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Men, Women, and the Bible
by Major Richard
Munn
(based on an outline by Gilbert Bilezikian)
• Session
One
“In The Beginning It Was Good!” – Genesis 1-2
• Session Two
“What On Earth Happened?” – Genesis 3
• Session Three
“A Painful Legacy - Polygamy, Divorce And Adultery.”
– Old Testament Survey
• Session Four
“Glimpses Of Eden Restored” – Song Of Songs And
Proverbs 31
• Session Five
“Jesus And Women” – New Testament Survey
• Session Six
“What Did Paul Really Say?” – Pauline Survey
• Session Seven
“Eros And Porneia – Healthy Sexuality In An Age Of
Pompeii” – Matthew 5 And 1 Corinthians 7
• Session Eight
“Men And Women In The Church – Breaking The Curse” –
Galatians 3:28
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session One
“In The Beginning It Was Good!”
Genesis 1-2
Genesis One – The Creation Story
Genesis 1:26 (RSV) - “Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness; and let them have dominion…”
Lesson:
God determines to make “man” (singular), but refers to “man”
as “them” (plural). “Man” is a generic term for “human beings”
and encompasses both male and female. Both man and woman are
God’s image-bearers.
Genesis 1:27 (RSV) - “So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them.”
Lesson:
The male/female sexual differentiation reflects realities
contained within the very being of God and derived from Him as
His image. Femaleness pertains to the image of God as fully as
maleness. God is neither male nor female.
Genesis 1:28 (RSV) - “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the
earth and subdue it…”
Lesson:
God’s procreation mandate (the command to reproduce and to
populate the earth) offers an added explanation for the sexual
differentiation between man and woman. Its purpose was not for
one sex to dominate the other.
Genesis Two – Reinforces teachings of chapter one and
provides some new insights.
Genesis 2:18 (NIV) - “It is not good for the man to be alone.
I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Lesson:
By any standards, Adam had it made in Eden. However, in spite
of opulence, Adam was not fulfilled.
He remained alone. He was only half of the story. The image of
God in him, itself, yearned for the presence of his female
counterpart without whom there was no fulfillment.
Genesis 2:23 - “At last, this is bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out
of man.”
Lesson:
Adam’s exclamation shows that he was in tune with God. He
understood that God was presenting him with a being like
himself, the companion perfectly suitable for him, his equal.
Genesis 2:24 (RSV) - “Therefore a man leaves his father and
his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one
flesh.”
Lesson:
The marital bond is designed by God to take precedence over
concern for the cohesion of a man’s original family.
He goes to his bride and joins her in the marital bond.
Genesis 2:25 - “And the man and his wife were both naked and
they were not ashamed.”
Lesson:
Nakedness in the garden is mentioned as a concluding
affirmation of the goodness of God’s creation. It signified
the unhindered freedom of humans in relation to each other and
before God.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Two
“What On Earth Happened?”
Genesis 3
Genesis Three – The Fall
Genesis 3:6a (RSV) “When the woman saw that the tree was good
for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the
tree was desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and
ate it”
Lesson:
Eve saw that the tree was “a delight to the eyes.” Pleasure
took precedence over revelation. The philosophy of hedonism is
born - advocating the satisfaction of desire and the
gratification of the senses as being the ultimate value.
Genesis 3:6b “She took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave
some to her husband, and he ate it.”
Lesson:
Adam sins knowingly. He is aware of the meaning of his defiant
gesture and yet participates in the rebellion against God.
Genesis 3:7 and 10 “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.”
..."I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
Lesson:
Original natural innocence and freedom are immediately
reversed. There is shame associated with nakedness – a sense
of self-consciousness
Genesis 3:11 (RSV) “And God said, "Who told you that you were
naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not
to eat from?"
Lesson:
God addresses Adam as an individual. Both Adam and Eve
discover their nakedness as the result of sin, but God singles
out Adam to inquire. Eve’s turn would come. She would have to
speak for herself, as a person in her own right.
Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers.”
Lesson:
Intimacy and mutual dependency is replaced by ‘enmity ‘- lit.’
hostility’ ‘hate’ ‘antagonism.’
Genesis 3:16 “I will greatly increase your pains in
childbearing, in pain you will bring forth children. Your
desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Lesson:
The woman is entrusted with the childbearing function. She
will yearn for the “one flesh” union that defined the family
prior to the fall (2:24). Her desire will be for her husband,
and yet instead of meeting her desire and providing a mutually
supportive and nurturing family environment, he will rule over
her.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Three
“A Painful Legacy – Polygamy, Divorce And Adultery.”
Old Testament Survey
Following the Fall - The Dark Side
This is a time of preparation for fulfillment that ultimately
comes with the life Christ. The time reflects a dual set of
characteristics:
1. The effects of the fall are very much in evidence in the
old-covenant community. This is the dark side of the old
covenant.
2. However, God is also using the old-covenant people as
instruments to accomplish His redemptive program. There are
many positive features that prepare the way for the coming of
Christ and for the restoration of God’s original creation
purposes. This is the bright side of the old covenant.
This lesson will focus in the dark side. Next month will
feature the bright side.
Polygamy - Genesis 4:19 – “And Lamech took two wives.”
It takes only 6 generations from Adam to Lamech for hierarchy
to disintegrate into polygamy. ‘One flesh’ has morphed into
ruler/subject hierarchy. The ruler of woman now becomes the
owner of woman. The owner of woman soon becomes the
owner of women.
Creation
Design
God
Adam and Eve
nature
The Fall
God nature
Adam
Eve
Genesis 16:3,4
– “So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai
his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to
her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she
conceived.” (See also Genesis 25:1-6)
Male dominance transforms the creational relationship of
equals into one of superior to subordinate. Wives are now
regarded as conveniences and providers of posterity.
Abraham has several wives and concubines.
Esau marries three wives (Genesis 26:34; 28:8-9)
Jacob’s twelve sons are born of four different mothers
(Genesis 29; 30).
Gideon has thirty wives and at least one concubine (Judges
8:30, 31).
David keeps adding wives and concubines to his house (2
Samuel 3:2-5; 5:13-16; 20:3).
Solomon establishes the biblical record with 700 wives and
300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3).
Bigamy is recognized as a legal fact - indicating that
common people practice it as well (Exodus 21:10; Deuteronomy
21:15-17).
Patriarchal Oppression – (Numbers 30:6-16) Old
Testament legislation regarding contractual engagements and
individual decisions is an illustration of the oppressive
nature of the patriarchal system. Commitments made by a wife
prior to her marriage or after her wedding can be overruled by
her husband.
Numbers 30:2 – A husband’s decisions are not subject to the
approval of his wife. The legal status of a married woman is
that of a child in relation to the ruler of a house.
Numbers 30:3-5 – The decisions of a young woman living in her
father’s house can be nullified by him.
Numbers 30:16 – A wife does not enjoy any greater degree of
independence than her own daughter
Exodus 21:7 – A father can sell his daughter as a servant –
probably to double up as a concubine – as if she is a piece of
property
Double Standard on Adultery – Deuteronomy 22:13-30
The different status between men and women that results from
“he shall rule over you” produces inequities in the area of
sexual behavior. This is reflected in the old-covenant
legislation on adultery. Since a married man is ruler over his
wife, her unfaithfulness violates his property rights.
Deuteronomy 22:22: An adulterous wife is to be put to death.
However, the law prescribes no penalty against an unfaithful
husband.
Deuteronomy 22:28-29 – The violation of a single woman is not
punishable by death, since she is not the possession of a
husband.
