The Value of a Woman in Creation
- Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.”
- Genesis 2:18 – “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.'”
- Genesis 2:22 – “The LORD God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.”
Summary: These verses emphasize that women, like men, are created in the image of God and have a special role in God’s creation.
The Heart of a Woman and Her Character
- Proverbs 11:16 – “A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches.”
- Proverbs 14:1 – “The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.”
- Proverbs 31:10 – “Who can find a capable wife? She is far more precious than jewels.”
- Proverbs 31:26 – “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.”
- Proverbs 12:4 – “A capable wife is her husband’s crown, but a wife who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.”
Summary: These passages highlight the character and wisdom of women, emphasizing their value in both personal and family life.
The Value of a Woman as Equal in Christ
- Galatians 3:28 – “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
- 1 Peter 3:7 – “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”
- Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”
Summary: These verses stress the equality of women with men in Christ and the importance of mutual respect in relationships.
The Value of a Woman as a Wife
- Proverbs 18:22 – “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”
- Ephesians 5:33 – “However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:3 – “The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband.”
- Colossians 3:19 – “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.”
Summary: These passages highlight the value of a woman as a wife and the importance of love, respect, and mutual fulfillment in marriage.
The Value of a Woman as a Mother
- Psalm 113:9 – “He gives the childless woman a household, making her the joyful mother of children. Hallelujah!”
- Proverbs 31:28 – “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also praises her.”
- Isaiah 66:13 – “As a mother comforts her son, so I will comfort you, and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.”
- 2 Timothy 1:5 – “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
- Titus 2:3-5 – “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”
Summary: These verses emphasize the value of a woman as a mother and the significance of her role in nurturing and imparting faith to her children.
The Value of a Woman in Need
- 1 Timothy 5:3 – “Support widows who are genuinely in need.”
- James 1:27 – “Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”
Summary: These passages call for compassion and care for women in need, reflecting the importance of providing support and assistance.
How Jesus Showed the Value of a Woman
- John 4:7-9 – “A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”
- Luke 7:36-50 – “One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.”
- Luke 8:43-48 – “And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.”
- John 8:3-11 – “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?’ … Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'”
Summary: These passages demonstrate how Jesus showed compassion, forgiveness, and respect for women, emphasizing their intrinsic worth and dignity.
The Value of a Woman in Ministry
- Acts 2:17-18 – “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy.”
- Acts 21:9 – “He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.”
- Romans 16:7 – “Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles.”
- Romans 16:12 – Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.
Summary: These passages highlight women’s active roles in ministry and their significant contributions to the early church.
Key Takeaways:
- Women are created in the image of God and have inherent dignity.
- Virtue, wisdom, and character are highly valued qualities in women.
- In Christ, there is no superiority between genders.
- Women play significant roles as wives and mothers.
- Jesus demonstrated the value of women through His actions and teachings.
- Women actively participated in ministry in the early church.
