Eve and the Holy Spirit

 Eve and the Holy Spirit

In light of all the dissension among the Western church regarding the role of women in leadership, I had a thought. At first, I thought it was an original idea. But as Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” As I began researching the topic I found many had already considered the corollary which piqued my interest.

In a conversation about the role of the wife in a marriage relationship, I was reminded of the statement made by God in the Garden of Eden about the need of Adam. Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18) From this verse, a new word was formed which then became the mantra of the male-dominated church. From the KJV, the word “helpmeet”, which later morphed into helpmate, was used to describe the role of the wife. The problem is that is not the correct use of this verse. There are two words used in Genesis 2:18, not one.

The first word is “ezer”, which means, “a help, or helper,” translated here as “help.” The second word is “neged”, which means, “in front of, in sight of, opposite to,” translated here as “meet.” Other translations of scripture use other words for “neged,” like suitable, just right, fit, comparable, complementary, his complement, partner, counterpart, and corresponds. These words speak more clearly the intent God had in creating woman. There is no hint of subordinate, less than, under, or inferior. I believe the intent was more akin to comparing the left hand and the right hand. They are different, but living without one or the other would be very difficult. Together, any task becomes easier to complete.

Just the clarification of “neged” should bring a different view of the role of women in the world. However, that is not the most significant find in this phrase. The first word, “ezer”, is so much bigger than I have ever heard taught by any church I have attended. The word is used twice in reference to Eve. However, there are MANY uses of “ezer” to describe God! The exact same word used for Eve is also used to describe the role God plays in the life of humans. Look them up for yourself. In Deuteronomy 33:26,29, the word “help” is based on the word “ezer”. The same is true for Psalm 33:20, Psalm 115:9-11, Exodus 18:4 (helper), Psalm 70:4-5, Hosea 13:9-11, Psalm 121:1-2, and others. If Eve is in any way secondary to Adam because she is a “ezer”, then God is also secondary to man. Clearly that is not the case.

For men to feel compelled to push down women is a sign they do not understand the role of men or women. Men are not here to dominate. Women are not here to serve. Both were created by God for specific reasons.

Look at one more aspect of the creation of Eve before we move on to the New Testament. When God made Adam, He said, “Let us (The Father, The Word, and The Holy Spirit) make man in our image.” Adam was created as a reflection (image) of the Godhead (body, soul, and spirit). He was complete with every characteristic of God, imbued with every emotion, mental capacity; creative, strong. Adam had within him the complete expression of both male and female. Seeing a singular being, God determined there needed to be more than one being, just as He Himself is not singular, but a trinity. This is when God spoke His plan for Eve. “This new being will be a help to the other being, made to compliment, to be comparable; the literal translation is “in front of, in sight of, opposite to.”

In Genesis 2:21, it states God took a “tsela” from Adam to form Eve. This word is normally translated “rib,” but another definition of this word is “side.” You could just as easily say, “God took a side of Adam and formed Eve.” I believe this more accurately depicts what happened in Eden. There were now two beings, who, when combined together, perfectly represent God’s image, nature, and character. Both Adam and Eve needed each other in order to completely reflect the love of God in the earth.

When you look at this account with fresh eyes instead of adopting by rote the account passed down through millennia by the church, you can begin to see how we have missed it when it comes to denigrating women by forcing them into subservient roles, not only in life, but also in the Church. They are just as vital in expressing God to our world as Eve was in the Garden.

I then turned my attention to the New Testament. As Jesus was preparing to depart, He gave His disciples a promise. “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) The Greek word used for the Helper is “parakletos,” which means “called to one's aid.” Other words used to describe parakletos are an advocate, intercessor, a consoler, comforter, helper. 

When Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, to be seated next to the Father, He told His followers, recorded in John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” We have Jesus, who is referred to as the “second Adam,” telling the new believers that the Father would send a “second Helper.” I think this comparison is not a stretch, but more fully validates the role women have on earth. Just as Eve was created to “complete” Adam, to walk along side, to be complementary (each one contributing to make up the whole), the Holy Spirit was given to “complete” the work of Jesus on earth. The Holy Spirit was not going to replace Jesus. The Holy Spirit was not subservient to Jesus. The reference to “another Helper” (vs. 16) means “one just like me.” The Holy Spirit is a “side” of Jesus. Not less than, not secondary, but fully God.

I’m not saying that women are to be deified. Men are not to be deified either. Both are God’s creation and should have mutual respect and honor. Men tend to take on Jesus as a role model, taken from Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the Church.” Where is the godly role model for women? I believe it is found in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given to help the Church become like Jesus, to reflect the Father’s glory, to express the Grace of God, and to show mercy to all people. Men without women tend toward law-making; mostly black and white, right and wrong. Women add color, bringing grace and mercy. Both are needed and required to fully represent God in the earth.

Both “beginnings” recorded in scripture have a similar outcome. Genesis brought man and woman into being to work together in caring for the creation. The birth of the Church brought Jesus and the Holy Spirit to work together to establish the Kingdom on Earth. To do this, it requires both men and women, identified with Jesus through salvation and empowered by the Holy Spirit; both working to build the Kingdom. It’s time to drop the pretense that men are somehow more important in the Kingdom than women.

Lastly, let me address the questions which I know will come. Paul said that wives are to submit to their own husband, that women are to keep silent in the church, and that deacons/bishops/elders/pastors should be the husband of one wife. Paul also had Timothy circumcised, even though Paul himself said it was not required for salvation. What about Onesimus, where in Philemon, Paul sent this “slave” back to his “owner,” imploring Philemon to receive him, not as a bondservant, but as a brother. Here Paul is following the current cultural mandates by returning Philemon’s “property” to him, but also calling on him to break from culture and allow Onesimus to live as a free man. Paul also said many things in his writing were “by permission” as opposed to “by commandment.” I firmly believe that some of the things written to the Church in the epistles were dealing with cultural issues of the day; things like, “women must cover their head to worship” or “abstain from meat offered to idols.”

If you subscribe to the “command” that wives are to submit to their own husband, that still does not apply to all women submitting to all men. If that is your belief, then how do you reconcile that with Paul’s other “commands” that we (Christians) are to submit one to another, which he states multiple times in his writings? Folks, I think we have missed some things in the 2000+ years we have trying to do this thing we call “church.” If you take off the glasses and see the Bible texts with unbiased lenses, we will see that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) We have to do better. The current division does not represent Christ, nor His Church. Let’s get back to being “one in Him” so we can further the mission which started in the Garden and reiterated at the birth of the Church. Let us, men and women, labor TOGETHER in the field to gather the harvest.