Result: The one-sided definition of adultery gives enough
latitude to male permissive practices for prostitution to
become a persistent affliction in the history of the
old-covenant people.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Four
“Glimpses Of Eden Restored”
Song Of Songs And Proverbs 31
Following the Fall - The Bright Side
The old-covenant period was a time of partial accomplishment
to sinful realities – resolution would be fully attainable in
the new covenant. Positive elements were the lingering effects
of the goodness of God’s creation ideal – pointing to the new
creation in Christ.
The old covenant gave many indications that men and women
would be able to enjoy again the equality for which they had
been created. For instance:
Religious Life - The bible refers to several prophetesses and
describes them as exercising the same kind of religious
authority as their male counterparts
Miriam – Exodus 15:20,21
Deborah – Judges 4:4,5
Huldah – 2 Kings 22:14-16
Civil Life - Several women even alter the course of history
Rahab – Joshua 6:25
Esther – Esther 7:3,4
Ruth – Ruth 4:13
Marital Life – In the middle of brokenness glimpses of the
original goodness of monogamous marriage surface
The Song of
Solomon – The Song consists of a graceful, emotional, highly
lyrical celebration of conjugal love. It is a strong
affirmation of the enjoyment of human sexuality in the context
of complete mutual freedom and reciprocity. It is a
poetical-dramatic commentary on God’s original charter for
male/female relations
The setting is similar to the goodness of creation in its
Edenic innocence
The man and the woman frolic in complete abandon as free
spirits
There are no hints of disparity, manipulation or domination
The terms of endearment reflect deference and reciprocity.
Admiration for the beauty of the human body is mutual, and
access to the physical being of each other is unhindered
“My beloved is mine and I am his.” (Song of Songs 2:16)
God’s shalom permeates the whole story.
Proverbs 31:10-31
Her husband has confidence in her He respects her judgment
and her independent decisions - (1-12)
The implication is that he is well respected in the
community because of his wife’s industry and competency – (23)
She is a “working wife” – combining career and home (24)
She has good relationships with the her children and husband
(28)
The husband affirms the qualities of his wife, and
acknowledges that while there are many other women like her,
she is the best among them. (29)
This text projects in everyday life the implications of the
relationship described in the Song of Songs.
It anticipates the restoration of the original pattern of
husband/wife relationships that prevailed in creation prior to
the fall.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Five
“Jesus And Women”
New Testament Survey
Introduction:
A new days dawns with the advent of Jesus.
He reaffirms creation and repudiates the effects of the
fall.
He intrudes into the sin-laden institutions of the world and
releases new life.
Societal Context:
Women are still generally viewed as being responsible for
the evil in the world.
Women are strictly segregated from social and religious life
Women are viewed as inferior and unteachable.
Women are essentially captive in the isolation of their
fathers or husbands’ homes.
Result: Jesus restores human dignity to women - that
experienced by Eve before the fall.
Redefines Adultery - Matthew 5:27-30
Adultery is perceived as a female sin.
Men commit adultery with impunity.
Jesus addresses the root of the problem by denouncing
predatory men who look at women and see a body instead of a
person.
He cuts across legalisms by requiring a change of heart.
He promises hell as the alternative to obedience.
Revokes Divorce - Matthew 5:31-32
Divorce puts wives at the mercy of their husbands under the
cover of the Mosaic legislation.
To alert His listeners to the dehumanizing implications of
such practices, Jesus uses violent language.
Men who discard their wives reduce them to the status of
whores.
The man who puts out his wife has the heart of an adulterer
(Matthew 19:3-8)
The man who marries a woman who has thus been passed around
essentially encourages legalized wife swapping.
Redeems Prostitutes - Luke 7:36-50
The Pharisee looks at the harlot and sees only a fallen
woman.
o The harlot is unredeemable
Jesus looks and sees only a repentant sinner.
o It is the self-righteous Pharisee who is in sin.
Jesus later tells assembled leaders that harlots are far
ahead of them in entering the kingdom, because they believe
while they reject Him (Matthew 21:31-32).
