Redeeming Power by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0000000000000
Published: 2020-10-31T18:16:33+00:00

Restoration of God’s Governance

Let’s go back to the beginning once again. Man was created first, and God declared man’s aloneness “not good.” God caused Adam to sleep and wounded him in order to create his bride. They were one flesh. God said a man is to leave home to join with his bride. Do you see the foreshadowing? Christ left the home of his Father. He put on flesh and became a servant, a helper for us. He lay down on the cross and was wounded and died to create his bride, the church. Adam was the head of the human race. Jesus is the Head of his church. Our Head is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). He is power bending, power wounded for the sake of his bride. Headship is cruciform; it goes by way of the cross.

God created male and female in his image and gave them joint tasks (Gen. 1:26–28). They were to rule and subdue the earth and creation, not each other. They lived and worked together under the governance of God . . . until they did not. Deceived by God’s archenemy, they acted outside the realm of God, and life was forever changed. In response, God spoke with them about the outcome of their choice. To Eve, he said in part, “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (3:16 NIV). We have lost sight of the fact that this is part of what we call the curse. This is not instruction for the man. It is a consequence of wrong and sinful choices.

Restoration of the governance of God is the remedy. Part of our call is to fight against the devastating, divisive, and destructive outcomes of a division of labor God did not ordain and to work to restore God’s governance over male/female relationships, which ought to be the place of greatest beauty in displaying the image of our God.

Sadly, authoritarian treatment of females (and all church members) is often supported using the concept of headship. But we’ve lost sight of that concept. Abuse of any kind of power is clearly condemned in Ephesians: “Let no verbal abuse come out of your mouth, . . . no rage, no revenge, and no animosity. Be kind, be tender, and look like your God by walking sacrificially in your giving and your loving. . . . Live in the light, bearing the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth and exposing the deeds of darkness” (4:29, 31–32; 5:1–2). Then comes “the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body” (5:23 NKJV).

What does Christ look like as Head of the church and Savior of the body? He becomes little, bending down, touching sickness, protecting the vulnerable, washing feet, dying, and bearing pain for another, not causing pain to another. Humans flourish under such love. Being the Head means being the Servant of sinful, frail, confused, and broken human beings.

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