God Created Male and Female #2362

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27, NKJV).

God’s creation of humans in His image was the crowning jewel of His creation (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8:4-9). Nothing else He created bears His likeness, not gold, silver, stone, or animals (Acts 17:29). Tragically, people distort God’s beautiful creation of male and female into gender images bearing no resemblance to the order He designed. God created two genders, but now people have imaged and invented gender neutrality and gender fluidity. These offer illusions of one’s identity in place of one of the most distinguishing traits God gave us, our gender. Biology (i.e., science) determines gender, not emotions. (Chromosomes are sticklers that way.) I’m no scientist, but I know the XY chromosome is unique to males, and the XX chromosome is unique to females. God created them to assign gender to each new life formed at conception (Ps. 139:13). Declaring that your gender is different from your chromosomal assignment does not make it so. Suppressing or increasing hormones does not change this basic fact. Instead of such artificial manipulations, let us see God’s wisdom and design in both genders. God made male and female unique yet complementary, each completing and needing the other (Gen. 2:20-24; 1 Cor. 11:11-12). A willingness to accept one’s gender involves, to some measure, acknowledging God who created male and female. Being content with one’s gender implies contentment with God (and vice versa). That gets to the underlying issue. When one does not honor God, it becomes increasingly difficult to accept being made in His image, whether male or female (Rom. 1:21-22). And so, the truth is exchanged for the lie (Rom. 1:24-25).

Fear God, Not Man #2267

4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:4–7, NKJV).

Friends tell us what we need to know because they care for us; they look out for us. Jesus is our truest friend who tells us not to be afraid of those who can kill us. They have no power over our immortal soul. God has the power to judge and punish our sins in hell. That is where we ought to place our fear. God is not a terrorist who threatens us. He cares for us and tells us of the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). He loved us and sent His Son to save us from our sins (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; Rom. 6:23). Fearing God is an act of faith, not terror. God does not forget the sparrows, and He will not forget you. He knows you better than you know yourself. (Quick, how many hairs are on your head? God knows, even though you do not.) Your value is far greater than sparrows. So, do not fear people who threaten you because of your faith. Confident faith leads us to confess Jesus instead of being afraid (Lk. 12:8-9).

Hear the Son of God #2030

3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:3–5, NKJV)

The Word (Christ) did not cling to the “form of God” when He became flesh (Phil. 2:5-7). That is, He emptied Himself of the glorious appearance of deity He shared with the Father “before the world was” (Jno. 17:5; Jno. 1:1, 14). Without divesting Himself of His Godhood, He took the “form of a bondservant” and became human (Phil. 2:7). His humility reached its zenith when He obediently died on the cross (Phil. 2:8). On the mountain, when Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of His glory and heard the Father’s confirmation of His Sonship (Matt. 17:1-2; Lk. 9:32; 2 Pet. 1:16-17). Jesus is superior to the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). Therefore, we must hear the Son in everything He teaches (Acts 3:22-23). That means we go to His New Testament to inform and activate our faith, not to the Old Testament law and prophets (Heb. 1:1-2). We listen to the Son by hearing and accepting His apostles’ teachings (Jno. 13:20; Matt. 28:19-20). Are you listening to the Son of God?

God’s Arrangement of Headship #1655

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3, NKJV)

One of the apostolic traditions (teachings) we follow as we imitate Christ is respect for and compliance with God’s arrangement of headship. Headship refers to leadership. Whether God, Christ, man or woman, each have a role that is definable and distinguishable. The apostle wanted them to know (perceive, grasp, understand) the orderliness of the headship, for it will lay a foundation for what he will say concerning certain women wearing an artificial covering in the following verses (4-16). Headship is not tyranny, and, following the leadership of one’s head does not make you a slave. Different roles do not mean one is more valuable than another. Headship describes the authority to lead, while implying one’s willing submission to that leadership. Christ willingly follows the will of God the Father. Man serves under Christ and also leads at His direction. Women are to respect to leadership role God gave men, not usurp it. When understood, this principle solves rivalry and produces solidarity with God and Christ, and between men and women. The dereliction of headship, the refusal to respect headship, and the usurping of headship are affronts to God and His order of headship. Once we understand (“know”) headship, we are ready to hear Paul apply this truth to the question of women wearing a covering when praying or prophesying (v. 5).

