Paul told the disciples that it is by Adam’s sin – not Eve, for she was deceived that sin entered into this world, this creation. Paul used the issue of Eve’s deception to show the reason for woman’s position in the church. Because of Eve, women are not allowed to preach. Because of Eve, women are not allowed to usurp man’s authority in the church, and even if they believe that they can say it better, are to remain silent in the church concerning spiritual matters.
1st Timothy 2:11-14 [KJV] “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. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”
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We escape this condemnation of our souls into the lake of fire, and we are free of the wrath (judgment requiring retribution) of God. If we do not have the Son of God, if we do not have this offered gift of forgiveness, or grace, the wrath of God is still upon us based upon the decree of God’s law.
John 3:36 [KJV] “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Between Jesus’ words recorded by John and Paul’s words we easily grasp that within the natural state of man, we are all sinners. In this state of sin, we are each earning a wage through our sins. And in this natural state we will each face the throne of God in these wages, where without the Son; we face death, the second death of the lake of fire. What then is this “SIN” that so viciously condemns us? What are these actions that bring a wage, with such a hefty price? What is sin? The Apostle John clarifies that sin is the transgression of the Law of God.
1st John 3:4 [KJV] “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the
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It is our responsibility to spread the Gospel, and seek them that will listen. We are ambassadors from the thorn of heaven, to the people of this creation, to show them a path out of condemnation and into salvation through the blood of Jesus the Christ.
2nd Corinthians 4:3-4 [KJV] “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
If we will not spread the Gospel, the good news, the message of salvation; who will? If we will not go, who will? If we will not preach the words of our Saviour, who will? God used a mouth of a donkey once before, will we force God to do it again? Paul decries in his epistle to the church is Rome, “How can they call upon him in whom they have not believe? And how shall they believe in whom they have not heard?”
Romans 10:14-15 [KJV] “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good
In a survey conducted in 2012, LifeWay.com inquired about the importance of evangelism among members of the Christian faith. The results of the survey showed that 80 percent of people who claimed to follow Jesus Christ and had openly devoted themselves to the teaching of Christianity, felt that they had a “personal responsibility to share their religious views and beliefs about Jesus Christ with non-christians” (Wilke, LifeWay.com). Surveys such as this reflect the Christian doctrine of evangelism and the weight it holds within the Christian faith. As can be seen back in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ commanded His followers “to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19).” However, Jesus never told His followers how doing this.
Some people believe that women were created for the sole purpose of assisting men. They justify their position by citing Genesis chapter two, in which God takes a rib from Adam and creates Eve. They believe that because Eve was made from a piece of Adam, she is directly under him, as if he were her creator. Another source of evidence for this claim is that Adam was created before Eve. The rationale behind this piece of evidence is that the human being that was created first has more importance and is therefore, greater than the second. This interpretation also relies on the fact that women are less physically capable than men. It is believed that because God made women less capable then she must be considered less than by her greater counterpart. Clearly, this is an irresponsible interpretation of the bible. Many passages of the bible state the equality of his creation. The Apostle Paul states in Galatians chapter three that all people under the lord are to be considered one entity and are equal throughout that entity. Any interpretation that suggests women are inferior can be easily refuted by this passage. Some argue that women are inferior because God calls Eve a “Helper” in the second chapter of Genesis, however God uses that same name, ‘ezer, to describe himself a number of times. Out of context it would seem that the bible makes women look less than, but in realit...
Much of the story of Adam and Eve can be explained within biblical context, and its male supremacy bias confirms to be of historical origin rather than divine; however it is perceived as comprising the “fundamental,” and essentially destructive "truths" about the nature of women. Eve has represented the fundamental character and identity of all women. No, there haven’t been other women with redeemable qualities to represent them throughout history. Even those as great as Cleopatra have not earned the title as extraordinary woman in the history books, because her dominance over men was perceived as unbecoming and disgraceful. However, Eve’s image is what has represented women. Through her words and actions, the true nature of women was exposed; her story and “weakness” showcases what women’s innate nature corresponds to. Eve represents everything about a woman a man should guard against; she is the original sinner, and cannot be trusted in both form and symbol. The idea that her actions are not without warrant, and therefore she is a representation of us is, in fact, what has been propagated throughout hundreds of years. Eve is woman, and because of her, all women are by nature disobedient, prone to temptation, weak-willed. The connotations associated with womanhood, in turned have become, untrustworthy, deceitful,
Despite the patriarchal society from the biblical days, God is taught as being just as much a Mother as God is a Father (102). The willful ignorance of religious scholars of the time just show that they were making a conscious effort of trying to keep women from retaining any power that they had. This relegation of religious roles in an effort to keep Men in power is a poor example of how Christianity is a religion which promotes for the love and care of all people, no matter their status. The interpretation of God from these times clash severely with my notions of what is now considered to be an all-loving entity. Women of these times were obviously not equal to their male counterparts. In modern days however, women are thought of as equals in society. The problem is that they are still not being treated as equals in a religious aspect as well as many other aspects.
