Equal

The following is part of the book, Why Adam Cannot Be Saved, whose sections can be accessed here.

Man’s Relationship with Woman 

 “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone…” Genesis 1:18a 

How compassionate is our God! It was “good” that He had personally formed man in His image, given him dominion over His creation, and inspired him by His Spirit. Yet, He did not stop there. God was concerned with man’s companionship and determined that it was "not good" for man to be alone.

God always desires the best for His creation and He knew that man needed someone with whom he could share the love God had placed within him. Genesis Chapters 1 & 2 show us God’s plan in that regard.

Equal 

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Genesis 1:27 

God’s image was reflected in two types of creation: male and female. There are attributes of God in the male character as well as in female character. They are both equally created as a reflection of God’s nature. In terms of importance, one is not less or more before God than the other. When God decided to make man in His image, He decided to make depict His image in both the male and the female.

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26

Not only were they each equally created after the likeness of God, but God had given dominion over the earth to both the man and the woman. They were to exercise authority over the earth together.

Woman was not taken from the head of man as if she is his authority, or from the foot of man as if she is beneath him. She was taken from man’s side for she is on equal standing with him before God. This does not mean, however, that they can - or were even designed to - serve in the same roles or functions. 

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