Check out Part 1, in which I discuss why God chose to hold Adam, not Eve, responsible for the sin of mankind, and Part 2, in which I reflect on the command that women not teach or have authority over a man.
Male/female relationships and roles is a topic that is always fraught with questions, emotions, and opinions. No doubt, what I’ve already written in this “Easily Deceived Eve” series has raised questions in your mind. It certainly has in mine.
So today, I’m going to use a question and answer format to address some of the questions I have thought about while writing this series–and to clarify a few things that I thought might have been confusing.
Are you saying that men can’t be deceived?
Nope. Both men and women are capable of being deceived. Women may or may not be more likely to be deceived than men. I Timothy 2:14 suggests but does not outright teach that this is true. Regardless, God has given safeguards to protect women from the consequences of being deceived.
Men can be deceived–and will be held responsible as the heads of their households if they lead their families astray. A woman who is under proper authority, on the other hand, is protected from this judgment.
So basically, we’re just supposed to believe whatever our heads (husbands/fathers) tell us to believe?
I didn’t say that.
You have been given a mind and you have a responsibility to use it. The headship of man is by no means a call to complacency. Women should still search out the Scriptures to see what things are true. On the other hand, we should definitely be careful to consider what our head has to say about an issue.
Does this mean that you’re always going to agree with your head? I definitely don’t agree with my dad about everything. However, I (attempt to) respectfully listen to and consider his positions on points that we disagree about. Sometimes he changes my mind, sometimes I change his mind, sometimes we agree to disagree. But I will NOT teach something that my dad and I disagree about unless my dad is in agreement that I share my point of view in addition to his.
Headship is not about an authoritarian head laying down the law and a complacent body giving in to it. Rather, headship is about a loving head and a submissive body partnering together to discover and do God’s will.
That male headship stuff is all great if you’ve got a godly father or husband who wants to protect you–but what if the man who’s supposed to be your protector isn’t protecting?
It’s very unfortunate when this happens, but I think the first thing to remember is that you won’t ever solve the problem by taking on a role that isn’t your own. If male headship is indeed a protective measure for women (as I have proposed it to be), then our response to “inadequate” headship should be to be even more cautious in teaching or taking authority rather than less.
A sagging, broken down fence between me and a bull is little protection for me. But I don’t solve that problem by getting closer to the bull. Instead, I move farther away and choose to intentionally seek out more protection.
The answer to not having a godly husband or father to guard you is NOT to go gung-ho into teaching and having authority over a man (especially not YOUR man, married women!) Instead, you should encourage your head in his role and seek out additional authorities to put yourself under. You can encourage your head in his role by asking his advice before making decisions and by respectfully submitting to what guidance he gives. You can ask godly older women to counsel and correct you. You can submit teachings or doctrinal questions to your pastors and elders. But the answer to not having a good “head” is certainly not to attempt to get close to the bull since there’s no good fence to stop you.
All this talk about “Easily Deceived Eve” has me kind of down on myself. Is that what you intended?
At the end of C.S. Lewis’s fantasy tale Prince Caspian, Aslan tells the story of the Telmarine people and how they came to Narnia. It is not a pretty tale. Caspian responds that he wishes he “came of a more honourable lineage.” Aslan’s response is thus:
“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve. And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”
As “daughters of Eve”, we are easily deceived (I Tim 2:14). We have all fallen through Adam’s sin (Rom 5:12). Part of sin’s result has been that we desire mastery over man (Gen 3:16)–seeking to overcome the protection of headship. This all is “shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth.”
As “daughters of Eve”, we have been created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). We have been created to have dominion (Gen 1:28). We have been created to fulfill the essential role of helper (Gen 2:18). We have been created to be life-givers (Gen. 3:20). We have been created as the glory of man (I Cor 11:7). This is “honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar.”
Our creation is cause for great honor, our fall a cause for great shame–but, thanks be to God, He does not leave us in our shame, but has sent His Son as the Second Adam to justify and make righteous all who believe on His name (Rom 5:18-19.) This is cause for great rejoicing.
So recognize the honor inherent in our creation, be brought low by the shame inherent in our fall–but most of all, rejoice in the justification you have received in Christ.