"The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”
(Genesis 2:18).
Throughout Genesis 1 we see God pronouncing His creation as good. Then in Genesis 2, we find God saying that something is not good: loneliness. Even though Adam had the fellowship of God, the situation was not good until he also had the fellowship of other human beings. Loneliness is a serious problem in our day, that has been further complicated by sin. Many of our technological advances only serve to increase personal loneliness and alienation.
God made the woman from the flesh of the man and brought her to be his helper. It is difficult to discuss the role of the wife as a helper to her husband because in our society men have so grossly perverted this function of the woman. The feminist movement is largely the result of the abuse and degradation of women in pornography, the increasingly widespread phenomenon of incest, and the failure of men to lovingly provide for their wives and families.
Sadly, some within the church have contributed to a distorted view of womankind by assuming that if the woman is to be subordinate to the man, this must mean she is inferior: foolish, lightheaded, helpless, and overly emotional.
The wise Christian knows that this is not the case. In the Trinity, the Son is subordinate to the Father, but is equal to Him all the same. The Spirit is subordinate to both the Father and the Son, but the Spirit is in no way inferior to the Father and the Son. Yet, when God acts, it is the Father who sends the Son, not the other way around, and it is the Father and the Son who send the Spirit.
The Trinity is God’s model for marriage and the family. The Father never treats the Son abusively or condescendingly. In the same way, Paul commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. Jesus was willing to suffer and die for His bride, and He calls His men to do no less for theirs.
In our fallen state, we are characterized by an unwillingness to submit to authority. No matter what form it takes we tend toward rebellion. Whatever your present life situation, consider to whom you should be in submission. Ask God for grace to submit out of reverence to Him.
