An Image Bearer
Book Club: Feminine by Design-Pillar 1
Hello sweet sisters,
There is something so beautiful and encouraging about this chapter — it really is the perfect place to start when laying the foundation for Biblical womanhood.
A woman carries profound dignity because she was created by God and made in His image. Because of this, the Lord commands men to treat women with great care — protecting them even to the death. I love how Scott Brown contrasts this with the ways pagan cultures have viewed women:
The atheist believes that a woman is simply a random collection of atoms and you can do whatever you want with her— divorce her, abuse her, abandon her. It doesn’t matter, for she is only a random, meaningless collection of atoms.
The Hindu believes that women are a liability and their doctrine of womanhood gives men freedom to despise and even kill them….
In Islam, women are viewed as property, to be used for pleasure and exploited for procreation….
In non-Christian philosophies and religions of the world, women are devalued. But in striking contrast, Christianity places women in high honor.
This is such an important point for us to remember, especially as the world so often accuses Christians of these very things — saying that Christian women are abused or oppressed. While there certainly are men who claim the name of Christ and yet act in abusive or oppressive ways, this is not the biblical standard. It is not how a true Christian man is called to treat women.
Far from endorsing oppression, Scripture repeatedly calls men to love, honor, protect, and gently care for the women entrusted to them. We see this in passages such as:
1. Loving Sacrificially — Like Christ
Ephesians 5:25, 28–29 (NKJV)
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her…
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.”
Shows sacrificial, nurturing, protective love — not harshness.
2. Living with Understanding & Honor
1 Peter 3:7 (NKJV)
“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Calls men to gentleness, attentiveness, and honor — with spiritual accountability attached.
3. No Harshness or Bitterness
Colossians 3:19 (NKJV)
“Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”
Short but weighty — forbidding harsh or cutting treatment.
4. Providing & Caring for the Household
1 Timothy 5:8 (NKJV)
“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Provision is framed as a moral and spiritual duty.
5. A Model of Protective Leadership
Ephesians 5:23 (NKJV)
“For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”
Headship is tied to Christ’s saving, protective care — not domination.
6. Honoring Women as Co-Heirs
(You could repeat or emphasize from Peter)
1 Peter 3:7 (phrase)
“…as being heirs together of the grace of life…”
Affirms spiritual equality and shared inheritance in Christ.
7. Guarding Purity & Dignity
1 Thessalonians 4:3–4 (NKJV)
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”
Calls men to self-control and honorable conduct toward women.
8. A Father’s Compassion & Tender Care
Psalm 103:13 (NKJV)
“As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.”
This verse reveals the tender, compassionate posture God designed for fatherhood — marked by gentleness, mercy, and protective care toward their children, including their daughters.
9. Fathers Are Not to Exasperate Their Children
Ephesians 6:4 (NKJV)
“And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
Fathers are called to lead with patience, gentleness, and intentional discipleship — not in a way that crushes the spirit of their children, but that nurtures and shepherds their hearts, including the hearts of their daughters.
10. A Father’s Blessing & Affirmation
Proverbs 3:11–12 (NKJV)
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”
While discipline is in view here, the heart behind it is love and delight. A godly father’s correction is never harsh or careless, but flows from deep affection, investment, and a desire to see his children — including his daughters — walk in wisdom and blessing.
Now you may be thinking, I thought this was supposed to be about Biblical womanhood — this is talking about what men are supposed to do. But this really is the place we must begin, because it reminds us that we are safe to walk in the roles God has called us to. He has not only given women instruction — He has also called the men in our lives to love, honor, and care for us. And when we see that full picture, things like submission become far less frightening.
And before we move any further into roles or responsibilities, we must anchor our hearts here:
God values women.
He created us in His image.
We are not an afterthought. We are not secondary in worth. We bear the very imprint of our Creator.
We have attributes that are divinely endowed — reflections of His own character.
We have an immortal spirit, crafted by God, gifted with qualities that mirror something of Him.
And we have the astonishing privilege of knowing God — and being known by Him.
This is no small thing.
This is the foundation beneath everything else.
Before we ever speak of submission, homemaking, motherhood, or any outward calling, we must remember who we are before the Lord.
Our dignity does not come from culture.
It does not come from comparison.
It does not even come from our roles.
It comes from God Himself.
A Few Journal Prompts & Discussion Questions
(Please comment below on one or a few, and choose a few to write about in your journal)
1. Imago Dei — Personal Worth
Do you truly believe that you were created in the image of God? How might your daily life look different if you lived from that place of dignity rather than striving to earn it?
2. Cultural Messages vs. God’s Design
What messages have you absorbed from culture about the value or role of women? In what ways do those messages conflict with what you see in Scripture?
3. Safety Within God’s Order
How does seeing God’s commands to men (to love, honor, and protect women) change the way you view Biblical roles like submission or headship?
4. Identity Before Roles
Have you ever felt that your worth was tied primarily to your performance — as a wife, mother, homemaker, or woman? What does it mean to you that your dignity is rooted first in being God’s image-bearer?
5. Known by God
How does it impact your heart to consider that you are not only able to know God — but that you are fully known by Him? Does that bring comfort, conviction, or both?
Thank you for being here.
As we move into the chapters ahead, my prayer is that this book club would not simply inform us — but transform us.
That it would deepen our convictions, steady our hearts, and give us renewed vision for the beauty and purpose God has woven into our calling as women.
I’m so grateful we’re walking through this together, sisters.
Abiding in Christ,
Stacey