Reconciliation of God: Men and Women Working Together | Lausanne World Pulse Archives

How does the reconciliation of God in Christ apply to the question of men and women working together in the Church? Let us look at what Jesus did on the cross, when he died for men and women and brought them back to the place God had designed for them from the beginning of the world.

The Original Plan
In creation, God designed men and women different but equal in his image. God himself saw that it was not good for the man to be alone; therefore, he created the woman to be the exact partner in life and ministry—the ezer kenegdo—“the helper (ezer is most often used for God) that is the exact counterpart.”

He empowered, blessed, and sent them both to rule the world, without assigning either a specific place according to their gender. They were supposed to do it together.

The Problem
The Fall brought separation into the relationship of Adam and Eve. They could not trust each other anymore. As a consequence of their separation from God, they would follow a new kind of relationship: rulership of one over the other. That rulership was not existent in God’s original design.

After the Fall, God did not take away the task of ruling over the earth, neither from men nor from women. So this command is still valid for both men and women.

The Intervention
In Jesus, God reconciled the world to himself. He reconciled men and women equally to become again what he had created them to be: sons and daughters of God. When Jesus died on the cross, he took on himself the punishment for the sin of men and women and reconciled them both to the Father and to each other.

In Christ, there is neither male nor female, but all are one in him. That is why Jesus had male and female disciples; why he taught, healed, and loved men and women; and why he sent them to preach the good news of Christ’s resurrection.

The Holy Spirit is poured out on men and women alike, as the prophet Joel predicted. The Holy Spirit gives his gifts to whomever he wishes. There is not a list of gifts for men and an extra list for women. They both receive the same gifts and with them the same tasks.

The Command The Great Commission is therefore given to men and women alike. They are sent into this world to preach, teach, and serve the Lord. The place of their service is not determined by their gender, but by their spiritual gifts and the personal direction of the Lord to a specific place of service.