What Does the Bible Say about Biblical Womanhood?
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One of the reasons many women resist God and the Bible has to do with their perception of how God views them. Many have come to believe that the Lord condones oppression, and that Bible-believing churches are perpetuating misogyny.
In some churches, stereotypes abound: women feel pressured to marry young, become housewives and mothers while their husbands pursue a vocation. Marriage and parenting are lauded as models of personal success and female obedience to God; single women feel left out.
Is that true Biblical womanhood? Let’s look at Scripture.
Defining Biblical Womanhood
John Piper asserts that women were made in the image of God. They have a “human nature which mirrors the very nature of God”, and a woman’s worth “is the same as man’s.” According to Genesis it wasn’t until after God made Eve out of Adam’s rib that he said “it is very good.” Therefore “both together, then, are the fuller revelation of God’s glory.” Pursuing biblical womanhood (as with biblical manhood) means following Jesus in glorifying God with one’s life.
Piper declares that single women’s friendships or family roles opposite men are equally important as marital relationships. “When we are together, more of God’s glory shows than if we were all in our little silos of individuality.” Men are incomplete without women. Adam declared “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23).
Though equal, Eve was made from Adam’s rib. Women “are called by God to receive from man and honor man and support the leadership and the protection and the provision of godly men appropriately according to their different roles.” Those are husbands, fathers, pastors – men who teach, protect, and lead. They still follow the more general instructions of Romans 12:10 for men and women alike: "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."
Godly women are not expected to endure emotional or physical abuse. Even Christ ran from his attackers (Luke 4:30). God invites his people to reason with him (Isaiah 1:18), and running from abuse is reasonable.
The Safety of Following
Before Eve was created, “God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man,” giving him instructions about “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:15-17): God first, then males, then females (the finale of God’s creative work). We are all invited to reflect the ultimate Bride-Groom relationship between Christ and the Church.
Adam and Eve were appointed to tend, harvest, and subdue their natural surroundings, respectfully and gratefully, together. Adam was responsible for teaching Eve the Lord’s commands and leading by example because he received instructions before Eve was created. As God led him, he shall led Eve. In Genesis 3, Adam neglected his duty to protect. Eve neglected the safety of following him. There is safety in these relationships, however, when both parties respect and follow God’s teaching closely. When pride and sin dominate men’s and women’s hearts, biblical womanhood (and manhood) becomes distorted and problematic. Submitting to God’s plan also protects both men and women from pride.
One can see why women bristle at the notions of biblical womanhood. Ephesians 5:22-33 teaches that wives are to “submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church.” Men, like women, are sinful human beings. They mess up and often do not take their part in this relationship as seriously as they should.
At his godly best, however, a male leader (husband or otherwise) is easy to follow because he is merciful, gentle, intelligent, respectful, and wise. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to his instruction (Luke 10:39). He taught truth and protected them from lies such as “did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). As one writer reminds us, a godly woman wants to follow a man who lays down his life for her. Like Christ, he goes ahead as a way of providing shelter and protection.
As long as the man honors his part in this equation, biblically-obedient women who stick close to biblically-obedient men are protected against men who do not follow godly precepts and who are more likely to treat women as property, with aggression and lust. There are non-Christian men who respect women, too, and women who abuse men, but the evidence of society (and the Bible) is that women are vulnerable both to male strength and to male lust.
Is It Ungodly for Women to Lead?
Often, women are already teaching Scripture in their homes. They teach their children to follow Jesus. And while King Lemuel describes a godly wife, his description applies to all followers of Jesus, especially leaders. A godly woman is trustworthy, hardworking, skilled in household jobs, the management of her home, and good with money. She is modest, generous, and compassionate; wise, successful, and her husband is famous because of her (Proverbs 31:10-31). Married and single women alike can still be called to teach, supervise, and guide and – at their best – strive to reflect Proverbs 31 qualities. So many women reject this role, finding it demeaning. They prefer to take on a shepherding role.
Are biblical womanhood and pastoring incompatible? Scripturally, yes. Biblical womanhood submits to God, not to man or to feminism and other movements. Through her humility in this area, she hones obedience to Christ. “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). But will obedience ever lead her into pastoring?
Since, as Shobana Vetrivele points out, Scripture personifies wisdom as a woman (Proverbs 8, 9) one could say that Proverbs 31 is really about being an obedient servant of God, male or female. And women are disciple-makers as much as men are. Deborah, Miriam, Lydia, and Esther were invited by God to take part in his glorious plan to reveal more of himself to his people. Women were routinely viewed as property throughout the ancient Middle East, yet Lydia was a successful businesswoman and part of the disciple-making early church. As one writer asserts: “The Great Commission includes all of us.”
