God's Ideology

Read: Genesis 2:25

Given all the competing ideologies in the world today, how are we to know what is right and true? Well, we go to the original design of the One who created everything. We read in the very first verse of the very first book of the Bible, “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Then God came around to creating living creatures, culminating in the creation of humankind.

Celebrating the Differences

God has a wonderful design for the world and for all peoples. We just need to understand what that design is and then try to live it out as best we can, by His grace.

Men can celebrate their masculinity.

• He is head of the home. He acts in God’s place, taking care of His children entrusted to him and his wife. He builds his home for Christ, a place of Kingdom ground.

• He is protector and provider.

• He is priest of the smallest ecclesial community which is the family. He brings his children to Christ. He raises the next generation of God’s people.

Women can celebrate their femininity.

• She is the heart of the home. She is a strong and indispensable support to her husband. She provides love, care and nurturing.

• She brings forth new life into the world. She has a profound and mysterious role in being co-creator with God.

Why would we ever want something that

God does not intend for us? Well, unfortunately, human beings do, in their depraved and sinful state. God, in His supreme wisdom, has given man and woman the best roles that can provide them full satisfaction and great happiness.

Complementarianism

Complementarians claim that men and women are equal in worth and dignity, both made in the image and likeness of God, but have different roles and callings, which are complementary. In marriage, the man is the head of the family and the wife is his support. Also in the Church, some governing and teaching roles are restricted to men. In the Catholic Church, ordained clerics are male only. These different roles are grounded in God’s will and design, and are not a consequence of the Fall. Such complementarianism does not lend itself to male superiority or to female inferiority. Peter says both “are joint heirs of the gift of life” (1 Pt 3:7b). Both share in the blessings of salvation in Jesus, as well as indwelling by the Holy Spirit.

There are obvious biological differences. These are basically for the purpose of procreation. Both are told by God to “be fertile and multiply; fill the earth” (Gn 1:28b). Only a male body and a female body can unite so as to result in procreation. This is one very fundamental reason why same-sex unions, whether one party is transgender or not, is contrary to God’s design.

Then there are social differences. These stem from biological differences. The man is bigger and stronger, and so is the protector and provider. The woman is more nurturing and caring, and so is the heart of the home and takes a major role in raising and caring for children. These differences are complementary. The best situation is when both man and woman live out their social differences, so that together they form a formidable social unit.

Even in emotions, such social differences are important. The man looks for respect while the woman looks for love and affection. Thus Paul, with deep social (and of course spiritual) insight, says the man “should love his wife as himself, and the wife should respect her husband.” (Eph 5:33).

God’s Design

The Father knows best. God’s design is perfect. When we look to God’s design, then we look to what is normal, good, right, beautiful, functional, blessed, life-giving. Why desire something that God does not intend? Or worse, desire something that is an abomination to God?