Sexism in the Bible?

Introduction

The claim is often made that the Bible is sexist and that Christianity demeans women and makes them into second class citizens. While I do agree that sexism exists in Christian churches and that portions of scripture have been used to perpetuate sexism, the Bible does not condone discrimination in any manner. Men have cited verses about submission of women to keep believing women "in their place." Get out your Bibles and let's see what the Bible really says about women, submission, and equality.

Created in the image of God

Most people know that the Bible says God created man in His own image. However, many do not know that "man" includes both males and females. Both males and females are created in the image of God:

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

This verse implies that the "image of God" encompasses traits found in both males and females and that the physical sexual differences between the sexes are not important characteristics in terms of how mankind was created in God's image.

Women as just helpers?

The story of women in the Bible begins in Genesis 2, where God says that it is not good that man should be alone.² So God made a woman as a "helper suitable for him." Some would say that making woman as a "helper" is sexist. The Hebrew word translated "helper" is ezer, which occurs 21 times in the Old Testament. In 2 instances in Genesis, ezer refers to the woman Eve. In 16 of the other 19 instances the word is used to describe God Himself!³ Obviously, the term cannot be said to represent some sort of subservient role. An interesting sidelight to the phrase "helper suitable for him" is that the translation "suitable" is not the most common translation for the Hebrew word. In fact, the most common translation is "opposite." Anyone who is married knows that their spouse is often completely opposite from themselves.

Women in the Bible - not just mommies

The women described in the Bible are not always homemakers and mothers. Obviously, the biological function of women is to produce and care for children. However, Deborah was both a judge and leader of Israel.⁴ Other women were involved in ridding Israel of her enemies.⁵ Quite a number of women are described as being prophetesses.⁶ Other women in the Bible were involved in teaching the Word of God⁷ or serving as deaconesses in the early Christian church.⁸

There are a number of other very strong women of faith described in the Bible. In fact, two books of the Bible are specifically about women, as indicated by their titles, "Ruth" and "Esther." Ruth is the story of the compassion and redemption of the gentile woman, Ruth. Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, fell into the unfortunate circumstances of losing both her husband and her two sons, one of whom was Ruth's husband. With nobody to provide for her and Naomi being "too old" to be remarried, she chose to go to Israel, where the laws and traditions required the Israelites to take care of widows, even if they were strangers. One of Naomi's daughter-in-laws chose to stay in the land in order to find another husband. But Ruth chose to go with her mother-in-law, even though this meant that she would probably never be married. However, Ruth was "redeemed" by Boaz, who married her despite the fact that she was a gentile. The line of Ruth and Boaz led directly to King David, and, of course, eventually to the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

The book of Esther is the story of the rise of a young Jewish woman who found favor⁹ in the eyes of the Persian king, Ahasuerus (Xerxes), and became the queen of Persia. The former queen, Vashti, had refused to appear before the court when called by the king, and had been removed from the royal position. The king's prime minister, Haman hated the Jews and sought to destroy all of them through a plot of getting the king to unsuspectingly sign a decree calling for their execution. However, through the actions of the righteous Jew Mordecai, and the bravery of Esther in confronting the king, the decree was revoked and the conspirator, Haman, hanged. The Bible says that Esther had "come to royal position for such a time as this"¹⁰ - destined by God to save the Jews.

Other strong women of the Bible included Sarah, the wife of Abraham, who was preserved by the Lord despite the cowardly actions of Abraham in saying that she was his sister,¹¹ and thus allowing her to enter into the courts of two kings (as a potential wife). Hannah is another example of a woman who had a strong spiritual walk.¹² She was a woman of prayer and faith. Although she was childless for years, she had faith in God and her prayers were answered in giving birth to her son Samuel. She promised to give him back to the Lord, which she did by taking him to the priest as soon as he was weaned. Probably the strongest woman in the New Testament was Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the angel Gabriel told her she was to give birth to a son although a virgin, her response was, "May it be to me as you have said." A famous prayer of praise from Mary is recorded in the book of Luke.¹³

The ideal biblical wife

The book of Proverbs (which records the wisdom of Solomon) describes the ideal wife in its last chapter.¹⁴ She is, by no means, a weak woman who grovels at the feet of her husband. Instead, she takes charge over the care and needs of her family, and, in addition, the needs of the poor. She also manages her servants. In addition, she maintains her own business and from her own earnings buys land and plants vineyards. She is described as being wise, strong, and dignified, yet able to laugh. She is praised by her husband and children, who appreciate her hard work and commitment.

