The Deception of Eve
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
Ecclesiastes 4:9
When God began to write the story of our earth—scripting into place the heavens, the land, the seas, the vegetation and the animal life—he did not include humans with the rest of creation. The Lord created Adam later and placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and care for it. After this, he formed Eve from a part of the man. Adam knew the difference immediately and proclaimed, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23).
God’s story from the beginning was perfect, and His plan was never for the man and woman to be in competition with one another. Adam was honored in knowing that God had created Eve for him, and she was honored in knowing that Adam was incomplete without her. Eve came into being through the power of God, from man, and she was to be “a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). God intended Eve to have a complementary relationship with Adam.
The fact that Satan could deceive Eve and entice her to believe a lie is a sobering reality of life. Satan’s major tool is deception, and he uses it to lead good people—even innocent people—away from God. His ability to convince Eve that something was true when it was not led to swift judgment from the Lord: “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
Any mother could testify to the first part of the curse being true. The second part has been far harder for us to work out in our homes, churches and societies. We witness this challenge when we read verses such as 1 Timothy 2:12, where Paul instructs, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” The issue at stake is one of authority, not inferiority, or the stifling of a woman’s contribution to the Church. God has given abilities and talents to everyone regardless of gender, and every child of God should use his or her gifts to the glory of God.
Paul’s admonition that he does not permit a woman to teach refers more to the establishment of doctrine rather than proclaiming the truth in love (see Ephesians 4:15). In making this instruction to the Church, Paul was following the order for spiritual authority that God had established at the time of creation. Sadly, many congregations over the centuries have taken his words to the extreme, causing undue hardship to the women of this world and prohibiting them from making valuable contributions to the Church and society. To the other extreme, women have rebelled against this instruction, resulting in the Word of God being dishonored (see Titus 2:5).
When God established spiritual authority, He did so for the protection and benefit of His creation. Being submissive does not imply inferiority, for the image of God is as equally present in women as it is in men. Wherever Christianity has flourished, women have been afforded equal status with men.