Biblical Complementarianism
Text: Genesis 1-3
Core Idea: The Bible clearly teaches that men and women were created with equal dignity but with different roles. Even though this has been distorted by sin, Christ restored it – making it possible for us to be the people that God desires us to be. Then let’s embark on this journey to rediscover God’s design for our lives for His glory.
INTRODUCTION
We are going through a short sermon series on biblical manhood and womanhood – and last week, we learned that a woman of God is marked by three things. First, she cultivates with care – in that, wherever she is, whatever she touches, everything blossoms and prospers. To borrow the words of Abigail Dodds again, “A godly woman is like a prism that takes in light and turns it into an array of greater, fuller glory so that those around her now see the rainbow that was contained in the beam. God has made us for glory – not glory that terminates on us, but glory that spends itself beautifying everything given to us and points in all things to Christ, who is the radiance of the glory of God.” That’s what a woman of God does whether she is at home, her workplace, or the church – she breathes life into her surroundings. Second, she speaks with wisdom – in that, she not only knows the truth but lives them out. In fact, because she has learned to wrestle with the truths in her own life, she’s able to impart wisdom to others – helping people to apply the information they have for the purpose of transformation. Lastly, she fears the Lord with reverence – which by the way doesn’t mean the kind of terror that makes you want to run away. But the fear of God always refers to having a heart that is completely in awe of God. It’s the kind of fear that crushes pride and cultivates humility because you see that God alone is worthy of your worship. It’s the kind of fear that opens your eyes to see that true beauty is found in godliness, not in physical appearance – which is why the fear of the Lord will always draw you to pursue holiness. Then a woman who fears the Lord is someone who honors God by seeking Him in everything she does and trusting Him wholeheartedly with her life. Now, one of the things that I shared was that you shouldn’t look at this passage as a set of commands to obey but receive it as a promise. Proverbs 31 is not a checklist of what you’re not but a celebration of who you can be in Christ. Then, sisters, I pray that you weren’t discouraged but inspired to make every effort to be the woman that God desires you to be. May it bring you joy to be on this journey of discovering biblical womanhood knowing that this is God’s will for your lives.
Well, today, we’ll have an opportunity to think through an application of biblical manhood and womanhood through the idea of biblical complementarianism. If you’re not familiar with this term, complementarianism holds the theological view that though men and women are created equal in their being and personhood, they are created to complement each other through different roles in the family and the church. In contrast, egalitarianism holds the theological view that not only are both men and women equal before God in their being and personhood, but there’s also no difference in the roles each fulfills in the family and the church. Again, both positions affirm the absolute equality of men and women in their worth and dignity, but they diverge when it comes to whether there are distinct God-given functions associated with each gender or not, especially as it pertains to life at home and church. Now, just so that there’s no misunderstanding, as I mentioned during our congregation meeting, I’m personally convicted that the Bible affirms the view of complementarianism – and this sermon series has been a way for me to invite you to see the journey that it took for me to come to this decision. I was determined to know what the Bible said about this subject because I wanted the Word of God to be the deciding factor, not my own preference or the dominant opinion out there. I point this out because I know that some of you may have a different stance from me. If this is you, I want you to know that my aim is not to be contentious but to simply show you what I discovered in Scripture and how they shaped my convictions so that I can strengthen the faith of those who already affirm this truth and help you understand why one would hold this viewpoint. That being said, please don’t hesitate to share honestly with others what’s on your mind regarding this matter. Ask hard questions. Share your concerns and fears. It’s more than okay to do that. But one thing I ask is that you would approach this whole thing with an attitude of humility – being slow to criticize but being open to consider new information. Yes, it’s true that we may be tempted to quarrel and pass judgment on each other – but instead, let’s enter into a conversation with the desire to understand each other. All that to say, let’s be gracious toward one another and protect the unity of our church – trusting that God will use this opportunity to strengthen us as a community.
