Created to be a Help
Joyfully exploring what it means to be a woman of the Lord
What does it mean?
“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (2:18). The title, “Created to be a help” comes from Genesis 2. God made Adam, the first man, in His image. God said that it was not good for man to be alone. So God brought all the animals to Adam, and Adam named them. “But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” (2:20b). So God created Eve from Adam’s rib, “a companion suitable for him.” Adam rejoiced in his God-given helper.
Man’s (gender neutral) chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever (WSC #1). However, God created man and woman to fulfill this calling in different ways. Eve was created with the unique purpose of being Adam’s helper in his role of subduing and filling the earth. In this, she was not his slave, servant, or robot. Matthew Henry puts it this way:
“Eve was not taken out of Adam’s head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him.”
Eve was Adam’s wife, his companion, his friend. Eve provided both a necessary help and a beautiful help. And her role is no less important; her value is no less than his. Adam and Eve were both created in the image of God with the purpose of glorifying Him. They were created as spiritual equals. They complemented each other as man and woman. It must’ve been beautiful.
So what happened?
The Fall (see Genesis 3). Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted Eve. He made her question God. She blatantly disobeyed the command of God. Eve also gave the fruit to Adam, and He ate. God had told them the consequences of disobedience. His rules were there for Adam and Eve’s protection. His desire was to bless them. However, they disobeyed. Exile. Death. Separation from God. It’s the very nature of sin. And it’s serious.
But God did not leave them without hope; God had a plan. He had a plan to redeem a people for Himself, to bring Himself glory throughout the earth.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has send the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:4-7
Through Christ’s death, God accomplished His redemptive purposes. All true believers are bought with the precious blood of Christ and filled with His Spirit. However, until Heaven, we will not be perfect. We are justified by Christ’s blood, but not yet sanctified. So, Satan and sin sill affect us. We live in a fallen world and fallen bodies. But hope is found in Christ and His Spirit who is working in us to conform us to His image.
So what does this have to do with “Created to be a Help?”
Today, Satan and our culture make us question our role, our purpose, our Creator. In fact, sin comes from the inside, too. Our hearts are sinful and in need of regeneration. We question many things, and I don’t just mean our role of being a helpmeet. I mean everything God calls us to as women and men- purity, true justice, righteousness, love, and self-sacrifice. The unborn are murdered, and it’s called “women’s choice.” Homosexuality is considered fine even by some who claim to be Christians, and to deny this is “unjust,” “condemning,” “judging.” Chastity, staying pure, is considered prudish. And there’s no point waiting for a godly husband or wife, because marriage is doomed to fail.
These are the messages our culture throws at us every day. However, we must tune them out and listen to a much grander message- the one our Creator gives to us. He commands us to love, to fight for justice and the truth, to fulfill the roles He has graciously given us. He calls us to faith, to repentance, and to true life.
For women, this means embracing our role as a helper- a necessary and beautiful role!
Women are different than men! And we must joyfully accept and live out these differences.
God does not leave us alone in this. He has given us His Word, as well as His Spirit to help us as we learn to live out our calling as followers of Christ (see Galatians 4).
What does this mean on a day-to-day basis?
That’s what this blog will explore. I’ll post thoughts, opinions, stories, recommendations, and encouragement- all with the purpose of sharing with you what I am learning by the grace of God. The tagline sums up what I hope to do: Joyfully explore what it means to be a woman of the Lord. Our calling is one that should be filled with joy! And I’m not going to talk about it with the purpose of discouraging or making us feel like godly femininity is a bad thing. It is a joyful thing, and God does not make mistakes! Let us celebrate in our Creator’s design for us!!
The Gospel is at the center of all of this. Without Christ, our efforts are vain. In God’s process of redeeming a people for Himself, He sent His Son to live the perfect life we cannot live, to die the death we deserved, and to rise again, giving us the Holy Spirit.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17
What love! What grace!
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” I John 3:1a
It is all about His glory. The Cross is central to all that we do and all that we are as Christians. Purity cannot and does not save us- only Christ’s blood has the power to save sinners and reconcile them to a holy God. We must never become legalistic or try to win God’s favor by anything that we do. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. May this blog never say something contrary to that.
Soli Deo Gloria
