mp3s by Bruce Ware

I just listened to this talk in Bruce Ware's Systematic Theology course online.

At the 43-51 minute mark he states the following:

Men and women are equal in essence but have different and complementary roles.

These 6 things were true in the Garden of Eden before sin and show God's design for male headship
1) Adam was created first (1 Cor 2:13, 1 Cor 11:8)
2) Woman was made for the man's sake (Gen 2 "helper", 1 Cor 11:8-9)
3) Man named the woman (before sin) and Adam named Eve (after sin)
4) Eve was taken from/out of Adam (1 Cor 11:9). She is the "image of God" by being the "image of man"
5) Adam was given primary responsibility in the Garden
6) Satan tempted the woman to usurp male headship. Eve sinned first but God comes to Adam first. Rom 5 and 1 Cor 15 say it was "Adam's sin" even though it was Eve who sinned first.

At the 54 minute mark he answers a great question which I've pondered before but never really thought through myself.

Q) Why did God use masculine language in Scripture? (There are some female metaphors to describe God, but no feminine descriptive terms. The Biblical words are "King", "Father", "Lord" not "Queen", "Mother" etc)
A) God created male and female in such a way He invested males with headship and authority. So God depicts Himself in the role of male (even though He is not male) because He is the chief authority over us. God is not male, but He deliberately cast Himself as male.