Now, some of you may be asking, “Why are we even talking about this if it can create so much tension? If it’s not a gospel issue, why not just be silent and have the attitude of ‘let’s agree to disagree’ or ‘let’s not focus on the things that divide us but the things that bring us together’?” Three reasons. First, because I want to cultivate a culture where we’re not afraid to ask tough theological questions. It’s true that you may not always get the most satisfying answer but as we wrestle through it together, I firmly believe that this will help our knowledge to grow and our faith to mature. Second, because even though they’re not salvation issues (in that, they don’t determine whether you’re a Christian or not), they’re still important enough to make a noticeable difference in how we understand, articulate, and practice the gospel in ministry. In fact, this will help us clarify the future direction of our church as we look to join a denomination. Lastly, because this is a pressing issue that impacts us all. Pastor John Piper said, “The tendency today is to stress the equality of men and women by minimizing the unique significance of our maleness or femaleness. But this depreciation of male and female personhood is a great loss and is taking a tremendous toll on generations of young men and women who do not know what it means to be a man or a woman. Confusion over the meaning of sexual personhood today is epidemic. The consequence of this confusion is not a free and happy harmony among gender-free persons relating to the base of abstract competencies. The consequence rather is more divorce, more homosexuality, more sexual abuse, more promiscuity, more social awkwardness, and more emotional distress and suicide that come with the loss of God-given identity.” We live in a world where gender differences are simply labeled as a social construct. They say that there are no real distinctions between a man and a woman and that you can just choose to be one or the other depending on your feelings and preferences. But instead of bringing joy, as Pastor John said, this only resulted in great confusion among men and women – especially our children. Then it’s clear that the stakes are high – in order to be the men and women that God desires us to be, we should make every effort to recover biblical manhood and womanhood in our homes and churches. All that to say, it’s imperative that we openly talk about this issue to bring clarification. Then to helps us do that, we’ll look at Genesis 1-3. So, please open your Bibles first to Genesis 1:26-31. Keep your Bibles open so that you can follow along and see the truth for yourself. Let me read this for us.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
I wanted to start our conversation here because this gives us a picture of what Adam and Eve were called to be before the Fall. This is what biblical manhood and womanhood looked like in perfection, as intended by God. Then with that in mind, let me point out three things about biblical complementarianism from this passage.
CREATED WITH EQUAL DIGNITY BUT DIFFERENT ROLES
DISTORTED BY SIN
RESTORED IN CHRIST
1) CREATED WITH EQUAL DIGNITY BUT DIFFERENT ROLES
After God had made all other creatures, verse 27 tells us that He created people – male and female. But unlike anything else that was created, only men and women were made to bear the image of God. This means that our ability and desire to love, forgive, encourage, reason, pursue wisdom, pursue excellence, pursue holiness, hate evil, appreciate beauty, and more come from the fact that we resemble God – but more importantly, captured in these words are human identity, meaning, and purpose. Adam and Eve are not just part of the catalog of creatures that God made – no, they’re adorned with dignity and worth that separates them from everything else just because they carry the image of God Himself. Then human value is not something that’s achieved by success or accomplishment. It’s not determined by our intellectual, athletic, or artistic abilities. It’s not attained by our wealth or power. It’s not a matter of how fit and attractive we are. And it’s most definitely not established by our gender. From the very beginning, God makes it absolutely clear that men are not superior to women, nor are women superior to men. One is not better or worse – they are both equally valuable to God, equally treasured by God, and equally created in the beautiful image of our God. In fact, this intrinsic worth that God places in us can never be earned or be taken away because it has been stamped on us the moment we were born – which means that when we look into the face of any person, anywhere, at any time, the one thing we know for sure is that he/she is worthy of honor and respect. Friends, do you realize that you carry tremendous dignity and worth simply because you have been made in the image of God? Satan will continue to tell you otherwise – that you lack something, that you’ll never be good enough, that you’re insignificant, that you’re a mistake, and that no one will love you for who you really are. But that’s not what the Bible says – it clearly tells us that we possess value, beauty, and glory because we’re created in His image.
