4. On the Order of Creation Compared to the Head and the Members
【Col 1:15-16】 He is the image of the invisible God, ➀the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created ➁by him and ➂for him.
These words are summarized as below.
➀As Christ came before all things, man was made before woman, ➁and as all things were from God and Christ, woman was from man. ➂As all were created for God and for Christ, woman was created for man.
Therefore, just as authorities, powers, and all things belong to Christ and God, who are first, so women belong to man and are under his power. The apostle Paul explained:
【1Cor 11:8-10】 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
Paul, based on the above three orders, explained that a woman belongs to a man and is under his authority.
The principle of creation in the angelic world and the principle of the creation of human being are same. In this regard, as God created human beings as men and women, He said ‘in our image’.
Man is the head which means the ruler and the image of God. Woman is a member which means the obedience under His authority and the image of angels.
All things come from Christ, belong to Christ, and are under His authority. Likewise, a woman comes out of the man, belongs to the man, and is under his authority. Therefore, a woman under authority and subject to it cannot become the image of God, the head of all things.
The Apostle Paul taught that the providence of God in the creation of the heavens and the earth, which fulfills the order of the head and members, applies to Christ and the church (saints).
This principle of creation does not apply only to the church, but also to the world, to the nation, to the region, to society, to the workplace and to the school. It is the general principle of God’s creation which applies to the whole system of the world.
Because of the principle of God’s creation, Christ becomes the head and the saints become one with Christ as his member. The principle of creation, head and body, is extended to God and angels, men and women, husbands and wives, grooms and brides, and Christ and the church (saints).
Once again, the biblical analogy of Christ as husband or groom and the church and saints as wives and brides does not mean the sexual union of men and women. It means the order of the relationship between the head and the body. In the Old Testament, it is necessary to understand the relationship between God and the people as the relationship between husband and wife.
The celebration of the new Covenant Passover is a sacred rite of participation in the flesh and blood of Jesus, an expression of the faith that I will accept Jesus Christ as my husband and I will be one body (one spirit) with Him. In other words, he is my head and I am his member. So the new covenant Passover can be likened to a spiritual marriage feast.(1Cor 10:16, 1Cor 11:23, 2Cor 11:2, Matt22:2, Matt 25:1, Rev 19:7, Rev 22:17)
We should be glad to accept the apostle Paul’s teachings more than anyone else’s interpretation of what the “image of God” means. If someone denies the apostle Paul’s teachings and claims, “No. Both men and women are in the image of God. God has both male God and female God.” It is an act of rebellion.
