WOMEN AS IMITATORS OF THE CHURCH: THE ROLE OF THE WIFE AND MOTHER
10 minutes to read
“When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a beautiful garden, with trees and flowers so unique and breathtaking that they stole her breath away. She noticed the butterflies and birds, and the little creatures of the forest engrossed in their quest for food. Yet what captured her attention most was another being—a man—who was waiting for her. She heard him say, “Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bones, she is a woman.” Their Creator blessed them and commanded, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Take charge!”
This is how the Bible introduces the first woman in Genesis 1:26-27. God created man and woman uniquely—equal in value yet distinct in their calling—to represent Him as His image bearers. While we each individually reflect God, He designed humanity to collectively reflect His image through our distinct roles and relationships. For this collective reflection to function, there must be diversity in our roles. A lack of distinction would result in chaos and disorder.
In a man, God’s image is reflected in his calling to be the leader and protector, while in a woman, it is seen in her role as a helper and life-giver. Eve was created to be Adam's helpmeet, supporting him in tending the garden.1 In this divinely ordained partnership, the man provides leadership, while the woman offers support and responsible submission, both working together in harmony. In fulfilling God's command to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, women possess the unique ability to bring life into the world. They carry the unborn until birth and nurture them with inherent maternal instincts, reflecting their God-given role as life-givers.
“Despite knowing the command, “You shall not eat from it,” her eyes lingered on the forbidden fruit. Tempted by the serpent’s soothing voice, her heart yearned for more—“to be like God.” Her desire for knowledge led her to eat the fruit and share it with Adam. Their eyes were opened, revealing their nakedness and vulnerability. This act of disobedience bought ‘sin’, causing distortion and chaos in everything created.”
With the Fall, creation became tarnished, and Adam and Eve, along with all of humanity, fell under God's Judgement. The woman’s role became more challenging, now marked by marital strife and pain in childbirth. The original design of perfect unity in marriage, characterised by loving leadership and willing submission, was distorted. The once-beautiful plan for the family, where husband and wife would bear children and raise them in the knowledge of God the Creator, became marred by sin.
The cross and resurrection were central to God’s divine plan to rescue humanity from the bondage of sin.
The serpent’s deathly whisper to sow doubt about the Creator persists even today: “Did God really say you can’t have a career? Do you have to bear children? Aren't you created to be equal to man? Do you really have to submit to your husband ?” Women today are still tempted by (false) promises of equality and freedom from biblical roles. While the world seeks to uplift women, it often does so by defying God’s created order, encouraging women to assume leadership roles in ways that conflict with Scripture. Terms like ‘helper’ and ‘leader’ now provoke questions about the God-created order, God as the head of both men and women, and man as the leader in marriage. Submission is often misinterpreted as a sign of weakness or even as an invitation to abuse. The blessing of bearing children, once honoured, is now viewed with contempt, seen as a burden rather than as a divine gift. Motherhood itself is reduced to a season of suffering, marked by radical physical changes and sleepless nights.
Sin has distorted our understanding and caused our hearts to rebel against the beauty of God’s intended design. But the good news is, this is not how our story ends. God had a plan—a plan to save, redeem, and restore us. It is a plan that calls us to embrace His design as good and true, realigning our hearts with the roles and relationships He created for us.
“At the cross, creation held its breath as the Creator was crucified. The angels, perplexed, wondered if they should intervene. But the Father replied, “No, the cross is My Plan. Behold My Son, the Lamb of God, who bears the weight of the world’s sins. His suffering is for humanity’s redemption. This is not the end but the beginning of a path to eternal life.” With this, the cosmos awaited the dawn of a new beginning.”
The cross and resurrection were central to God’s divine plan to rescue humanity from the bondage of sin. Through Jesus Christ’s obedient life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, salvation was secured for all humankind. This redemptive act also established a new community, the Church, with direct access to the Most High God. The Church is the body of Christ, with Christ as her head. Through the Church, God displays His immense love, grace, and power to reconcile the fallen to Himself, as witnessed by the entire cosmos (Eph 3:10).
In this profound mystery, the roles of wives and mothers take on deep spiritual significance for we are called to reflect the essence of the Church itself. As the Church submits to Christ, wives and mothers are called to demonstrate submission, nurture, and life-giving qualities that mirror the love, grace, and unity that the Church shares with her Saviour.
In Ephesians 5, Paul describes marriage not merely as a relationship between a man and a woman, but as a profound picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church. As wives, we have the privilege of representing the Church. By choosing to submit to the authority and leadership of our earthly husbands, we mirror the Church's submission to the loving authority of Christ, who is the Head. This perspective transforms submission from something to be feared into a beautiful expression of trust and devotion.
