(A)Typical Woman by Abigail Dodds encourages women to embrace their womanhood as God designed. Womanhood is holistic, has purpose, and is needed by the world.

God intentionally designed women and equipped them to transform the world when they follow His plan.

Is femininity a trait to loathe or to love? The world says both as it rebels against traditional femininity while simultaneously idolizing it. Both options make the mistake of compartmentalizing womanhood to certain characteristics and areas of life, such as physical appearance or the role of a wife. Things beyond those compartments are viewed as extra to the essence of woman. The result is a constant struggle for women to be feminine in those womanly compartments while also trying to transcend their femininity.

The Bible provides relief for the woman who is weary of society’s burdens. Womanhood impacts the whole of existence and cannot be separated from a job or task. Additionally, God designed women to reflect some of His own traits. The Bible does not bar women from most roles in life, but it does teach that femininity is an all-encompassing blessing. Because God made both males and females for His own purpose, we know that humanity is only completed by biblical femininity.

In this book summary, you will learn:

  • how women were intentionally designed to create both physical and spiritual life;
  • that every task a woman does is for this purpose; and
  • that God gives women the power to do this.

Because God created women, His Word is the authority for what it means to be a woman.

What does it mean to be a “Christian” and a “woman”? God Himself brought into existence these two words. For this reason, His definitions are important for our own understanding of who we are and what we should be doing. Women need to know what God defines as womanhood if they are going to reflect His characteristics to the world.

The world has diluted and attempted to erase the definitions of both words. Shallow sermons and ineffectual Bible study may make the listener feel good about themselves, but they do not create strong Christians who wrestle with their convictions. Meanwhile, modern feminism and transgenderism compartmentalize womanhood to certain roles or appearances.

The struggle between the biblical and worldly views of womanhood has existed since the world’s fall into sin. All are sinners in need of compassion and of the gospel message as they war with their own identity as beings created for God’s own purpose. Without a relationship with Jesus Christ, no person can have peace in their own skin. For this reason, the starting point of a biblical understanding of womanhood begins at salvation.

However, salvation is an entirely new creation of self rather than a way to understand your former self and experiences. Salvation means joining God’s story as a chapter rather than God becoming a chapter in your personal life story. It means that the entire Bible becomes relevant to your new identity.

Just like Christianity is an all-encompassing part of a believer’s identity, so God intended for femininity to be holistic. Womanhood is not compartmentalized to specific roles, and it cannot be turned on and off by outfits. It’s an active part of everything a woman does in life.

Although Christ gives us new identities, becoming Christlike is a process that we go through for the rest of our lives. Dwelling on your sinful tendencies often leads to discontent and self-loathing. For this reason, a woman needs to keep her focus on Christ. Because she is connected to Him, every task she undertakes is done in Him.

Because God created both males and females, women should know they have a valuable contribution to humanity.

A woman might desire to be identified as more than her sex, as if being a woman is simply one aspect of who she is as a human being. However, God intentionally created both males and females. He then assigned His characteristics to humanity. Each sex received some unique characteristics to reflect, while other traits were shared between the two gender roles.

Humanity is only complete when males and females act with those unique traits. Meanwhile, the creation account expresses the value of a woman. Humanistic ideas, by contrast, make women feel lesser than men. Biblical womanhood means females are valuable and essential because of their core femininity.

A woman is a human who expresses certain characteristics of God. She is a woman by God’s design. This means that the word “woman,” not “human,” is the core description of who she is. She is talented and capable in many of the same areas as men. She does these things as a woman, however, with her own special touch.

The personhood of a woman should be confidently preserved through everything she does. Biblically, men and women share many callings. There are specific ones assigned to females, such as helping, being a wife or mother, and teaching others.

When women fully accept their created identity in Christ, He provides wonderful attributes like gentleness, love, and obedience to His will. The faith that drives a Christian woman, trusting that Jesus will guide and convict as needed, becomes the definition of a biblical woman.

God is glorified by His diverse creations when they unite to praise Him. He desires women to come to Him and serve Him. For this reason, He gave women the entire Bible so they could know Him. Women cannot toss out the parts that they dislike that were written directly to females, such as Titus 2:11-15. And they cannot ignore the majority of it just because God did not limit His audience to women.

Instead, women must study all the Bible to understand their identity as a child of God. As a human, women should glorify God. This requires knowing who He is and what He has done…

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