Jyoti’s joy knew no bounds when she experienced the liberating love of Jesus. Her friends saw a glow on her face, hope in her speech and questioned, ‘what is the reason for your joy, love and hope?’ Many were sceptical that this joy would disappear when Jyoti encounters the pulls of culture that enslave women and reject them as equal to men.
Jyoti’s response has always been in Christ Jesus; both male and female are one. Jesus welcomes and transforms without distinction of gender, ethnicity or economic status. God pours His love into our lives which we need to live by faith. The oppressive dictates of culture and rituals are judged by God’s word and transformed.
While Jyoti was happy, her critics quoted Bible passages that Satan deceived Eve and that she shall be saved by childbearing. (1 Timothy 2:11-15). Men who love to dominate and subjugate women usually quote scripture out of context. However, Jyoti knew her Bible well and had learned to handle criticism by raising counter questions from the scripture joyfully.
Jyoti pointed out that we need to remember that both Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:6). While Satan deceived Eve, Adam sinned deliberately. God intervened and promised that a woman’s seed, Jesus Christ, would become the source of humanity’s salvation (v.15). So, the human race is delivered through the woman as well. God incarnated in Jesus remained sinless to deliver humanity from the enslavement of sin and oppressive cultures.
Paul explains that Eve, as representative of women, will become the source of salvation by giving birth to the Saviour of the world (1 Tim. 2:15). Paul rejects the idea that women bear children for salvation, for salvation is by God’s grace. Jesus sacrificed Himself for the sins of humanity. Jyoti points to her critics while Eve was deceived; Jesus, born of woman, became the Saviour of the whole world. No wonder Jyoti is full of love, faith, hope and joy.
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