In a previous post I noted how one passage of Scripture leads us to reject the narrative that “the Bible has a low view of women.” In this post, I hope to list some other reasons why a biblical view of women is actually a more dignified view than a modern secular understanding.
CREATED EQUAL BY GOD
The Bible holds that women—and men—are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27). This gives humans an inherent dignity and worth that is bestowed upon them by God and sets them apart from all the other creatures in nature. They are not an accident of unguided Darwinian processes, but a majestic creation by God the Creator.
The Bible holds that women are equal with men, even though there are differences between them. This is far different from chauvinist cultures which demean women and consider them inferior to men. The Apostle Paul assumes an equality between the sexes in Gal 3:28 where he speaks of the reality that in Christ, there is “neither male nor female,” but all are one in Christ. Here, Paul is not here dissolving the differences between the sexes, but arguing for an equal standing of the sexes in the new humanity in Christ. This equality leads believers to reject any approach which causes one to look down on another of a different sex.
The biblical view is also far different from the modern confusion today known as gender fluidity, where a biological male can assume the identity of a female and vice versa. The Bible does not allow for such an approach: a woman has a majestic glory and honor given to her by God; gender is not merely a cultural category, but a divinely assigned category. This leads to a greater respect for women, not less. Woman-ness is something we should protect, not allow others who are not women to presume to take upon themselves.
KEY PASSAGES IN SCRIPTURE WHERE GOD WORKS THROUGH WOMEN TO BRING ABOUT HIS PURPOSES
Another piece of evidence for the Bible’s high view of woman is found in passages where women play keys roles in the history of redemption. God worked through Sarah to bring about Isaac, God used Rahab to deliver the Israelite spies, God worked through Ruth to deliver Naomi and their family from ruin, God used Abigail to prevent David from making a foolish action, God used Mary the mother of Jesus to bring the savior into the world, God worked through Priscilla who with her husband taught Apollos, etc. Some of the roles that women took in the biblical record were NOT accepted in wider society, but the Bible is not ashamed to state what happened anyways. An example of this is the resurrection of Jesus, where we learn that it was women who first witnessed the risen Jesus (Matt 28:9-10). In the first century the testimony of a woman would not have been credible in court-case.
CONCLUSION
This post is only a small portion of the evidence, but hopefully one that helps us reject the narrative of ‘The Bible has a low view of women, while modern secular culture has a high view of women.’