How Jesus treated women

When we look at how Jesus treated women, we discover the difference between the way God wants men to treat women and the way they were (and still are) treated by men in societies. The woman at the well is a prime example. When Jesus asked her for a drink, her first reaction was disbelief that he would even talk to her.¹⁵ When Jesus' disciples came back, they were surprised that He was talking to a woman.¹⁶ Jewish customs had become so legalistic that men (and especially rabbis) did not associate with women who were not their wives. Even now, orthodox Jewish men and women are prohibited from touching members of the opposite sex.¹⁷

In contrast, Jesus touched many women and allowed them to touch Him as He healed them.¹⁸ Although this was in direct opposition to the customs of the time, it reveals the nature of the personal God who directly touches people's lives. Jesus was compassionate to sinners and ministered to prostitutes and adultresses. In a well-known example, some of the religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus who was "caught in the act of adultery." Obviously, the man involved in the adultery would have been there also, but they didn't bring him. As Jesus alluded to their own sins, the woman's accusers left. Jesus did not condemn the woman, but admonished her to leave her life of sin.¹⁹

Although all of Jesus' twelve disciples were men (there is good reason for this²⁰), there were a number of women who were loyal followers and who ministered to Him and His disciples.²¹ The gospels record that the women were the first to hear the news of Jesus' resurrection from the angels²² and the first to see Him²³ (since the men had gone into hiding or back to their original jobs after Jesus was crucified). In contrast to the gentleness and kindness with which Jesus treated women, He reserved His more scathing comments for the arrogant male religious leaders of His time. These He labeled as "serpents," "brood of vipers," and "whitewashed tombs."²⁴

That "S" word - biblical submission

Many women don't like what the Bible says because it calls wives to "submit to their husbands."²⁵ However, submission is not limited to wives submitting to their husbands. We are told to submit to God,²⁶ governmental authorities,²⁷ our boss,²⁸ and leaders in the church.²⁹ We are also told to submit to one another, which includes men submitting women and vice versa.³⁰ God is a God of order. In a sinful world, submission to those in authority is the only way to maintain order. What form does this submission to authority take? In every instance where submission is called for wives, it is conditioned with the phrase "as to the Lord" or some other reference to Jesus Christ. The submission takes on the form of being in the will of God. If the husband asks the wife to do something outside the will of Christ, she is under no obligation to follow him. Accompanying each command for wives to submit to their husbands is the command for the husband to love his wife.³¹ In the book of Ephesians, this love is to be "just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." Such a love is not one that dominates and subjugates another person, but a self-sacrificing love that will give up its own life for another's.

The Christian Church is female!

This is going to come to a shock to most non-Christians (and maybe even some Christians), but God's people are referred to as female, not male. In the Old Testament, God's people are the "daughters of Zion."³² The Church or body of Christ (including us men) is referred to as the "bride" of Christ³² and God is said to be our "husband."³³ Whenever referred to by sex, the Church is described as "she" or "her."³⁴

The bottom line

The essence of biblical equality can be summed up in Paul's letter to the Galatians:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)³⁵

Even though the world does not treat humans as equals, as members of the body of Christ, all are equal spiritually in the eyes of Jesus. In fact, those who exalt themselves (which includes many men) will be humbled and those who serve others (which characterize many women I know) will be exalted to a higher status in the kingdom of heaven.³⁶ It seems likely that heaven will be a place that will be run by caring mothers and women who will have served others while living on earth

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Is God Male? What Does the Bible Say?

