REJECTING THE WORD

Our world today is marked by confusion—confusion about life, truth, morality, and even what it means to be a man or a woman. Feminism “liberated” women into roles God never ordained, while cultural forces simultaneously undermine manhood itself as “toxic.” These two lies are neither accidental nor independent—they are complementary strategies of the enemy to overturn God’s perfect design (John 8:44; 2 Cor 11:3). Yet the LORD, who is eternal, wise, and holy, has ordered creation in a way that cannot be improved upon. To question His order and will is not only to dismiss His WORD but to reject Him as Creator and King (Rom 1:20–25).

From the beginning, God’s plan was purposeful. He created man first, then woman from man and for man (Gen 2:18-23). This was not cultural, accidental, or oppressive—it was divine wisdom. Man was called to lead, protect, and cultivate (Gen 2:15; 1 Cor 16:13), while woman was called to help, nurture, and glorify (Gen 2:18; Prov 31:10–31). Together they bore God’s image, distinct in role yet equal in worth (Gen 1:27).

Paul roots his instruction about men and women in this very order of creation (1 Tim 2:12-13; 1 Cor 11:8-9). The hierarchy of authority is not a product of a fallen world but a reflection of God’s eternal plan. Just as Christ, though equal with the Father, joyfully submits to Him (1 Cor 11:3; Phil 2:6-8), so too women are called to gladly embrace the role God has designed. To rebel against this is to rebel against God Himself (Isa 45:9).

Examples of God’s Order in Practice:

• Adam and Eve (Gen 2-3): Adam was created first and given the charge of the garden; Eve was created as his helper.

• Abraham and Sarah (Gen 18; 1 Pet 3:5-6): Abraham was the covenant head, and Sarah is remembered as an example of respectful submission.

• Christ and the Church (Eph 5:22-32): The ultimate model of headship and submission, where authority and love exist in perfect harmony.

  
  

When Eve engaged the serpent, she reversed God’s order. She willingly stepped into the theological debate; Adam abdicated his responsibility to lead, serve, and protect (Gen 2:15-17; 3:1-6). The result was universally systemic sin, death, and the curse (Rom 5:12). Genesis 3:16 declares that the woman’s “desire” would be for her husband—not physical attraction or affection but the urge to usurp authority that God entrusted to him (cf. Gen 4:7). Yet God reaffirmed: “Indeed, he will rule over you.” God's plan remains.

But the curse did not stop with women. Adam’s silence in the garden was not of faith, strength, or obedience, but apathetic cowardice (See Rev 21:8). When men refuse to lead by faith, courage, and conviction, women are tempted to fill the void. This void-filling leadership is precisely what our culture applauds—emasculated men into stepping aside to “make straight the path...” not for Christ, but for domineering women stepping forward, and the order of God is once again turned on its head (Isa 3:12).

Biblical Example:

• Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5): Deborah was a prophetess whom God raised up in a time of widespread male apathy, cowardice, and weakness. Yet note carefully: Deborah summoned Barak and reminded him of God’s command for him to lead Israel into battle (Judges 4:6-7). Barak’s cowardice forced Deborah into a visibly prominent leadership role, but this was neither God’s design nor endorsement for female leadership within Israel or the New Testament Church. The shame of men is highlighted when Jael, a woman, delivers the final blow to Israel’s enemy—a stinging rebuke of all who oppose God's will and WORD, including women! The lesson is not that women should lead, but that when anyone abdicates their God-ordained role, God will use any means He chooses to make an example of their rejection and opposition of the WORD.

  
  

Today, masculinity itself is demonized. A man who exercises authority, conviction, or strength is labeled “misogynistic,” “oppressive,” and “toxic.” Yet Scripture praises godly men for their strength and courage (Josh 1:9; 1 Cor 16:13). Consider the words of 1 Samuel 13:14, “But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.” Any woman who preaches, governs, or leads in defiance of Scripture is praised as “liberated” by culture. Yet God’s Word forbids women from exercising authority over men in the church (1 Tim 2:12), while honoring their influence in the home (Titus 2:3–5) and their quiet strength (1 Pet 3:3–6).