Now, as much as this is amazing, we see another truth from the Creation account – in that, yes, men and women were created with equal dignity, but they were also created with different roles. We see this truth in Genesis 2 (which by the way is not a contradiction but an elaboration of Genesis 1). So, let’s turn to Genesis 2:15-23 – and let me read this for us, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’ The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man. The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman,” for she was taken out of man.’” Let me point out a few things from here. First, God gave Adam the responsibility of working and taking care of His creation. Even before Eve was created, Adam had the important task of cultivating the land and naming every living creature. This is important to see because naming something in the Bible is a demonstration of authority and headship – in other words, Adam was exercising his leadership over them. Second, God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone. Isn’t that interesting? Even before sin entered the world, something was not good in God’s perfect world. Now, this makes sense because Adam was made in the image of the triune God – to be in a relationship was an essential part of who he was. Third, God created Eve as a helper suitable for Adam. God could’ve given Adam another man to help him till the soil. God could’ve gifted Adam a plow or a group of oxen which would’ve been very useful in fulfilling the mission that God has given him. But none of them would’ve been a helper like Eve. There were things that only Eve could do to help Adam fulfill their purpose to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). Christopher Yuan said, “The word ‘suitable’ communicates complementarity – both similarity and dissimilarity. Adam and Eve are both alike as human beings and also not alike as male and female. God intends for the woman to complement and not duplicate the man. This difference of calling is God’s design from the beginning.” Now, I understand that the word “helper” (ezer in Hebrew) can cause some people to think that it carries the connotation of diminished worth or status but that is not true because God Himself is referred to as our Helper in the Bible. I won’t read you all the passages that reference this (Ex. 18:4; Ps. 10:14; 20:2; 33:20; 46:1; 54:4; 70:5; 72:12; 86:17; 94:17-18; 118:7; 118:13; 146:5; Lk. 1:54) but they show us that the idea of helper doesn’t describe inferiority, rather beauty and strength. Then we must recognize that helper is a functional term, not a demeaning one. Together, they were called to accomplish the mission that God had given them. They couldn’t do this on their own – they needed each other. Fourth, God created Adam to be the leader. I say this because we see Adam naming Eve in verse 23 which clearly is a demonstration of headship as we talked about it earlier. In fact, this explains why God looked for Adam (not both) when they were hiding after consuming the fruit – Adam, not Eve, was acting as the federal head. In the same way, Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man [referring to Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [referring to Jesus] the many will be made righteous.” Paul doesn’t say, “Through the disobedience of one man and one woman, many were made sinners” – no, he just mentions Adam because Adam represents both male and female. Now, as soon as I mention the idea of leadership and submission, I’m sure it’s making some of you feel really uncomfortable – and it could be for many reasons. It could be because it’s going against your convictions or the grain of our culture – a culture that has convinced us that such statements are chauvinistic and dominating. It makes people feel uneasy because our culture continues to promote this idea that being submissive to someone else’s authority undermines and diminishes our worth – but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. The Bible clearly teaches that godly leadership doesn’t lead to domination. Never. Instead, a man of God is to always lead in love. I won’t talk a lot about this because we discussed it in the first sermon of this series but let me just point out that Christian leadership is not first charting vision or giving orders, but modeling and expressing godly character. It’s not concerned first with the leader but with the one being led – which is why a man of God is to treasure those he’s leading but be brutal toward his own sin. All that to say, Christian leadership must clearly demonstrate that he loves those he’s leading more than he loves himself. In fact, this is exactly why we see Adam singing to Eve in verse 23, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” When Adam saw Eve for the first time, he didn’t say, “Finally, someone I can control.” No, he started singing. He sang because his heart was overflowing with gratitude. He was rejoicing and celebrating – declaring, “She’s exactly what I’ve been looking for all my life.” There was no hint of dominance or superiority – only love. Now, I firmly believe that we see so much resistance to this idea of leadership and submission in our culture, home, and church ultimately because men failed to lead well – brothers, this is on us. If we want to help everyone recover God’s design for our homes and churches, we really need to start leading in love – the kind of love that sacrifices, serves, and sanctifies.
