1. Week #1 – Foundations for Biblical Roles between Men and Women
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1 – 3
*All page numbered quotes are taken from John Piper and Wayne Grudem’s “Recovering Biblical
Manhood and Womanhood” book.*
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think that men and women have different roles? Were we created that way or are they a
product of societal influence? If there are different roles, what is the nature of them (i.e. –
equal in all things, complimentary, one above the other, etc?)
a. "When the Bible teaches that men and women fulfill different roles in relation to each
other, charging man with a unique leadership role, it bases this differentiation not on
temporary cultural norms but on permanent facts of creation…the foundation of the
differentiation is traced back to the way things were in Eden before sin warped our
relationship. Differentiated roles were corrupted, not created, by the Fall.” (p.35)
2. Read Genesis 2 and discover what those roles are.
a. Male-Female equality – Genesis 1:26-28
i. “Man and woman are equal in the sense that they bear God’s image equally.”
(p. 95)
1. What qualities of God do we as women bear? What about men?
ii. “With a wife, a man finds companionship on his own level, for she is his equal.”
(p. 101)
1. Uniqueness of the human beings in creation compared to all other
creatures.
iii. “Moses reasons that marriage is the re-union of what was originally and literally
one flesh.” (p. 101)
1. Restoration of the created order; explanation of why divorce (and
homosexuality) is so devastating.
b. Male Headship – Genesis 2:18-25
i. “In the partnership of two spiritually equal human beings, man and woman, the
man bears the primary responsibility to lead the partnership in a God-glorifying
direction.” (P. 95)
1. Man is leader, woman is helper.
a. How/where is this evidenced? Immediate reactions? What
does it mean?
b. Is helper inherently a “weaker” position?
i. God is described as our helper/servant:
1. Ever present help in time of need
2. Phil 2 – “humbled himself”
3. Did not come to be served, but to serve.

2. 3. The Fall – Genesis 3 – What Happened
a. Read Genesis 3
i. Based on the previous points, what evidence is there of wrongdoing?
1. “Eve usurped Adam’s headship and led the way into sin. And Adam,
who (it seems) had stood by passively, allowing the deception to
progress without decisive intervention—Adam, for his part, abandoned
his post as head…Isn’t it striking that we fell upon an occasion of sex
role reversal? Are we to repeat this confusion forever?” (p. 107)
ii. What are the effects of this as evidenced in the “curses”?
1. Woman – Eve
a. She will suffer in relation to her children – increased pain in
childbirth (not the creation of pain, but an increase).
b. She will suffer in relation to her husband – two possibilities: She
will suffer conflict with him, or she will suffer domination by
him.
i. Desire – “yearning, longing” – also same usage in Gen
4:7 where sin’s desire is for Cain
2. Man – Adam
a. God’s Reasoning: “Because you listened to the voice of your
wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded
you”
i. Two fold sin – not obeying God’s command, but also
listening to Eve.
b. He will have greater “pain” in working the land (work was not
the punishment, but the difficulty was).
4. Practical Application
a. How/where do you see evidence of these things in your life both the created order and
the Fall? In our world?
b. What’s the proper response – both at an impersonal level (i.e. – what you see in the
world) and in interpersonal relationships?
i. “Christian redemption does not redefine creation; it restores creation, so that
[women] learn godly submission and *men+ learn godly headship.” (p. 109)
ii. Definitions of Mature Biblical Manhood and Womanhood:
1. At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent
responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways
appropriate to a man’s differing relationships. (P. 35)
2. At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm,
receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways
appropriate to a woman’s differing relationships. (p. 36)
c. How can we implement this into our lives? How are we doing? How does this best
honor God?

3. Biblical Womanhood – Week #2 – Woman as the Helper
1. Last week we talked about how male and female are created in the image of God. We discussed
traits that Adam had that show the image of God and the traits that Eve had as well. To further
that discussion, God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He created a helper for
Adam. How does our being a helper show that we are created in the image of God?
a. We see examples in the Trinity:
i. God the Father:
a. “The Old Testament portrays God as our Helper [and] proves only that
the helper role is a glorious one, worthy even of the Almighty.” (p. 104)
b. Ezer used 20 places in OT and every other time it’s God who’s helping.
a. Psalm 121:1-2
b. Psalm 33:20
c. Psalm 28:1-2 and 7
d. Psalm 46:1
c. Red Sea, crossing the Jordan, God’s care for the Israelites throughout
their history.
ii. Jesus Christ:
a. “He is the God who emptied himself and came down to our level—
below us, to the level of slavery—to help us supremely at the Cross.” (p.
104)
a. Salvation –Romans 5:6
b. Miracles while on earth – Luke 5:17-26
c. Poured His life into the disciples’ lives – John 17:6-on
iii. Holy Spirit:
a. Named Helper – John 14:16-17, John 14:26
2. Definitions:
a. Dictionary
i. Assist, aid, to be of use to.
ii. Several definitions indicated supplying what is needed to accomplish an end or
moving towards an objective.
iii. What is the chief end toward which men (and women) are aiming?
3. “Practical” Help
a. First a bad example: There are many examples of women in the Bible who “destroy”
men or distract them from their purpose.
i. Proverbs 7 – the adulterous woman
ii. Judges 16 - Delilah
b. Now a good example: The virtuous wife is portrayed in Proverbs 31. Let’s look at these
verses and see what they say about woman being a helper.
i. What are the ways Proverbs 31 show that a woman/wife can be a good helper
to the man?

4. a. Verses 11-12: She is worthy of his trust, not just once she’s met him but
all the days of her life. Her trustworthiness allows him to succeed and
she gives him good and not evil.
b. Verses 13-24: She serves her family and works hard at all that she sets
her hands to.
c. Verses 25-27: Her character and wisdom are valuable.
d. Verse 30: Why is a woman who fears the Lord to be praised? How does
this trait allow woman to be a helper?
4. Definitions of Mature Biblical Manhood and Womanhood:
a. At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead,
provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships.
(P. 35)
b. At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive and nurture
strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman’s differing
relationships. (p. 36)