66. Do you Want more Confidence and Clarity in Christ? A Deep Dive into God's Heart for Women

Welcome back! Today, we dive into an essential topic—how understanding the Bible, especially regarding women, can transform our confidence in Christ.

I’m revisiting two powerful interviews with Gordon Ferguson, author of The Bible and Women, and Jeanie Shaw, author of The View from Paul’s Window. Gordon and Jeanie offer insights on interpreting Scripture accurately to understand God’s heart for us.

Key Takeaways:
• The Imago Dei: Gordon Ferguson talks about how we are made in God’s image and the responsibility we have to represent Him accurately. In all that I do, am I representing God well? Gordon also highlights that men and women together reflect God’s image more fully than we do individually. How we relate to each other matters, as shown by the New Testament’s repeated call to “love one another.”
• Biblical Interpretation: Jeanie Shaw sheds light on interpreting Paul’s teachings about women. Misunderstandings arise from cultural biases or a lack of context, but when we apply principles like exegesis and hermeneutics, we gain clarity about God’s heart for us. To learn more about these tools for Bible interpretation, check out Episode 42.
• The Bible as a Whole: The Bible points to God’s love and redemption. Paul’s writings reflect this, and if our interpretations don’t align with that, we’re missing the point. We must always read Scripture through the lens of Christ—His teachings and His example—to gain a clearer picture of God’s will for our lives.
• Living Boldly in Christ: As we approach Christmas, we’re reminded that Jesus, the perfect representation of God, shows us how to live with humility and boldness. Boldness doesn’t mean superiority—it means stepping into our identity as servants of God.

Practical Steps:
1. Seek to understand God’s will through Scripture.
2. Serve others with humility, even in small ways, like helping a neighbor or offering a kind word.
3. Let go of misunderstandings, fear, and self-doubt, knowing you are fully loved and equipped by God.

Listen to these related episodes:
- Episode 26: The Full Interview with Gordon Ferguson
- Episode 42: Interpreting the Bible correctly - Introduction to Exegesis & Hermeneutics
- Episode 45: The Full Interview with Jeanie Shaw