Submission is not about silent, blind obedience with bitter and rebellious spirits. Rather, it involves a heart-attitude of trust and respect. It is at first the posture of the heart, before it becomes an outward action. When Paul speaks of submission “as to the Lord,” he emphasises that it is ultimately an act of faith and obedience to God—not treating our husbands as the ultimate lords but seeing submission as part of our worship to God. It is the fruit of walking in the Spirit rather than a work of the flesh, requiring us to lay down our own opinions and choices while trusting God’s sovereignty, even during times when our husband’s choices seem unwise.
This can be challenging, especially when our husband's choices seem ungodly or when maintaining peace feels obligatory. Yet, we can be encouraged by the perfect example of the Son’s submission in His incarnation. Jesus Christ willingly submitted to the will of the Father, even to the point of death on the cross. His obedience reveals that submission is not a sign of weakness, but a deeply godly act of faith and trust in God's perfect will.
1 Peter 3:6 provides a valuable reminder through Sarah’s example that we can submit willingly, by trusting in God’s sovereignty. As the Church places her hope in Christ, we, as wives, place our hope in God, rather than in our husbands' abilities to lead or in our own acts of obedience. Submission, in this sense, is not about trusting in fallible human leadership, but rather in God's ultimate authority and design. The gospel’s power to change lives and make the gospel attractive to the world, as embodied by the Church, is mirrored by the submission of believing wives married to unbelieving husbands (1 Pet 3:1). By willingly submitting to these unbelieving husbands, wives become instruments of God's grace, softening hardened hearts and leading them toward Christ. Thus, whether single or married, a woman’s quiet and gentle spirit, marked by submission and a willingness to respect authority rather than challenge it, becomes a living testimony to the transforming power of the gospel. In this, the woman of faith reflects Christ's own humility and obedience as declared by the gospel.
His obedience reveals that submission is not a sign of weakness, but a deeply godly act of faith and trust in God's perfect will.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:7, Paul compares his ministry like the gentleness of a nursing mother. Just as a young mother labours in childbirth and tenderly cares for her child, spiritual children born by the Spirit are to be cared for by the Church with the gentleness and tenderness of a nursing mother. While the work of salvation is ultimately the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, God uses the means of the Church to accomplish this growth in the lives of believers. The Church does this by providing spiritual nourishment with gospel truths and the unadulterated milk of the Word, through the faithful preaching and teaching of the Word by pastors.
A mother’s heart reflects this, being marked by compassion, gentleness, and intimate tenderness towards her children. Seen in the light of the gospel, the sleepless nights and heartache caused by our children’s struggles are worth it because motherhood imitates the ministry of the Church. We, as mothers, fulfil the Great Commission by modelling the gospel’s call to repentance and faith in the discipling of our children for them to know and love the Saviour. A mother’s heart of care and protection for her child, praying and encouraging them as they grow from toddlers to adults, thus, is a picture of the Church’s ministry towards her members.
A mother’s love never stops, and her persistence in love is seen in her battles of prayer, as she uses every opportunity to show love and encouragement to help her children grow into maturity. Similarly, members of the Church are called to exhibit this kind of compassion, bearing one another’s burdens, offering prayers, encouragement, and Christ-like love in order to nurture the church to maturity. Such a ministry does not exclude the older unmarried sisters for they, like mothers, are to pass on life-giving truth to the younger generation and pointing the world to the true Life-Giver, as described in Titus 2.
Motherhood, in many ways, is a picture of the Church. Throughout church history, when thinkers, teachers, and saints looked for a symbol of the church—something that told us of that which was essential, life-giving, glorious, nourishing, vital, and indispensable—they looked to moms and motherhood.2 Motherhood encompasses more than just the physical act of giving birth. It involves a combination of physical presence, emotional depth, and mental commitment to nurture and guide children into adulthood.
In our identities as wives, mothers, and spiritual nurturers, we reflect not only the image of God but also the profound love and grace of Christ and His Church. To be true imitators, we need to be genuine disciples of our Saviour, with our hearts soaked in gospel truths. Let us stay steadfast in our faith, trusting that God, who has called us, is faithful to complete His work in us and through us.
- Interestingly, God chooses to identify himself as our helper (Ps 46:1; Is 49:8; Jo 14:16). So ‘helper’ is not a demeaning role. It adds value to the role.
- https://www.christianitytoday.com/2015/05/church-is-your-mom/#:~:text=A%20French%20hymn%20proclaims%2C%20%E2%80%9CNow,looked%20to%20moms%20and%20motherhood.
