Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20020324.htm

THE ROLES OF CHRISTIAN MEN AND WOMEN
Part I: The POWER For Living The BIBLICAL Roles Of Men And Women
(Genesis 2-4, 19; Romans 7:15-17; Romans 8:1-4; Galatians 6:16-23 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. With society's rise of the feminist, gay and lesbian movements along with the plague of spousal abuse, we can struggle just to understand let alone succeed in the Biblically correct roles for men and women.
    2. This first lesson deals only with the POWER for living the roles without handling the duties of the respective roles of men and women, and the reason we start HERE will become evident as follows:
  2. The POWER For Living The BIBLICAL Roles Of Men And Women.
    1. Many Christian women "know" they "must submit" to their husbands and respect men in general, and many Christian men "know" they "should love" their wives and treat women in general "with respect."
    2. Yet, their simply "knowing" these facts doesn't SOLVE many problems Christian men and women face in ACTUALLY RELATING to one another BOTH in marriage AND community AND church environments: the HIGH DEMAND for this very lesson series ITSELF reveals as much!
    3. Accordingly, we identify the problem to be SPIRITUALLY BASED as follows:
      1. When God created the first woman from the first man's rib, they enjoyed so much harmony they were able to commune in the presence of a holy God fully naked without any reservations, Genesis 2:19-25.
      2. However, when they sinned by disobeying GOD, all sorts of gender-related problems arose:
        1. After sinning, the man and woman became so mutually distrusting of one another that they sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness from each other, Genesis 3:6-7.
        2. Sin also caused them to hide from God, and to blame others irresponsibly for their sin, 3:8-12, 13.
        3. In time, sin in the genders led to polygamous marriages and other related abuses, Genesis 4:23-24.
        4. By Abraham's era, whole cities were violently homosexual as illustrated in Genesis 19:1-11.
      3. Consequently, when left to themselves, due to personality aberrations from the sin nature and the effects of abuse by others, men and women ALIKE don't even have the POWER and at times the WILL to WANT to relate to one another like they KNOW they SHOULD, Romans 7:15-17.
    4. However, the Creator of the genders has graciously provided the means for victory OVER SIN in men and women so they might be WILLING and ABLE to function in their Biblically correct gender roles:
      1. By believing in Christ as one's Savior from sin, one is forgiven his sins and given a new, sinless nature for living above his old sinful nature inherited from Adam, cf. John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Romans 8:1-4.
      2. However, if one HAS believed in Christ, is thus a true Christian, but SINS in his CHRISTIAN life, he actually LIVES by his pre-salvation, SINFUL NATURE, cf. 1 Corinthians 1:2 with 3:3.
      3. In such a position, one is as hopelessly bent to sin the full range of sins listed in "II,C,2,a-d" above EVEN THOUGH he ALREADY TRUSTS IN CHRIST! (1 Cor. 1:2 with 3:3 and 6:9-11)
      4. Well, many a Christian tries to shift from this sin nature means of thinking and acting only to find himself hopelessly sinful no matter how hard he tries in fulfillment of Romans 7:15-17. CHRISTIAN SPOUSAL PROBLEMS OR PROBLEMS MEN OR WOMEN HAVE IN RELATING WELL TO THE OPPOSITE GENDER ARE "LOCKED INTO DEFEAT" NO MATTER HOW HARD ONE TRIES, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY "RULES" HE OR SHE TRIES TO HEED!
      5. However, if the believer (a) confesses his control by the sinful nature as sin in accord with 1 John 1:9, God promises to cleanse him immediately of all unrighteousness. (b) Then he can qualify to yield to the Holy Spirit's control so that GOD will CAUSE him BOTH to want AND to be able to live as he knows and desires to live in his respective Biblically correct gender role, Galatians 5:16-18, 19-23.
Lesson: For the WILL to do what is right in one's gender role, and the POWER to carry THROUGH on that WILL, one must be SAVED and then CLEANSED and CONTROLLED by God the Holy Spirit!

Application: (1) A man or a woman MUST believe on Christ for salvation from sin just to WANT to do, and to be ABLE to do, what he or she KNOWS must be done to relate well in his or her Biblically correct gender role. (2) Once SAVED, the BELIEVER MUST ALSO (a) have his post-salvation sins confessed and (b) CONSTANTLY RELY upon God's INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT to KEEP up the correct "WILL" and "ABILITY" to function in his or her Biblically correct gender role!