I have had the wonderful opportunity of studying under women at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary whose wisdom and discernment has been such a blessing to my ministry. My most recent class, “The Theology of Biblical Womanhood”, has provided me with so much great insight into God’s original design for women. Over the next couple of weeks I would love to share just a few tidbits from my studies. Some of these topics are new for me and some relate more specifically to married women, but the value of these truths is consistent across all ages and stages of life. Please comment if you would like additional resources on these topics or if you have questions.

Since the Garden: Genesis 3

God’s perfect order in family and gender roles has been broken apart by culture and the self-elevation of man. This may seem like a relatively new issue but upon further study of the Scripture this attack has been prevalent since the garden. In God’s perfect order He placed man as the head of the household and provided a woman as a helper.

Satan’s first recorded act against humanity attacked this perfect order within the family; he approached the woman and sought to tear apart what God had created. While it is obvious that Satan was not seeking to live in reverence to God’s will, it is important to point out the fact that he approached the woman instead of man. In contrast, when God approached the couple in the garden He spoke to the man, placing responsibility onto the man who He created to shoulder it. This role reversal Satan played against the order of God was just the start of thousands of years where Satan would and continues to attack this beautiful relationship of the family.

Something to think on: How does our lifestyle feed the work of Satan against God’s design? Are we simply living with the new norm of femininity or are we sticking to our design? Examine your own life and find ways which Satan has caused you to step away from God’s perfect order. It is important to understand and identify the work of Satan both past and present.