In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth; everything in them; including the first man and woman, and all were good. In His creation, God in-built man and woman with the desire for what was good, pleasing and beneficial. All things created by God are good by origin, yet they have to be used for good purpose, and should never be used against the command of God. Woman fulfilled her desire but against the command of God, ate the forbidden fruit of knowing good and evil, leading to punishment by God:
Increased pangs in childbearing.
Their desire is for her husband, her husband rule over her.
This punishment continues with mankind in every women descendant, same for all races and nationality, throughout history, with exception only for particular reasons.
God created woman with good purpose. Other than being helper to man, woman was to take up the ordained duty to multiply and to continue mankind with descendants. However, woman committed wrong when fulfilling her desire and was punished, with increased pangs in childbearing (which the author believe to include the whole reproduction system, menstrual period, etc, of woman), an un-avoidable life-experience for every real woman. But this painful and inconvenient experience is only for the first half-life. After menopause, the sentence finish and women are physically and psychologically freed to start their prime time of life.
Another punishment woman received, was her desire being restricted. Since woman could not well-control desire by herself, God put her desire under control by putting woman under the rule of her husband. Husband is to be head of wife, wife is to obey husband. Such arrangement by God is not for creating a male-dominating system in the relationship between married man and woman, but for helping woman to control desire, and not to do wrong.
Owing to the wrong doing of the first woman, all women descendant inherit a wrong-doing life and punishment, nothing can be changed. However, women can live better in these un-changeable punished lives. The author believe, if women can well control their desire themselves, the rule and control from husbands will reduce, and love from husbands increase instead, God so arranges. Further, with lives obedient to the words and commands of God, God provide women with husbands who love them, pleasing to their hearts and even pleasing to God's heart.
However, if women continue making mistakes because of desire, God may allow existing husbands become bad, and women suffer more in being desirous of bad husbands. Even good husbands may be lost, and women are to experience emptiness in desire or being abandoned. Worse is, women have to put their desire in other men not being their husbands, violate biblical truth further. These other men, not being their husbands, if they are bad guy, will add further sufferings.
Men and women have to be punished if they commit wrongs, this is the rule of the laws of God, what God has ordained is not changeable. God gave His laws for man to know sin and wrongs; to stay away from them; and not to commit. But every human-being fails, all are sinful, fall short of the glory of God. We need GRACE.
Sermon & Encouragement 20130203
Preacher: Elder Peter Tong Topic: Punished Life-man
Scripture: Genesis 3 verses16-19
Scripture in brief:
In toil man shall eat of the ground all the days of his life.
Scripture teaching:
Woman was punished by God for deed against the command of God. Man was punished by God for the same wrong, but owing to listening to woman:
In toil man shall eat of the ground all the days of his life.
Witnessed by history, throughout time and space, all races and nations, except for particular reasons and cases, men are the usually the ones working outdoor, and women indoor. Working outdoor means that, whether farming or hunting; under employment or self-employed, men are the ones to labour and work hard, in order to be fed and survive themselves, the wives and children; to maintain families.
According to biblical truth, man was punished not because of listening to woman. The root cause was: bleaching the command of God, doing what should not be done. God created man, assigned him with the job of looking after all things on earth, and created him a helper mate. Being helper, it was the duty of creation for woman to point out; advise; voice out and give ideas to man. There was nothing wrong for man to listen if the words of woman, especially his wife, were correct. Let alone, it was a practice or characteristic in-built by God in His creation. The problem being that man was not careful enough, lacking judgement on the words of woman, which was against the command of God, and wrongly acted accordingly, or knowingly acted wrongly.
God created man. inbuilt him with the characteristic of listening to the words of woman, with good intension. God created man knowing that it was not good for man to be alone. What is wrong with men being alone? Witnessed by history, everybody should know, no need to elaborate. God created woman to be mate and wife of man, so man needed not to be alone, two became on flesh, give birth and multiply, carry the same yoke; and further made man to listen to woman, was good plan of God. Satan was not happy, determined to cause trouble, exploited the desire of woman, cheated her to act against the command of God and acted wrongly, man also acted wrongly because of listening. Man and woman were thou punished, leading to all descendants of human punished. Further on, all human have to die, and there will be judgement after death.
All human have the same life experience, no one are exempted because of this sinful nature. The law of God ordained us to punished, and the only exit is believing in Jesus, we live because of His Grace
Sermon & Encouragement 20130210
Preacher: Elder Peter Tong
Topic: Punishment overcame by the Grace of Jesus
Scripture: Roman 3:19-24
Scripture in brief:
The law of God speaks to the whole world, that everyone is held accountable to punishment of God because of sin.
But now everyone can be justified by God's grace as a gift, through redemption in Christ Jesus.