WOMAN WAS NOT GOD’S ORIGINAL IDEA (PART II)

“Is the Woman Inferior to Man?”

By Akin Ojumu

Since we are on this subject of the superiority of man over a woman, it is important to enunciate very carefully what the Bible actually says regarding the position of men and women in the church and the society at large.

As you study the Bible, it becomes pretty apparent that God has a divine order in society relative to man and woman. This divine order is manifest in marriage, the Church, and every dimension of the society.

The basic pattern of God in every human community, as it relates to the differences between men and women, follows a general principle. There is Authority, and there is Submission. This is evident in all facets of human relationship.

For the purposes of their role in society, men have been designed by God to have the position of authority, while women have been assigned the position of submission. This is God’s divine pattern, and it is the distinction in the role, duty, and assignment a man and a woman are supposed to play in human life.

Therefore, a man must think of himself as someone who has been given, by God, a responsibility for authority in one sense or another. While a woman must recognize the fact that, as a woman, she occupies the position of submission. This authority-submission dynamic plays out vividly within the context of family and marital relationship.

Authority, however, must never be confused or conflated with superiority. The two are quite distinct and different. This is not simply a case of “distinction without a difference,” i.e., using different words for the same thing (e.g., “stretched the truth” vs. “lied”), or “difference without a distinction,” i.e., using the same word for different things (e.g., calling both a painting and a photo as “pictures” without noting the difference).

Authority is legitimate power granted by position or group consent, based on competence and duty, while superiority is a feeling or claim of being better, often linked to dominance, arrogance, or status, and doesn’t inherently come with formal rights to command. Authority is about having the right to lead or make decisions for others, whereas superiority is about perceived (or actual) higher quality, rank, or excellence (Source: Google AI).

While men have been given divine authority over women in the society, God has not given men divine superiority over women. The distinction in the roles and duties between men and women is not an affirmation of men’s superiority over women. Also, this authority-submission principle is based on love and mutual respect and not tyranny or cruelty.

Before God, there is no distinction in spirituality, no distinction in the essence, no distinction in personhood, and no distinction in the worth or value of the person between a man and a woman.

Furthermore, there is no distinction when it comes to thought, intellect, will, mind, capacity, or ability between men and women. There’s also no distinction in terms of what they can accomplish or how they can relate to or with God. Women are not inferior to men in terms of anything other than each has been given different assignments and roles within the framework of society.

In every sphere of human endeavor, you will find this authority-submission duality in operation. Within all human relationship dynamics, there is always someone who is the leader or head who gives the command and points the way. Then there are the followers who carry out those commands. Leadership and authority are meant to create the governance structure for the optimal performance of function.

Leadership, however, does not confer superiority in God’s scheme of things. In fact, God’s definition of leadership is servanthood. It is mankind, in our fallenness, that have come to misconstrue leadership responsibility as proof of superiority. Jesus demonstrated true leadership in John 13 when He washed the feet of His disciples and also in Matthew 18 when He illustrated godly leadership with childlikeness.

Matthew 18:1-4

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

A good illustration of authority not being synonymous with superiority is in the place of employment. The subordinate in a place of work is not in any way inferior to the boss. The subordinate might even be more intelligent, better educated, and have more qualifications than their supervisors. Aptitude wise, the subordinate might, in fact, be superior. Oftentimes, the only difference between a subordinate and his boss is the title; a title conferred because of length of employment.

Hierarchies and authority in the place of employment are simply for the purposes of corporate governance and function. Somebody has to be in charge to give direction or directives, and somebody has to carry them out. Otherwise, there’ll be chaos.

Same applies to the church. We have pastors, deacons, elders, and the members. Pastors are not spiritually superior to deacons; what they have are differences in functions. Likewise, the deacons aren’t superior to the elders; they merely have differences in roles. And none of these are superior to the church members. The clergy does not have greater anointing than the laity. Everyone is gifted differently for the purposes of ministry. But before God, they are all one.

Galatians 3:28

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

This is also true with a man and a woman in a marital union. Yes, the husband is the head (master, lord, ruler, etc.,) of the wife. But being head doesn’t make the man superior to the woman in anything. The fact that the man is head of the home does not mean the man has superiority in ability, essence, intellect, person, personality, or spirituality. The man is not better or worse than his wife. What’s different are the roles and duties each has been divinely assigned.

Also, the headship of the husband over the wife is based on love not dictatorship, and it is certainly not a master-slave relationship. The woman is not a slave stripped of personhood, value or worth.

This distinction in roles, assignments, and duties between a man and woman are alluded to in several passages of Scripture including the following.

1 Corinthians 11:3

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”

Ephesians 5:23

“For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.”

1 Timothy 2:11-12 

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.”

Similarly, the equality of man and woman in terms of their spirituality, ability, capability, essence, intellect, emotion, wisdom, standing with God, etc., are described in the following passages.

Genesis 2:24

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Galatians 3:38

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

1 Peter 3:7

“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.”

So, the Bible is pretty clear. Man is not superior to woman. What’s different are the roles each has been assigned. That’s the full Gospel.

The Bible warns us of people like Chris Oyakhilome who would co-opt, distort, twist, and misappropriate Scriptures to push their preconceived narratives. These are ravenous wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing. These are the certain men, spoken of by Jude, who have surreptitiously crept into the midst of the Church to spread their poisonous doctrines of demons. 

Jude 1:4

“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

As much as they try to hide their evil intentions, using a smokescreen of false religiosity and pseudo spirituality, from time to time, they self-expose their true allegiance and their true intentions by the heretic things that come out of their mouths. Their doctrine of demons is the fruit that reveals that they are diseased trees.

Matthew 7:15-20

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”

So, here is my advice to the members of Chris Oyakhilome’s loyalty club who may stumble across this commentary, the guy you are devotedly following is an enemy of God and a mouthpiece for Satan. People like Oyakhilome have no regard for God. It’s the reason they are quick to twist and distort the Word of God.

John 14:15,21,23-24

“If you love me, you will keep my Commandments…Whoever has my Commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him…If anyone loves me, he will keep my Word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my Words. And the Word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.”

People of God, you need to put on your cap of discernment. Trust, but make sure you verify. Always compare what people are saying in the name God to the Word of God. Stop letting the likes of Chris Oyakhilome hold you captive with their eloquence, opulence, and faux spirituality. 

Colossians 2:8

“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.”

If you care at all about your eternal destiny, you’ll mark and avoid evil people and impostors who will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.