The Bible teaches very clearly that God created only two sexes, male and female (Gen. 1:27). He created men and women with very different physical and emotional characteristics, and He designed their bodies biologically different but complementary for purposes of the reproductive system which enables two bodies to become one. God commanded that they be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28) and they were to come together to produce new human beings in the manner designed by God for this purpose, through intimate sexual relations within the marital regime. God provided that only through this process should filling the earth take place (Gen. 1:27, 28).
INSTITUTIONS CREATED BY GOD
In addition to creating the two sexes, God also created the institutions of marriage and the family as well as the church, the body of Christ. Only marriage between a man and a woman is the regime within which the reproductive act is to exist. The family is the institution for raising and nurturing children. And the church is the community of all true believers in Christ Jesus. The church was designed by God to be the fellowship of believers that shepherds the members and their families in the nurture and guidance of the Lord.
UNEQUAL YET EQUAL
Men and women are not equals in the sense that they naturally have different physical and emotional attributes, and God considered their distinctive characteristics when assigning them different roles in the institutions of marriage, the family, and the church. God assigned different roles to each sex in these institutions in order to prudently utilize the unique attributes and characteristics of each sex which differentiated the two sexes.
Scripture is clear that male and female stand before God spiritually as equal persons (Gal. 3:28). Neither sex has a preferential status regarding salvation or the union with Christ, but they are nevertheless distinct when it comes to their manhood and womanhood. God utilizes the biological differences between male and female to assign roles that complement one another in the proper functioning of the marriage, the family, and the church. But differences in roles do not diminish the dignity of either man or woman.
God created male and female with the same nature and rank (Gen. 2:18). Men and women each individually possess the full image of God (Gen. 1:27) and because of this they have equal status and dignity before God. Men and women are co-heirs in the grace of life (1 Pet. 3:7) and one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). And they have equal shares in the plan of salvation. God assigns male and female equally with the responsibility to have dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:26) and to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28).
ROLES
However, men and women have specifically assigned roles from God in the areas of marriage, the family, and the church. For example, God limited marriage to only one man and one woman and He limited the progenitive act to the marital regime. He assigned men the role of head of the family (1Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-24; Gen. 3:16) and He assigned women to bear children (Gen. 3:16) and to raise them in the nurture and counsel of the Lord (1 Tim. 2:15). He assigned men to hold the offices of pastors and ministers to govern the church (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6) and to teach men, as well as women and children (1 Tim. 2:12).
In recent history, some groups from inside and outside the church have resisted and attacked the God-given roles for women. They say that women can serve in the same roles as men do, including in marriage, the family, and the church. I would agree with them in general that men and women are capable of serving in the same secular roles. Nevertheless, scripture teaches that this “role-equality” does not extend to marriage, the family, and the church because God’s Word commands different roles for men and women in these institutions.
God does not prohibit women or men from serving as governors, pipe-fitters, teachers, nurses, physicians, attorneys, authors, janitors, secretaries, coaches, accountants, military leaders, football officials, police officers, presidents, carpenters, corporate CEOs, members of Congress, or in any other occupations or careers that they are capable of performing, as long as these positions do not interfere with their God-given roles in marriage, the family, and the church. But He does limit the roles of women and men in the institutions of marriage, family, and church.
SUMMARY
Male and female are the only two sexes created by God. He created male and female physically and emotionally different but made these differences complementary. Both sexes were created in God’s image and are equal before God spiritually but are distinct in their manhood and womanhood (Gen 1:26-27, 2:18). God assigned different but complementary roles to men and women in marriage, the family, and the church. For example, men are given the role of self-sacrificing leader of the marriage and family. In the church, the office of minister or pastor or elder is assigned to men for leadership and governance (1 Tim. 3:2; Tit. 1:6) as is the office of deacon (1 Tim. 3:12). In the church, women are not to teach men (1 Tim. 2:12) or serve as pastors or deacons. But women should be encouraged to serve in other positions of leadership in the church such as teaching women and children and serving in roles involving finances, discipleship, evangelism, witnessing, communications, legal services, serving on committees, and many more. Whatever positions men and women hold in life, they should be sure that their activities outside the roles assigned by God in marriage, the family, and the church do not infringe upon the roles appointed to them in these divinely created institutions. But in the end, men and women stand before God spiritually as equal persons with equal dignity and this is not diminished by the different roles assigned to them by God.