Any voice today that calls rebellious people back to God’s WORD and will is dismissed as “hate speech.” This is nothing less than what John describes in John 1: the world did not recognize Him, and His own did not receive Him (John 1:10–11). To reject God’s order for men and women is to reject the very WORD made flesh. The cultural script is clear: elevate women into roles God reserved for men, while eroding manhood into ambiguity, passivity, and irrelevance. This is not liberation—it is overt rebellion. The explicit consequence of rebellion against God’s design is always separation (Isa 59:2) and bondage (Rom 6:16-21).

Other Examples of Distortion:

• Samson and Delilah (Judges 16): A man called by God to lead Israel as a Nazirite, yet ruled by lust and weakness. Delilah manipulates him, and Samson willingly yields his strength to her deception—an inversion of God’s calling on his life.

• Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kgs 21): A weak man dominated by a manipulative woman—a picture of disorder and destruction.

• Herod and Herodias (Mark 6:17–29): Herod feared John the Baptist yet was spineless in righteousness. Herodias, bitter and manipulative, plotted his death. Their disorder culminated in the beheading of God’s prophet (John the Baptist).

• Pilate and the Jewish Leaders (John 19:4–16): Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but surrendered to political pressure. Instead of leading in justice, he abdicated his responsibility to the mob, embodying cowardly leadership that submits to worldly voices instead of God’s truth.

• Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1–11): Husband and wife colluding in sin, failing to display godly headship or holy submission.

“Tell me what the world is saying today, and I’ll tell you what the church will be saying in seven years.” — Francis Schaeffer

There's a reason why God ordered creation as He did “before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4; Ps 33:11). He is perfect, and His plan is perfect. Any attempt to call His order oppressive, outdated, or unjust is an assault on His character (Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17). It is not merely error; it is enmity (Rom 8:7). To reject God’s plan for manhood and womanhood is to set oneself up as an enemy of God (Jas 4:4). Yet in Christ, we see the beauty of God’s design restored. Husbands are called to lead with sacrificial love, laying down their lives as Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25; Col 3:19). Wives are called to submit joyfully, reflecting the church’s devotion to Christ (Eph 5:22–24; Col 3:18). This is not tyranny, nor is it weakness. It is a living portrait of the gospel (Eph 5:31–32).

Examples in Christ and the Church:

• Jesus and the Twelve (Luke 6:12–16): He appointed men as apostles, establishing male leadership for the church’s foundation.

• Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:24–26): A godly couple who discipled Apollos together—note that Priscilla is commended, but always in partnership with her husband, not in authority over men.

• Elders and Deacons (1 Tim 3; Titus 1): The qualifications for pastors/elders are given to men, while deacon roles allow for faithful service by both men and women (cf. Phoebe in Rom 16:1).

In an imploding worldly culture that blurs lines, the church must stand firm as the beacon of Christ's love and light. We must refuse to call good “evil” or evil “good” (Isa 5:20). God made men to be men, women to be women, and together, under His authority, to display His glory (1 Pet 2:9-12). The world will mock this. It always has (2 Tim 3:12-13).

But obedience is better than sacrifice, applause, or worldly approval (1 Sam 15:22). As Proverbs 28:9 warns, “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” To ignore God’s WORD for any reason, including the pursuit of cultural approval, is not progress—it's spiritual suicide (Matt 7:21-23).

Jesus’ Body & Bride must hold fast to the WORD of God: biblical manhood is neither effeminate nor toxic, biblical womanhood is neither slavery nor oppression, and obedience to God’s divine order is nowhere revealed as optional. Our total abandonment unto YAHWEH is perfect, beautiful, and authentic worship; Everything else is rebellion (Ps 19:7-11) and sin.

“Everywhere it is the same—the deliberate avoidance of simple, literal obedience.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Therefore, let us affirm and celebrate the beautiful, complementary role of women within marriage, the family, the home, our communities, and within the church. Scripture portrays the wife as a capable helper (Genesis 2:18), a pillar of strength and wisdom (Proverbs 31:10-31), a source of nurturing grace (Titus 2:3‑5), and a model of godly inner beauty (1 Peter 3:3‑6).

In Christ, women are co‑heirs of the Gospel (Galatians 3:28) and may serve the body of Christ richly, under the biblical pattern of male leadership in the church (1 Timothy 2:12; Titus 1). This is not about diminishing the value or identity of women, but glorifying God’s design: women are equal in worth, distinct in role, and integral to His unfolding mission. Our fidelity to that pattern, rooted in God’s inerrant WORD, stands as a faithful testimony in a rebellious age.

Blessings & love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Pastor

BigIslandChristianChurch.com