Some thoughts on femininity and roles from some searches in my bible (NKJV) after some recent discussions on the matter.
"Femininity is a reality of God's design and making- His precious gift to every woman- and in a very different way, His gracious gift to men as well. The difference between men and women is not a mere matter of biology. Throughout the millennia of human history, up until the past several decades, people took for granted that the differences were so obvious as to need no comment. Yet never as now have we more needed Paul's reminder to the Roman Christians not to let the world squeeze us into its own mold but to let God re-mold our minds from within (Rom. 12:2)."
"Surrender is a key ingredient in femininity. As a bride, a woman in marriage surrenders her independence, her name, her destiny, her will, and ultimately her body to the bridegroom. As a mother, she surrenders in a very real sense her life for the life of the child. As a single woman, she surrenders herself in a unique way for service to her Lord and for service to family and community."
"Femininity receives. It takes what God gives. In other words, women are to receive the given as Mary did (Luke 1:38), not to insist on the not-given, as Eve did (Gen 3:1-6). This does not imply that a woman should surrender to evils such as coercion or violent conquest."
"The gentle and quiet spirit of which Peter speaks is the ornament of femininity (1 Pet 3:4), which found its epitome in Mary, the mother of Jesus. She was willing to be a vessel, hidden, unknown, expect as Somebody's mother. This maternity is available to every woman who humbles herself before the Lord, not simply as a biological role but as an attitude of selflessness in her own heart and submission to the Lord."
"The challenge of biblical femininity for you is to be a woman, holy through and through, asking for nothing but what God want to give you, receiving with both hands and with all your heart whatever that is. Femininity is a precious treasure to be guarded and nourished each and every day."
Biblical Equality: Distinct but Complementary Roles
"Male and female were created as equal and complementary expressions of the image of God. Both bear His image fully, though in different ways. Their distinct roles in relationship to each other provide a picture of who God is and how He relates to His people.
Christ Jesus is equal with God the Father, yet submissive and responsive to Him (Phil 2:6-8). God the Father loves the Son and exalts Him. The pattern is repeated in the relationship between Christ and the church. Christ provides loving, servant leadership; the church responds with respect and submission as Christ's 'Bride' (Eph. 5:22-33). Another counterpart to the picture is the relationship between church leaders and local bodies of believers (Heb 13:7, 17).
Sin has distorted the relationship between man and woman at every level, but believers are called to relate according to the Creator's plan instituted in the Garden of Eden before sin entered the world (Gen 2:15-25). This plan is marked by a holy reciprocity in which the husband's love awakens a responsive submission from the wife just as a wife's respect and appreciation draws from her husband leadership and love.
In Christ, distinctions of rank or sex are removed; yet throughout the New Testament, social and sexual distinctions are clearly seen in the family, the state, and the church. The equality of believers Christ reflects a oneness of relationship, not a sameness of function.
Each individual stands before God created in His image, yet, at the same time, a sinner in need of salvation (Gen. 1:27; Rom. 3:23). Therefore, each person has at the same time both an infinite equality of worth before God and in the midst of others and a total equality of need for Jesus Christ as Savior. Yet out of this same "lump of clay" called humanity, the Creator has chosen to make vessels of various kinds and for various purposes according to his will (Is. 29:16; Rom. 9:19-21). Therefore, in contrast to the world's view, biblical equality recognizes the equality of all people before God but also recognize God's right to assign people different functions and roles (Ezek. 33:17).
A woman's rewards are not based upon her role in the kingdom but upon her faithfulness in fulfilling the assignment God gives. Fully equal before God, women and men enjoy the same free grace, are called to the same obedience, and are capable of receiving the same spiritual gifts and blessings. Yet woman is not man, and man is not woman. They are equal in worth and person-hood as the creation of God but remain functionally different in the role assignments each is to fulfill."
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