“Your desire shall be for your husband” #1252

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16, NKJV)

With these words He spoke to Eve, God not only increased her pain and sorrow in conception and childbirth, He also permanently confirmed the relation of the wife to her husband as one of desire, dependence, and deferential submissiveness. The word “desire” means “to run, to have a vehement longing for a thing” (Pulpit Commentary). Thus, God gave distinct, definable roles to women and men. The husband has the role of leader, and the wife has the role of willing follower (Ephesians 5:22-25; 1 Peter 3:1-6). The reversal of these roles led to sin: “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’…” (Genesis 3:17). The wife’s submissiveness to her husband’s leadership brings definable stability to the family, and to society. The husband is to lead his wife with love, and the wife is to defer to his leadership with devotion. Husbands must honor their wives, not oppress them (1 Peter 3:7). And, wives are to be submissive to their own husbands (1 Peter 3:1). God challenges wives to be sure your desire is for your husband, and not for another man, or for the man’s role in your marriage.

God Is Not Like Human Beings #1135

God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19, NKJV)

It is a recurring failure of human beings to think of God in human terms. By doing so, many have concluded that God is capricious and arbitrary; He is not. Many think God is OK with their sin; He is not (Jas. 1:13). Many apparently think God lies to us in His word (since they choose to ignore it and disobey it); He does not. God’s word does not exist so that we can manipulate it to say whatever we please. It exists to establish our faith, and to assure us that God always keeps His word. Today’s passage confidently affirms that when God speaks, what He says is true. When God speaks, He will do what He says; God does not lie (Heb. 6:18). When God speaks, His integrity is on the line, and He will always make good on what He says. Therefore, you need to learn what God’s word says. It has the power to bless you with salvation, and it has the power of condemnation. It is the standard of truth that will judged us all on the last day (Rev. 20:11-15).

Show Yourself a Man #1028

1  Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2  “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3  And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;” (1 Kings 2:1–3, NKJV)

This world needs men of faith, integrity and character. The world needs men of God who meet their responsibilities to their families, to their neighbors, and to their God. As King David was about to die, he charged his son Solomon to show himself to be a man by faithfully obeying the law of God. Even so today, God wants men who will not shy away from obeying the Lord’s commands and following His judgments. Men must step up and meet the challenges that life brings – not with the weakness of faithlessness, but with the strength of faith and duty. Be the man God wants you to be; the man God made you to be. “Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man?” (Prov. 20:6) When people look at you, do they see a faithful man? That depends on you.

“It is not good that man should be alone” #999

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Genesis 2:18, NKJV)

God saw that man was alone. More than that, God said it was not good that man was alone. Woman became God’s crowning act of creation, uniquely made to correspond to and complete man. In an age when feminine independence and individuality are held up as icons of liberty and virtue, the Bible still reveals woman as God’s distinctive creation who fulfills a primary need for man that no one and nothing else can. Man is incomplete without woman. Man needs woman. (And, for that matter, woman needs man.) Therefore, God created woman from man’s rib and ordained marriage as the completing relationship that solves the problem of man’s loneliness (Gen. 2:19-24). Every attempt to satisfy loneliness that do not involve the man-woman relationship of marriage will invariably fall short. God’s wisdom and power created woman and ordained marriage. That was His solution to man being alone. Let us thank God and honor Him for His solution to loneliness by honoring women as well as marriage as He gave it.

Let Us Make Man #465

26  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

At least three things are learned about our creation here. First, humans have been created in the image of God (v. 26). We, above all of God’s creation, bear the marks of the divine image. We are dual beings of flesh and spirit, possessing intellect, emotion, volition, conscience and immortality. These things distinguish us from the animal kingdom. Second, humans have been created to fulfill God’s purposes (v. 26, 28). Among these is the God-given right to rule over His creatures, big and small. As we “fill the earth” we have the right and responsibility to “subdue it” for the blessing and benefit of humanity. Third, humans have been created male and female (v. 27). God established gender identity to enable human procreation and to accomplish the purpose of filling up and subduing the earth.