Now, there’s a lot more that I can point out from this passage but the main idea that I wanted you to see is the fact that even though Eve was created just like Adam (in that, she too was created in the image of God – equal in worth), she was also created for Adam (in that, she was called to complement in the work that Adam was to do – different in function). Now, some of you might say, “Okay, I understand that being a helper is not a demeaning term but a functional one. But when the Bible says that men are called to lead while women follow, I can’t help but feel like it is an inferior role – that it’s somehow diminishing women’s worth.” If this is you, let me make it clear that this is not an issue of capability but of calling. Let me explain. The Bible is not saying that women don’t have what it takes to do a man’s job – actually, if that’s what’s being communicated, I would be the first to deny this. But that’s not what the Bible says – instead, it simply says that men and women are given different tasks, and they’re now called to obey out of their love for God. In fact, let me give you a few examples from the Bible to show you how it’s possible to have equality in dignity but differences in roles. First, the Levites. In Numbers 3, we see God gathering the Levites to assign them the roles each clan is to have when it comes to taking care of the Tabernacle. Here, we see that Aaron and his sons were given the responsibility of the priestly role (only they were allowed to enter the sanctuary), the Gershonites were responsible for all the curtains in the Tabernacle (Num. 3:25-26), the Kohathites were responsible for all the articles in the Tabernacle like the ark, the table, the lampstand, and so on (Num. 3:31), and the Merarites were responsible for all the frames of the Tabernacle like the crossbars, posts, tent pegs, ropes, and so on (Num. 3:36-37). Now, the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the Merarites could’ve felt like their worth was diminished because only Aaron’s family was allowed to be in the sanctuary – doing the “real” work of God. In fact, the whole Israelites could’ve stood up to God and said, “It’s not fair – why is it that only the Levites are chosen to work in the Tabernacle?” But we see none of that in the Bible. They faithfully served wherever they were called because they knew that, together, they would honor God and have a relationship with Him. Second, the Body of Christ. Listen to what 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ… Now if the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be… The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” The answer, of course, is no. God has called different people for different roles – and in the same way, when God calls men and women for different roles, one’s worth is not diminished. Instead, they should learn to serve together and complement each other so that God’s glory will be displayed through our unity and effort. This passage is so important because it acknowledges that it’s okay to be different, that there are many different ways to contribute, and that each of us, regardless of how we contribute, is an equal and valued part of the body of Christ. Lastly, the Trinity. The New City Catechism states, “There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.” We believe that God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are equally divine – equally worthy of praise, glory, honor, and adoration. But at the same time, the persons of the Trinity are positionally different – they all have different roles. So, for example, when it comes to salvation, the Bible teaches that God the Father sovereignly orchestrated the plan, God the Son made the plan possible by dying on the cross, and God the Spirit now enables the plan to come alive in us by opening our hearts to humbly receive it. In fact, God the Father sends God the Son into the world – and we see the Son obeying the commands of the Father (which means that the Son is subject to the Father and the Father has authority over the Son). And yet there’s no inferiority or superiority – no dominating or degrading. They are just constantly loving and being loved – leading and being led. In fact, they don’t even rotate roles even though they could. Jesus doesn’t say, “Father, You had this authority for some time now – it’s My turn to lead.” No, there’s only glad submission from Jesus but this doesn’t in any way rob Him of His worth and beauty. All that to say, the Bible is full of examples that show how it’s possible to have equality in dignity but differences in roles – this is possible because it’s not an issue of capability but of calling.
