The Godly Woman

Chapter 1: The Woman's Place

"For man does not originate from woman but woman from man." (I Corinthians 11:8)

When God created the universe, He built into it an orderliness and harmony that exists today. He did not create chaos and then expect the creation to put it in order. With precision, God created an intricate universe, functioning in perfect harmony and balance. He instituted the "natural laws" upon which science depends for its calculations. He set in motion the cycles, seasons, and interdependent relationships in nature which are so vital to life. God's hand is evident from the microcosm of the atom to the macrocosm of the universe.

It is not surprising then, that God also established order within the human race; not to have done so would have been out of keeping with His character, for we are told "God is not a God of confusion" (I Corinthians 14:33). It is this divine order with which we are concerned, particularly the place of women within that order.

The Woman's Place Was Established at Creation

When God created the parents of the human race He established His order by the sequence of creation. God created the man first. "For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve" (I Timothy 2:13). God's initial dealings with humanity were with Adam. He created Adam first, in His own image. He gave Adam authority over the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it, and He gave Adam instructions concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:7-17). God did not create Adam and Eve simultaneously, nor did He instruct them both concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave the commandment to Adam because Adam was the head of the race and was responsible directly to God.

God's initial dealings with the woman were through the man. God created Eve out of a part of Adam. Before God created the woman, He instituted His order; during the act of creation He did not violate that order. He did not give Eve life independently of Adam; He went through the man to create the woman. Thus He established His order: man first, woman second.

God made the woman for the man. "For indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake" (I Corinthians 11:9). God saw that it was not good for man to be alone, so He created woman to be man's helper and complement (Genesis 2:18). Adam was created primarily to have a relationship with God and to be in direct communion with God. Although Eve was also meant to have communion with God, she was created primarily to have a relationship with Adam. She was made for the specific purpose of helping Adam and fulfilling his needs.

God intended for women to be in a position lower than men. He established Adam as the head of the race and as His appointed authority upon the earth. Adam was under God 's orders and was responsible directly to God. He created Eve to help Adam and to be in submission to him. Eve was under Adam's authority and was responsible to him.

Thus, the order established at the creation was: God, man, woman. With the advent of Jesus Christ, the order became more clearly defined as: God, Christ, man, woman. "But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:3). This order of authority obviously does not imply degrees of superiority and inferiority since God and Jesus Christ are one and the same. The concepts of "superior" and "inferior" simply do not apply to God the Father and Jesus Christ. They are eternal, coequal, coexistent, and complete in their perfection. The order, then, is simply a line of authority or "chain of command."

It is important to remember that God instituted this order in the perfect state. God did not put woman in the place of submission to punish her; rather, God established this order because it was the very best arrangement possible. At the end of Genesis 1, after the entire creation had been completed (male and female, verse 27), God exclaimed that it was all "very good." Thus Eve's creation and her position were good. If there had been a better order God would have instituted it, but this was the best possible arrangement, because in God's eyes it was very good.

God also established His order by the method of creation. When God created Adam He formed him out of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). At this point Adam became a living being, or a living soul (Genesis 2:7). This mysterious quality we call "life" was imparted directly to Adam, by the breath of God. This life (or soul) is contained in the blood. "For the life [literally, soul] of the flesh is in the blood..." (Leviticus 17:11).

When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, He did something to Adam's blood. Some believe it was at this point that Adam's blood was created. Perhaps it was created, or perhaps the process of circulation was just then set in motion. Whatever the transaction, it was at this point that God infused into Adam's blood the soul of life.

When God created Eve He did not form her out of the dust of the ground, rather He built her out of a part of Adam's body. He took one of Adam's ribs and "fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man" (Genesis 2:22). Neither did God breathe into Eve the breath of life. Eve received her life from Adam. "For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man" (I Corinthians 11:8). The soul of life which God breathed directly into Adam was transferred to Eve through Adam--she did not receive life apart from him.

It is significant that the first thing Adam said when he saw Eve was: "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh..." (Genesis 2:23). He was actually saying, "she is life of my life." The life of the flesh is in the blood and the site of blood production in a human body is the bone marrow. When God took one of Adam's bones for the creation of Eve, He was transferring the life-invested blood of Adam to Eve. He was insuring that the God-breathed life-blood He had given Adam would also flow in Eve's veins. But He did not give it to her independently of Adam. He went through Adam to create the woman and to infuse into her the soul of life. The order God had planned was not violated even in the creation.

