5.31.2009

Help meet?

If the Hebrew phrase simply meant “helper”, then could a woman hold a leadership position in the church, let alone a single woman?... In the beginning, men and women were both created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), and they were created to be equals. They were both given the commands to be fruitful and to rule over the earth (Gen. 1:28-30). The woman was not created to be a subordinate helper to her husband. She was created as an autonomous being; she was a complete human being, just as the man was. Her existence was not dependent on him as his existence was not dependent on her: their existence depended on God alone who created them both.

2 comments:

  1. another thing to consider is that God is called a helper in Exodus 18:4; Deut 33:7,26,29; Psalm 32:20; 70:5; 115:9 to name a few. Although a helper can be subordinate by role, it by no means indicates subordination in essence or the necessity of the subordination by role being a permanent thing.

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  2. You are so right. The definition of helper certainly takes on a different meaning than the common usage when one considers God as helper.

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