References

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)
The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Genesis 2:18)
and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." (Exodus 18:4)
And this he said about Judah: "Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!" (Deuteronomy 33:7)
"There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty. (Deuteronomy 33:26)
Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places." (Deuteronomy 33:29)
May He send you help from the sanctuary, And support you from Zion! (Psalms 20:2)
Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. (Psalms 33:20)
Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay. (Psalms 70:5)
Once Thou didst speak in vision to Thy godly ones, And didst say, "I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. (Psalms 89:19)
O Israel, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. (Psalms 115:9)
O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. (Psalms 115:10)
You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD; He is their help and their shield. (Psalms 115:11)
(A Song of Ascents.) I Will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2)
Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. (Psalms 124:8)
How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God; (Psalms 146:5)
It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help. (Hosea 13:9)
Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. (Judges 4:4)
But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him [Sisera] while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. (Judges 4:21)
Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. (Judges 9:52-53)
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. (Exodus 15:20)
Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District. (2 Kings 22:14)
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, (Luke 2:36)
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. (Acts 21:8-9)
He [Apollos] began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. (Acts 18:26)
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (Romans 16:1)
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. (Romans 16:12)
Some deaconesses were tourtured and martyered for their faith. Below is a letter from Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan:
"They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god... Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses. But I discovered nothing else but depraved, excessive superstition.... Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished."
Pliny. Letters 10.96-97 (http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/texts/pliny.html)
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. (Esther 2:15)
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" (Genesis 12:19)
and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, "She is my sister." Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. (Genesis 20:2)
See 1 Samuel chapter 1.
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." (Luke 1:46-55)
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. (Proverbs 31:10-31)
The Samaritan woman said to Him [Jesus], "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) (John 4:9)
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" (John 4:27)
My immediate boss is an orthodox Jewish woman. One day, when her 18 year old daughter came to work, I offered to shake her hand in greeting and was surprised to find that she refused. My boss later explained that Orthodox Jews who are members of the opposite sex do not touch at all, even for handshakes unless they are married.
He [Jesus] touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. (Matthew 8:15)
Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. (Matthew 9:20)
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, (Mark 5:27)
And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed. (Mark 6:56)
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. (Mark 10:13)
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39)
and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?"... At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:4-5, 9-11)
My guess is that women were not included as disciples because they would have been put in a "war-time" situation. All the original apostles were persecuted (Acts 8:1, 11:19, 13:50, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 2 Corinthians 12:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, 2 Timothy 3:11-12), beaten (Acts 16:22, 37, 21:32, 2 Corinthians 6:5), stoned (Acts 14:5, 19, 2 Corinthians 11:25), and eventually martyred (Acts 7:59, 12:2, Foxe's Book of Martyrs) (except John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos). Even so, Pliny describes torturing female deaconesses in the early 2nd century ("...Accordingly, I judged it all the more necessary to find out what the truth was by torturing two female slaves who were called deaconesses.") Pliny, Letters 10.96-97.
And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, among whom was Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 27:55-56)
And there were also some women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the Less and Joses, and Salome. And when He was in Galilee, they used to follow Him and minister to Him; and there were many other women who had come up with Him to Jerusalem. (Mark 15:40-41)
And it came about soon afterwards, that He began going about from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; and the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. (Luke 8:1-3)
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Matthew 28:5-6)
As they [the women] entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (Mark 16:5-6)
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: (Luke 24:5-6)
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:18)
When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. (Mark 16:9)
"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell? (Matthew 23:33)
"You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. (Matthew 12:34)
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27)
Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:22)
Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. (Ephesians 5:24)
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (Colossians 3:18)
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! (Hebrews 12:9)
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. (Romans 13:1)
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. (Romans 13:5)
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, (1 Peter 2:13)
Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. (1 Peter 2:18)
You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. (1 Corinthians 16:15-16)
Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:21)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. (Colossians 3:19)
Behold, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him." (Isaiah 62:11)
"Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the LORD. (Zechariah 2:10)
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. (Revelation 19:7)
And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God." (Revelation 19:9)
The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)
For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is His name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth. (Isaiah 54:5)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference. (Romans 3:22)
"And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, (1 Peter 5:6)
And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

Sexism in the Bible?

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