2- Since Jesus paid a ransom for our past, present and future sins, does it mean this punishment in Genesis 3:16 is no longer applicable?
Now we all know that Jesus paid with his life so that we don’t. We all know that Jesus died on the cross so that we don’t have to die. What was Jesus paying for, Jesus was paying for the sins that we had committed and continue to commit. Why, because the wages of sin is death and because God is just, someone had to pay for our sins if we are not going to be the ones to do it. By his mercy, God decided to send his son to die in our place and as a results our sins were forgiven and those that believe, by God’s grace and through their faith in Jesus, were reconciled once more with God, justified and adopted as sons.
Jesus was able to do this because we had not yet paid for our sins. If we had already paid for our sins, there would not have been any point for Jesus to die. If we were already punished for our sins then, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on our behalf. What would Jesus or God for that matter be trying to achieve if Jesus came to die for us after we had already being punished for our sins. It would not make sense then isn’t?
It is for this reason why it cannot make sense for Jesus to die for a sin or sins whose punishment has already been instituted. Adam and Eve committed a sin of disobedience in the garden and God punished them for that sin. God is just and will not punish Adam and Eve for the same sin twice. To the woman God said that the woman will desire to control her husband but the husband, will rule over her or will have authority over her. God also said that he will multiply the pain of childbearing. This punishment was instituted. This punishment has already been implemented. We see today how women are indeed still trying to control their husbands and how the husbands are ruling or having authority over them. We also see how painful it is for a woman to deliver a child.
When Jesus died on the cross, did he also pay for the sin that Eve committed in the garden? The answer is clearly no, since Jesus came to die for sins whose punishment had not yet being implemented as discussed above. If Jesus died also for the sin that Eve committed, women should no longer be experiencing pain but they do. So clearly, Jesus did not die for the sins that Eve and Adam committed in the garden.
One can also argue that Jesus did die for the sins that Adam and Eve committed as well but since the punishment had already being implemented, the punishment was not removed. Only the sin was removed. My argument would be that our sins that Jesus died for, we can never be punished for them. This is a fact. Now, why would Jesus die for the sin of Adam and Eve but leave the punishment out. Why would Jesus pay for that sin and yet Eve is still being punished today? It does not make sense at all. If Jesus did die for that sin, then women should no longer be having birth pains. It only makes sense in my view to say that Jesus did not die for sin that Adam and Eve committed in the garden because the punishment was already implemented. Jesus only died for sins whose punishment was still pending.
Now in Summary.
We have seen that a woman was created equal but opposite to a man. We have also seen that it was by God’s own sovereign decree as punishment to Eve that he decided that the woman will desire to control his husband but the husband will have authority over her. We have also seen that this authority extends to the church. We have also seen that this authority does not extend outside God’s created institutions. We have also just seen that Jesus death on the cross, did not cover the sin committed by Adam and Eve, since the punishment for those sins was already implemented. Jesus only died for the sins whose punishment was still pending.
Therefore was a woman created subordinate to the man? No
Does the man have authority over a woman? Yes, by God’s decree.
Does this authority apply in marriage? Yes
Does this authority apply in church? Yes
Does this authority apply outside marriage and church? No
Are women happy about this? No, if they were happy, it would not be a punishment!