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Transcript

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Welcome back to curious for Christ. I'm so glad you're here. As we dive into an essential topic, how understanding the Bible correctly, especially regarding women transforms our confidence and clarity in Christ. So today. I'll be visit two impactful interviews with Gordon Ferguson. We'll be discussing his book, the Bible and women and Jeannie shell author of the view from Paul's window Paul's teachings on women. I recommend these two reads. They are incredible, and both of these incredible teachers have helped me. And many others better understand God's word. If you've heard these episodes before I encourage you to listen again with fresh ears. And if you haven't make sure to go back later and catch the full episodes. The one with Gordon Ferguson in episode 26 and genie shell. In episode 45. So why we visit these topics now? Well, you love them. They are one of the most listened to episodes. And I understand because. This topic is foundational. Understanding the Bible correctly means understanding God accurately. If we don't understand God correctly, it affects our ability to have a deep growing relationship with him. Just like with any relationship actually misunderstanding someone. Prevents trusts confidence and genuine connection from developing. So it's essential to study his word accurately. And when we do, we can let our guard down. We can invite him to do greater work in our hearts. And walk with confidence knowing he loves us deeply. And perfectly. So let's begin with a clip from Gordon Ferguson. Where he talks about why God created us. And the significance of being made in his image, the, a Margo date Welcome to curious for Christ. Do you ever find yourself lying awake at night? Wondering about God's plan for your life. Maybe you wake up with big dreams, but feel unsure where to start or what your next step should be. If you're curious about exploring your faith and finding purpose, then you've come to the right place. Hi, I'm Monica, Sandra. I too felt lost unsure of the direction my life was taking. I yearned to understand my purpose and have someone guide me. But I kept telling myself I was too busy, the timing wasn't right. And my lack of clarity prevented me from being consistent until I found Christ. He brought peace into my life and we field the way to find purpose by anchoring myself. In him. In this podcast, we'll journey together, exploring the Bible to gain a deeper understanding of him. and cultivate your own personal relationship with Christ. So open up your Bible, put in those ear buds and listen up because God is speaking to you. He is making everything new and you don't want to miss it. Let's get started. Before we dive into today's episode. I want to share something. Life can pull us in so many directions, leaving us feeling stuck, distracted, or unsure of how to move forward. But spiritual growth doesn't happen by accident. It takes intentionality step-by-step guidance. And a heart willing to realign with God's purpose. Which is you. That's why you're here. And that's why I created spiritual growth coaching. To help you slow down. Focus on what matters and find a peace and clarity. That come from walking closely with God together. We'll tackle life's challenges, faced the pain points that weigh on your heart and equip you with the confidence to walk boldly in face. If you're ready to take that next step. Visit T dot L Y Ford slash curious for Christ discovery. And let's talk. I'd love to walk this journey with you. B I T dot L Y slash curious for Christ discovery. Now back to Gordon Ferguson. We're made in the image of God because He wanted a relationship with us. And so being made in His image means that we're intelligent beings who have the power of choice. And God wanted us to choose to love him and to have a personal relationship with him. And so that is our very construction. If that be true, then we are to be his image bearers once we know him, because if we reflect him to other people, then they will be drawn to him as well. And so once I have a relationship with God, then I need to demonstrate it. His nature as best I can to everyone else. But as you look at that, Adam was incomplete in that, which I'll explain a little more, but Adam was incomplete and fully. At least as fully as a human can fully representing the image of God, he needed someone else and a part of that was the battle you spoke of, but it's broader than that. Because as you look at God's creation of humans, the broader the spectrum gets, the more attractive actually, we can become, for example he's created And then you have Adam and Eve, who have a better image bearing possibility. I know my wife, and I have been married for 59 years. And so I work that into every conversation I can and people are shocked. You've been married 59 years and the common question is how in the world did you do that? And so I get God into the conversation by saying that when we first got married, I was running from God, but he was faster than I was and he caught up with me. And so once my wife and I got together on the God thing, it changed everything. Okay. And so I get a chance to witness that way. And the very fact that the two of us demonstrate something that's unusual being married that long and still being madly in love to demonstrate that carries the image of God to a further extreme, it seems to me. Gordon reminds us that being made in God's image comes with the responsibility to represent him accurately. This is a question I've been reflecting on often this year. In all that I do. am I representing God? Well, Another powerful point. Gordon Minx is that men and women together, we flag God's image more completely than we do individually. That means how we relate to one another is vital. Did you know the phrase one another comes from Greek Allen and appears about a hundred times in the new Testament alone. It teaches us how to live in mutual love, respect and unity. And here are just a few examples, John 13 verse 34, love one another Romans 12 verse 10, be devoted to one another in love. Honor. One another above yourselves, Colossians three verse 14, love one another. Again, there are many. Love one another in the Bible. James five verse 16, confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. At the heart of these commands is love. Our call to reflect God's character in how we treat one another. Now. Let's move to our second interview expert, genie shell. Sheds light on interpreting past teachings about women and the dangers of misunderstanding God's intentions. when we're teaching on the role of women, much of the information we, we use oftentimes is from the letters. And I think it's the letters in the Bible letters from Paul particular. Right. And I think it's important to remember those letters were written for us, but they weren't written to us. And we need to understand what was going on. What was Paul addressing in those times? those are just, maybe a little, um, a little trail around exegesis hermeneutics is deciding which principles we're going to use in order to interpret a text. And I wrote a book since the view from Paul's window, and it's called re, examining our lenses. And in that, it honestly should be a prequel to, to the book, the view from Paul's lenses, because understanding how we interpret something is really important. And that's where hermeneutics comes in, what principles are we going to use? I was raised and many in our churches were raised with, uh, what I call the pattern hermeneutic. And that's where we look at the Bible to say, okay, what is the Bible command? What are the