Leaving Exile Behind: A Biblical Call to Reject the Serpent’s Lies and Return to the Garden (Series: The Embrace of Exile | Part 7)

One of the devil’s oldest and most effective strategies has been to deceive humanity by causing us to question God’s Word. “Did God really say?” and “You will surely not die” — these lies have echoed from the beginning.

The Word of God is unmistakably clear about the roles of men and women. God really did say that the husband is the head of his wife and that wives should submit to their husbands. God really did say that husbands should love their wives sacrificially, just as Christ loved the church, and that wives should respect and honour their husbands. God really did say that men should provide for their households and that women should orient their hearts toward the home. God really did say that children are a blessing and the expected fruit of marriage.

Do not be deceived when the serpent whispers, “Your marriage will surely not die if you simply follow your own rules and create your own standards.”

Men and women who reject God’s standards for masculinity, femininity, sexuality, and marriage do not merely harm themselves and their families — they actively participate in the destruction of churches and societies. Just as Adam and Eve did not die physically on the spot, yet began decaying from that moment and brought a curse upon all their descendants, the same pattern holds today. Your marriage, your church, and your society will not collapse instantly, but they will begin a slow process of decay. What we witness today in the West — the breakdown of families, the weakness of the church, and the fragmentation of society — is clear evidence that death is already at work among us.

That is why, throughout this series, I have argued that feminism is not a neutral ideology with some good mixed with some bad. Feminism is the voice of the serpent, urging both women and men not only to accept their exile and spiritual death, but to embrace and celebrate it. Feminism tells women to accept the curse of Eve and then to advance it. It is profoundly dehumanizing. It convinces women that the path of death and destruction is actually desirable and liberating. At its root, feminism is a clear rejection of the Gospel — the very message that calls us out of exile and back to God.

The Gospel offers far more than a ticket to heaven when we die. It is God’s gracious invitation to return to the Garden — to live once again according to His good design. But to re-enter the holy Garden and eat from the Tree of Life, we must live by the rules of the Garden. We cannot bring the spirit of exile and rebellion into the presence of the Lord. Therefore, embracing feminism is a rejection of the salvation offered to us in Christ. Christian women who adopt feminist ideals are essentially asking God to grant them eternal life while they continue to love and live out their exile. But eternal life and ongoing rebellion against God cannot coexist.

What we desperately need today is a movement of genuine repentance in our families, churches, and society at large. Rejecting God’s design is not a mere intellectual disagreement; it is sin — and sin of the most serious kind — which invites judgment. True repentance does not negotiate with sin. It does not ask which parts we can keep. Repentance means grieving over our sin, confessing it openly before God and others, having our minds renewed, and then fighting to walk in a new way of life. The Bible calls us to make war against sin — to put it to death. This is not a gentle, polite disagreement with sinful ideologies and behaviours; it is a fierce, determined battle to remove them from our midst.

If we are not fully convinced that feminism is a demonic ideology and that living according to its principles is sin that God hates, we will never fight against it as we should. Biblically, we can say without hesitation: God hates feminism, and so should we.

But here is the good news: Jesus came to save sinners — including feminists. Accept His offer. Leave your exile behind. Return to the Garden of God and enjoy the abundant life He freely offers you.

Nino Marques