Note: This series will consist of five phases: Created-parenting, Pre-parenting, Parenting, Post-parenting, and Grand-parenting. Each of these phases will have four sections.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them\u201d (Gen. 1:27).<\/p>\n
Moses recorded God\u2019s words in Genesis. Jesus also quoted these words as recorded in Matthew\u2019s gospel, \u201cAnd He answered and said to them, \u2018Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female,\u2019 and said, \u2018For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.\u2019\u201d (Matt. 19:4-5).<\/p>\n
Mankind<\/span>. In the Hebrew language the name Adam comes from the similar sounding word adam<\/i>. This is the generic word for \u201cmankind\u201d (see Gen. 5:2 in the NKJV). This corresponds to anthropos <\/i>in the Greek language from which we get the word anthropology, the study of mankind. The Hebrew or Greek word can refer to a specific man (Gen. 2:19; Matt. 7:9) or to the whole of mankind (Gen. 1:26; Matt. 4:4). Jesus used the word to describe Himself as the \u201cSon of man\u201d (Matt. 10:23), the perfect representation of the human race.<\/p>\n Male and Female.<\/span> In Gen 1:27, \u201cmale\u201d is zakar <\/i>and \u201cfemale\u201d is nekebar<\/i>. These correspond to arsen <\/i>and thelus <\/i>in Greek (Matt. 19:4). Interestingly, both languages also have two other corresponding words: In Hebrew, \u201cman\u201d can be from ish <\/i>which is also the word for \u201chusband\u201d while ishah<\/i>,\u201cwoman\u201d is also the word for \u201cwife\u201d (see Gen. 2:23-25). Similarly, in Greek aner <\/i>can be \u201cman\u201d or \u201chusband\u201d and guner <\/i>can be \u201cwoman\u201d or \u201cwife\u201d (1 Cor. 7:2).<\/p>\n Reproduction<\/span>. The lesson from these specific words is that God created only two genders. Even scientifically we know every male has 46 XY chromosomes and sperm; every female has 46 XX chromosomes and egg. Every person has 23 pairs or 46 chromosomes. 22 of those pairs are \u201cautosomes\u201d and 1 pair is the sex chromosome. These cannot be changed by mutilation or by choice and only rarely as abnormality. In addition, there must be sperm and egg to produce another human being. John and Paul Feinberg also point out that DNA is unique to each individual,<\/p>\n \u201cPro-life advocates argue that personhood begins at conception, because at that point the DNA strands are those of human beings. Moreover, it is argued that though the fetus is dependent upon the mother, he or she is an independent individual. This view can be called the biological, genetic view of personhood\u201d (Ethics for a Brave New World<\/i>, p. 59).<\/p>\n Since all chromosomes and all DNA are present at conception (fertilization), it is obvious that life of a unique individual begins at conception.<\/p>\n The Genesis account of creation lays the foundation for the roles of husband and wife. The man is the head of the family and the wife is the helper to the husband. \u201cThen the rib which the LORD God had taken from the man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man\u201d (Gen. 2:22).<\/p>\n Headship<\/span>. The order of creation clearly argues for the headship of the man. Paul will later argue for this very point when he writes, \u201cFor Adam was formed first, then Eve\u201d (1 Tim. 2:13). Also, \u201cFor man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man\u201d (1 Cor. 11:8-9). There are at least 7 ways in which we see the headship of the man in the Genesis account. 1) Adam was created first. 2) Adam named all the other creatures that God made including the woman (Gen. 2:23 and 3:20). 3) Adam gave Eve the image of God when she was taken from him, then they both gave their children that image (see Gen. 5:3). 4) It is the man who leaves father and mother to form the family. 5) The woman follows the man and changes her name to his. 6) Marriage is the combination of ish <\/i>and ishah<\/i>, man, and the wife from the man. 7) Eve was deceived, not Adam (Gen. 3:1; 1 Tim. 2:14).<\/p>\n Submission<\/span>. Just as headship should be viewed as a God-given role for the husband\/father yet in a Christ-like loving way, submission should be viewed as a God-given role for the wife\/mother in a Christ-like loving way. Submission (or complementarity) is an obvious biblical pattern (1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18; Tit. 2:4-5). The Greek word hupotass<\/i>\u014d<\/i> (used over 40 times in the NT) means to place oneself under another\u2019s authority. In Genesis, this submission is seen in Adam\u2019s obvious role of headship and also in Eve\u2019s creation as the helper and nourisher. A common feminist argument against complementarity is that both headship and submission didn\u2019t start until the fall in Genesis chapter three. Therefore, they want to believe (in an egalitarian view), that the whole patriarchal culture is due to sin and the submission of the woman is male abuse. In fact, however, the warnings (curses) that God gives to them both are that the woman will want to dominate the man and the man will rule harshly over the woman (Gen. 3:16 w\/ 4:7)). But both proper headship and submission were given before sin entered the creation.