Who Is A Biblical Woman And What Is Biblical Womanhood All About?
What are your thoughts about biblical womanhood? Different people have different opinions on what makes a woman and her lifestyle biblical. But opinions don’t really matter much. Only what God says in Scripture matters, and because it matters to God, we need to find out exactly what He says, and how to practically apply it to our lives.
My Biblical Womanhood Journey
Growing up, I was surrounded by strong women who lived out women’s lib. They didn’t talk about it, they just did it. When I became a Christian, I saw the same mindset and actions inside the church as I had seen my whole life. That surprised me but I didn’t know why at the time why. It wasn’t like I suddenly saw that type of thinking as wrong or unbiblical.
As I grew in my spiritual journey, I came across passages specifically addressing women. These verses went against what I had been taught since childhood. What’s more, I noticed that many women in the church behaved in the same way as the women from my upbringing. This caused me to reflect and question whether we, as a church, had misconceptions about women's roles and what God expected of us.
One day while on YouTube, I listened to a teaching on women in the church. This person taught that God didn’t see women any differently than He saw men. She said that women could hold the same roles in the church as men, and it was demeaning and archaic to dictate that women should stay at home, raise the kids, and serve their husbands as if that was the only thing she was good for.
Immediately after that video was another with the exact opposite view. Both of these teachers were popular and highly influential.
By the time I was done with the second video, my head was spinning and I felt heartsick. If I, being a Christian for many years, was so confused and frustrated, how much more would a new Christian be? I was so convicted because the truth was that I had little to no idea what God really said about women, their roles, and responsibilities. Since I didn’t know, how could I expect to rightly teach or mentor a young lady?
Immediately I began a Bible study on the subject.
An On-Going Life Changer
My study on the topic of Christian women and biblical womanhood has been life-changing for me. Although it was a prolonged study, I have not written about it much on the blog. Not because I didn’t believe it, but because I knew how unpopular it was. I’ve been working to submit my will to God’s and allow Him to change my attitude towards biblical womanhood. With this one post, I believe God is changing the direction of Cups to Crowns. Not into something new, but into what He intended it to be from the beginning.
Today, I would like to lay the groundwork for this topic by starting at the beginning. Let’s discover who a biblical woman is, what biblical womanhood is (and isn’t), why we need to study and talk about it, and where it is found in the Bible.
Who Is a Biblical Woman?
Any woman who has given their life to Jesus Christ is a Christian. I know that is a no-brainer, but there is more to it. See, being a Christian is not the same thing as being a biblical woman. Apples and peaches are fruit, but they are not the same things either.
A biblical woman is a woman who is Christ-centered. Just because someone is a Christian doesn't mean they are Christ-focused. A biblical woman has her priorities in the proper God-ordained order as she works daily with the Holy Spirit to renew her thought life through Scripture and act in a way that is pleasing to our Lord.
You might hear a biblical woman called a woman of God, a godly woman, a woman after God's heart, or even a holy woman of God. Pick whatever name sounds best to you. The name isn’t as important as what is in her heart.
What Is Biblical Womanhood?
Biblical womanhood is not a term you will find in the Bible.
The habits we create and carry out day after day make up who we are. If we are in love with Jesus and focused on Him, our actions will be in alignment with his will as given in Scripture.
Although there are many, one of the main verses in the Bible that tell us what biblical womanhood should encompass is Titus 2:3-5. These verses tell us that we are to focus on having a heart that longs to serve and honor God with our behavior, to be careful with our speech, not to be addicted, to pass along and teach what is right and good according to Scripture, to encourage each other, to be sensible (a sound mind), pure (holy), create a home that honors God, to be good-natured, to love and submit to our husband, and to love our children God's way.
As you can see, biblical womanhood is based on Scripture and involves every aspect of your daily life.
What Biblical Womanhood Is Not
For starters, being a biblical woman does not mean you are perfect, you must quit your job, grow a garden, homeschool your children, never have interests outside of your home, never have an opinion or make a decision.
Nor is biblical womanhood dependent on your marital status, whether or not your spouse is saved, your job choice, your economic status, or whether you have children. Nor does it equal being more spiritual than someone else (it has nothing to do with anyone else).
