#4: True Biblical Womanhood

By Dr. Stephen Phinney

Biblical women who profess the Christian life should be modest, sober, silent, and submissive, as it becomes their place. They must be very modest in their apparel, so as not to be bad-mannered, offensive, showy, flashy, or vulgar in their dress. Good works are the best adornment women possess, which are of a great price in God’s sight. Women who profess Christianity should act as true biblical women in all areas of life, including how they dress. For example, instead of spending their money on fine clothes, they must spend it on good works such as: caring for their husbands, children, and community. Women must learn the principles of their faith, grow in Christ, and study the Word. They must not think their gender excuses them from learning what is necessary to work out their Salvation.

Biblical women must be listeners, followers, and obedient. They should not try take authority from their husbands, church leaders, or employers. Why? Because Adam was the first human creation, then God formed Eve out of him. This is one reason women are in subordination to men, as well as dependent upon them. A woman was made for man, to be a helpmate for him. Another reason for her subjection is she was the first to sin against authority. The serpent did not immediately confront Adam---the serpent deceived Eve, first. She was then the first in the act of rebellion. The above mandate was the main consequence of usurping authority.

So, why is a dress code so important for women? It is quite simple—the extensiveness of the guidelines of Christianity. These apply to both women and men, not only to their persons, but also to their dress. Their clothing must be modest, like their design, and the outward way they stand, sit, or move must be modest with all subjection. The way an individual dresses is typically a confession of his/her level of modesty and spiritual humility. The more brazen the dress, the more seductive the attitude—not to mention the openness of temptation it provides for interested onlookers.

Women have always been more vulnerable to the dangers of seductive apparel, so it has been more necessary to caution them in this respect. Since it is an easy thing for a woman to adorn herself with external things, this should give the evidence of her ability to do the same with good works.

Both women and women must accommodate their behaviors and attitudes to their faith. Men and women are to hear and learn of their roles and duties from the Word, not from the modernistic fashionable views of our age and culture. By actively carrying out the roles and guidelines of the Word, we are actually demonstrating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Most importantly, we are demonstrating the function of Christ and His Bride.

As we profess our Christianity to the world, it is our responsibility to demonstrate Godly decency and respect of the Gospel through our clothing and gestures, in looks and speech, and in all of our manners. It is because of this that we reveal the inward principles and habits of true holiness, influence, and an order for the generations to come.

NEXT: Men of Authority

True Biblical Womanhood Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.
All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#3 True Biblical Manhood

By Dr. Stephen Phinney

C. S. Lewis wrote of the dispirate strands of manhood--fierceness and gentleness--can find healthy synthesis in the person of the knight and in the code of chivalry.  Here these competing impulses--normally found in different individuals--find their union. ¹
 

The balance required for authentic Christian manhood is found in his God-given strength and power.  Without the gentle side, men would be mere brutes.  Tenderness and compassion without masculine firmness and aggressiveness produces a male without the fire to lead or inspire others.

In the Old Testament we see David, who was a poet and singer, but also a warrior and king.  He had the fierceness to kill Goliath, the giant, and the tenderness to provide for the needs of the people of God.  His compassion and masculinity found its perfect blend.

Keeping the right balance between our impulses toward power, aggression, and the need to be gentle and responsible is a challenge most men face.  

Our men need a vision for masculinity that challenges and inspires--if our women, children, community, and nation are to be stable and healthy.  In an age of great social, spiritual, and gender confusion, there is a desperate need for clear guidelines and models that can inspire the men of this generation to embrace their God-given masculinity.

To be a true biblical man, we must get back to the basics: 

1. The Word of God--knowing it better than we know our occupations 
2.  Hearing God in our minds and hearts. 
3.  Live with Christ as a Bridal member who is responsible and pure. 
4.  Study the foundational writings of manhood, fatherhood, and what it means to be a patriarch. 
5.  Know history in order to fight off the enemy of today--passivity.

Understanding history and culture is the key to realizing where we stand in the flow of events and ideas that have shaped our identity as men.

As a man, what shapes your educational decisions, choice of vocation, music preferences, your way of relating to patriarchs and spiritual leadership is the key to understanding your culture.  If a man’s primary source of training is something other than the Bible, we have an eternal crisis.  

The industrial revolution did more damage to the American family than any other movement.  

Here are the primary effects of this “revolution”.

•  Industrialism took husbands/fathers away from their wives and children in order to make BIG money. 
• It gave parents permission to let their children “vacate” and not work alongside the parents. 
•  It activated feminism--women demanding their cultural rights. 
• It gave women permission to be workers outside the home. 
•  It turned children into parents--parenting themselves, and at times, their parents. 
•  It removed the patriarchs’ protection from the home. 
•  It turned the leadership over to the strongest personality within the home. 
• Fathers, mothers, and children lost their God-given significant places in family and more significantly, the fathers lost the hearts of their children.

 

Next article: True Biblical Womanhood

¹ C.S. Lewis Present Concerns: A Compelling Collection of Timely, Journalistic Essays (London: Fount Paperbacks, 1986). [C.S. Lewis, Present Concerns, "The Necessity of Chivalry" 1st published in Time and Tide, Aug. 1940].  

True Biblical Manhood Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author's  name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.