“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female?” —Matthew 19:4
Jesus was once confronted with a question about male-female relationships. The Pharisees wanted to discuss cultural customs and practices about divorce and have Jesus endorse one of two popular views (Matt. 19:3–9). But Jesus took the discussion to an entirely different level.
Jesus indicated that the Pharisees needed to look beyond cultural customs and social conventions, as well as the distortions introduced by sin. They couldn’t hope to get things right by arguing over personal opinions or a list of human “dos” and “don’ts.”
Instead, they needed to understand God’s original and highest intention for man and woman. And to do this, they needed to look back to creation—to God’s pattern—to understand the intent of His original design.
Regardless of what you may have been told by our culture, regardless of the pain you may have experienced due to sin, His plan for womanhood and manhood—and His plan for you—is beautiful and good.
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True Woman 101: Divine Design, An Eight-Week Study on Biblical Womanhood
©2012 Mary A. Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
What customs and social conventions do you get hung up on when it comes to gender? How is God’s original design different?