Nope. None of those things are mentioned in Titus 2 or anywhere else in Scripture. We might find them in our own minds, but the good thing is God wants us to replace those unholy thoughts with His words.
What Is The Purpose Of Studying Biblical Womanhood?
One of the main reasons I wasn’t comfortable talking about biblical womanhood on the blog was because I couldn’t see a real purpose for it. Everyone (but me) seemed to know what being a biblical woman was all about. I thank God that he was generous enough to open my eyes to this lie from hell.
But a huge part of being a Christ follower is digging into Scripture and allowing the Holy Spirit to use it to renew (adjust) our thinking and change our perspective. If we try to sidestep that lifelong process, we will remain with a worldly perspective that does not bless or honor God. We will not grow or be much of a blessing.
So if you are a woman and a follower of Christ, you are expected to read about, learn, and emulate biblical womanhood as presented in the Bible.
In the past, knowledge and wisdom of all things being a woman of God entailed would be handed down (taught) from generation to generation. Sadly, current culture has infiltrated most churches, and concepts like teaching biblical womanhood, biblical manhood, mentorship, and discipleship have all gone by the wayside as unimportant.
I would strongly disagree. There are certain things in the Bible that God was very specific about. For example, "Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong" (Psalm 37:1) Or Proverbs 3:5-8 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..." Or even the verses I shared above (Titus 2:3-5). We don't need to assume what God is saying.
God isn't careless with His words. He didn't put those things in the Bible as filler but because He knows what is best for us. He also knows exactly how He wants his Kingdom to operate. It’s us that needs to get on board with Him!
God gave us the Bible to help navigate this self-indulgent world. What we do with it is on us. Perhaps we need to do our small part to reignite the fire to teach and learn from each other how to walk out being a godly woman in this ungodly world. As I said, it is desperately needed. Since none of us know automatically how to do this, maybe we need to go back to the basics, examine all of our beliefs, understand what we believe and why we believe them and stand firm in God's truth.
For me, this has involved learning what God expects of me as His child, and that is what I have been doing. Although when I started this study years ago, I didn't intend to change my thoughts on how to walk out my days as a godly woman. I actually wanted justification to prove I was right in my desire to be "more" than a wife and mom. I wanted to prove I was a worthy child of God with a ministry as my proof.
But as always, when we spend time focusing on what God wants instead of what we want, our perspective is supernaturally changed.
Bible Verses About Biblical Womanhood
There are many Bible verses specific for women, many that are specific for men, and many that are for all of us. This is important because God has created men and women for separate roles and duties and His Word reflects it. So we need to pay attention when reading Scripture. We can't claim Scripture God has given to men, and they can't stand on Scripture God has given to us women.
A Few Verses Specifically for Godly Women
1 Peter 3:3-5 (NLT) Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
Proverbs 31:30 (NIV) Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Ephesians 5:22-24 (KJV) Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Proverbs 31:26 (NLT) When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.
Proverbs 14:1 (AMP) The wise woman builds her house [on a foundation of godly precepts, and her household thrives], but the foolish one [who lacks spiritual insight] tears it down with her own hands [by ignoring godly principles].
Proverbs 19:13 (NIV) A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.
Proverbs 21:9 (NIV) Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
Proverbs 21:19 (NIV) Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. (Apparently, this one is so important that God put it in Proverbs twice! Repetition means we must pay attention!)
1 Timothy 3:11 (NIV) In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
A Prayer For God's Women Desiring Biblical Womanhood
Lord God Almighty, you alone are the creator of heaven and earth. There is nothing that we do that you do not see, nothing we say that you do not hear and none of it shocks you. Lord, you created men and women with specific purposes that complement and bless each other. Soften our hearts and open our minds to understand and accept this truth.
God, I believe every woman reading this post longs to be in agreement with your will and desire. The world has done its best to tear us down and confuse our minds. We spend so much time spinning in busy circles and not getting anywhere. We have become spiritually dry, exhausted, and irritated. We've lost our joy. Sadly, we try to take control of situations we have no business attempting to take over. Lord, forgive us for bragging and laughing about being control freaks.
Holy heavenly Father, create in us clean hearts and teachable spirits eager to learn your ways. Bring us clarity and wisdom in all that we do, and help us keep our eyes firmly focused on you. In Jesus' mighty name, I pray, amen!