Now, before we move on, I want to quickly share something personal. Honestly, if I was driven only by my own preference, I would be hesitant to embrace this because I know so many godly, wise, strong women who are more than capable of leading and preaching well. One of them is Pastor Jane. I’ve served with her now for more than 18 years – and all I have is respect for her. I look up to her, trust her, and depend on her – which is why I’m so humbled by the fact that she has chosen to follow my lead at Lighthouse. But seeing how inadequate I am, I’m sure she was tempted to take over so many times – in fact, I would’ve gladly passed over the responsibility because I know she is able. But she didn’t – not because she wasn’t capable of leading, but because she was choosing to obey the Word. She was choosing to be faithful to the call that God had given her. Brothers and sisters, I firmly believe that this is what the Bible teaches. I’m not talking about complementarianism because I personally desire power and authority – no, I do so because I want our church to be shaped by what the Bible says. Yes, it may go against what the culture promotes but I firmly believe that this is what God teaches. Now, if you ask me why God designed His world to be like this, I wouldn’t know how to answer because the Bible never explains. But one thing I know is that He did this because it was pleasing to His eyes. Then let’s embrace this not because it makes sense in our heads but because we trust God in our hearts – let’s be faithful to the call that we have received for His glory.
2) DISTORTED BY SIN
Even though God’s design for His world was good, we see that sin distorted everything. To see this, we need to turn to Genesis 3 – and let me just point out two things from here. First, sin caused Adam to abdicate (abandon) his responsibility to lead. Genesis 3:1-7, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”’ ‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Now, isn’t it interesting that the serpent didn’t go to Adam but Eve? He must have known that Adam was the designated leader but by going to Eve, he was basically saying to her, “Hey, why don’t you lead the way? Why don’t you make the decision? Why does Adam get to call the shot all the time? You’re more than able.” He was trying to undermine the design of God – no wonder he’s described as crafty. Now, it clearly says that Adam was right there when Eve took the fruit – but he stood there and did absolutely nothing. He should’ve said, “Eve, I know that the fruit looks good but let’s not give into our desires. Let’s obey God because what He desires for us is always good” – but he didn’t. In fact, he didn’t even speak out when the serpent was twisting God’s Word. When the serpent said, “Did God really say,” he should’ve said, “Yes, that’s exactly what God said. Don’t make us question His Word” – but he didn’t. Again, he didn’t correct Eve when she said something that wasn’t true. She shared that God commanded them not to touch the tree which is actually not true. Then he should’ve said, “No, God never said that. Let’s not add anything to His Word because it can cause us to misunderstand Him” – but he didn’t. He remained silent the whole time and ended up consuming the fruit as well. In fact, when God called him, he should’ve said, “God, I’m so sorry. You’ve given me this important responsibility of guarding my family, but because I let my guard down, I sinned against You and disappointed my wife. Would You please forgive me for what I’ve done? And please be merciful to Eve too. Her disobedience is on me as well” – but he didn’t. Instead, he started blaming Eve and God for his sins – Genesis 3:12, “The woman You put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” It’s sad but this is what we see in so many of the men today. They refuse to lead. They don’t want to be kept accountable for others because they think it’s too hard or inconvenient. They don’t want the responsibility because they’re scared or lazy. They lack direction and vision – causing them to be purposeless in the way they live. No wonder many of the women end up leading in homes and churches. Now, the other extreme is just as dangerous – sin doesn’t just cause men to abdicate their responsibility to lead but also to abuse it. In fact, that’s exactly what God said would happen as a result of sin. Talking to Eve, He said in Genesis 3:16, “He [Adam] will rule over you.” The word “rule” implies that he will assert authority by force in a harsh and oppressive way. Again, it’s sad but this is what we see around us as well – men assaulting, manipulating, and controlling women for their own pleasure and benefit. But as I said before, headship does not equal domination – which means that if you see anyone abusing their leadership, this is not what complementarianism is about. In fact, it’s always the very opposite – complementarianism is dying to yourself in order to love and protect the one you’re leading. Okay, so, that’s the first effect of sin –causing men to abdicate or abuse their responsibility to lead.
