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Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised (Prov. 31:30).
When we read the Bible, we discover many traits of a godly woman via both redemptive-historical passages and prescriptive passages, including love for God, faithfulness, bravery, obedience, trust in God's provision, diligence, humility, kindness, creativity, steadfastness, wisdom, generosity, and strength, and a nurturing and loving heart, to name just some.
To be a Christian woman is to be a child of God.
In this world God has given women and men various callings that are unique to their individual circumstances, talents, and God-given personalities. While men and women share many of the same responsibilities in life, some callings belong specifically to men or women in God’s design for creation.
To be a Christian woman is first and foremost to be a child of God, and as children of God women should always seek to image God in the various callings he has given them. While a Christian woman's vocations may include being a wife and mother, the Christian woman can also joyfully love God and her neighbor in countless ways in her singleness. There is no cookie-cutter way to be a godly woman. The path of one Christian woman may look very different from another Christian woman and this is beautiful! What all Christian women have in common is their union with Christ, and this connects us not only to our sisters in Christ but also to our brothers in Christ.
Christian women have various callings throughout life, which all provide opportunities to bring glory to God.
Some Christians think that a woman must only do work at home, but this isn’t what the Bible teaches. In the Old Testament, the Proverbs 31 woman clearly was going out and about bringing in income for the family. In the New Testament Lydia had a business selling purple cloth (Acts 16:14). The Bible does say that women are to be “working at home” (Titus 2:5), which means they have responsibilities at home they need to fulfill, and part of that may involve working outside of the home (Claire Smith, God’s Good Design, 2nd ed., Kindle Loc. 3268-3271). The industrial age hadn’t arrived yet when the Bible was written; most work took place at or near the home in biblical times. Nowadays, women also have the option of doing remote work and can earn income for the family without having to commute.
A Christian woman lovingly cares for her family, her neighbors, and her sisters and brothers in Christ in her various callings in life. While women have contributed much to the church and society throughout history and will no doubt continue to do so until Christ’s return, their work and contributions don't include authoritative leadership in the church or in a Christian marriage. There are many instances where women are the head of their household due to singleness, being a widow, or being a single parent, but where there exists a Christian marriage there also exists male headship. While a Christian woman is called to submit to her husband and be a helper to him, only as is honoring to God (Gen. 2:18; Acts 5:29; Eph. 5:22), she needs care, help, and love as well. A Christian woman is a precious image-bearer of God who is to be nurtured, protected, and encouraged throughout life by the saints and by her husband if she is married (Eph. 5:25-33).
A Christian woman's primary value, dignity, and meaning are found in Christ her Savior.
In today's chaotic world a Christian woman needs much wisdom and discernment regarding what society and even other Christians are telling her about what it means to be a godly woman in the circumstances in which God has placed her. Both secular and legalistic influences are present in many churches, causing much angst, false feelings of superiority and inferiority, judgmental attitudes, and unnecessary guilt. We should not burden Christian women with standards and rules in matters where God’s word gives them liberty of conscience (Westminster Confession of Fatih 20:2). A Christian woman should always be focused on bringing glory to God alone in all her thoughts and actions out of a grateful heart for all God’s love to her in Christ (Col. 2:6-7).
May Christian women rejoice in Scripture's good teaching on the value of women and their God-given callings as daughters, sisters, church members, employees, employers, citizens, wives, aunts, mothers, grandmothers, etc., always remembering that a Christian woman's primary value, dignity, and meaning are found in Christ her Savior. In Christ she is a new creation, a co-heir with Christ, and a beloved child of her Father in heaven.
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Le Ann Trees is managing editor of Beautiful Christian Life. This article is adapted from “‘To Be a Christian Woman” in BCL's May 2022 Newsletter: What Does It Mean to Be a Christian Woman?
Recommended:
God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life by Gene Edward Veith Jr.
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