in creating people.
• An attack on these truths is an attack on God’s glory and His creatorial order. He made us to be similar and yet different. To ignore this and force the sexes into the same mould is insulting to God and damaging to us, and wastes what we have to offer in life practically.
• The church should restore and reflect the order of creation. This will be done by practising the truth of headship and seeing the roles of men and women in the church and in the family as complementary. This topic will be addressed in more detail in a later article.

The creation of the ‘first lady’

We do not really know how long it was after Adam’s creation that God created the first woman, Eve. It doesn’t look as if it could have been long, but we are not told. What we are told is that, despite their beauty, intriguing variety, and amazing abilities, the animal creation did not fit the bill’ when it came to satisfying Adam’s needs. Scripture says, ‘there was no helper . . . [just right for] him’, Gen. 2. 20 NKJV. Animals could not provide the social interaction he needed; they could not stimulate him intellectually; they did not meet his emotional needs and would never satisfy his sexual needs either.

Basically, God created the ‘first lady’ because Adam was incomplete without her. He had a need and an emptiness without this companionship. It was declared that it was ‘not good [beneficial] that man should be alone’, v. 18 NKJV. So, God said that He would make him someone who balanced him - a counterpart who was suitable and complementary for him. She was going to be profoundly like him (‘bone of my bones’, Gen. 2. 23) and yet profoundly distinct.

Having looked at why the woman was created, let us, for the rest of this article, consider what type of person God created when he created a woman. Women are generally known (there are always exceptions) for their appreciation of beauty, their care for their appearance and dress sense, their ability to communicate, their empathy, their loyalty, their passions and emotions, and their kindness and care. They have gentleness where a man might be rough; they have perception when a man with his single vision can’t see it, giving them additional insight and foresight. Working together, men and women can be a powerful combination; working against; each other is a recipe for devastation and disaster. When sin came into the world, the devil sought to bring conf ict and disagreement between the sexes, which sadly is still seen in our day.

In closing, I want to point; you to a few passages that emphasize God’s design for femininity.

Proverbs 31. 10-31

This is the most comprehensive portrait of a God-fearing lady in the Bible and a great example of womanhood.

• She is a person of great integrity who can be trusted, vv. 10, 11, 12, 18, 25, 26.
• She is a strong person who handles many situations in life well, vv. 17, 18, 20, 21, 25, 27.
• She dresses herself and her family well and appreciates beauty, vv. 21, 22, 24.
• She is intelligent, perceptive and dignified, vv. 11, 25, 26, 27.
• She is careful with money and resources, vv. 11, 13, 16, 27.
• She is entrepreneurial and an organizer, vv. 13, 16, 18, 24.
• She has a care for family and the community, vv. 11, 12, 15, 20, 21, 25, 27.
• She is kind and thoughtful in how she does things and when giving instructions, v. 26.
• The fear of the Lord is her foundation, v. 30.

This is not a checklist but a celebration of Spirit-shaped womanhood. Other passages you could explore that describe biblical femininity include: 1 Peter 3. 3, 4 and Titus 2. 3-5. That can be your homework. If you are really interested, read the life stories of Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, and Mary, and you will see some great role models to learn from.