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"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female"
(Gal. 3: 26-28).
Also the Lord taught:
"For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the
angels of God in heaven" (Matt. 22: 30).
Such passages as these seem to do away with the distinction of sex, and hence the
respective positions associated with that distinction. But there are other places where, for
the present economy at least, that distinction is not only to be recognized, but to be lived
by. It is in these latter passages that the position of the man is seen to be different from
that of the woman.
Obviously when it comes to "faith in Christ Jesus" there can be no distinction made
amongst men and women, and this must be true whether during the Acts dispensation (as
in Gal. 3: 28), or the present one. But position is another matter.
Some of the passages which reveal the different positions allotted to man and woman,
and which must have a bearing upon any conclusions that are drawn, are:
"Unto the woman He said . . . . . thy desire shall be (subject) to thy husband, and he
shall rule over thee" (Gen. 3: 16).
". . . . . the head of the woman is the man" (I Cor. 11: 3).
"Let the women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to
speak; but let them be in subjection, as also saith the law" (I Cor. 14: 34).
"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to
teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence . . . . ." (I Tim. 2: 11, 12).
If such passages seem to suggest that the position of the man is superior to that of the
woman, this is not to be misunderstood as though it implied that the man himself is
superior to the woman. There is an important distinction to be made between individual
standing before God, and position in His present economy.
In the next article two examples will be given to show the difference between
individual standing and position in God's economy and order. An important principle
comes to light which reflects not only upon the man-woman relationship, but also upon
other aspects of truth, touching even the Deity of Christ.