“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’”
Genesis 2:18
I’ve come across famous false teachers who assert that Complementarianism is a manmade doctrine. First of all, if someone purports to be Christian and apologizes for doctrine derived from Scripture, they have no right to call themselves Christian for disavowing the fundamentals of the faith they claim to profess. We call ourselves Christian because we hold to the teachings of Jesus Christ. You might wonder… where did Jesus teach Complementarianism?
“And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?“
Matthew 19:4-5
Since Jesus referenced and invoked the very beginning, He confirms what He has instituted. After all, He is the second person of the Trinity.
You do hold to Trinitarianism, don’t you? The term is derived from God’s triune nature (Matthew 3:13-17). The same can be applied with Complementarianism. Just because some theologian who existed before any of us were born coined the terms Trinitarianism and Complementarianism, it doesn’t mean they are not biblical.
Adam the store-bought ostrich was lonely. We bought this stuffed animal around Valentine’s day. I decided to take on the challenge of making it a suitable partner. I had some pelt yarn (Safari Ice Yarn in Camel) left over from a neckwarmer project which became the head and body of Eve. I did about 20 rounds to form the head, and 32 rounds for the body on the hand crank knitting machine.
I just finished Eve today. I worked on this thing a day after the Orange Ami creature from a few days ago. This took longer to make since it has the beak, neck, legs and feet crocheted as separate components and I didn’t get to work on it continuously.
Just after our walk in the park yesterday, we headed to the craft store to buy the 1/2-inch dome shank buttons for eyes.
They have their differences of course, but they look close enough. I could have gone for the plain black shank button, but I opted for the realistic eye look. Who knew I was going to end up talking about the origin of Complementarianism simply because of creating a partner for a stuffed ostrich?
Being able to stay at home and do crafts is one perk of Complementarianism. If you read materials from celebrity Christian women who apologize for sound doctrine that does not align with the cultural agenda, run! The last person you want to learn from is someone who claims to be deep in the faith who rejects the authority of Scripture.
“ First of all, if someone purports to be Christian and apologizes for doctrine derived from Scripture, they have no right to call themselves Christian for disavowing the fundamentals of the faith they claim to profess.” *These professing Christians make Jesus to look as though His truths are a lie making Him out to be a liar 💔💔💔 In truth they are of their father the devil. Harsh? Not going to apologize for God’s truth!
Your ostrich is waaaaay to cute!
I finally saw a hummingbird yesterday! It zipped right by me! He must be a scout so I’ll change the water for the fourth time this month and wait for God’s beautiful creatures to come entertain me 👍🏻🙌🙏🏻❤️
Thanks Elizabeth and it is good to see your commitment to the truth of God’s Word. ヅ
I’m glad you finally saw a hummingbird! Try using this Hummingbird sound call. It does take some few minutes to wait for them to come, but it works every time.
Thank you!! I will definitely try it! And pass it on to my mom! She absolutely enjoyed the hummingbird YouTube that you shared from California! So did I!!
No prob! So far, only one hummingbird comes when I play the bird call. I have no idea if it’s the same one. A robin comes by frequently and at one point, a dark eyed Junco. The other day, I was out in the backyard with my daughter and she took a pic of the lone visitor and a finch. That sure made her day.
Love your crochet skills! My mom loves to crochet and she’s tried to teach me numerous times; however, I get ulnar nerve pain from the wrist movement (I can either write/type or crochet, not both and totally not hard to figure out which I chose!).
This is such a good post! It is a subject that is always heavy on my heart. So, Nathan and I were talking with two of our elders and I could tell where the convo was going so I said, “just because complementarianism has been done poorly, has in some instance lead to abuse and excessive headship doesn’t mean complementarianism isn’t true.” I absolutely think complementarianism goes too far with reading submission and gender roles into the Trinity.
I don’t comment often but I read all your posts! I am thankful for your heart and strength to speak and share the truth. Love and blessings, sister!
Thanks for your encouraging words Mandy! The repetitive motion of this activity sure does a number on our nerves, doesn’t it?
“just because complementarianism has been done poorly, has in some instance lead to abuse and excessive headship doesn’t mean complementarianism isn’t true.”
– I wholeheartedly agree with what you said here. As long as we are confined to this sin body, there will always be instances of abuse, especially when it comes to authority. Humanity has the propensity to fight for authority whether in a marriage setting and pretty much everything else. We can see this exemplified even in Jesus’ inner circle in Mark 10:42-43 as He reminds even believers today, “But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” So, being that we call ourselves Christians, He laid for us the mode of thinking we ought to espouse. It is one that requires humility and submission which is only doable for us when we walk in the Spirit.
God established the hierarchy of who is to be the head of the household and with the Holy Spirit’s inspiration allowed Paul to leave us with these words in Ephesians 5:22-23, “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.“
This passage shows us the submission that occurs in the house is a symbol for us as believers (the bride of Christ) to our submission to Christ. My concern with those who do go against Complementarianism is such that if the women cannot submit to God’s established order, they are living in constant rebellion. Imagine being taught by someone who says they love God, but does not submit to Him in this regard! I am not advocating for condoning submission to the point of mistreatment that occur in such cases as domestic abuse. A husband who constantly abuses the wife in such a manner clearly exhibits an unregenerate heart. It is hard for a woman to humbly submit to someone who does not deserve the respect. This also brings to light the importance on not yoking ourselves with a nonbeliever when considering a spouse.
“I absolutely think complementarianism goes too far with reading submission and gender roles into the Trinity.”
– Can you elaborate on this? My post touches on the Trinity to showcase that the concept of this term is biblical even when the exact word isn’t spelled for us, just like Complementarianism.
I greatly appreciate you taking the time to comment. ヅ
I wasn’t sure if you were familiar with the EFS/ESS/ERAS debate within evangelicals. Some hold women are to submit to men because Jesus submits to the Father. I don’t think gender roles should ever define the Trinity. Your post didn’t touch that at all. I wish I would have never heard about that debate for sure, this is where Seminary can do more harm than good! Anyway, I debated if I should have said anything about that so I am sorry for bringing that to your post!
I appreciate your heart for this!
“Some hold women are to submit to men because Jesus submits to the Father.”
– I can’t say I’m familiar with EFS/ESS/ERAS, but I thank you for bringing this to my attention. Though Jesus is the second person in the Trinity, He came down in the garment of a man, fully submitted to the will of the Father. The Trinity shows us God’s dedication to order. We tend to forget that strife and power struggles are only present in human interactions because of sin. He established the husband ruling over the wife which we can find in Genesis 3:16, “To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
As I mentioned earlier, humility and submission is hard to do apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We tend to do things our way which breeds dysfunction in the household.
“I don’t think gender roles should ever define the Trinity.”
– Amen to this one!
No need for apologies. I really do welcome your concerns and input. ヅ
Thank you, Caeli! I absolutely agree with you 100% “humility and submission is hard to do apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.” I also agree with you that males who beat women aren’t loving like Christ loved the church and would also question their conversion/salvation. In our world today obedience, humility, submission are so taboo and restricting; however, when a person humbly obeys and submits to God as He requires, one finds life and freedom. It’s not always easy nor pretty! Like you I want what God wants more than anything. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this discussion!
“In our world today obedience, humility, submission are so taboo and restricting; however, when a person humbly obeys and submits to God as He requires, one finds life and freedom.”
– Amen to this and to the rest of your comment! Have a blessed day Mandy and know that you’re always welcome to comment whether you agree or disagree ヅ
[…] dedication to order from the concept of His triune nature, heirarchy in angelic beings down to men and women’s role in the church. Any order that abandons the confines of His divine order only breeds dysfunction. We […]