If Adam and Eve are typical of Christ and the church, the analogy is perfect. It is the blood of Jesus Christ which secures the life of the bride (or the church). We receive our life through Him, specifically through His body and blood. Since the life of the flesh is in the blood, the life of God was contained in the blood of Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of the blood of Christ as being "precious blood" (I Peter 1:19). It was precious because it was God's blood. This miracle of transmitting divine life into blood was accomplished by the virgin birth of Christ. It is a known fact that the blood produced within an embryo is distinct from the mother's blood. There is no mixing of the mother's blood and the blood of the fetus. But blood production can only occur when the female ovum has been fertilized by the male sperm. There is no blood in an unfertilized ovum; blood appears only after the entrance of the sperm. Thus the male sperm is the carrier or transmitter of the soul of life, since the life is in the blood. For this reason, all human beings have inherited Adam's sinful nature. This fallen human nature has been transmitted from father to offspring for generations.

The only man to be born without a sinful human nature was the virgin-born Son of God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20) so the blood which was produced within Him was divine blood. There was no taint of human blood within Him, therefore there was no sinful nature within Him. He was called from the first instant of conception, "the holy offspring [or holy thing]" (Luke 1:35). Jesus Christ was begotten of God; He was not begotten of Adam's race.*

In eternity past, when God was contemplating the creation of the human race, He planned a creation of perfection and harmony. He planned to establish within the human race an order and a symmetry [or balance] that would be the most workable. He designed the race to function perfectly, with maximum contentment and fulfillment. When He set about to perform the creation He did it in such a way as not to violate this order. He created the man first and the woman second. He dealt directly with Adam--imparting life to him and instructing him about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but He went through Adam to deal with the woman. He created her out of the man and infused life into her from the man.

God's order was established by the sequence of creation and by the method of creation. And when He had completed His handiwork He stood back and exclaimed that it was very good.

The Woman's Place was Confirmed at the Fall

The beauty and perfection God built into the human race was ruined when Adam and Eve fell into sin. Their relationship suffered, and relationships between men and women have been affected ever since. If God's plan and order do not sound "very good" to us, it is simply because our minds are darkened by sin. The fall brought chaos into God's order and put rebellion into the hearts of His once contented and obedient creatures. The measure with which we reject God's perfect plan is just the measure with which we reject Him and His light into our darkened hearts and minds.

The measure of our acceptance of the life of Christ and His transforming power into our lives will also be the measure of our acceptance of God's plan. As we allow the cross to work in our lives and we become more conformed to the image of Christ, the divine order will begin to be "very good." John said, "His commandments are not burdensome" (I John 5:3). Rather, they are joyous, when He is abiding within and doing the work.

The fall of Eve is a dreadful story, but it is one with which every woman should be thoroughly familiar. Every woman should review it frequently, for we are the fallen daughters of a fallen Eve. The nature which allowed Eve to be deceived, is the very same nature with which we are endowed.

The fall of Eve was occasioned by two things. First, she was deceived. "And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression" (I Timothy 2:14). The fall is generally referred to as the "fall of Adam" rather than the "fall of Eve" because Adam was the federal head of the race and therefore responsible for the act; but in addition to this, it is because Adam was not deceived. He deliberately chose to disobey God's command. Eve, on the other hand, was deceived. Satan beguiled her and caused her to eat the fruit. This should be a red warning signal for all women: BEWARE OF DECEPTION! A woman's nature lends itself to deception. In addition, the sinful human heart is "more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick" (Jeremiah 17:9). With this double tendency toward deception, women should be particularly alert to its temptation.

Eve entertained the doubt Satan put into her mind. "Indeed, has God said...?" (Genesis 3:1). Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44) and he began his attack upon Eve by lying about God's character. He caused Eve to question the veracity of God. "Has God said you will die? You will not die; you will become like God." Satan tricked Eve with a half-truth; but a half-truth is a lie. One of Satan's cleverest deceptions is to taint truth with just a tinge of error. It is the error that poisons the truth, but it is the truth that deceives the victim into swallowing the lie. Eve began to slip when she entertained doubts about God.

In addition to the doubts, Satan deceived Eve by beguiling her. We are told that the "serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" (Genesis 3:1). It was his craftiness which Satan brought to bear upon Eve. "The serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness..." (II Corinthians 11:3). Deception is rarely accomplished by a bold frontal attack. Deception is accomplished by sly wheedling and cunning maneuvering. Deception seems plausible because on the surface it looks good, but deadly poison is, nevertheless, buried within its fabric.

Why is it that most Christians expect Satan to announce his arrival with bands playing and banners waving? The Scriptures repeatedly describe him as crafty and cunning. He is an "angel of light" and a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Do not expect him to appear as a wolf in wolf's clothing--that would not be deception. Rather recognize him as being more crafty than any other beast.

