Chapter 1, The Ultimate Meaning of True Womanhood, by John Piper

Beginning this chapter, John Piper writes: "My aim in this message is to clarify from God's Word the ultimate meaning of true womanhood, and to motivate you, by God's grace, to embrace it as your highest calling." He then states his main assumption: wimpy theology makes wimpy women. Who are non-wimpy women? They are women who are willing to stand for Christ in the midst of adversity, women who praise the Lord in the midst of tragedy, women who have experienced tremendous physical challenges in their lives and yet have remained faithful to their Lord. These women know a great God and have "the granite foundation of God's sovereignty and the solid steel structure of a great God-centered purpose for all things." He then asserts that to know God's ultimate meaning of true womanhood, we must first know His ultimate purpose for the universe. And what is that? According to Piper, it is to display the glory of Christ in its highest expression--that is, in His dying to make a rebellious people His everlasting and supremely happy bride. So how does the ultimate meaning of true womanhood fit in with this? He shows that womanhood and manhood belong at the very center of God's ultimate purpose-- they were not an afterthought in His plan. Rather, God designed them precisely for the purpose of displaying the glory of His Son. Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 in Ephesians 5:31: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Paul then adds: "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church." So, from the beginning, manhood and womanhood were designed to display the glory of Christ in His relationship to the church, His bride. That's quite mind-boggling, don't you think??!! As a result, Piper concludes that the ultimate meaning of true womanhood is a distinctive calling of God to display the glory of His Son in ways that would not be displayed if there were no womanhood. Wow! This means that true womanhood is indispensable in God's purpose to display the fullness of the glory of His Son. And this is true, Piper asserts, whether we are single or married. For the married, looking to Ephesians 5:22-24, he points out that marriage is meant to display the covenant-keeping love between Christ and His church. This is seen in headship and submission. Headship is defined as the following: "the divine calling of a husband to take primary responsibility for Christ-like, servant leadership, protection, and provision in the home." Submission is: "the divine calling of a wife to honor and affirm her husband's leadership and help carry it through according to her gifts." Marriage is meant to display, though in a mirror dimly, something of the glory of the sacrificial love of Christ for His bride, and the lavish reverence and admiration of the bride for her husband. This is a calling of infinite significance. And for singles, there are some truths about Christ and His kingdom that can shine even more clearly through their singleness. For example, a single woman can spend herself for the gospel and Christ be mightily glorified in her life; she can give herself to creating God's family in the church; she can be a great witness, showing that Jesus is a better husband than any man, who, in the end, will be the only husband in the universe. He concludes with this challenge: don't settle for a wimpy theology. "God is too great. Christ is too glorious. True womanhood is too strategic. Don't waste it. Your womanhood--your true womanhood--was made for the glory of Jesus Christ." This is so counter cultural and yet so life-giving and freeing as we realize how we have been designed specifically by God as women to bring Him glory. May the Lord increase our vision of His purposes and may we, by His grace, fulfill the special role He has designed for us as true women of God.