“God’s Design for Women: Honored, Treasured, and Purposeful”

February 22, 2025

Bible Verse (KJV)

1 Peter 3:7
“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

---

Commentary

Verse Context

This verse, written by the Apostle Peter, speaks directly to the relationship between husbands and wives, providing an essential understanding of God’s design for women. It instructs husbands to:

• Dwell with their wives with understanding – Recognizing the unique way that God made them.
• Give honor to their wives – Treating them with value and respect.
• Acknowledge the differences – Recognizing that women are the weaker vessel, which refers to physical differences and emotional sensitivity, not spiritual worth or intelligence.
• View marriage as a partnership in God’s grace – Both men and women are heirs together of God’s promises.

This verse does not demean women but instead elevates them in their God-given role. In Peter’s time, women were often seen as inferior, but this passage commands men to honor and cherish them.

At the same time, it rejects modern feminist ideas of total independence from men. God designed women to be a necessary help to men, not competitors or isolated individuals.

---

Application

Appreciating God’s Greatness

God’s perfect design is seen in the relationship between men and women. The world distorts this by either demeaning women or pushing them into roles that were not meant for them. But God’s way is one of balance, honor, and purpose:

• Women are not meant to be weak, but they are meant to be cherished.
• Men are not meant to dominate, but they are meant to lead in love.
• Both are heirs together of God’s grace.

This is God’s greatness in creation—giving men and women distinct but complementary roles, both valuable in His sight.

For the Believer

1. Men Must Honor Their Wives
   • Many Christian men fail in this. They either dominate their wives or neglect their leadership role altogether.
   • A godly husband leads with love, wisdom, and protection, ensuring his wife is cared for and honored.
   • Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
2. Women Must Embrace Their God-Given Role
   • The modern world pushes independence and rebellion against God’s order, but Scripture makes it clear that women are to be helpers, nurturers, and godly examples.
   • Genesis 2:18 reminds us that “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
   • Proverbs 31 praises the virtuous woman as one who supports her husband, nurtures her home, and is full of wisdom and strength.
3. The Curse of the Fall: Positional Lust, Not Sexual Lust
   • Many misunderstand Genesis 3:16, where God tells Eve:
     “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
   • This desire is not sexual lust, but a positional desire—a craving for power over her husband.
   • The curse of the fall placed in women a natural rebellion against male headship. This is the root of feminism, where women seek to be both man and woman, both leader and nurturer, both father and mother.
   • This applies to:
     • Single mothers trying to fill the role of father and mother.
     • Wives who refuse to submit to their husbands and attempt to take control.
     • Women who reject marriage altogether, claiming total independence.
   • Biblical womanhood means rejecting this curse-driven rebellion and embracing God’s good design.
4. Beware of Feminism’s Influence in the Church
   • Many churches celebrate feminism, forgetting that Scripture never calls women to seek dominance or independence from men.
   • Isaiah 3:12 warns, “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.” This was a judgment on Israel for rejecting God’s order.
   • Biblical womanhood is about faithfulness, wisdom, and nurturing—not rebellion and contention.

For the Unbeliever

The world distorts the value of women, either treating them as inferior or promoting independence from men and rejection of God’s order. Neither is biblical.

• God designed women with purpose—not to be exploited, and not to be in rebellion, but to fulfill a unique and honored role.
• True joy is found in living according to God’s design. Modern feminism promises freedom, but instead, it leaves many women alone, struggling, and unfulfilled.
• God’s way is better. If you’ve been chasing independence, consider the beauty of God’s design—a life of honor, love, and purpose in His perfect plan.

Christ redeems and restores. No matter where you are today, you can find your identity and purpose in Him.

---

Broader Context

What Does the Bible Say About Women?

📖 Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.”
🔹 Women were created to complement and support men, not to compete with them.

📖 1 Corinthians 11:8-9 – “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.”
🔹 This verse reinforces the order of creation and the role of women in supporting men.

📖 Proverbs 31:10-12 – “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.”
🔹 A godly woman strengthens her home, her husband, and her family through faithfulness.

📖 Genesis 3:16 – “Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”
🔹 This desire is not romantic longing but a desire to rule over him, which is part of the curse of the fall.

📖 Isaiah 3:12 – “As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them.”
🔹 A nation where men fail to lead and women take charge is under judgment, not blessing.

---

Final Encouragement

The world promotes lies about womanhood, but the Bible tells the truth:

• Women are honored in God’s design.
• Women are meant to be treasured, not exploited.
• Women were created for a unique and beautiful purpose—to support and nurture, not to dominate or rebel.

For believers, this is a call to embrace biblical womanhood and manhood. For non-believers, this is an invitation to discover the joy of living in God’s perfect plan.

The feminist movement has redefined womanhood, but it has not improved the lives of women. God’s way is better

You are loved, so much in fact that we want you to know and be believers of biblical truth.