Why do Women Matter?

“Some women fondly imagine a new beginning of liberty, but it is in reality a new bondage, more bitter than anything they seek to be liberated from.” Elisabeth Elliot

Why do women matter? It’s a question that the world has been trying, and failing, to answer for ages. Before we get started, I’ll go ahead and clear the air for you. The simple answer is that women matter because God made them in His own image (Genesis 1:27), period.

Collectively, women (who may or may not call themselves “feminists'') have been trying to prove their worth by doing all the wrong things. They’ve bought the lies that all men are oppressive and misogynistic; abortion is healthcare; success means dragging everyone else through the dirt so you can get to the top; sex with anyone, anywhere, is always good; and the home is the absolute last place a powerful woman would be. Feminists cry out for equality and human rights for women, while simultaneously creating a culture that celebrates and encourages the legal murder of babies. Feminists have made children an item that can be thrown away if it’s inconvenient or expensive. Women, at large, have refused to acknowledge that abortion is infanticide and should be abolished.

This should come as no surprise to the christian woman. This desire to be higher and greater than men began in the garden and has been happening ever since.

“Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

Unfortunately, I’m afraid that many women who call themselves believers have also bought these lies and have lived accordingly.

I’ve seen plenty of Christian women celebrating Kamala Harris for potentially (as I am writing this on November 8th, the result of the 2020 election has not officially been certified) becoming Vice President of the United States, even when they know that she supports full term abortion and repealing the Hyde amendment (which means our tax dollars will now go towards funding abortions), amongst many other things. I won’t list all of them, because those two things are atrocious enough.

I’ve also seen Christian women shaming Amy Coney Barrett when appointed to the Supreme Court because she believes in conservative values, namely her stances on abortion and LGBTQ. Women have attacked her faith, her character and her family because she doesn’t align with their personal political beliefs.

Do you see the problem here? Haven’t both women achieved some kind of success, according to the world’s terms? Yet, one is put on a pedestal and one is ostracized. Feminists only care about women achieving levels of power when that status is going to push their agenda and world view. So, do they really care about women at all? Or are they prideful and power hungry?

For my Christian sisters, women such as Kamala Harris who hold firm to unbiblical beliefs should not be admired. Her “success” isn’t something we should be glad about. The things she stands for and the policies she and Joe Biden will put into place if elected are outrageously offensive to God, which means they should be offensive to us. We do not celebrate or look up to people who go explicitly against God’s word, no matter their gender, ethnicity, age or any other qualifier. We don’t celebrate sin.

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4

The world does not have the privilege of deciding what makes a woman, a woman. They have no grounds for determining why women truly matter. Because to the world, anyone can be a woman. If men can be women and women can be men, what makes femininity anything to celebrate at all?

One of my favorite books is “Let Me Be a Woman” by Elisabeth Elliot. I will most likely quote her words from the book multiple times in this article. She says:

“A few women whose vision is grotesquely distorted are trying to redefine for us a woman’s ‘success’ and to tell us that our happiness lies not in the idea of God in the making of us but in obliterating that idea altogether.”

God is the authority on who women are and why they matter. God defines womanhood and we submit to his standards, not our feelings.

Let’s break down why women matter to God,

Women are made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)

Women are chosen by God before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4)

Women are redeemed through Christ’s blood. (Ephesians 1:7)

Women are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

Now, all of these things are the same for men as well. Men matter to God because they’re made in His image, chosen by Him, redeemed through His blood and created in Christ Jesus for good works.

Men and women are both equal in value, but different in role. This is known as complementarianism.

For the Christian woman, this isn’t something to whine and complain about. This isn’t something to parade in the streets over. It isn’t something that should cause bitterness to grow in your heart towards your husband, your father, your friend or your boss.

It is a gift of God’s grace that He has made women fit for different roles than men in His Kingdom. This is not a hindrance or a curse, this is a blessing. Praise be to God!

It’s clear to see what type of woman should be admired in the Bible.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

A biblical, kingdom-minded woman knows that charm is deceitful and she fears the Lord, not man.

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husband.” Ephesians 22:24

A biblical, kingdom-minded woman submits to her own husband as he is the head of the home and understands that it is for her good, not for her captivity.

“Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.” Proverbs 31:25

A biblical, kingdom-minded woman is able to endure and does not fear for the future.

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” Proverbs 31:26

A biblical, kingdom-minded woman speaks with wisdom that comes from God, not of herself.

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness” Proverbs 31:27

A biblical, kingdom-minded woman knows that there is immense purpose in taking care of her home, and does not allow herself to evade her God-given responsibilities.

I could go on for a very long time of how God defines biblical womanhood, but I want to encourage you to go and seek the scriptures yourself. Don’t just take my word for it, go to the Father.

Women have the ability to do anything, yes! But that does not give them the freedom or even the permission to do so. If it is contrary to God’s word, it should not be found anywhere in a woman’s life.

Does this mean that women cannot have careers or achievements of success? Of course not.

It does mean that the motive should not be for the glorification of self or the glorification of women, but the glorification of Christ.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

The world will tell you that to be a good woman, you must free yourself. But freedom is not found in denying the God of the universe. Freedom is not found in rejecting God’s good and holy work that He has created you to do. It is not found in doing what men do. It is not found in sacrificing our children on the altar of convenience. It is not found in climbing the ladder of success merely for the sake of proving that you can. It is not found in allowing your emotions and feelings to be your guide. It is not found in having as much sex as you possibly can. It is not found in the hundreds-of-thousands of self-help books you can find on Amazon.

It is found in the joyful submission to Christ alone. Women have nothing to prove, for God has already deemed them worthy in Christ Jesus. We can cease striving and rest in the glorious truth that Christ is enough for us.

“She is free not by disobeying the rules but by obeying them.” Elisabeth Elliot