Twelve Extraordinary Women Quotes

“Contrary to popular opinion, the most important characteristic of a godly mother is not her relationship with her children. It is her love for her husband. The love between husband and wife is the real key to a thriving family. A healthy home environment cannot be built exclusively on the parents' love for their children. The properly situated family has marriage at the center; families shouldn't revolve around the children.”
― John MacArthur, Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

“Men and women, though equal in essence, were designed for different roles. Women are in no sense intellectually or spiritually inferior to men, but they were quite clearly created for a distinctive purpose. In the economy of church and family, the Bible says women should be subordinate to the authority of men. Yet scripture also recognizes that in a completely different sense, women are exalted above men--because they are the living and breathing manifestation of the glory of a race made in God's image.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“She was under her husband's headship, yet she was in many ways an even more glorious creature than he, treasured and extolled by him. They were partners and companions, fellow-laborers in the garden.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“The moment he saw her, he loved her. His first words upon meeting her express a profound sense of wonder, genuine delight, and abiding satisfaction: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Clearly, he already felt a deep, personal attachment to Eve. She was a priceless treasure to be cherished , a worthy partner to encourage him, and a pleasing spouse who would love him in return. Instantly, he adored her and embraced her as his own.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“The most significant women in scripture were influential not because of their careers, but because of their character. The message these women collectively give is not about "gender equality"; it's about true feminine excellence. And this is always exemplified in moral and spiritual qualities rather than by social standing, wealth, or physical appearance.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Meanwhile, modern feminists heap scorn on women who want family and household to be their first priorities--disparaging the role of motherhood, the one calling that is most uniquely and exclusively feminine. The whole message of feminist egalitarianism is that there is really nothing extraordinary about women.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Third, the circumstances of Eve's creation illustrate how deep and meaningful the marriage of husband and wife is designed to be. It is not merely a physical union, but a union of heart and soul as well.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Their famous attempt to make clothing of fig leaves perfectly illustrates the utter inadequacy of every human device ever conceived to try to cover shame. Human religion, philanthropy, education, self-betterment, self-esteem, and all other attempts at human goodness ultimately fail to provide adequate camouflage for the disgrace and shame of our fallen state. All the man-made remedies combined are no more effective for removing the dishonor of our sin than our first parents' attempts to conceal their nakedness with fig leaves. That's because masking over shame doesn't really deal with the problem of guilt before God. Worst of all, a full atonement for guilt is far outside the possibility of fallen men and women to provide for themselves.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“In other words, contrary to what many people assume, we don't fall from a state of complete innocence into sin individually, on our own. But Adam, who in effect was acting as an agent and proxy for the entire human race, plunged all of humanity at once into sin. In the words of Romans 5:19, By one man's disobedience many were made sinners".Every one of Adam's progeny was condemned by his actions. And that is why the whole human race is said to be guilty because of what he did, and not because of what Eve did.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Adam's reply reflects his fear, as well as a note of deep sorrow. But there's no confession. Adam seems to have realized that it was pointless to try to plead innocence, but neither did he make a full confession. What he did was try to pass off the blame. He immediately pointed the finger at the one closest to him: Eve.
Also implicit in Adam's words (The Woman whom YOU gave) was an accusation against God. So quickly did sin corrupt Adam's mind that in his blame shifting, he did not shy away from making God Himself an acessary to the crime. This is so typical of sinners seeking to exonerate themselves that the New Testament epistle of James expressly instructs us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed"James 1:13. Adam, however, was subtly trying to put at least some of the blame on God himself.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“But Scripture says that before they even entered Egypt, Abraham discussed with Sarah the dangers this place posed for a man with a beautiful wife. "When the Egyptians see you...they will say, "this is his wife"; and they will kill me, but they will let you live," he told her (Gen.12:12) Abraham's motives were selfish and cowardly, and the scheme reflected a serious weakness in faith. But Sarah's devotion to her husband is nonetheless commendable, and God honored her for it.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Although we don’t have space enough to consider the event thoroughly,”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

“according to the twelve other tribes”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

“this seems to be the natural drift of the human heart. We wrongly imagine that what we do for Christ is more important than what He has done for us.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

“This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” Clearly, he already felt a deep, personal attachment to Eve.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible, and What He Wants to Do with You

“La religión, la filantropía, la educación, la autoestima, el perfeccionamiento, el mejoramiento y todos los demás intentos de la capacidad humana, no son capaces de suministrar el camuflaje para cubrir la desgracia y la vergüenza de nuestra condición de raza caída.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Doce mujeres extraordinarias: Cómo Dios formó a las mujeres de la Biblia y lo qué Él quiere hacer con usted

“¿Se da cuenta que incluso la fe es un regalo de Dios para el creyente? No podemos poner la fe al alcance de nuestros propios corazones o atraerla con solo nuestra fuerza de voluntad. Dios es quien abre nuestros corazones para creer. El arrepentimiento es algo que Él concede por gracia (Hechos 11.18; 2 Timoteo 2.25). Creo”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Doce mujeres extraordinarias: Cómo Dios formó a las mujeres de la Biblia y lo qué Él quiere hacer con usted