Satan beguiled Eve by enticing her with the temptations of the world. He lured her with the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life" (I John 2:16). "when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [the lust of the flesh], and that it was a delight to the eyes [the lust of the eyes], and that the tree was desirable to make one wise [the boastful pride of life], she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6). The tactic was simple: Satan made worldly pleasures seem more desirable than obedience to God. He lied to Eve and convinced her that worldly pleasures would satisfy. But the truth is: "The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever" (I John 2:17).

The second thing which occasioned the fall of Eve was that she assumed the place of authority. Rather than deferring to Adam's authority, she took the situation into her own hands. The first thing Eve should have done when Satan approached her was to call Adam. God gave the initial instructions concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to Adam and He gave Adam authority over the garden (Genesis 2:15-16). Eve's role was to be Adam's helper (Genesis 2:18). She should not have taken the place of authority. But Satan enticed Eve to come out from under Adam's protective headship and step out of her God-given place. She became her own authority by taking the situation into her own hands.

When this situation arose, Eve trusted her own perception. She put her feelings and opinions above God's command. She perceived the tree was good for food and a delight to the eyes so she trusted her perception and ate the fruit, but God had appointed Adam as the authority over Eve for this very reason. God knew Eve's nature was such that she would be easily deceived, so He put Adam in charge. Eve should have automatically consulted Adam and put the situation into his hands. When she trusted her own perception she fell into sin.

The consequences of Eve's fall were threefold. First, her pain in childbirth was multiplied. Second, her ability to conceive was increased. And third, Adam's authority over her was confirmed (Genesis 3:16). Before the fall, Adam was God's appointed authority over Eve, but now he would actually rule over her and she would have to be subject to him (Ephesians 5:22). A position which was once sweet and fulfilling now became punishment because of the entrance of sin.

In spite of the fact that childbirth would be an agonizing experience and the frequency of fertility increased, the woman would still desire her husband. She would be driven by a sexual urge to have relations with her husband, but would then suffer as a consequence. Frequent pregnancies and painful childbirth were the direct results of sin. God had intended child-bearing to be a pleasant, joyous experience, but He cursed it because of Eve's sin.

The beautiful relationship God had established at the time of creation was blasted by the entrance of sin. Instead of being happy and free in their God-given roles, the roles themselves became punishment. God strengthened Adam's authority over Eve and pronounced him as ruler over her. He sentenced Adam to a life of hard labor and back-breaking toil to earn his daily bread. (Genesis 3:17-19). The pleasure of bringing children into the world now became a time of sorrow and anguish; and the pure delight of marital intimacies became a driving force.

The picture seems bleak, but there is a ray of hope. The grace of God is able to make us "overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). Just as His grace is sufficient to save us from the penalty of sin, so it is sufficient to relieve us from some of the consequences of sin. Even though men must work by the sweat of their brow to wrest a living from the earth, there is a Sabbath of rest for God's people (Hebrews 4:1). Man's toil is not unrelieved. Similarly, though the roles themselves became part of the penalty of sin, there can be joy and fulfillment in the roles today. Through submission and obedience to the will of God, the curse can be lifted and the blessing restored.

The woman's pain in childbirth can also be relieved if she depends upon the Lord for His sustaining grace. A godly woman who goes into the ordeal of childbirth with her faith fixed firmly on the Lord Jesus Christ and her deliverance committed to Him will find the experience not nearly so agonizing. "But woman shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint" (I Timothy 2:15). A woman will be delivered or protected during this time of giving birth. She will be eased through it if her faith, love and sanctity continue. If she is a godly woman and commits this trial to the Lord, just like any other trial, He will make His grace sufficient.

Eve's deception and insubordination reaped disastrous consequences. What the human race would have been like had the fall not occurred, we will never know. But it is certain that each woman has the potential of creating tragedy and calamity in her own "world" because of her nature. If she succumbs to the deception of her feminine nature and the deceitfulness of her human heart she is sure to create trouble. But if she submits to God's perfectly appointed place and defers to men's authority she is putting herself under God's protective covering and is safeguarding her own position and the consequences in her sphere of influence. She should recognize what calamity sin has brought upon the human race and flee to Jesus Christ for cleansing of her sin. By the cleansing power of the blood of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, some of the consequences of the fall can be counteracted and the peace and harmony of God's design restored

*For a thorough explanation of this concept see M. R. DeHaan, The Chemistry of the Blood (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1971).

Next: Chapter 2: The Woman's Nature