Affirms Discipleship - Luke 10:38-42
To sit at someone’s feet is the position of the receptive
disciple.
o Mary is learning from the Lord
o Martha is busy with pots and pans - fulfilling the role
traditionally assigned to women.
Jesus cites Mary as the person who is making the right
decision, one that is of lasting value.
Also:
The First News of the Incarnation—Luke 1:32-35 - The
revelation that God will send forth His own son to be born of
a woman is first made to that very woman – Mary.
The First Samaritan Convert—John 4:7-42 - A woman becomes the
prototypical convert of the universal gospel mission.
The First Gentile Convert—Matthew 15:21-28 - The focus of the
story is the faith of a woman, which Jesus later describes as
“great.” Jesus establishes her as His first convert in an area
He identifies as the Gentile world.
The First Witness the Resurrection—Matthew 28:9; John 20:16 -
The women disciples are present when Jesus’ body is entombed.
They are also the ones who come to the grave early on the
third day to complete the embalming of the body.
The First Witnesses to the Resurrection—Matthew 28:10; John
20:18 - The female disciples, who accompany Jesus to the
crucifixion and stay with him through the execution are
entrusted by Him with the message: “He is risen.”
Conclusion: Jesus teaches His followers - in word and deed -
to consider gender difference irrelevant to processes of the
kingdom of God.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Six
“Pauline Principles”
Galatians 3:26-29 – Church Relationships – Mutual Identity
in Christ
The epistle to the Galatians is considered by many to be
Paul’s first extant writing – his inaugural statement. The
correlations between this statement and the contents of
Peter’s inaugural speech at Pentecost are striking. [Acts 2:15
– 21]
“There is neither Jew nor Greek [or Gentile].” - Commitment
has shifted from their Jewish ethnicity or Gentile ethnicity
to unity in Christ.
Lesson:
Racial distinctions are irrelevant in the church. Therefore,
the practice of racial discrimination in the church is sinful.
“There is neither slave nor free” Self-definition shifts from
their status as slave or free to the unity they share in
Christ.
Lesson:
Class distinctions are irrelevant in the church. Therefore,
the practice of class discrimination in the church is sinful.
“There is neither male nor female.” Personal worth shifts from
their maleness or femaleness to the unity they share in
Christ.
Lesson:
Sex distinctions are irrelevant in the church. Therefore, the
practice of sex discrimination in the church is sinful.
Summary: Christian unity can be achieved despite diversity of
race, class, and sex in the church. True unity cannot be
achieved without equal opportunity for participation in the
life of the church regardless of race, class, and sex.
Ephesians 5:21 33 – Marital Relationships – Mutual
Submission In Christ
Mutual submission is the proper attitude of believers toward
one another within the church and also within the home. Since
mutual submission is the rule for all believers, it also
applies to all husbands and to all wives who are believers.
Mutual submission pertains to the very nature of Christ and
His ministry. The marriage relationship provides the
environment where both husbands and wives can exhibit the
deeper meaning of Christ’s sacrificial love for the church
through the practice of mutual submission.
Husbands: Love for wives is defined according to the standard
set by Christ at the cross when He takes the form of a
servant, humbles Himself, and becomes obedient unto death,
even death on a cross. Any claim to rulership or any assertion
of authority makes a mockery of the cross where Christ gives
Himself up for the church.
Heavier demands made on husbands correspond to the
disproportionate lengths of Paul’s instructions to husbands
(vv. 25-30: ninety-two Greek words) and to wives (vv. 23-23:
forty Greek words).
I Timothy 2:11-15 – Elder Relationships – Maturity In
Christ
There are two surrounding references to silence (11 and 12).
This is silence of the obedient disciple who receives
instruction eagerly and without contradiction or
self-assertion. It is a familiar statement of esteem.
