If you are a woman, know that God loves you and He has a great plan for your future.
Within the secular world, there is the false notion that God has a negative view of women. These individuals believe that God endorses the patriarchy and that He views men as being superior to women. Since this is a common way of thinking in the modern day, it is important to address this lie.
A Biblical Perspective on Women
In order to know what God’s view of women is, we have to turn to the Bible. The Bible is the very Word of God; therefore, it tells us everything we need to know about God. Within the Bible, we see that God has a positive view of women. He does not look down on women nor does He think less of women. When God created Adam and Eve, He declared them to be good. He does not say only Adam was good, but rather, He also declares Eve to be good.
The Bible also tells us that man and woman were created in His image (Genesis 1:27). As we can see, men and women are both beautifully created in God’s image, and He views them as equal. Never do we see God as treating men better than women. Rather, God treats them equally and loves them both equally. God does not show favoritism nor does He rank men as being above women (Deuteronomy 10:17). Even though people can be prejudiced against men or women, God does not act in this way. Instead, He views them both as equal.
Throughout the Bible, we see God having a positive view of women. In fact, one of the Judges of Israel was a woman. Her name was Deborah, and she was a strong leader of Israel. Not only did God choose her, but He also granted her victory. Even though women leaders were not common in ancient Israel, they were not absent. Individuals need to remember this before they are quick to claim God is anti-women or has a negative view of women. As it is, God thinks highly of women and loves women just as He loves men. Both are His beloved children, and He is not willing to see any of them perish (2 Peter 3:9).
If we look into the New Testament, we continue to see God’s positive view of women and how they can be His chosen instruments to do His will. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was chosen by God to carry the Savior in her womb. This is a huge undertaking as well as a huge blessing. This alone shows us the importance of women in the Bible as well as in everyday life. (Important note of theology: Mary’s pregnancy was divinely conceived by the Holy Spirit since Mary was a virgin. And her conception is the only one to be miraculously created.)
The very fact that women were the ones chosen to carry babies displays to us how God has highly favored women. Since men cannot bear children or carry babies in wombs, God has blessed women in the sense that mankind cannot continue without them. Only women can bear babies, which shows us that God has given women the blessing to carry on the line of humanity. This is often overlooked within Christian circles as well as secular circles; however, it is something that needs to be carefully taken to heart.
God’s Love for All People
God loves all people, including women. The classic verse of John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” As this verse says, God loves the world. The world does not only include men. Rather, the world includes all people—both men and women. This attests to the truth that God loves women just as He loves men. The Lord does not place men as being “better” than women because He does not think in this way.
The ideology that men are superior or better than women does not come from God—it comes from the sinful world. Ever since the fall of mankind, the world has been polluted by sin. With sin being present in the world, there are many wrong ideologies that persist even into the modern day, and it will continue until the Lord returns. The world tries to tell us false views about God, like that He thinks men are better, started the patriarchy, and approves of the oppression of women. None of these are true because they do not align with who He is.
God loves all people, and this does not exclude women. The oppression of women is because of the fallen world as well as the patriarchy and the view that men are superior to women. All of these things are because of sin and, sadly, they will continue until God makes all things new. As believers, we need to be aware of these issues and also be able to understand that they are not caused by God. God is ultimately in control, but it does not mean that He wants bad things to happen. Rather, He works all things out for our good, even the bad things (Romans 8:28).
Changing the Narrative
With this in mind, we need to change the narrative. Instead of going along with the crowd that God has a negative view of women, we need to stand up for God. He does not think poorly of women in any way. He loves women, and He never thinks negatively about women. There is nothing in the Bible that constitutes this way of thinking. The love God has for women and men is ever-present and will never change. As Christians, we need to talk more about how God loves women, has a positive view of them, and has a beautiful plan for each of our lives.
Sadly, there are many ministries, social media accounts, and individuals who believe that Christian women should only be married, have children, and not have any life outside of this. While marriage and having children is a beautiful thing, it is not a woman’s sole purpose in life. Many women get married and never have children. In the same way, many women never get married nor do they have children. Despite this, they still live beautiful lives for the Lord. We don’t need to support these ministries, social media accounts, and individuals who promote a false view of women.
If anything, these are the individuals who are oppressing women and making them think they only have one purpose in life. If you are a woman, know that God loves you and He has a great plan for your future. Even if it does not include marriage or children, know that it is a beautiful plan orchestrated by God. The Lord does not make mistakes, and He has a wonderful plan for your unique life. God has a positive view of women, and through your obedience to His Holy Spirit, He will fulfill the purposes He has for your life.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
