Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom 5:12).We have always been taught that eating the fruit of the forbidden tree was the sin of demarcation - the one that brought death to mankind. Eve ate but sin was not accredited to her but it was Adam. What did Adam do that Eve did not? Well, let's look at scripture: "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife" (Gen 3:17). (I overlooked that for so long and so do most people!)
Adam "hearkened" or "gave respectful attention" (Meriam-Webster Dictionary). Why would that even matter? There are two reasons: (1) God did not instruct Eve in anything, but He gave specific instructions to Adam not to eat or he would died. Eve added to the command - neither eat nor touch. God had told Adam nothing about touching. Eve was easily deceived. (2) God gave Adam dominion over the world (Gen 1:26). It was not just Adam who was to have dominion, but all men forthwith. Satan, with that one sin, had dominion over Eve. That was Adam's role. Eve made Adam like the beast. Shortly after her eating, Eve had dominion over Adam. Adam shirked his divinely assigned gender role and Eve, not only wore the fig-leaves, but soon after wore the pants.
Thus, the original sin was gender role confusion. Of course, it all started with disobedience - the cause, but resulted in misappropriating the Designer's intent - the affect. Women would thereafter assume the dominion which belongs to men.
Nowhere in scripture are women priests. Men's assigned dominion makes them the priests. That is validated by Eve's punishment: "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Gen 3:16). With that it should be that men are the rulers, and women should please the husbands by accepting their rule. It is clear that men are to have the dominating role and women subject to the men.
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor 11:3). Why is that so important? "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression" (1 Tim 2:4).
Adam knew that he sinned, but Eve was fooled. She didn't understand that she had because she did not die. Thus, man's responsibility is accountability and his role is spiritual discernment. If God had wanted Eve to have dominion, Adam would have been made from Eve, as is the normative. However, Paul gave the reason:
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. (1 Tim 2:11-13).
Note that it is not me who says that the woman be subject to the man, but Paul who was inspired by God. What Paul taught is validated by the very Word of God who is Jesus (John 1:1-2, 14). Jesus's will is that men have dominion over the women and that women be subject to the men. Let me point out one thing; it does not even insinuate that they are to be slaves to the men nor involuntary servitude. A Christian woman's heart, as was said before, should focus on her husband because that is the response to God's will. Thus, a Christian woman should be willing to assume a secondary role to the man.
A Presbyterian "minister" - Reverend Susan Rothenberg - shouted these words to the president of the United States: "“It’s not about you. Let the families grieve. This is our neighborhood,” Rothenberg shouted from the front of her home. “You are not welcome here!”" (U.S. News; 10/30/2018; David Barden). What Mr. Barden did not write is that previously the "reverend" had said that EVERYONE is welcome there. That reverend exemplified hatred. Her role is to practice and teach love, but like Eve, she was out of her gender role assignment. She was easily deceived by the cunning of evil forces. She was the hater and failed to recognize that in herself!
Paul understood why gender role confusion is so harmful. It is one method by which the world is deceived. That "reverend" was irreverent. She is a hater, and that is anti-Christian. Not only that, but she lies to herself as she uses the title reverend. Not only must women not do that but neither should men. Christians are to be humble. Proclaiming reverence is a prideful thing to do. That woman did not magnify Christ but by her demeanor seemed to serve the Devil.
I would never attend a church which has a woman pastor. Why? Because, as can be seen from scripture, that is not women's gender role assignment. Satan misuses women to confound Christianity. That is not to say that women preachers are evil but they take God's Word too lightly. Scripture is clear that women are not to be in positions of authority over men. No wonder some people are confused over their gender assignment as they totally ignore their gender roles.
Nowhere does the Bible say that men should earn more than women. That, however, should not be called feminism. It is pragmatism and fairness. Feminism is taking on the worst aspects of rebellion. Feminism is defiance of God's gender role assignments. Feminists seem to desire more than anything that they be able to sin as rebelliously as Adam did, and as men still do. That's why abortion and homosexuality are so imperative to feminists. It is ignoble to even desire to be like men! (I am now criticizing my own gender.)
Of course, Adam and Eve were redeemed by the Word (Jesus) who covered their sins. Both would desire to be like God in whose image they were created. That is called righteousness - doing right in God's eyes. That entails performing their gender role assignments. When men and women both do that, there is unity and harmony. We can see how today that Satan has divided women from the men, and not the other way around. They have again been deceived. Men are still wusses because we allow that to happen, and that is not God's will.
One thing that is wrong with the Church is that in some women are allowed to preach in place of men. That is gender role confusion, and is not God's will. Women can teach but it should not be over men but instruct alongside men, and their utmost responsibility - to teach the young women.
Gender differentiation is explained even further. In obedience, there will be unity. Peter and Paul clarify the gender roles even more:
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 Pet 3:7)
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. (1 Cor 11:3)Men must honor women. That is good. (God said that when he created men and women.) Women, if certain of their roles, would have gratitude by cherishing the honor. The woman was created for the man which means that men should and must cherish the women. Real men don't abuse, mistreat, nor command women. Real men treat women as God planned. Men should seek their wisdom and consider it. Think of the possibilities if Adam and Eve had approached the Serpent in unity and with clear gender role responsibilities!
Sin would never had entered into the world! "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Mat 18:20). There is power in numbers and unity. When people are of one accord, God ceases His silence and His Word protects Christians (Acts 2).
God unitized men and women with Holy Matrimony which represents the Church's (Bride's) and Jesus's (Groom's) unity. If Adam and Eve had been in unity with proper gender role identification, the Serpent would have been crucified right there in his tree! Instead, improper gender roles caused God to be crucified on the other Tree - the Cross.
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