Masculinity and Femininity IN Christ

1. Jesus Redefines Humanity

In the Greco-Roman world, masculinity was defined by dominance, honor, and control.

Jesus overturned that definition. He didn’t come to reinforce cultural ideals of manhood or womanhood — He came to reveal what it means to be one of His created human – His image bearers - His purpose for humanity.

“If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” — Mark 8:34

The call of Jesus is universal: male or female, rich or poor, colored or white, powerful or weak — everyone follows the same path of the Cross.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female , for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28)

2. The Cross Is the Pattern for All Disciples

The Cross is not a symbol of “manhood”; it is the model of redeemed humanity. It calls every believer to humility instead of pride, service instead of dominance, obedience to King Jesus instead of autonomy, and sacrificial, unconditional love instead of self-exaltation.

So while the Cross redeems manhood from worldly notions of control and power, it also redeems  womanhood from pagan philosophies of inferiority and subordination.

To be a man is to be like Jesus.

To be a woman is to be like Jesus.

3. Jesus Honors Differences but Erases Hierarchy

Jesus acknowledges that God made humanity “male and female” (Matthew 19:4), but He never uses those distinctions to assign higher or lower value or division.

Both genders bear God’s image equally (Genesis 1:27).

In His ministry, Jesus lifted women to full dignity and spiritual equality:

• He taught women (Luke 10:38–42)

• He spoke with women publicly (John 4:7–27)

• He entrusted women with the message of His resurrection (Matthew 28:1–10)

  
  

In doing so, He made clear that in His Kingdom, authority and worth are based on citizenship in the Kingdom — not gender.

4. The Kingdom Standard: Christlikeness

Paul echoes this in Galatians 3:28:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:16 it also states; “So then, from this point on we won’t recognize people by human standards.”

This does not erase gender — it transcends it.

Men and women remain distinct in creation, yet they share the same commission, the same Spirit, and the same destiny. Both are called to be formed into the likeness of Christ, not shaped by the world’s customs, hierarchies, or philosophies.

The Kingdom standard for every believer — male or female — is maturity in Christ. We are called to abide in Him and to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23). This is the measure of true leadership, character, and spiritual authority.

For the sons and daughters of God, the defining identity is this:

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me — the hope of glory.”

5. Jesus’ Model of True Strength

In the Roman world, manhood meant power and control.

Jesus shows that true strength is gentleness and mercy (Matthew 5:5; 11:29), courage in obedience to God (John 4:34; 16:33), sacrificial love (John 15:13), and emotional honesty and compassion (John 11:35).

These are not “masculine” or “feminine” traits — they are Christlike traits.

6. One Mission as One Body

From the very beginning, God’s call was not divided by gender.

In Genesis 1:28, God blessed both the man and the woman and said to them:

“Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and govern it.”

There was no hierarchy, no mention of one leading while the other follows — only a shared mandate to steward creation together.

The Hebrew phrase “ezer kenegdo,” often translated “helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18), never meant assistant or subordinate.Ezer is a word used of God Himself — the “Helper” and “Deliverer” of Israel (Psalm 33:20).Kenegdo means “corresponding to” or “equal to.”

Together it describes strength alongside, not submission beneath.

God’s design was never for control but for partnership.

The fall introduced imbalance and blame (Genesis 3:16), but Christ came to redeem rebellion — not to reinforce its effects.

7. Equal Commission

Jesus gave the same Great Commission to men and women:

“Go and make disciples of all nations…” — Matthew 28:19–20

There was no separate command for women, no secondary role or lesser authority.

Both were sent, both were empowered, and both were filled with the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4, 17–18).

Throughout Scripture, women led, taught, and provided:

• Deborah judged and led Israel (Judges 4–5)

• Huldah prophesied to kings and priests (2 Kings 22:14–20)

• Priscilla taught alongside her husband (Acts 18:26)

• Mary Magdalene was the first to proclaim the risen Christ (John 20:17–18)

• Lydia and other women funded and hosted early churches (Acts 16:14–15; Romans 16)

  
  

Even Jesus’ own ministry was supported financially by women, and not by their husband’s money (Luke 8:1–3).If provision were a “man’s role,” Jesus Himself broke that cultural rule.

8. Restoring True Humanity

When the Church insists on hierarchy, it reintroduces the very rebellion Christ came to redeem.

Jesus didn’t come to preserve patriarchy; He came to restore partnership — the unity of male and female working together as one image of God in one Body.

It’s important to remember: God never cursed Adam or Eve.

He cursed the serpent (Genesis 3:14) and the ground (Genesis 3:17).The pain, toil, and imbalance that followed were the natural consequences of humanity’s rebellion — not God’s decree.

Adam wasn’t deceived; he chose to rebel.

He was with Eve and willingly ate, choosing disobedience over faithfulness.

He traded unity for blame and co-governance for control.

God warned Eve that Adam would attempt to rule over her — a prediction of the brokenness that would follow sin, not a command or divine order.

That moment fractured human relationships, introducing domination and hierarchy — both foreign to God’s Kingdom.

But Jesus came to reverse the rebellion, not reinforce its effects.

Where Adam grasped for power, Christ chose humility (Philippians 2:6–8).

Where Adam blamed, Christ bore.

Where Adam hid, Christ revealed.

Through the Cross, Jesus restored what was lost — partnership, mutuality, and co-dominion.

Now in Christ, both male and female are redeemed to lead together in love, not control; in unity, not hierarchy. We submit to one another’s spiritual gifts, strengths, knowledge, expertise, talents, and anointing – not gender.

The Heart of the Kingdom

In the spiritual Kingdom, distinctions of gender, race, and class no longer determine worth or expectation.

What matters is faithfulness to Christ’s image.

Jesus came to end the division of race, gender, and rich over poor. He came to set the poor, the oppressed, and the captives free.

Worldly View vs. Jesus’ View

• Men lead, women follow → Both serve according to their spiritual gifts

• Men are strong, women are soft → Both find strength in gentleness

• Men protect, women nurture → Both protect and nurture through love

• Masculinity = dominance → Christlikeness

• Femininity = submission → Christlikeness

  
  

The Kingdom of God doesn’t create a hierarchy of roles but a harmony of likeness — all becoming like Jesus, the true Human example.

In Summary

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual Kingdom, and it is all about the King — not about us.

Masculinity and femininity were never meant to compete or to create hierarchy.

In Christ, men and women are not defined by cultural roles but by Christlikeness alone.

The true characteristics of godly men and women are the same:

To walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and act like Jesus, revealing the fruits of His Spirit to one another and to the world. Boldness, courage, humility, compassion, authority, and power are not male traits or female traits — they are Jesus traits.

The Cross is the standard for everyone. Masculinity and femininity both find fulfillment in Christlikeness.

In His Kingdom, there is no she “can’t”, or he “can’t”.

There is only “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. “Nothing is impossible to those who believe”.

To be a man in the Kingdom is to be like Jesus.

To be a woman in the Kingdom is to be like Jesus.

It is no longer I who live but Christ in me

The mission is the same — to love, to serve, to make disciples, and to set captives free.

Please share so others can know the truth that sets free.

Get my book Life in God’s Kingdom, How to Manifest Heaven on Earth. to learn how to live on earth as it is in Heaven, – Mighty4Jesus.com

Be free to be mighty for Jesus.

In freedom and might,

Jeannette