The first thing satan did was corrupt gender roles

By Elizabeth Prata

Recently I’ve watched a growing wave of corruption of gender biology and more push-back about it than I’ve ever seen. In the secular world, the madness of trans-gender has become a pitched frenzy. The church isn’t unaffected. Even inside ‘Christian’ circles, sassy or angry or ignorant women are howling themselves into usurping madcaps more each day.

How do strong Christian women fight against this? First, by remembering this verse from Ephesians 6:12,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

We combat this tsunami of falsehood secondly by staying in the word of God, wielding the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17), and quoting the word of God.

Thirdly, we combat it by being living witnesses. Display a contentment with your role, whether it be a single woman, married without children, or as a mother. The light that shines from that godly contentment will be very bright against the encroaching darkness.

Let’s go back to the beginning where all this error and corruption started: Genesis 3:1-6. Satan makes his appearance as a serpent:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

There are several points at which this whole tragedy could have stopped. The first moment when it all could have been nipped in the bud is when satan asked the woman the question. Adam was with her. He could have said, ‘Hey, I was the one God gave the rule to, ask me’. Adam’s passivity here allowed this unfolding failure to blossom. (Romans 5:12).

Satan’s first act in the Bible to humans was to corrupt the male-female role. ~Mark McAndrew

The second point at which this could have ended was Genesis 3:3 when Eve bungled the answer. She repeated the one rule given, but she added to it. Adam should have corrected her and stated the truth as it was given to him. He didn’t. Adam’s passivity allowed this to unfold further.

The third point at which this could have been stopped was Genesis 3:6 when Adam saw his wife becoming entranced by wordly lust. He didn’t remove her from the temptation. Again, Adam was passive and failed to protect his wife.

Eve was also responsible for her own behavior. When satan asked her the question, she chose not to defer to her husband who was with her, but sallied forth with her answer. She also failed to listen well to her husband and thus gave the serpent the wrong answer by adding to it. We are warned multiple times in scripture not to add to His word. Here is one:

Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and prove you a liar. (Proverbs 30:6).

I know, of course, that God ordained the Fall as part of His plan, and nothing will alter or sway that. The instruction for US at this time is not to follow Eve’s and Adam’s poor choices. Men, be strong and courageous. That means be a humble servant, protect your wife, nurture her. (Ephesians 5:25, 28).

Women, resist the temptation to usurp. Satan chose to make his first foray into the world aiming his fiery dart at the woman. Remember that. (Ephesians 5:22-24). The first thing we see that satan did (apart from his own fall) was drive a wedge between the man and the woman. He tempted Eve to step out of her role and tempted the man to remain passive in his role. That worked, so satan has been doing it ever since. To this very day.

There is a reason why the great commands of Ephesians 5 to husbands and wives is followed up in Ephesians 6 with the passages urging us to stay strong in our duty to remain vigilant in spiritual warfare.

Here is a good lesson on the biblical roles of men and women as outlined in the Bible. These are my own teachers and elders at my church, this week’s Sunday School class-

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)