Gender and Sex I - Created as Man and Woman ...

Monday, Feb 22, 2010. We want to explore the world of men and women this week. The topic of gender is a broad topic. It includes questions of tenderness and sex. But it also includes the setup of our business world with men and women working there side by side. It includes questions of family. We will talk about childhood and parenthood next week. Today, we start with the creation of men and women as described in the book of Genesis:

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1: 26ff)

Like God

The first thing which is noteworthy here in this creation report is the fact that men and women are “like God” - they are made “in his image”. The first thing which is mentioned here to interpret this “likeness” is that men and women will rule over the animals and creatures on this earth. The ability to rule seems to be one of the key features to be “like God”.

The second thing which is mentioned is that man is created as male and female. It is also mentioned in this line of being “in his image”. Being created as man, as male and female, seems to be something which also makes us “like God”. Have you ever tried to explore the relationship between men and women from this particular viewpoint?

Two and One

If we had just this little sentence in Genesis which we read above, then we could not further interpret the relationship between men and women. But we have much more. We have another creation record, we will have a look into this tomorrow. And then we have many New Testament texts about men and women. In particular, it is stated in Genesis 2 that “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” This relation to be two separate persons and to be one is something which reflects the relationship between God himself, his son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The trinity in the New Testament is described in the same way as the relationship between a man and his wife.

I believe that it is a deep and important point to realize that with the creation of men and women God had a particular goal. He reflected himself into his creation. His creativity is reflected into humans. His ability to love and to become angry. And his ability to live in a close relationship, which is to be three persons, and at the same time, to be one. Even if we do not always realize or observe this unity, it is still meant to come into reality, it is created as an inherent capability of the relationship between man and woman. ... more texts