Whilst the word "head" used in this context must be given special consideration in a

later study, enough can be seen for now to recognize an order in the mind and purpose of

Thus it is seen that each part of God's creation, and indeed the Creator Himself

(Christ) has a part to play in God's arrangement. It is fitting that at the head of it all

stands the Son of God, of Whom such words as "subject" and "obedience" are used

(Luke 2: 51; I Cor. 15: 28; Phil. 2: 8; Heb. 5: 8). Such words give an indication of the

"mind in Christ Jesus", and we are exhorted to let this mind be in us (Phil. 2: 5).

A distinction is to be made between man and woman as individuals, and man and

woman with respect to their positions in the economy of God.  It is because this

distinction has not been made in time past that so much confusion has arisen as to the

"equality" or otherwise of woman with man. The position in Scripture is not that man is

superior to woman, but that he has been given (in God's good pleasure) a different

position. If this position speaks of authority and seems to be superior to that allotted to

woman, this is not to be misunderstood as though it means that man himself is superior to

A proper understanding of what is involved in the different positions given by God to

man and woman, will not only solve many of the problems that arise between them, but

provide a principle for clarifying other truth revealed in Scripture. To appreciate the

distinction of position mentioned above, it will be necessary to refer firstly to the original

creation of man.

There are two creation records in the book of Genesis. No true believer will need to

be told that they are not contradictory, but it is as well to observe that they serve different

In all probability the book of Genesis came about (as we now have it) when Moses put

together a number of ancient records or histories, which had been handed down from the

very earliest times, adding his own contribution. Such a Mosaic does not detract from the

"inspiration" of Scripture, but rather supports it, in that Moses actually records his

sources of information at the end (not the beginning, see New Discoveries In Babylonia

About Genesis by P. J. Wiseman) of each section of the book:

So it is seen that the first account of the creation of man belongs to "the generations

(histories) of the heavens and of the earth", whilst the second is included in "the book of

the generations of Adam" (2: 4; 5: 1). Hence the first record of man's creation shows