Does The Bible Demean Women?

Response: Equality does not mean sameness. The three persons of the Trinity are equal in deity but different in role.

Presupposition 2: Difference in role relates directly to personal worth. Submission equals relegation.

Response: Submission does not mean being of lesser worth. The Son submits to the Father, while being equal in deity, and his submission is his glory.

Presupposition 3: Women will be empowered only when they have become the same as men (filling the same jobs and reaching the same status).

Response: Women do not have to fill the same jobs as men in order to be empowered. This idea insults the large number of women who regard relational success as of greater importance than career success. The Bible honors those women who were wives, mothers, and homemakers (Pr 31; 1Tm 5:9-10,14) as well as women who ministered and worked in other ways.

If we abandon false presuppositions, we can see that the Bible affirms women. God wonderfully designed them to bear and nurture new life, equipping them in a multitude of ways (physical, emotional, psychological) for that task. The calling of wife and mother is an exalted one. The Bible also affirms the calling of single women (1Co 7:34), those who are unable to have biological children: they can be “spiritual mothers” to many. God equips women with distinctive strengths that can be used not only in the family but also in many areas of ministry as well as in the workplace.

Those men who lead the church are responsible for equipping other members, including women, for ministry (Eph 4:12). The New Testament mentions many women who were involved in important ministries. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna traveled with Jesus and the Twelve and supported his ministry financially (Lk 8:1-3).

While all but one of the disciples were in hiding following Jesus’s arrest, several women witnessed Jesus’s death and prepared his body for burial (Mt 27:55). Jesus first appeared to women following his resurrection (Mt 28:1-7). The church at Jerusalem met at the home of Mary, mother of John Mark, apparently a woman of means (Ac 12:12). Paul commended Phoebe and other female coworkers (Rm 16); Euodia and Syntyche contended with him in the cause of the gospel (Php 4:3); Priscilla and her husband taught Apollos (Ac 18:26); women prayed and prophesied in the meetings of the Corinthian church (1Co 11:5); godly widows were placed on an official list—probably to receive aid and for a ministry of prayer and practical service (1Tm 5:3-10). Many believe that female deacons were involved with mercy ministries (1Tm 3:11). Elders were to equip mature women to teach younger women (Ti 2:3-5).

Those who see defined gender roles in Scripture maintain that the Bible explains the meaning behind gender distinctions. Masculine strength can be for protection and provision. Many women are gifted with a “helper design”—relational capacities to nurture and care. These distinctive qualities, and the way we relate to each other, reflect something deep within God himself. In short, a closer look at Scripture shows that women are honored and affirmed in the Bible. They are not second-class in his eyes.