TEXT: GENESIS 1:26-28; 2:7, 15-25
TITLE: WOMEN IN SERVICE AND MINISTRY
INTRODUCTION
A. Historical / Traditional view of women
B. God’s view of women
GOD CREATED MEN AND WOMEN EQUAL (Genesis 1:26-28)
A. “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”
1. “man” = ʼâdam / ʼâdham (aw-dam')
2. ʼâdam / ʼâdham = humanity or humankind
B. “let them have dominion…”
1. Who is “them?” Humanity
2. Who is humanity at that time? Male and female
C. “…in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”
1. “him” = ʼâdam / ʼâdham = humanity or humankind
2. Male and female are created in the image of God
D. God blessed “them” and spoke to “them”
1. “Be fruitful and multiply”
2. “fill the earth and subdue it”
3. “ have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
4. The authority to have rule and responsibility over God’s creation was given to male and female
GOD CREATED MEN AND WOMEN FOR EACH OTHER (Genesis 2:7, 15-25)
A. “the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground”
1. Formed – as a potter molds clay
2. “man” = ʼâdam / ʼâdham = humanity or humankind
3. Ground = ʼădâmâh (ad-aw-maw')
B. “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being”
C. “the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’”
1. Animals, birds, fish, insects and reptiles were not comparable helpers
2. God put “man” = ʼâdam / ʼâdham to sleep, took a rib and closed him up
3. From the rib, the LORD God made a woman, and brought her to the “man”
a. “made” = to build / to cause to continue
b. Note: God brought the woman to the man…
4. ʼâdam / ʼâdham responded, “At last…” “She shall be called ‘woman’”
5. The woman (ʼishshâh) was taken out of man (ʼîysh)
D. God created men and women for each other: Marriage and Ministry
Challenge for the Week:
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:2
