CROSSROADS			Male and Female (1)				6/10/02

In this new series (DV) I want to look at various aspects of the male and female relationship. We have recently asked if the Bible specifically, and Christianity in general, are relevant to the world today. At a time when the family, the bedrock of human society, is constantly under attack and is disintegrating around us I believe that Scripture challenges us to live out the principles that God has established in His Word.

The Purpose of Creation
Creation was designed for revelation (Ps.19.1-4; Rom.1.18-20) that God might be glorified (Isa.43.7; Eph.1.13-14; Rom.1.21). The face of God is revealed within His creation and the more complex the design the greater the potential for revelation and glory. The beauty and individuality of each snowflake tells us something about the nature of God; the starry heavens tell us even more but Humanity (especially as revealed by His Son, the Living Word), is God's supreme act of self-revelation.

The key to understanding in this subject is to realise that is primarily a subject dealing with the nature of God, not the nature of Man. The world generally regards male / female issues (marriage, divorce, sexuality, authority, equality etc) as social issues but they are primarily theological issues (1Cor11.3). Through God we learn about Man and through Man we learn about God. We will not understand who we are until we understand what we are: God's representatives.

"Let Us make" (Gen.1.26)
It is in the creation of Man that the plurality of God is first revealed. In this simple statement in Genesis we learn that in the Godhead (what we would now regard as the Trinity) there is initiative, consultation and harmony. This leads us to examine our views on the Trinity:

The Scriptures reveal three essential doctrines about the Godhead:
1. God is three Persons
2. Each Person is fully God
3. There is One God
The names that the three persons of the Trinity bear do not describe their nature but their eternal relationship towards one another - how they react to one another. The Eternal Father always initiates, the Eternal Son always activates and the Holy Spirit always motivates. Although fully equal, they never want to change roles. This is their eternal state.

"Man in Our image" (Gen.1.26)
We are made in His image (cp. "shadow, statue") and in His likeness, both words being almost identical. As individuals Adam and Eve were like God in knowledge, righteousness and holiness and even after the Fall humanity still retains the image, even though it is now a distorted one (Gen.9.6; Jas.3.9).
In what ways are we as individuals like God?
Everything we are is like God! Every aspect of our humanity reflects God.
Everything we are is also different from God! Every aspect of our finite humanity only hints at the infinite attributes of God.
Anyone who saw unfallen Adam or Eve in the Garden would have recognised that they were related to God (cp.5.3).

"Male and female He created them" (Gen.1.27)
While we as individuals are made in the image of God (Jas.3.9) it is in the creation of the pair, the male and female, that the more subtle aspects of the nature of God are clearly seen:
Unity: Man is both male and female, not just male.
Plurality: they are not two but "one flesh" (2.24) their Issue ultimately making a threesome
Equality: both the male and female are equally in the image of God.
Distinction: while being of one nature yet they retain distinction of personality
Harmony: their equality, plurality and distinction is nevertheless to be expressed in loving harmony

While there can be no perfect analogy or representation of the distinctions within the Divine essence yet in the creation of Man, the oneness of male and female, God has revealed Himself to us in a way that we can understand.