Discipled by Feminism or Formed By Scripture?

One of the great issues facing the church today is whether we will be discipled by the world or discipled by the Word. That really is the issue underneath many of our debates about men, women, marriage, family, and the church.

In 1 Corinthians 11:3, Paul writes, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” That verse is not popular in our culture. It is not celebrated by modern feminism. It is not easily accepted by people who have been trained to think that any structure of authority is automatically oppression. Yet this is the Word of God.

Paul is not giving us a temporary cultural opinion. He is laying out a theological truth rooted in creation itself. God is a God of order. He is not a God of chaos. He has created men and women equal in dignity, value, and importance, but different in function.

That is where biblical Christianity parts ways with feminism.

Feminism, especially in its modern forms, does not merely argue that women have dignity and value. The Bible already teaches that. Women are made in the image of God. Women are not second-class citizens in the kingdom of God. Women are not less important than men. Women are not less intelligent, less spiritual, or less useful to the church. Any man who uses biblical headship to demean, belittle, control, or abuse a woman is not practicing biblical manhood. He is sinning.

The problem with feminism is not that it says women matter. The problem is that it often rejects God’s created order. It tries to tear down the distinctions that God Himself has made between men and women. It treats biblical headship as oppression and submission as inferiority. It tells women that to be equal to men, they must function exactly like men. That is not freedom. That is rebellion against God's design.

The Bible gives us something better.

God created male and female. He made them both in His image. Adam alone was not the complete picture. God created Eve as a helper suitable for him, bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh. A man and a woman together display the glory of God in creation. They are not interchangeable. They are complementary.

This is what we mean by biblical gender roles. Men and women are equal in value, but different in function. The husband is called to be the head of his wife. That does not mean he is her dictator. That does not mean he gets to bark orders, demand service, or treat his wife like she exists to make his life easier. That kind of man is not leading like Christ. He is acting like a fool.

Biblical headship is Christlike leadership. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” If a man wants to know what biblical leadership looks like, he should look to Jesus. Jesus did not crush His bride. He gave Himself for her. He served her. He sacrificed for her. He washed her by the water of the Word. He loved her unto death.

That is the pattern for a husband.

A husband is primarily responsible for leading, providing, protecting, guiding, and caring for his wife and family. That does not mean a wife is incapable. It does not mean she cannot work, think, speak, serve, or contribute. Proverbs 31 destroys that caricature. A godly woman is strong, wise, industrious, discerning, and fruitful. Yet the responsibility for the household rests chiefly on the husband. The ball is in his court. He answers to Christ for how he leads.

The wife, then, is called to respectfully submit to her husband as unto the Lord. Again, that does not mean she submits to sin. Her husband is not God. Her ultimate allegiance is to Christ. If a husband leads his wife into sin, she must obey Christ rather than man. Yet in the ordinary structure of the home, God has called the wife to honor her husband’s leadership.

The world hates this because the world hates authority. It wants to flatten every distinction. It calls God’s order oppressive. It wants to take what God designed for beauty and flourishing and rename it bondage.

This same issue shows up in the church. God has called qualified men to serve as elders and to preach and teach with authority in the gathered church. This is not because men are more valuable than women. They are not. It is because God has ordered His church according to His own wisdom. Paul’s argument is not rooted in culture, but in creation.

That is why egalitarianism fails. It does not simply affirm the equal worth of men and women. Biblical Christianity already does that. Egalitarianism goes further, erasing the different roles God has assigned. It flattens the family. It flattens the church. Ultimately, it blurs the picture of Christ and His bride.

Marriage is not merely about a husband and wife. It points beyond itself. Ephesians 5 teaches that marriage displays Christ and the church. Christ is the head. The church is His bride. Christ lovingly leads, saves, sanctifies, and sacrifices. The church lovingly submits to Him. When we reject biblical gender roles, we are not just adjusting family dynamics. We are distorting a gospel picture.

So the question is simple: who will disciple us?

Will we be discipled by feminism, culture, feelings, and the moving goalposts of society? Or will we be discipled by Scripture?

The church does not need men who act like tyrants. The church does not need women trying to become men. The church needs godly men and godly women joyfully living under the authority of Christ.

God’s design is not oppression. It is wisdom. It is order. It is good. And where our views do not align with His Word, we must repent, submit to Scripture, and keep on reforming.