Is The Bible Good For Women?Chikamu

The Bible that speaks of the humiliation of Dinah and the exultation of Ruth. The Bible that commands the stoning of the adulteress (Deut. 22) and then tells of Jesus stopping that punishment just before the act (John 8). The Bible that speaks of the reality of shamed captives (Deut. 21) and then instructs women why they should not live like them (I Cor. 11). This Bible, understood through Jesus and His role in the long story of Scripture, is indeed very good for women.

Throughout history, some have tried to thwart God’s way and His instructions, ignoring them altogether or perverting them to apply them in a way God never meant them to be used. When we understand Scripture the way Jesus taught the Old Testament on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we are equipped for deeply good things that are accomplished through both women and men conformed to the image of God.

The path of Scripture is like a long, winding road through a mountainous landscape that nevertheless takes us toward our destination. Perversions and misuses of its commandments draw people off the path. Instead, God repeats themes throughout it to keep us grounded in its fundamental purposes. When we connect the dots that Scripture gives us, we honor the Author of Scripture and use it as He intended. The Bible again and again gives us data points to connect so we can live as holistic image bearers of God—so that we can live His good plan for us.

But we cannot image God without faith in Him. Living in the full humanity for which God created us depends on faith and relationship with Him, and such faith brings value to interdependent relationships between the genders in which each lays down its rights for the other. Step into this journey. In Christ, you do not walk it alone. You walk it out in an alliance, a coalition among like-minded believers for a common goal: the redemption of Eden.