Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
Normally, the words “man” or “men” can be referring to either males specifically or to human beings in general. In this chapter, the words “man” or “men” will be referring strictly to males.
Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
When Adam was created, he was the only human being in existence. Once God demonstrated the inadequacy of this arrangement – which didn’t take long – He created Eve (1 Timothy 2:13). He had created Adam from the earth and His breath (Genesis 2:7), but He fashioned Eve with something taken from Adam (Genesis 2:18-22). We see in this that the woman was created for the man (1 Corinthians 11:8-9), but the man is not complete without her for she was made of something from him. We also see that though the first woman came into being through a man, so every man since must come into being through a woman. Thus did God establish a thorough interdependency between man and woman. They are equal in value…but not identical in purpose.
The account of creation we have in Genesis comes to us from Moses, and Jesus confirmed this account – particularly that “male and female” were established in the beginning and that the two were made for each other (Matthew 19:4-6). This leaves no basis for so-called “gay marriage,” which was legitimized by the U. S. Supreme Court in 2015, or for so-called “transgenderism” which seems to have become the LGBTQ lobby’s top priority ever since 2015. Somehow, two genders were enough for 6,000 years of human history but, with the advent of the 21st century, Facebook, just to take one example, says there are 50…or 58…or 51…or 73 genders. (Google returned all four of these numbers in its results to my search request.) It’s as if the whole country, or at least its government, is beset with gender dysphoria. But with both the Old Testament and New Testament quite clear about there being only two genders, there’s no need for us to lose our minds.
Feminism
Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
With only two genders to consider, you’d think their respective roles would be simple to understand – except that feminism has determined that homogenization of the two genders is required. Feminism has taken many forms since its beginning in the mid-19th century, but its central focus has always been to assert that a woman ought to be able to do anything a man can do. We can’t have actors and actresses – they must all be actors. We can’t have stewards and stewardesses – they must all be flight attendants. We’re either being pushed to have excessive gender distinctions (more than 50) or none at all – and sometimes we’re being pushed for both simultaneously!
At this point, I want to draw a clear distinction between biblical views and traditional views. Sure, traditional views hew more closely to biblical views than do current politically-correct views, but just because a view is traditional doesn’t mean it’s biblical. If a man domineers his wife, it may be traditional but it’s not biblical. We don’t want to return to the traditions of, say, the 1950’s – rather, we want to fully embrace biblical ideals for gender relationships.
Women have so increased their social, political, and economic power that they hold more cards than they’ve ever held before – but are they any happier for it? On the contrary, feminists in 2020 seem more embittered than were suffragettes in 1920. By emasculating men, they have only succeeded in depriving themselves of the good that men can do them.
Men Are Leaders
Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
God has designed men to be leaders of their families. Women and children cannot make a man worthy of his role. He must do that himself. He does that by…
- Providing for the family – both spiritually (by teaching the Bible) and materially (by working.
- Protecting the family – both spiritually (by praying for each family member) and physically (by whatever means necessary).
- Being Accountable for the family – be the person where the buck stops.
When God gave the commandment about the forbidden fruit, He gave it to Adam (Genesis 2:16-18). Adam passed on the command to Eve (Genesis 3:1-3). Both sinned, but she was deceived by Satan while Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:14). When it was time to give an account, God summoned not Eve – but Adam (Genesis 3:9). Being created first (1 Timothy 2:13), Adam was the one accountable for their family.
Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
A man must lead by example as well as by word. If a man does not know how to manage his own life, how will he manage his family? And if he does not know how to manage his own thoughts, how will he be able to manage his own life? Thus being a man means carrying more responsibility…and that starts with the way he thinks.
Does God Expect More from Men Than from Women?
None of this means that a wife is anything less than a full partner in managing the family. It just means that, as with ballroom dancing, one of them must lead. Whoever saw ballroom dancing that consisted of a woman dancing behind a man around the dance floor? And whoever saw ballroom dancing where the couple fought over who was going to lead? The couple dances together – the leading and following being transparent to the observer. That may not be traditional marriage, but it is certainly biblical.
Calling All Men!
To be a man is to answer a calling – a divine calling. God designed men to lead women and children – to provide for them, protect them, and be accountable for their well-being. God does not withdraw His calling because society decides His ways are unfashionable (Romans 11:29). His ways are built into nature – and nature is His! We can’t fight reality and expect to win.
For over a hundred years, cultural forces have minimized the role of men in one way after another. Instead of liberating women, these forces have subjugated men. Rather than leading, men cower. Rather than fearing God, they fear women. Rather than stepping up, they have stepped back.
Men, let us repent and become worthy of our calling. God expects more of us.
The Duty of a Man 