We often find people who claim that the Bible is a sexist book that promotes inequality between men and women.
It is common to see texts taken from the Bible to justify that premise.
However, in looking at the issue from a holistic perspective, what is the truth about machismo in the Bible?
To get closer to answering that question, I invite you to read a small aside from that book:
(…) in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.
But everything comes from God.
1 Corintios 11: 11-12
In days past, I was having a conversation with someone about whether the Bible is sexist.
One of the examples that were presented was that the Bible teaches that the first to be created was man, and then the woman was created from the man.
Thus, the fact that man had been created first showed the person that God had a preference for man.
Likewise, the fact that the woman had been created from a rib, showed that the woman was dependent on the man.
Interestingly, my answer, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, was that according to that logic, the woman in giving birth constitutes herself superior to the man.
Therefore, God is a feminist because we men depend on women to exist.
Our text of the day expresses it best:
For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.
But everything comes from God.
The example above shows us how a subjective perspective can make us read things in the Bible that are not implicit in their stories.
Today’s study text clarifies that, for God, both man and woman are one human unit.
in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
This really means that neither has more value than the other, and that together they are children of God.
It means that the Lord has no favorites, and that we should not make any kind of exception.
In the Bible, women are the foundation of the church, the foundation of society, and must be loved and highly respected in the love of Christ.
Jesus himself, coming to this earth, was born of a woman and had a mother whom he honored, loved, and respected.
Likewise, the Lord Jesus on many occasions took risky actions to protect the dignity of women and to show his appreciation for them.
Many of the encounters and miracles Jesus performed included women.
The woman by the well, the woman sick of blood flow, the exorcism of Mary Magdalene, the woman caught in adultery, among many others.
In all cases, Jesus showed love and dignity for women and set an example to his followers to do the same.
What do you think? Do you think the Bible is sexist? What is your experience? Share in the comments.
A hug, God bless you.
