Much of the struggle in many marriages is the wrong interpretation of scripture and the personal opinions of others when it comes to Adam and Eve. These beliefs are based on the presumption that men are superior to women. I will prove this to you in scripture that this thinking and practice in many marriages is wrong.
Much of what I am going to share with you has come from both women and men Bible scholars who have studied this subject thoroughly and continue to find new information (based on early manuscripts of the scriptures) that Women and Men Are Equal.
We will first begin in the book of Genesis, chapter 1 and verses 26-31. Let’s take a look:
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
In verse 26 we see that God, who is “Good” and God who is “Love” decided to create human beings in His image. Then He proceeds and informs us that these people, whom He is going to make in His Image, are going to be given His Authority, for He says, “They (both male and female, Together) will Reign (Rule, Have Dominion) over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
Pay close attention: for this is crucial and gives us exactly the roles of both male and female within the marriage unit and in life itself. God said THEY (together) would Reign (Rule, have Dominion) over fish, birds, livestock, wild animals and small animals that creep along the ground. NOTICE: There is not One mention at all, that the Male would rule over the Female, in fact God said, “They” would Reign, BUT NOT OVER ONE ANOTHER. And as you read Genesis chapter 3, you will see that after their sin (both Adam and Eve sinned) God told Adam, (Because of your sin) you will work and toil (Notice: God did NOT say, Adam would rule over the woman) , and God said, to Eve, (Because of your sin) You will have pain in labor and your “desire” (that’s the sin nature) to “control your husband, and (because of the sin) he will rule over you.”
I hope you’re seeing this, as the Lord in recent months, during my research, showed me this context of verses, He said to me, “Look at that! Did I tell Adam that he would rule over Eve?” I said, No. It’s not there.
In fact, we see in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25, “Husbands, Love your wives As Christ Loved the Church and Gave Himself for her.” When we look at the life of Jesus, what he said and the life he lived, even to the point of laying down his own life for ALL humanity, we see that Love sacrifices its OWN way for another and others.
We also see in Luke 22 how Jesus addressed the Disciples when they asked him and were even arguing about the issue, of Who was going to be the Greatest in Heaven, and His response to them was, “24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
Jesus is saying, those who desire to be Great, Must Serve others. Must Serve one another. He even explains that even Himself did NOT come to be served, BUT to Serve.
This not only applies in every day life with the brothers and sisters in Christ, this also applies in the marriage. All the verses used to make it appear that women are inferior to men, are used to elevate those men. Meaning, they are elevating themselves and are in great error. Ephesians 5:21 says, “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” we also
And the word “submit” that is used in reference to wives and their husbands, is Not in the early manuscripts, this is a Verb that was added in later manuscripts, see “The Grammar of Ephesians 5:21,22 Participles” by Marg Mowcjko.
In 1 Peter 3;7, we see what a Husbands Love for His wife looks like, “In the same way, you husbands must give Honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be more delicate than you are, but she is your Equal Partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”
When God created human beings, male and female, He created them Equal. They Both were given Authority, Reign in the Garden, but Not over one another, their marriage was created By Love therefore it was a union of Love and Equality.
It wasn’t until after the fall, the result of Their sin, did the sin nature begin. If you want to see what the sin nature looks like, read Galatians chapter 5. In that context of verses we are encouraged to Live in the Spirit, and allow ourselves to be dominated by the Spirit and Not the flesh; the sin nature. For as we see in the scriptures, the Fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, and with that comes Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness etc., Adam and Eve possessed these qualities, and their marriage union before the Fall was Good, Perfect and Beautiful. And thank God for Jesus, for on the Cross, He became sin for us who knew no sin, he took the sin nature and the result of that sin, including sickness and disease, upon His own body, He restored us to pre-Adam. Jesus is the second Adam, and He paid the penalty of the sin of all mankind. Jesus restored the Love that was originally intended for man and woman, where before the fall, there was no sin nature desiring to control and rule over each other.
I encourage you to “Why I’m an Advocate for Women’s Equality” by Bob Edwards (Bible Scholar) and “5 Myths of Adam, What Really Happened in the Garden” also by Bob Edwards, also my recent blog, “Did God Tell Adam to Rule over Eve?” And “5 Myths of Male Headship” by Kate Wallace Nunneley
