Why did God create two genders of human beings? Some might answer “For reproductive purposes”. But reproduction does not require two genders. God created some fish like sharks, starfish and molly’s that can reproduce without a mate.

Many churches teach that God created two genders, one with a masculine nature and the other with a feminine nature, so that only by coming together would they reflect the full nature of God. In other words they teach that God has a nature that is both masculine and feminine.

The true answer to why God created two genders of human beings is found in 1 Corinthians 11:7-9:

“⁷ For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. ⁸ For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. ⁹ Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.”

We serve a masculine God. This is why God’s titles are always masculine. His titles are Father, Son, Prophet and King and not Mother, Daughter, Prophetess and Queen.

God created man, the male human being, to image him and thereby bring him glory. To image him means to live out his masculine attributes.

In Ephesians 5:23-31 the Bible tells how man images many of the masculine attributes of God:

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. ²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; ²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. ²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: ³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.”

Ephesians 5:23-31 teaches us that it is “for this cause”, the cause of imaging God as a husband to his people, that men are to seek marriage with women. It is for the cause of demonstrating God’s masculine attributes of being a leader, a teacher, a provider, protector and savior that men are to marry.

And all of these attributes together reflect the love of God for his people and this is how and why men are to love their wives.

Can a man save a woman from hell? No. Only Christ can do that. But can a man provide a woman with basic safety and economic security? Yes. Can a man save his wife from having a meaningless life and give her purpose and direction? Yes. Can he protect her from making poor decisions by overriding those poor decisions? Yes. And it is in all these ways that men image God in the lives of their wives.

Men also image God as fathers to their children by teaching them, protecting them and providing for them.

But in order for man to image God’s masculine attributes as a husband he needed someone who would need his leadership, provision and protection.

And so God created “the weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7), a being with a weaker and unmasculine version of his image. Woman was created from man and for man to be led by, protected by and provided for by man. She was created to serve, submit to and revere man (Ephesians 5:33) as the people of God are to serve, submit to and revere God.

The Scriptures show us that the modern idea that men and women were created for each other and that only together do they reflect the image of God is the exact opposite of what the Bible actually teaches.

Do the Biblical truths that man was created to image God and that woman was created for man mean that women are less valuable to God? No. This is why men are called to give honor to “the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).

Galatians 3:28 says:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28 teaches us that Christ’s offer of salvation is freely available to all – men, women, Jews and non-jews alike. We are all one in Christ and heirs together of the grace of life through Christ.

God created all of us, both men and women, to bring him honor and glory in this life. But he created us to bring him honor and glory in different ways depending on the vessel, the body, we were born in.

If we were born in a male human body, then God has given us the task of bringing him honor and glory by imaging his masculine attributes as husbands and fathers.

If we were born in a female human body, then God has given us the task of bringing him honor and glory by picturing the church in her dependence on Christ by depending on a man for his leadership, provision and protection and serving him as the church is to serve Christ.