But then, we serve an intentional God. He notes everything 😁
So before I begin to teach, I'd like everyone to comment, please.
What do you think God's view is on Equality?
What is your own view on Equality as a believer?
Olamide: Fairness and justice
Nkiru: Sons! Everybody is seen as a son! No sex definition
GraceMercy: Fairness
Samson: There's no male nor female in God's eyes. We are his children. Simple. I respect you because you are God's creation, not because you are male or female
The issue of gender equality has been a problem forever I believe. Recently, the talks on this topic has increased. As believers, it is important that our stance aligns with God's stance.
So first, we will have to know what God thinks about Gender equality. I've seen plenty of takes on God's view. I've seen/heard so many "Your God is Misogynist". If I were to get a dollar every time I heard this, I'd be a millionaire by now.
So tonight, what we will be doing is checking God's view on Equality.
The Bible pretty much provides answers on pretty much everything we need answers to.
So to know God's view? We check that He has already said
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union and communion with Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah] have put on (clothed yourselves with) Christ. There is [now no distinction] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:26-28 AMPC
Matthew 20:1-16
[1]FOR THE kingdom of heaven is like the owner of an estate who went out in the morning along with the dawn to hire workmen for his vineyard.
[2]After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
[3]And going out about the third hour (nine o'clock), he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
[4]And he said to them, You go also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will pay you. And they went.
[5]He went out again about the sixth hour (noon), and the ninth hour (three o'clock) he did the same.
[6]And about the eleventh hour (five o'clock) he went out and found still others standing around, and said to them, Why do you stand here idle all day?
[7]They answered him, Because nobody has hired us. He told them, You go out into the vineyard also and you will get whatever is just and fair.
[8]When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, Call the workmen and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first. [Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:15.]
[9]And those who had been hired at the eleventh hour (five o'clock) came and received a denarius each.
[10]Now when the first came, they supposed they would get more, but each of them also received a denarius.
[11]And when they received it, they grumbled at the owner of the estate,
[12]Saying, These [men] who came last worked no more than an hour, and yet you have made them rank with us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.
[13]But he answered one of them, Friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
[14]Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this man hired last the same as I give to you.
[15]Am I not permitted to do what I choose with what is mine? [Or do you begrudge my being generous?] Is your eye evil because I am good?
[16]So those who [now] are last will be first [then], and those who [now] are first will be last [then]. For many are called, but few chosen.
I will start with Galatians
Back then according to traditions, standing before God was measured by how religious men were, how much they kept the law. Also, women were seen as less. Those days were heavy Patriarchial times. I doubt any of us women could come out and preach the gospel as at then.
Paul corrected this school of thought in this chapter
According to him, every believer is seen as a son regardless of their observance of the law.
This brings me to women and marginalization in society. One thing I've noticed in our world is we require women to be more in order to access certain rights
Basic human rights are presented to women as rewards of good/morally upright behavior.
Our basic human rights should not be dependent on what we do or don't. We do not have to earn it.
This is the same as our rights in Christ. A woman attains a position of authority and messes it up then we all conclude and agree that the society is right for not giving women such opportunity
"oh! Diezani stole. It's her type that makes the society not take women seriously or refuse to include us"
This is falsehood. The society not giving us that which is our right is not because some people misused it. It's simply because women are seen as less.
Men steal every day
Men start wars every now and then
Men do things that are wrong but their rights are not cut off
For every one woman that's got an opportunity in the big field and steals, there are a thousand men that have been there and done that. Just as all believers are son in Christ without needing to access their basic rights in Him based on works, so is every human enough.
We do not need to be treated right because we are good or we did something. We should be treated right because we are humans (Nothing more/less)
Now, does this mean equality came into play after Christ?
The answer is No. The narrative when it comes to God as always been Equal
Genesis 1:26-28
[26]God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
[27]So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. [Col. 3:9, 10; James 3:8, 9.]
[28]And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.
Let us make mankind in our own image. And He went ahead to make mankind, male and female, both in His likeness.
We are all equally made in God's image. Male and female. Rich and poor. Believers and unbelievers
ALL equally made.