commands? What are the examples that are used? In the Bible, and, you know, this really applies the role of women and then what necessary inferences are we going to take out that really describes kind of the principles behind the pattern hermeneutic and so we'll take things like, well, the Bible says women should keep silent or, you know, uh, not, have any authority over men and we'll take those and apply those see that's what the Bible says. And yet, in that pattern, hermeneutic, we do selective literalism, I believe, because even in those same passages, it's already assumed that women are speaking, um, in the assembly because there's examples of that and what they're, they're doing. And also, there's examples of, okay, uh, greet each other with a holy kiss. Or, uh, different things that are in those same passages about speaking in tongues and examples on that. And we pick certain ones, oftentimes, that we want to apply for today while excusing the others as, oh, those are cultural. And so we've got to look at the big picture, the whole thing. And uh, you know, then I looked at another hermeneutic, a theological hermeneutic, that's more, what is. What is the story of God here? And how do we fit into that story? What's the biblical narrative? And, uh, then look at another hermeneutic that's possible to use. And I think it's good to even take the best things from these. And that one is called a redemptive or trajectory, hermeneutic. That's, um, God is, um, Leading through culture ways to, really fulfill his will. Now, there's dangers in all of these, uh, in the, the pattern hermeneutic, we can be very legalistic, and take one thing and leave out another, and the theological. hermeneutic, a narrative, we can kind of decide what we want it to say. And the redemptive and trajectory, we can just let culture be the ruling factor. But take for instance, slavery, the Bible does address the same time that Paul's talking about the role of women, he addresses how masters are to treat their slaves. And for years, people use those scriptures to say that slavery was biblical. And I believe Paul was really cutting through the culture of his time of what was happening and showing a different way. I believe he was even, suggesting that. Slaves be freed, to some of those he was writing to, but at the same time to treat each other with respect. And, you know, it was a very, very different way of viewing things. And then there's other hermeneutics we can use. I also explored the spirit lens of, uh, really what is the spirit of God trying to teach us? Because. Oftentimes, we do fail to really look at. The spirit does continue to work in our lives as we read the Bible. So those are just some, some thoughts on hermeneutics. Yes. Thank you so much. You mentioned, this distinction we should make between cultural and trans cultural principles. You just mentioned that. So how do we make out the difference between what is cultural, meaning temporary. Of the time and something for us for all time. If you can elaborate a little bit on how we can make the distinction between the 2 and not just pick and choose, yeah, that's a great question. And 1 that has to be really carefully. navigated. Um, I think when I look at the role of women, um, the one thing that I think is important is to go back to creation, before, before sin came into the world. And there was a partnership of, of men and women. It was really after sin came into the world that There was more of a, a ruling over and a, control that that happened. I mean, we saw it with, Cain and Abel very quickly after and, and just even throughout the Bible, the desire for kings and things that weren't really God's will, but. Were allowed and when I go back and look at the how God created women, there wasn't, an ordering, of value and, and even there was a working together to take care of the land to, uh, there were, there was a partnership. Right. And I think, again, as. Control and his patriarchy became more of the culture of the day, we begin missing the mark and, control and less than, and I can get into this later, but again, begin taking over, you know, again, I think looking at. All the principles of what God teaches in the scriptures. For instance, slavery. I mentioned that that is 1 that was certainly practice culturally for a long time. And it's goes back to. A person valuing, thinking that they have the right to control or possess and are inherently better than another person. And God has made it clear throughout the scriptures. You know, as much as he talks about, valuing each other and no favoritism and the value of each person that was created, that this is not his intent. Such great insights. Genie reminds us here that Paul's teachings are often misunderstood due to. Cultural biases or a lack of proper context when we apply principles like X or Jesus and hermeneutics. Um, which is studying the Bible carefully and its historical and cultural context. We gain clarity about God's heart for us. And for more on exit Jesus and hermeneutics. Listen to episode 42, where I explain these important terms for interpreting the Bible. One key take away from genie's insights. Is this. The Bible is a whole point to God's love and redemption. Paul's intent. Was the same was to reflect and point to God. If our understanding does not reflect this, or if we like the same understanding, then we have not interpreted the Bible accurately. When we read scripture through the lens of Christ, his teachings and his example. We get a clear picture of God's will for our lives and relationships. This is especially meaningful during this Christmas season. Jesus, the perfect representation of God. Shows us how to live with humility and boldness as Philippians two verses five through 11 says he made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of our servant. So as we end this year and begin to plan for the next, I encourage you to be bold for Christ and serve like Jesus did. Boldness doesn't mean superiority. It means stepping into your identity as a servant of God. So here are some practical steps to live this out. Number one. Seek to understand God's will through scripture. What is God's will for me. Number two. Serve others with humility, even in small ways, like helping a neighbor or offering a kind word, smiling at somebody. Number three. Let go of misunderstandings fear and self-doubt knowing you are fully loved and equipped. By God. So as we wrap up. This Christmas season, take the time to reflect. What negative thoughts or doubts have been holding you back? Perhaps it's insecurity, fear, or even a sense of unworthiness. Here's the truth. God adores you. He thought you were worth dying for and he did. So let those doubts go. Lay them at the foot of the cross, the cross of the baby, born in a manger who grew up to give his life for you. Then shift your focus outward, serve someone today. Because serving others often brings healing, joy, and clarity. As you do, you'll grow into the bowl. Humble, loving image bearer. God created you to be. So let's remember this Christmas that Jesus's birth is not just a story of humility and sacrifice. It's a call to action, a call to step into the fullness of Christ and live as light in this world. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and I'll see you next time on curious for Christ. Hi, I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you like to take 30 seconds and share it with a friend who may also struggle with knowing God and His purpose for their life. Also, leave a review on applepodcast. com. Podcast, and let me know what topics you'd like to hear about in the future. Your voice matters. I'll meet you back next Friday for another episode.