ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What does healthy doctrine look like when it is lived out, and is it the same for everyone? As DeYoung points out, there are some things that are foundational for everyone, but there are some things that vary along gender lines. So what does it mean to be a man, to be a woman, according to the Bible? Or for another way to ask the question, What is our purpose not just as living beings, but beings that are different in mind and body?
Paul here gives us an overview of what the Christian life looks like lived together, as it has always been intended to be. One scholar put it this way: "Everyone has the role of making God real to someone else. Prayer, praise, instruction, fellowship, and the service of the church do not fulfill their purposes if we do not function corporately and in community. There is always the temptation to privatize and individualize our faith experience." (Chapell, 335). In other words, the Christian life is a family you join, not a product you take home. And as a member of that family, there are expectations of you and burdens to bear that are not interchangeable.
