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My Credo as a Christian Woman
I believe God created me, a woman, in His image.
I believe God has the authority, as my Creator to define my whole person; body, soul, mind, and emotions.
I believe God has chosen to reveal Himself through the world in which I live and through the incarnation of His Son, Jesus Christ. I learn of both these revelations through His Word, the Bible, which becomes clear to me by the power of Jesus Christ, whose Spirit works in my heart and my understanding.
I believe that God exists as one God, in three equal persons and that these persons have Scripturally revealed relationships and functions within the trinity.
I believe that all human fellowship is a reflection of that perfect fellowship defined and experienced from all eternity by God Himself in the trinity.
I believe that God made both men and women in His image.
I believe that God gave the man a representative role in humanity in general (as seen in both Adam and Christ) and that He also gave each man a representative and authoritative role as head of his wife and of his family.
I believe that God appointed marriage and the family as the most fundamental human social building block.
I believe that God created marriage (as He created all human institutions) to reveal His character and the character of His relations with humans.
I believe that God created me to be a helper to my husband and that in serving and obeying him, I also serve and obey God.
I believe that my husband is created first to love God, but that in his human relationships he is to reflect God’s nature by filling a role of protector, defender, guide, leader, teacher, provider, and father.
I believe that I am created first to love God, but (since God has not chosen singleness for me) I am also created to bear and nourish children, to help my husband and to serve God and His church principally, though not exclusively, in the exercise of these functions.
I believe that I should count my home as the primary focus of my ministry to God and that in so doing, I will bring no slander on the gospel.
I believe that I should develop sexual attractiveness, intellectual honesty, and spiritual fervor in my role as wife.
I believe that my husband will answer to God for his part in my spiritual development, but that when I stand before the throne of God’s judgment, I will be covered not by my husband’s righteousness, but by Christ’s.
I believe that the Bible teaches me as a woman to uphold the authority of my husband in my marriage and in my home; to respect it, encourage it, desire it, appreciate it, work towards increasing it and encourage my children to do the same.
I believe that the Scriptures ask me to refrain from exercising final spiritual authority in the church. I am to avoid usurping the authoritative roles of men in teaching and in church discipline. Specifically I am to avoid teaching men or judging male leadership.
I believe I am to express myself verbally within my church family to bring encouragement, praise, witness, wisdom, counsel, prayers, hymns, songs, and instruction within the authority structures mentioned above. I am especially responsible for the training and mentoring of younger women, with a view to encouraging them to love their husbands and children, to be busy at home and to bring no slander on the gospel.
I believe that I am also to exercise my particular personal gifts in the church, without neglecting hospitality, humble service, availability in emergencies, and all sorts of good deeds.
I believe that sin affects every area of my life. I am not, therefore, surprised that my sinful nature rebels against some of the very truths I confess. May God mercifully soften my heart and conform me to His perfect will.
Because I believe and try to put into practice the above beliefs, I have not had much of a public voice. Someone once asked, “Where are the Christian women willing to stand up and speak out on these issues? If men speak of them, no one will listen.” The answer, of course, is that the Christian women are busy taking seriously the Scriptural injunction to be “busy at home,” and so do not often have a chance to speak up. I am pleased to be able to share this credo with anyone to whom it might be helpful. If you wish to enter into dialogue about any aspect of it, please contact me.
Posted
Mar 6, 2010
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