The Bible’s Complete Story Of Gender Equality & Distinction Creation: God’s “Good” Design The Fall: Satan Divides & Destroys The Promise: God Will Restore The Church: A New Way To Live

GOD’S BIG STORY Chapter 1:Creation God’s “good” design

26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in OUR IMAGE, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over... [everything] on the earth.” 27 God created man [mankind] in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 Then God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

18 Then the LORD God said, “It is NOT GOOD for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird... but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.

Gen. 2:17 Even without sin in the world, man without woman is “not good” (incomplete and unable to accomplish God’s purpose).

helper [‘ezer = powerful partner] suitable [k e neged = equal but different] “a partner who has several strengths that correspond to, and are greater than, the one in need (so that the God’s purpose may be fulfilled)”

The Point Of Chapter 1 Above all cultures, generations and opinions is a Kingdom whose King can only be fully known through equality & whose will can only be accomplished by equality

GOD’S BIG STORY Chapter 2: The Fall Satan divides & destroys

4 “the serpent said to the woman, “You* [plural] will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you* eat of it... 6 So when the woman saw...she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Man: fails to protect & invest Woman: fails to trust or partner

12 “The man said, “The woman whom You [God] gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

“To the woman he said, “...Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you...” (Gen. 3:16-17)

M: failure to protect & invest (won’t listen to God or her now) F: failure to trust & partner (won’t trust God or him now)

GOD’S BIG STORY Chapter 3: The Promise God will restore

“The Lord God said to the serpent... ‘I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your [Satan’s] offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you [Satan] shall bruise his heel [Jesus].” - Genesis 3:15

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” – Joel 2:28-29

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. - Jn 1:12-13”

GOD’S BIG STORY Chapter 4: Restored By The Spirit Learning a new way to live

“BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior

Man’s Lack Of Protection/Investment Head: “source of life” A choice to give all you are to be God’s source of life for the woman (so that God’s image & will is fulfilled together)

Woman’s Lack Of Partnership/Trust Submit: “to arrange in order for victory” A choice to arrange strengths & desires under God’s source to fulfill God’s image and will on earth

Men: Follow Jesus Choose to be a source of life. Listen. Protect. Invest. Women: Follow Jesus Choose to order your life to God’s design. Believe. Trust. Partner.