<\/p>\n Family<\/span>. Created gender is necessary for the creation and propagation of the family. Male and female genders are necessary for all animal life as well. This is why God brought a male and female of every kind to Noah (Gen. 6:19-20) so that life would continue after the flood. Human genealogies are important before and after the flood. The creation of Eve for Adam was (among many things) for help, companionship, and procreation. Notice that the man is to leave his \u201cfather and mother\u201d (Gen. 2:24), a look into the future of family life and culture. Kevin DeYoung\u00a0 writes,<\/p>\n \u201cThink creational capacities for men and women, not ironclad constraints. The man\u2019s primary vocation is \u2018naming, taming, dividing, and ruling.\u2019 The woman\u2019s primary vocation involves \u2018filling, glorifying, generating, establishing communion, and bringing forth new life.\u2019\u201d (Men and Women in the Church<\/i>, p. 33).<\/p>\n \u201cSo God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them\u201d (Gen. 1:27). \u201cThis is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh\u201d (Gen. 2:23-24).<\/p>\n One kind<\/span>. The creation order is to reproduce after one\u2019s own \u201ckind.\u201d This was true first of the grass, the herbs, and the trees (1:11-12) as well as for sea, sky, and land creatures (1:21-25). This applied to Adam when there was not a \u201chelper comparable to him\u201d (2:18) among all the other creatures God had made (2:20). It was never God\u2019s creative order for animate nor inanimate things to reproduce outside of their kind. Even variety within \u201ckinds\u201d is more unusual than usual. Kenneth Gangel and Stephen Bramer write,<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the now-exposed soil God brought forth vegetation, according to their various kinds. The concept of creation producing like-creation is emphasized by the tenfold use in Genesis 1 of the expression according to their various kinds. This is a refutation of most evolutionary theories.\u201d Holman Old Testament Commentary<\/i>, Vol. 1, p. 13.<\/p>\n One image<\/span>. As we have seen, Eve received the image of God when she was created from Adam who received that image when he was created (Gen. 1:26; 2:7). When Seth was born (Gen. 5:1-3) he is said to be \u201cin the likeness, after the image\u201d of Adam and Eve. The image of God is therefore passed initially from Adam to Eve to the children. Every child born to any man and woman, regardless of circumstance, is born in the image and likeness of God. Charles Ryrie says, \u201cThough Adam was made directly in the image of God, his children were generated in Adam’s image which, of course, still bore God’s image even after the fall (cf. 1 Cor. 11:7). Thus the transmission of man’s being was and is through natural generation\u201d (Basic Theology<\/i>, p. 193).<\/p>\n One flesh<\/span>. \u201cTherefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh\u201d (Gen. 2:24). As soon as Adam saw Eve he said, \u201cThis is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh\u201d (2:23). The Bible says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). The blood sustains the whole body by supplying its nourishments of oxygen and various chemicals. Eve was made directly from Adam\u2019s flesh and blood and therefore they received the description of ish <\/i>and ishah <\/i>(man\/woman, husband\/wife), \u201cbecause she was taken out of the man\u201d (vs. 23). The very life and flesh of Adam was given for the very life and flesh of Eve. Thus, their children were of their flesh and blood, and remotely, the whole human race is of the \u201cflesh\u201d of Adam our father (\u201cAnd He has made from one blood every nation\u201d Acts 17:26). This is not only how the whole human race came about, but also how we sinned in Adam (Rom. 5:12) and were conceived as sinners from our parents (Psa. 51:5).<\/p>\n The apostle Paul used this correlation of husband and wife to describe the spiritual relationship of Christ and His church. \u201cSo husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies . . . For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones (Eph. 5:28, 30).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Note: This series will consist of five phases: Created-parenting, Pre-parenting, Parenting, Post-parenting, and Grand-parenting. Each of these phases will have four sections. First Phase: Created Parenting Section 2. Created Genders \u2014 People \u201cSo God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him: male and female He created them\u201d (Gen. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[123,984],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-senior-saints"],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Roles<\/b><\/h5>\n
One Species<\/b><\/h5>\n