The result of sin, then, would be considered a blurring of the image of God and a barrier between God and man. In addition, salvation is a process not of justification, but of reestablishing man's communion with God (Ware 155-161).
consequences of sin. Paul confirms this in Romans 3:10, “There is none righteous, no not one.”
The depreciation of women and their overall inferior position in society can be attributed to the androcentric interpretations of the Hebrew Bible, especially the story of Adam and Eve. Throughout history, the story of Adam and Eve has been used by men to point out the inherent evil in women by pinning the eventual expulsion of Adam and Eve from Heaven on the neck of Eve. Eve has long been blamed for the expulsion from Heaven and in effect, women, even up until today, are portrayed as the “gateway to sin.”
Women were the subject of marginalization ever since the very beginning of Christianity. They were viewed as a “second Eve” (92) who did not deserve the same attention as men. Women were treated as second class citizens. They were willfully ignored by members of the Christianity
In the creation, Eve was creating from “the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man” (Genesis 2). From this context one can see that this society believes that males were created first and women are created from men. The writer of the creation also makes the women seem like the ignorant one since she is the one that is tricked by the snake to consume the forbidden fruit. Thus, we start to see a society that belittle women. This is confirm when God punish Even by stating, “yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3). Furthermore, this line directly tells all readers that the wife is submissive to the husband and the husband has control over his wife. The key component of Genesis is that it gives a religious reasoning to why women are less superior to men. Genesis tells the Hebrew society that women are not equal to men because they are made from men, therefore, they have to be controlled by their husband or else they will get tricked like Eve. This time period uses religion to give reasoning to certain societal
Throughout the ages, the story of the original sin is used to explain the struggles of women and why they are inferior to man. Eve “took of [the forbidden tree’s] fruit and ate” (Genesis 3:6), and as punishment, God made it so “[her husband] shall rule over her” (3:16). As an important text during the lifetime of the characters who tell the collection of stories that compose the Canterbury Tales, most of the pilgrims were familiar with this scripture and believed that the Bible’s word was law. For that reason, the popular belief of the time was that women were inferior to their male counterparts. However, a couple of characters in the tales challenge this viewpoint and show that women were also capable of making their own choices. As the pilgrims struggle with the issue of where women belong, their view of Eve in the story of original sin is altered as well. From mild indifference to intimate involvement, each pilgrim has a different attachment to the story of the Eve, and their views on women in society are reflected in their connection to the story.
The third point is that women were created to counsel and advice men. Speght asserts that women’s “tongue [was not created] to utter words of strife, but to give good counsel unto her husband, the which he must not despise” (117). Then Speght gives us example of a few women who counseled their husband in certain occasions, like Pilate whose wife advised him to not “have any hand in the condemning of CHRIST,” (117) Abrahams wife Sarah, and Leah and Rachel who counseled Jacob to listened to the words of the
In the New Testament, the most common Greek words translated sin is harmartia (which means to miss the mark). The Greeks says that sin is lawlessness. Man is disobedient to God and His word. He is incapable of obeying and is openly rebellious to God’s law.
Some argue that the exclusion of women in the Bible was a product of its time and cannot be changed and attempting to use the Bible as a source of oppression is not valid. Others believe that, while the times were different, the Bible’s teachings on women are still
Corinthians 14:34 states, “Let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law” (Holy Bible, King James Edition). Edith Hamilton, "recognized as the greatest woman Classicist", says that the Bible is the only book before our century that looked to women as human beings, no better nor worse than men (Tanner). However, it cannot be said that this book was consistently favorable to women. Maybe not absolutely, but conditionally in personal opinion, the Bible shows numerous examples of a woman’s inferiority to men, an assessment that has been translated into the cultures of generations. In this essay I will address briefly instances in the bible pertaining to women, and continue on with thoughts on how I believe these notions have been interpreted into society.
Sin has been defined as many things by many groups throughout the ages. In the Old Testament it was defined as a failure to hit a mark or an attitude of rebellion. In the New Testament it is defined as failing to conform to a standard or as a condition. However, we must decide for ourselves what it means in our own lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us in our definition. Without being taught right and wrong we still are able to decipher between the two.