For those who have been following my comments on Wade Burleson’s post, the three blog articles that I refer to can be found here:
Why was the sin of Adam more serious than the sin of Eve? Part one
Why was the sin of Adam more serious than the sin of Eve? Part two
If there are any questions, I would love to take them either on this forum or at Wade’s blog.
Wade Burleson has a great new post on women called “Are The Sisters Free to Function?” It is an article written by Jon Zens. It is long….22 pages printed out, but Jon brings up some good points and the hot discussion following his article might be interesting for you to follow. I appreciate Wade a lot with his courage to take on a tough subject amongst Southern Baptists. You will notice that many of the men and even at least one woman posting responses are very much against women teaching the bible to men.
I am up to my ears in paint as we are getting our home ready for sale and our final move to our new ministry location. If I don’t have a new post that I have time to work on, I will point you to other blogs and information that will help you. Please pray for us that our home will be sold quickly and that our preparations for its sale will go fast. Our hearts are really in full time ministry, not Mr. and Mrs. fix-it, paint-it, and clean-it of 34 years of memorabilia.
Is God male in some way? Many Christians think that he is. But how could God be male when God is pure spirit? God has no male sexual organs and he has no testosterone. Because God does not have a body, it is impossible for him to be structurally male. Therefore in his essence God is neither male nor female.
But some would argue that God is male in his characteristics. If that were true, then God would only describe himself in purely male characteristics. But that just isn’t so. Although God describes himself with many male characteristics, he also describes himself with female characteristics. God describes himself as a mother in Isaiah 66:13 and as a nursing mother in Numbers 11:12. God’s motherly characteristics are highlighted in scripture as well as his fatherly characteristics. God is described with both male and female characteristics therefore God is not uniquely male because of his characteristics.
So why is God always referred to with the male terms of “he” and “Father” and never “she” or “Mother”? It is because God has chosen a relationship with us as Father. It is with this relationship that God shows us his nature and his love. God is the source of all things. As source he is referred to as Father. Ephesians 3:14, 15 says:
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
Every family in heaven and on earth derives its name from the Father. The word family in Greek is “patria” and it is a feminine noun meaning family or lineage running back to some progenitor. God is that progenitor. 1 Corinthians
For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.
God is the source and originator and progenitor and as progenitor he is called Father.
The man was also created first to be the source of the woman. Adam then became the source or foundation for the woman. But God did not keep the preeminence with the male alone. He then made the woman to bring forth every other man. The woman then became preeminent as the source of the male. God has brought equality to both the male and the female by allowing each one to be the source of the other, yet ultimately the preeminent source must be honored as Father – the progenitor of every family.
Scripture shows that God is not male, but he has chosen to call himself Father because he is the ultimate source. When we honor him as Father, we do not honor him as male, but we honor him as our source.
While I still intend to write an article about 1 Corinthians 11 – Head coverings and authority, the video clip below which is an excerpt of part 3 of “Women in
[gv width=”450″ height=”350″ data=”http://www.youtube.com/v/C33wUR9zcBg”][/gv]