Now, one major issue we have had in our society is recognizing that though we are equal, we are different.
Our strengths and abilities are unique and do not in any way make any more than the other before God.
All of mankind has been created in the image and likeness of God and because of this one reason, everyone is valuable in the sight of God.
I think as Christians, we actually recognize and believe this
I mean everybody will surely agree to this
But I've seen that even while we agree to this when it is time to walk the talk, problem arises. Even in biblical history, women have been treated as less.
I believe this is due to cultural incorporations and traditions. The Bible does not support the opinion that women are inferior to men. God made them, both male and female, in His image. Not one person less.
QUESTION: Remi sometimes people argue that since God(Christ) is a man, it's obvious that women should be under men (Soumi)
Remi: I'm going to answer this since no one did, while we wait for comments on the last question.
Samson: God is not man. God is not a male. God is too big to be restricted by gender. God is Spirit.
Women should not be under men. There's an equal playing field for everyone. However, in the context of marriage, spiritually, the man is the head of his wife. His wife. Not any other wife. And he's not to lord it over her, but serve her in love, just as Christ loves the church. [END OF QUESTION]
First of all, God is not man. God is God. He doesn't conform to any gender. God is spirit. And this is why scripture says there is no male or female in Christ.
Women are not under men. I am not under Samson or Seun or any man. I am seen as equal with them before God. All sons
Now we go to Matthew.
This passage is a very interesting take from our Lord Jesus Christ.
In this passage, we see the parable of the workers in the vineyard.
We are going to break down this parable in the following order. First, we pick the proverb in it.
The Proverb:
The first shall be last and last shall be first
This is a very interesting one.
The first person to come will become last. This will mean that the role for first is now empty.
Those that came last will become first, this will mean that they are elevated to fill in the position of the first.
Remember we had those who were first before now in the last category.
Because the last will become first, it also means that this former first seaters will be updated to first back along with everyone in the last category.
So everybody is now First. Everybody is now the same. Everybody is now brought to the same playing field/level.
So the proverb in the parable is The first shall be last and the last first
I once explained to us that the meaning/translation of parables is usually not derived word for word.
So in explaining the parable, we need to pick out certain things to understand the context and what exactly is being said.
So first, we have brought out the proverb in that parable and broke it down
That everyone eventually becomes first. We see that all the workers were treated equally according to the proverb in Matthew 20. Everyone that came later was treated as though they were from the beginning. No maligning
Now, to the Parable
A certain rich man has a big land/estate. Every day, from 6am to 6pm, laborers are employed to work.
These are not permanent workers. In fact, they had to stand at the roadside every day to get a job for that day. They lived on daily wages. No work today means no money.
One thing to note is that these people were underprivileged kind of.
Now this man employed laborers daily and paid them well, more than they'd receive on a normal day most likely.
So the laborers start working at 6am.
He goes again at 9am and finds people who weren't working (probably underprivileged). He hires them.
He went again in the 6th hour and did the same.
Same as the 9th hour
Now, I want us to notice what the man says to the workers as he employs them:
He told them, ‘Come and work for me in my vineyard and I’ll pay you a fair wage.’
Matthew 20:4 TPT
I will pair you a Fair wage. I was so happy when everyone defined God's view of equality as fairness
“Hoping to finish his harvest that day, he went to the town square again at five o’clock and found more who were idle. So he said to them, ‘Why have you been here all day without work?’
Matthew 20:6 TPT
Now this man goes out again at 5pm (close of the day is 6pm) and He meets more people.
The agreement was the same : I will pay you a fair wage
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard went to his foreman and said, ‘Call in all the laborers, line them up, and pay them the same wages, starting with the most recent ones I hired and finishing with the ones who worked all day.’
Matthew 20:8 TPT
Now at the end of the day, everyone gets paid the same wage.
First, we see one thing in this parable:
Everyone got the opportunity to work on the field (regardless of timing and access to get to the field early)
Equal playing Ground! Our God is one of Equal opportunities!
So when we say that men and women are equal, the rich are created the same as the poor? We should also walk the talk and make sure we are making deliberate moves for all to have an equal right to the playing field.
