Why Biblical Equality Does Not Require Sexual Revisionism

Some assume that affirming the equal authority, dignity, and ministry of women and men in the church requires abandoning historic Christian teaching on marriage and sexuality. We believe this conclusion misunderstands both the biblical case for equality and the biblical teaching on marriage.

Our commitment to the full partnership of women and men arises from the gospel itself. Through Christ, believers are adopted into God’s family and share equally in the inheritance of the Son. Scripture teaches that all who belong to Christ are counted as sons of God, meaning they receive the legal standing of heirs in God’s household.

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith… There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
—Galatians 3:26–28

This teaching removes spiritual hierarchies based on gender, ethnicity, or social class. Leadership in the church flows from the calling and gifting of the Holy Spirit rather than from birth or status.

However, the Bible’s teaching about equality in Christ does not redefine the created structure of marriage. Scripture consistently presents marriage as the bi-lateral covenant union of one man and one woman, established in creation and reaffirmed by Jesus.

Jesus taught:

“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?”
—Matthew 19:4–5

Because marriage reflects God’s created design and symbolizes the covenant relationship between Christ and the church, we affirm that the biblical pattern of marriage is between one man and one woman.

Affirming equality between men and women therefore does not require redefining marriage. These teachings address different theological questions:

• Egalitarianism addresses whether men and women share equal authority and participation in the life and mission of the church.
• Sexual ethics addresses the biblical boundaries for covenant relationships and sexual expression.

Scripture teaches both:

• the equal standing of men and women in Christ
• the male–female structure of marriage

Holding these convictions together reflects a commitment to the authority of Scripture rather than cultural trends on either side.

As followers of Christ, we therefore affirm:

• The equal dignity and calling of women and men
• The shared inheritance of all believers as co-heirs with Christ
• Marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman
• The call for every person to experience redemption and transformation through Jesus Christ

The gospel invites all people into the grace and renewal that comes through faith in Christ, who alone has the authority to define both our identity and our calling.