REVIEW OF GEN 3:16 AND DESIRE How will you answer skeptics/relatives about the role of wom

                  REVIEW OF GEN 3:16 AND DESIRE

How will you answer skeptics/relatives about the role of women?

What's a Biblical view of women?
How can that become a practical question? e.g. Is working outside
the home rebellion?
Some might ask:       Why teach on this? "We all submit."
Why teach on prayer? "We all pray." evangelize, study etc.
Keeps us all humble.
     Random House College Ed. dictionary - "w-o-m-y-n" non-sexist
alternative spelling
     Catholic Bishops - Letter on the Role of Women
     REVIEW THE OUTLINE FROM PAST SUNDAY ON GEN 3:16 -
     Two main areas or thoughts for discussion:
               1) childbearing
               2) relationship to husband
Equality  vs.  Inequality
     1) Equality in being - Men and women have the same
relationship to God.
     They both have the same requirement to obey God's Word.
     2) Inequality in FUNCTION - The woman is to submit herself to
her husband.
                    INTERPRETATIONS OF DESIRE
1)   SEXUAL DESIRE - a desire so strong that she will be satisfied
     even though it means the pain of childbirth will follow.
2)   PSYCHOLOGICAL DESIRE - a desire to be a slave -- punishment
3)   SUBSERVIENT DESIRE - a desire only for whatever her husband
     desires
                            OBJECTIONS TO INTERPRETATIONS
1)   ETYMOLOGICAL/LANGUAGE - the Hebrew DESIRE is related to the
     Arabic word meaning "to urge, drive on, impel."
2)   HEADSHIP IS NOT PUNISHMENT - Headship is part of the creation
     order -  LOOK @ I Tim 2:13
3)   WILLING SUBMISSION TO WHATEVER THE HUSBAND DESIRES - this goes
     against the context of judgment in Gen 3:14-19.  It would also
     make N.T. commands to the wife irrelevant LOOK @ Col 3:18
The Hebrew word for DESIRE is used only 3x (there are other words)
[Gen 3:16; 4:7; S.O.S. 7:10]
LOOK @ Gen 4:7
     Sin's desire is to enslave Cain -- to possess or control him.
The Lord tells Cain to master sin or to rule over it.
     This is the same desire and a similar conflict found in Gen
3:16.
     "The woman has the same sort of desire for her husband that
sin has for Cain, a desire to possess or control him."
WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?
     The desire conflicts with the headship of the husband.
The Lord told Cain what he should do -- RULE OVER SIN
The Lord told Adam what he should do -- RULE OVER EVE
** One point - Feminism is not new to the 20th cent. It was present
from the beginning.
Sin corrupted the WILLING submission of the wife.
Sin corrupted the LOVING rule of the husband.
     The woman's desire is to usurp the authority of the husband.

               If we understand this to be a spiritual problem because of
sin, we can see that only Christ can restore both, the loving
headship of the husband and the willing submission of the wife.
     It's more than just rebellion against the husband- it's
rebellion against God.
LIKEWISE,
     It's more than just ruling a wife--it's practicing obedience
to God.
                        TO THE WOMEN ONLY
Quick application question:  Is working outside the home rebellion?
What is rebellion?
     1) Going against God's commands & authority
     2) Going against husband's commands & authority
God's commands are not burdensome nor tyrannical.
Likewise, the husband's commands should not be burdensome or
tyrannical; why?    Because he is to love his wife as Christ loves
the Church.
     Christ and the church are not fighting.
     The church is not trying to usurp Christ.