Now, when it was time to pay, those who came late were paid first and those who were first saw the payment method and expected more than them
"We were here before them"
"We are stronger than women"
"We have more needs than women"
"They are poor so should do with anything given"
All of the above is same family
What did the master say?
He told them He gave as agreed. He gave everyone what is fair!
Now, the problem with the first comers wasn't that they weren't given a fair wage. That was a really fat wage for a day. The problem was they couldn't stand someone else getting the same without doing as hard as they did.
Now, in today's world people apply this logic too. "Though she's a woman and we work the same hours, I don't think she does/deserves as much all because I'm a man"
Everyone deserves equal playing ground and should be treated fairly
Is God against equality?
No! The idea of equality has taken by the Americans came from God Himself, the creation story.
Equal in Giftings
Every gift of the Holy Spirit is not peculiar to a gender. When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about receiving the gifts of the spirit, He did not indicate a difference. It wasn't stated that men first before women. No order was given because, in Christ, there is no gender.
Equal but different
Though created equally and given access to all things (Eve was also given dominion over all things made just as Adam), we are all different and unique in our beings.
We are distinct in capabilities and functions (as we deem fit/choose) and for the human race to function properly, we must recognize our uniqueness and work together as one.
So then, I have to insist that in the Lord, neither is woman inferior to man nor is man inferior to woman. For just as woman was taken from the side of man, in the same way, man is taken from the womb of woman. God, as the source of all things, designed it this way
1 Corinthians 11:11-12 TPT
Our uniqueness and differences are actually complementary, every part needing each other to survive.
I'd like to ask us this question: Does our difference in design have a direct implication in the role we play in society and life in general?
Toye: Yes it can
To answer this,
Yes (but it applies). The only place where there is specified gender roles that is not bound by time or culture is in the institution of marriage.
This means that it is only in marriage that we have each gender tied to a specific role. And this is because marriage is designed as an institution. In every organization, everybody has a role to play.
From manager to desk officer. In marriage (with respect to scripture), the man is the Head of the home as an institution
Outside marriage, this doesn't apply. So no man is my head. Nothing like I have your type at home, whatever type you have it stays in your house and your leadership ends there.
Outside the marriage institution, there are no fixed gender roles. All of us have equal access to the gifts of the spirit (both male and female). So if it is a female that has the wisdom of innovation, she innovates. If it is a female that is the gift of leadership, she leads?
A man will not have to automatically take the head or lead position because he is a man or as a reason of his genitals. Everyone is entitled to roles as equipped
Never based on gender.
I have not been called to submit to every Kunle and Tayo I see on the road. All the Emekas and Ebukas are not my head because of the genital.
The Proverbs 31 woman, we see that she ran a business. She was CEO. She wasn't ordered around at the pleasure of men or banned from speaking.
Now, even in the home where there is an order of leadership, the woman is still equal in worth and is to be respected even in this head/helpmate template for marriage
Dear men,
Your wives are equal in worth with you. What differs is roles! To treat them as less is sin
Unfortunately for all of us, there have been points in the history of the church where it has been taught that women are less, should be quiet, fit for bearing children or relegated to the kitchen. This is not the design of God. I will just reiterate all the points as we bring the teaching to conclusion
God created everyone equally, in His image
We've all been offered equal access to the playing field
Though equal in worth before God, we all are created uniquely and differently
We all have equal access to the gifts of the spirit
We are all sons, not one less
We all have different roles to play in the society and this is based on choice and as led by the spirit not genitals
In the institution of marriage, the husband is the Head of the home
The man is not the Head of every woman
The man being head of a home is a role.
In the marriage institution, the husband and wife differ in the role but both are of equal worth in the sight of God as they were bought with the same price
As believers, we should stay with God's standard and demand that women be seen as much human as men are because God made us all in His image
Like Jesus, we should never segregate women in the church. While roles and relationships differed, He treated everyone as same, with love equally
I pray for everyone that we are able to fulfill our God-given roles (both in the society, marriage, and church), doing so in love and humility as we show the world God's wonderful design and His call for Salvation, open to all (man and woman).
Amen
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