God created mankind, male and female, in His own image
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27 NIV)
There is a lot said in this passage of Scripture about mankind
- First, God makes mankind in His own image which is the image of God. He did not say this about animals.
- Secondly, mankind means male and female. Today, there are some who say they are “transgender” or “gender neutral” among other gender designations, but God makes it abundantly clear that He only created two genders, male and female.
A man’s helper and companion
God created a woman so that man would have a helper and companion.
“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Gen. 2:18 NIV)
Marriage turns a man and woman into one flesh
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
God has an order for things within a marriage
“But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” (1 Cor. 11:3 NIV)
A man must love his wife as Christ loved the church
Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church.
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25 NIV)
“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself…” (Eph. 5:33a NIV)
Women are to love, submit to, and respect their husbands
“And so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” (Titus 2:4-5 NIV)
“... let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Eph. 5:33b NIV)
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” (Col. 3:18 NIV)
Men and women are equal in God’s sight
Because God has an order to things in marriage, people sometimes conclude that men are more important, or better than, women. Nothing could be further from the truth! Yes, men and women have different rolls within marriage, but one isn’t better than the other.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”