Textual Development:
Women in Ephesus should first become learners (v.11)
Stop acting as teachers or assuming the authority of
recognized teachers (v.12).
Unqualified persons will get themselves and the church in
trouble (vv. 13-14). [As Eve rather than Adam was deceived
into error].
As Eve became the means and the first beneficiary of
promised salvation, so Ephesian women will legitimately aspire
to maturity and competency and to positions of service in the
church (v. 15).
The exclusion of the Ephesian women from teaching positions
is not final.
Context: There were ignorant women in Ephesus who had created
considerable trouble because of unenlightened exuberance and
knowledge.
Principle: Persons in the learning stages should not be
permitted to become teachers. They first must earn their
credentials.
Application: Christian communities should remain careful to
authorize positions of leadership only those persons who have
received adequate training and whose lives are characterized
by Christian maturity.
At the core of Paul’s strategy is the elimination of all
unqualified teachers – both male and female – so that the
church’s teaching ministry can be carried out exclusively by
approved mature people.
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
MEN, WOMEN
AND THE BIBLE
Session Seven
“Men And Women In The Body Of Christ”
Bible Study Series Purpose: To place the teachings of the
bible on male/female relationships in a perspective that
illustrates God’s design in creation and its restoration in
redemption.
Counteracting Fragmentation: The gospel needs to be applied to
individual lives and to the way Christians relate among
themselves. Fragmentation and divisions are successful weapons
in Satan’s arsenal directed against believers. Where God wants
to create unity and cohesion, Satan seeks to cause alienation
and separation.
Wholeness in Christ: Nowhere does the Scripture command us to
develop our sex-role awareness as males or females. It calls
us—both men and women—to acquire the mind of Christ and to be
transformed in His image.
“All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed
yourselves with Christ.” (Galatians 3:27)
“Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of
the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
(Phil. 2:5)
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23)
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive
whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive
as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on
love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
(Colossians 3:12-14)
Some men may indeed have to repudiate the traits that culture
portrays as masculine
Toughness is surrendered for love.
Ambition is replaced by joy.
Aggressiveness is subordinated for peace.
Expeditiousness is relinquished for patience.
Forcefulness is forfeited for kindness.
Harshness becomes goodness.
Lack of commitment is changed into faithfulness.
Competition is exchanged for gentleness.
Assertiveness is sublimated into self-control.
Men and Women Together: These qualities are neither
masculine nor feminine. Both men and women are to acquire such
characteristics because they reveal the image of God. This
transformation calls not only for a change of the “inner man”
but also for a change of attitudes toward the other sex.
Men and Women Together in Church: Obedience to
scripture regarding male/female relationships within the
church will release undreamed-of vitalities and potentialities
for the work of the gospel. Only as men learn to encourage
women to stand strong, courageous, and free can they both
discover the magnificent complementarity for which the sexes
were created.
Men and Women Together at Home: In family life, such
obedience will stem the tide of dead or broken marriages as
husbands and wives learn to share together the
responsibilities of leadership in their homes. Consistently
placing the responsibility for the final word on the husband
is the least God-honoring method for resolving such deadlocks.
This puts an unrealistic burden on the husband to make always
the right decision, and it promotes cop-out mentality for the
wife, who then resigns herself to the status of permanent
loser or of devious manipulator of the power-wielding male.
Men and Women Breaking the Impasses: Alternate suggestions
for honorably and peaceably settling split decisions:
1. Defer to each other
2. Exercise the spiritual gifts for the outcome of problematic
decisions
3. Compromise
4. Define the biblical principles involved in the debated
issue
5. Pray together for guidance and wait for it
6. Allow God to provide guidance through circumstances
7. Whenever a decision affects one spouse more than the other,
the spouse who has more at stake in the decision should have
more say in it
8. Initiate joint research projects on the debated issue
9. Decide to refer the matter to a trusted and objective third
party
Notes from Gilbert Bilezikian –
“Beyond Sex Roles”
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