Because we live our live as broken people in a broken world, we often lose sight of the fact that the masculinity and femininity with which we are acquainted are the fallen versions of better originals.
The original version of masculinity was one which sought to order, to bring order, to the world, but not in the sense of commanding, but rather in the sense of organizing and creating.
By contrast, the fallen version of masculinity seeks to dominate – it is ‘creation-oriented’ – i.e., oriented toward the creation rather than the Creator. Paradoxically, this fallen masculinity is also tempted to passivity. One of the cardinal sins of fallen masculinity is passivity.
The original version of femininity was responsive: the virtue of responsiveness is understood in contrast to reactiveness. The original femininity was sensitive in the sense of perceptive and respectful.
The fallen version of femininity is compulsively dependent. It is ‘creature-oriented’ rather than ‘Creator-oriented.’
We find ourselves, then, in a fallen world with the fallen versions of the two genders. What can we do about? The quick answer is: nothing.
The better question is: what can God do about it?
Jesus is about the business of restoration. That includes helping us out of the mire of our fallen natures, and helping us glimpse, in this life, that original perfect nature with which we were created. We will fully embrace that creation perfection in the next life.
But even in this present world, before we enter eternity, Jesus brings us bits of His shalom – His healing, wholeness, and wellness.
He will implant in us, and help us to manifest, occasional glimpses of those better versions of masculinity and femininity. He will start gradually to correct in us the inborn flaws of the fallen versions of the two genders.
Jesus will grow in us a desire to “seek first” God’s rule in our lives.
As we begin to manifest the original better version of the genders, our relationships will change. We find that we are married in order to love – instead of love leading to marriage, marriage leads to an ever-deeper and growing love.
This also provides an insight into the practice of arranged marriages which occurred during some segments of history recorded in Scripture.