Secondly, sin caused Eve to usurp Adam’s responsibility to lead. God says to Eve in Genesis 3:16, “[Because of your sin] your desire will be for your husband.” Now, why is that bad? Isn’t it a good thing for a wife to desire her husband? Well, we see the same Hebrew word used in Genesis 4:7 when God speaks to Cain about sin in his life – listen to what it says, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Now, is it good for sin to desire you? No. When it says that sin desires to have you, it means that it desires to overpower you, oppose you, and work against you. Then in the same way, when it says that Eve will desire Adam because of her sin, it means that she will desire to overpower him, oppose him, and work against him. In fact, her desire will be to take over his leadership – to desire the authority that God has given to man. She won’t desire to complement him but compete with him. She will basically say, “I’m going to do this my way because I can do it better. I’m going to take charge from now on.” All that to say, it created confusion in their calling and responsibility. Kevin DeYoung said, “God designed sexual difference for one another; sin takes sexual difference and makes it opposed to one another.” Brothers and sisters, this is why it’s important to reclaim and recover biblical manhood and womanhood in our lives and the church. It’s true that this is not going to be easy because this idea of a complementary relationship between men and women is constantly being denied, disregarded, and twisted by the world we live in today – but this shouldn’t discourage us, knowing that our hope is in the Lord (which leads to our last point).
3) RESTORED IN CHRIST
Listen to what God said to the serpent in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.” This verse is very important because it’s known as the protoevangelium – the first gospel. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, He could’ve destroyed them which would’ve been a just act. But instead, He graciously promised them a Savior who would one day come to conquer the enemy and bring redemption to His people. Who is this Redeemer? Jesus. Satan must have thought that he was victorious when he saw Jesus dying on the cross. How can he not? Death brings an end to all things. But little did he know that Jesus’ death was a necessary part of God’s salvation plan. Because of our sins, we were destined for death – we deserved the wrath of God. But the Bible tells us that Jesus died in our place (bearing the penalty of our sin) so that we may be forgiven and made righteous before the Father. And the amazing thing is that this was not the end of the story – the Bible also tells us that death could not hold Him down. Jesus Christ conquered the grave and rose again so that we may have life and life to the full. And because of what Jesus did on the cross, everything that has been distorted is now restored in Him. He made it possible for us to be the people that we were created to be.
Now, I understand that you may still have a lot of questions, especially regarding the practical application of this truth. But as you can see, we are way over time. So, I decided to extend this sermon series for one more week. But it won’t be right away because next week is Palm Sunday, then Easter. So, our last sermon for this series will be on the first Sunday of April – but this works out perfectly because we have our open forum that day after service. Hopefully, that last sermon will help you process this more. Now, to make our forum a little more efficient, I thought that it would be helpful if you could submit some of your questions in advance. You can either email them to me – or if you want to remain anonymous, I prepared some paper and pen at the back. You can write down your questions and leave them in the box beside. In fact, this would help me because then I can better prepare the answers. Anyway, all that to say, I’ll share more on this next time but the last thing I want to leave you with is the fact that we should look to Christ as we make every effort to be the men and women that God desires because He alone conquers sin and its effects.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, the Bible clearly teaches that men and women were created with equal dignity but with different roles. Even though this has been distorted by sin, Christ restored it – making it possible for us to be the men and women that God desires us to be. Then let’s encourage one another to be on a journey to rediscover God’s design for our lives so that He would be glorified.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What are complementarianism and egalitarianism? Why should we talk about them if they can create so much tension? If this is not a gospel issue, why not just be silent and have the attitude of ‘let’s agree to disagree’ or ‘let’s not focus on the things that divide us but the things that bring us together’? What is your personal conviction regarding this matter? Do you have any questions that you want to clarify?
Read Genesis 1:26-31 and 2:15-23. How are Adam and Eve created with equal dignity but with different roles? Why is this important for us to see?
Read Genesis 3:1-19. How did sin distort God’s design for gender differences? How does this impact us today?
Read Genesis 3:15. This is known as the protoevangelium – the first gospel. Why? How can this be a source of hope and strength for Christians today?