Meanwhile, some scholars say it is critical to read Paul’s letters in context. Is his statement for all women for all time, or addressing the gossipers and those women who were following false teachers?
Pastoring comes with tremendous pressure. “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1). In 1 Timothy 2:12, Paul says that he does not allow women to teach men. Dr. Michael A. Milton suggests that when Paul wrote about women dressing “modestly” (v.11), he was also talking about the roles of women in the church.
Paul reminds us that “there is an order in creation [...], demonstrated when Adam awakes from his divinely induced sleep to behold the woman [...], the highest order of creation and one to be cherished, honored, and protected in every way.” This goes for every sphere of Christian society, including church organization. Moreover, a woman was given “a greater role in the history of the world: for it is by woman, without the aid of the man, through childbirth, that she brings forth salvation, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
This is not a core-tenet issue: following a female pastor is not blasphemy and many intelligent people will argue the Egalitarian point: that men and women are not only equal but can be equally qualified to pastor. However, from the Complementarian point of view, as John Piper explains, the biblical word defined as pastor is actually the Greek word poimen meaning “shepherd.”
“The idea of shepherding in the New Testament was consistently associated with the leadership of elders and overseers” who, Scripturally, were men. And a shepherd, like a husband, lays his life down. Bucolic shepherding imagery fails to represent the dangers of wild beasts, fended off with protective ferocity using the shepherd’s trusty staff. A pastor, shepherd, or groom emulates the ultimate Pastor, Shepherd, and Groom: Christ. Although men will make mistakes in these roles, they are being perfected in Christ. He is a fierce protector who sacrifices his life for his bride.
Biblical womanhood puts the Word of God before feminism, before ambition. She leads, but supportively. If the male leadership available to a woman is sound, why should she reject it? This can, in some cases, merely be a matter of envy, seeking to glorify herself and the cause of “womanhood.” Yet, one can see how – in the face of foolish male leadership, or lack of any leadership – a woman would step up to take the reins and guide her congregation to the glory of God. In the Acts church, everyone took part together. Women were not excluded (Acts 2:42-47). Male and female roles are not indicated here: they did all things “together.”
Why Women Reject Biblical Womanhood
Feminism obscures God’s teaching, but women are justly frustrated. Many men abuse their positions in church and in families, continuing a long history which Scripture reports but does not condone. All men and women sin. But Tamar, Esther, and Bathsheba, used for sexual gratification, stand for the experience of so many modern women. The woman caught in adultery was singled out for stoning, and not her partner. Supposedly “Christian” men who abuse power or act foolishly make a mockery of biblical instructions.
The position of “follower” offends women who feel called to leadership. But their gifts should not be stifled, only directed towards God’s glory, not personal glory. Nabal (1 Samuel 25) lived up to his name which meant “fool” when he snubbed hot-headed, murderous David. Abigail humbled herself and risked her life to save her people. David’s response to her valor and wisdom? “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!” (1 Samuel 25:32-33). Why was David king, and Nabal head of the household when Abigail truly led?
Abigail’s example of biblical womanhood is this: God might call you to lead, but more wisely and gently than your male counterparts. Moreover, women who endure foolish men in marriage, employment relationships, etc. are not doomed to always suffer under them, even if they stay married or employed (always with the caveat that they should flee from abuse).
The greater redeemer whom David foreshadows is Christ. He will come for his Bride, although that Bride has to endure frustration for a time. 1 Samuel reminds us that, for now, the world is still broken, but God sees and honors thoughtful, courageous womanhood.
Restoring Biblical Womanhood
Ultimately, biblical womanhood trusts the Lord’s Word and his calling. When a woman is called to a single life, to marriage, parenting, or to leadership, this is a matter between her and God. God invites her to glorify him by the way she obediently and joyfully lives her life.
This joy is a critical part of biblical womanhood. The Lord calls them to lift up their heads as daughters of the King. When women choose to be stay-at-home wives and mothers who create a nurturing and orderly, peaceful environment, they should not draw criticism from other women; nor should those wives and mothers judge women in the world of commerce, science, government, etc.
Biblical womanhood requires the support of men, but also of other women. Part of true godly fruit is respecting different callings while setting Jesus at the center, not womanhood.
Click here to read 5 Powerful Ways the Bible Defines Manhood
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