Gender Duality
Duality:
noun - du·al·i·ty - dü-ˈa-lə-tē
the quality or condition of being dual.
an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something
the state or quality of being two or in two parts; dichotomy
Now, I'm not really a women's movement kinda gal. I've always shyd away from women specific things for several reasons; however, when I went to a women's conference in London I suddenly had a new revelation of my value as a woman, why gender is important, and a starting point for debates about gender identity. Here are some of those revelations
1) Gender was created by God, not society
If I'm going to talk about gender I think I should provide context. Most people will say that gender is part of the human identity. The question is, who defines that identity? There is an existing argument that gender is a societal construct but I'd like to show you that gender originated long before society could construct anything and was very much an intentional design.
““So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
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When God first created mankind (or man), God put both male and female in that first human, Adam. The first human was both male and female in one being! This makes sense since God created the first humans in God's own image. Later on, God decided it was better for male and female to not be inside the same being so God separated them and then you see Adam (male side only) and Eve (female side only). And there we have the first man and the first woman. The creation of gender.
God has put attributes of His character in both men and women so that as we come together as one we truly reflect God's heart.
2) Women display the feminine heart of God
painting on display at a restaurant
As a woman I am of value because God has placed attributes of His character within me. The Bible recounts Jesus grieving over the Israelites and how lost they were and records that Jesus said, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." That's the nurturing mother heart of God that was speaking. That was Jesus revealing the tender-hearted nature of God. Keep in mind tender hearted does not mean passive.
Tender-hearted:
a. Considerate and protective; solicitous:
b. Characterized by or expressing gentle emotions; loving:
c. Given to sympathy or sentimentality; soft:
When you look at the woman you only see one side of God. Then you look at the man and see another side.
3) Men display the masculine heart of God
The man wants to be provider. He wants to protect and fight for his family. He wants to provide a cover for his own. Men pursue and hunt. They are associated with authorityThose are attributes of God's character too. That is why in the Bible He is referred to as the lion of the tribe of Judah and Our great Provider.
4) Together we reflect the gender duality of God
If the church is full of only men you only see one side of God but when it consists of women too then the full character of God is made manifest in his body. The same applies in marriage. Just as men and women come together as one body and manifest Christ in the world, man and woman come together in marriage as one flesh and become one (again). The whole of humankind is now seen in this union.
The following is an excerpt of an article Focus on the family wrote that speaks in detail on this topic:
"In his book, Growth into Manhood, [Alan Mender] writes, “The masculine can only be understood in relation to the feminine. … One gives meaning to the other.” Medinger goes on to explain some of the ways masculinity and femininity define each other. Drawing from a variety of authors and thinkers, he writes about four general complements between masculinity and femininity, giving us a deeper understanding of these concepts (emphasis his):
- The Masculine Is That Which Is Outer Directed; The Feminine Is That Which Is Inner Directed. The masculine faces the world: It is oriented to things; it explores; it climbs. Its energy is directed toward the physical: measuring, moving, building, conquering. The feminine looks inward toward feeling, sensing, knowing in the deepest sense. Its energy is directed toward relationships, coming together, nurturing, helping. … Another way to describe this same contrast is masculine doing and feminine being.
- The Essence Of Masculinity Is Initiation; The Essence Of Femininity Is Response. … Herein we can see why God the Father has revealed Himself first of all in masculine terms. He is the ultimate initiator. All things come from Him. He is the Alpha. In our relationship with the Son, Jesus must always be the bridegroom and we must be the bride; it is never the other way around.
- Masculine Authority; Feminine Power. … To understand authority and the masculine, we again look to God. God is the ultimate authority (masculine). He is also the source and sustainer of life (feminine). He holds us in His hand and sustains our lives day by day.
- Masculine Truth; Feminine Mercy. … The masculine seeks truth; the feminine, mercy"
(Jeff Johnston, 2015 [online] Available at Focus on the family)
5) God is delighted in our gender
We carry God and God is delighted in me because I carry Him. I display his character in a beautiful way on the earth and he loves that! He loves that I am a woman. He designed me as a woman. He wanted the world to see Him through me as a woman. Don't you see? Me being a woman was by purposeful design. What a freeing thought! I can be completely and unapologetically womanly in a world that wants to define gender, because as a woman I carry attributes of God that can only be seen in a woman. Me being a woman is not dictated by the type of clothes I wear, my ability (or inability) to cook, my hobbies and interest. I am a woman because I have the feminine heart of God. Full. Stop!
As much as being a woman is beautiful, I don't want the world filled with just women because men carry attributes of God that can only be seen in men! I need women around me just as much as I need men around me and in that way I get a bigger picture of the character of God.
6) Man was not created to have dominion over men and women
The apparent fight between men and women is really about control and is as a result of sin in the world. When we argue over who is more superior or who has more control we resemble the disciples arguing over who is greater. But what does Jesus say to them?
““Now an eager contention arose among them [as to] which of them was considered and reputed to be the greatest. But Jesus said to them, The kings of the Gentiles are deified by them and exercise Lordship [ruling as emperor-gods] over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors and well-doers. But this is not to be so with you; on the contrary, let him who is the greatest among you become like the youngest, and him who is the chief and leader like one who serves. For who is the greater, the one who reclines at table (the master), or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am in your midst as One Who serves.””
wood carving in the Singapore Bay Garden
7) Our gender is an expression of the relationship humanity has with God
God didn't create gender for division but for unity. We temper and balance one another in Christ. To God, we are both of great and equal value and that is why He represents our relationship with Him in both male and female terms: sons of God (speaking of our inheritance in Him) and the bride of Christ (speaking of our intimacy in Him). These titles are not about gender; they are about what each of them call out in us. They are about our collective and individual identity. They are about intimacy and inheritance respectively.
8) Conflicting thoughts are not a sin
Earlier, I mentioned gender as part of our human identity. When this identity is distorted we can have a crisis of identity; in this case, a gender identity crisis. Today's culture has numerous labels for this but a crisis of identity of any kind is not a sin. To be human is to have a disordered identity of some kind. The key to dealing with such crisis is to seek to know how God defines us and root our identity in that definition. Neither culture nor society should define our identity.
Artwork in the London Art16