“La gracia no empuja a los pecadores contra su voluntad hacia Cristo; los conduce voluntariamente a Él abriendo sus corazones en primer lugar. Los capacita para ver sus pecados como son y los faculta para despreciar lo que anteriormente amaban.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Doce mujeres extraordinarias: Cómo Dios formó a las mujeres de la Biblia y lo qué Él quiere hacer con usted

“Dios no trabaja exclusivamente por medio de milagros. A decir verdad, no son frecuentes cuando Él dispone que medios normales cumplan sus propósitos.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Doce mujeres extraordinarias: Cómo Dios formó a las mujeres de la Biblia y lo qué Él quiere hacer con usted

“Ocultar nuestra vergüenza no soluciona el problema de la culpabilidad a los ojos de Dios. Peor”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Doce mujeres extraordinarias: Cómo Dios formó a las mujeres de la Biblia y lo qué Él quiere hacer con usted

“The scandal motif in Christ's lineage was no accident. In His incarnation, Christ willingly "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant". He became an outcast and a public disgrace, being made a curse on our behalf. He remains even now a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. The gospel message, too, is public scandal--mere foolishness and shame as far as those who perish are concerned. But to those who are saved, it is the power of God.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“The blessing proved to be prophetic. Boaz and Ruth were married , and the Lord soon blessed them with a son. At the birth of this child, the women of Bethlehem gave a blessing to Naomi as well: Bless be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne Him.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Naomi's return caused no small stir. Scripture says, All the city was excited because of them; and the women said, Is this Naomi? Naomi means pleasant, and in an earlier time it must have been a perfect description of Naomi. The fact that so many women remembered her and were so glad to see her suggests that she had once been a gregarious soul, beloved by all who knew her. But now her life was so colored with sadness that she told the other women, Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, meaning bitter, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?

This was not a complaint as much as a heartfelt lament. She knew, as Job did, that ist is the Lord who gives and takes away. She understood the principle of God's sovereignty. In calling herself Mara, she was not suggesting that she had become a bitter person; but, as her words reveal, that Providence had handed her bitter cup to drink. She was the hand of God in her sufferings, but far from complaining, I think she was simply acknowledging her faith in the sovereignty of God, even in the midst of a life of bitter grief. Everything scripture tells us about Naomi indicates that she remained steadfast in the faith throughout her trials. She was not unlike Job---she was a woman of great faith who withstood almost unimaginable testing without ever once wavering in her love for God and her commitment to His will. So hers is actually an impressive expression of faith, without an ounce of resentment in it.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“When the gospel has been eclipsed (whether by repression, false religion secularism, humanistic philosophy, or spiritual decay within the church), the status of women has declined accordingly.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“First, it speaks of Eve's fundamental equality with Adam. The woman was taken out of man. They shared the same essential nature. She was not a different kind of creature; she was of exactly the same essence as Adam. She was in no way an inferior character made merely to serve him, but she was his spiritual counterpart, his intellectual coequal, and in every sense his perfect mate and companion.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“Adam was the representative head and archetype for the whole human race. But remember, although Eve was given a subordinate role, she remained Adam's spiritual and intellectual equal. She was his helper, neither his supervisor nor his slave. By calling her Adam's helper, Scripture stresses the mutuality and the complementary nature of the partnership. Eve was in no way inferior to her husband, but she was to her husband, but she was nonetheless given a role that was subordinate to his leadership.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“In his classic commentary on the Bible, Puritan author Matthew Henry wrote these familiar words, which have been adapted and quoted in many marriage ceremonies: "The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protecteed, and near his heart to be beloved".”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“To acknowledge that there are such fundamental differences between the genders, and that men an women were designed for different roles, many not correspond with modern feminist sensibilities, but this is after all, what God's own Word says. God created men and women differently with a purpose, and His plan for them reflects their differences. Scripture is clear in teaching that wives should be subject to the authority of their husbands in marriage and that women are to be under the authority and instruction of men in the church.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You

“It is impossible to make sense of the doctrine of original sin if we ignore this principle of Adam's headship. Ultimately, it is impossible to make sense of Scripture at all without understanding this vital principle. In an absolutely crucial sense, even the truth of the gospel hinges on this very same idea of representative headship. Scripture says that Adam's headship over the human race is an exact parallel of Christ's headship over the redeemed race. In the same way that Adam brought guilt on us as our representative, Christ took away that guilt for His people by becoming their head and representative. He stood as their proxy before the bar of divine justice and paid the price of their guilt before God. Jesus also did everything Adam failed to do , rendering obedience to God on behalf of His people. Therefore, 'by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous'. In other words, Christ's righteousness counts as ours, because He took His place as the representative Head of all who trust Him. That is the gospel in a nutshell.
Don't get the idea, however, that Eve's sin was excusable because it wasn't as deliberate or far-reaching as Adam's. Eve's sin was exceedingly sinful, and her actions demonstrated that she was a full and willing partner with Adam in his disobedience. Incidentally, in a similiar way, we all demonstrate by our own willful deeds that the doctrine of original sin is perfectly just and reasonable. No one can legitimately cast off the guilt of the human race by protesting that it is unfair for the rest of us to be tainted with guilt for Adam's behavior. Our own sins prove our complicity with him.”
― John F. MacArthur Jr., Twelve Extraordinary Women : How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do With You