Genesis 2 – From the beginning Woman and Man were created to stand side by side to do the work of God.

Genesis 3 – They disobeyed God and one consequence of their sin was that in the fallen world women are oppressed by men, who are now in a ruling position over women.
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Luke 4 – In his first sermon, Jesus said he came to free people from the captivity and the oppression caused by sin.

Matthew 20 – Jesus told his friends only those outside God’s family strive to rule over others, and in his new way the point is always to serve everyone else.
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John 13 – Jesus showed them what serving others looks like by wrapping a towel around his waist, getting down on his knees before them one by one, and washing their dirty, smelly feet.
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All other passages on women and men in the kingdom of God must be understood in light of God’s original design (Genesis 2), the problems caused by sin (Genesis 3), and the freedom we now have from the consequences of our sin through Jesus.
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"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13.)

As Jesus intended in the beginning, he has brought with him in the end, and patriarchy has no place in it. Amen.
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