WHY do some people think it's OK for women to be pastors and teachers in authority over men when God's Word is very clear that this is not God's order of His will???
Qualifications for Ministry
1 Timothy 3:1-13
This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desires a good work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.
Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
Bishop - Strongs G1985
a superintendent, i.e. Christian officer in genitive case charge of a (or the) church (literally or figuratively): KJV -- bishop, overseer.
Deacons - Strongs G1249
from an obsolete diako (to run on errands; compare 1377); an attendant, i.e. (genitive case) a waiter (at table or in other menial duties); specially, a Christian teacher and pastor (technically, a deacon): KJV -- deacon, minister, servant.
Titus 1:6-9
If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
1 Timothy 2:12,13
I do not allow a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
For Adam was first formed, then Eve
Paul bases his viewpoint on creation. In v. 13 he says, "For Adam was first created, then Eve." In the least, this argument shows that Paul is not restricting his treatment to the church; it's a matter that is grounded in the constitutional differences between men and women, or at least in the order of authority that God had ordained. In Gen 2-3, we see an interesting phenomenon relevant to 1 Tim 2. God teaches man, man teaches woman, the devil is out of the picture. That's Gen 2. But in Gen 3, we see the devil teaching woman, woman teaching man, and God is out of the picture. And this is Paul's argument: there is a divinely ordained order to things that, if disturbed, would bring deception and ruin due to not following the ways of the Lord.
1 Timothy 2:12 - Almost every commentator says that women should not pastor or teach over men. The argument the Apostle Paul gives for his statement "I do not permit a women to teach or to exercise authority over a man" is found in the following 2 verses. His argument is actually not from culture as some claim but from creation. The validity of his argument and the weight of this statement plants its roots in the creation order. Which means that the statement he makes regarding women not teaching over men (essentially pastoring) stands for all-time and to all cultures everywhere, because he doesn’t appeal to culture for his reasons but the creation ORDER which is simply honoring the way God decided to create.
Other Scriptures to Consider
-------------------------------------
1 Corinthians 11:8,9
For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
Genesis 2:18
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Other Thoughts
-------------------------------------
*In the Old Testament we do not find any evidence of the Lord ever appointing or ordaining female priests to enter in to the Holy of Holies or to make sacrifices for the sins of the people. This does not mean the Lord did not use women in a supporting role because there is plenty of instances in scripture of that.
*To see the scripture references above and still hold the position that it’s OK for women to be pastors over a church and / or to be in authority over men to be allowed to teach men is to discount the authority and validity of God’s Word as though what God says is meaningless. There’s a lot of that viewpoint going around.
*If we are going to start ignoring the parts of God’s Word that aren’t popular or politically correct that makes us pleasers of men instead of pleasing God. If we’re going to do that, then why bother reading God’s Word at all? Sadly, a growing number of those claiming to be Christians are doing exactly that in these end times.
*In John 4:16-18 Jesus told the Samaritan woman to go get her husband because it is God’s order (His ways of being and doing right) for a woman to be joined unto her husband (see Gen 2:24, Matt 19:5; Mark 10:7, Eph 5:31, 1 Cor 6:16)
* 1 Corinthians 11:1-15 - These are actually fallen angels that Paul has in view in 1 Cor 11:10 in that the woman should be under authority as is God’s original order and intent when He created woman. This can partly be based on based on a Graeco-Roman culture in which the female head (and hair) could be viewed as displays of sexuality (and availability)... but is primarily a spiritual covering where man should be in authority to protect not only himself from the evil influence of fallen angels but to protect woman also.
The head covering can also be a means of maintaining order and reducing potential for lust/sexual angst within the male population (akin to forbidding micro mini skirts and low cut blouses in church now). The fallen angels were angels who fell because they had sex with the beautiful daughters of men. As such, Paul is enjoining this upon them for their own protection from these angels and from the carnal lust fallen angels seek to tempt men with.
More Thoughts
-------------------------------------
Concerning 1 Timothy 2:8-15
Paul gave two reasons, both of them are theological not cultural.
1. The created order: Adam was first created as an independent person, then Eve was created from his rib to be his helper. She was therefore not created to be independent of the man in authority.
2. Eve, and consequently all women, were placed under a penalty of the curse. This included pain in childbearing and that her husband would rule over her.
Paul's reasoning above is that all Christian women must submit to both of these things, at least during this age while the curse is still in effect. Yes, there are lots of women who know much more than their husbands about biblical teaching. However, if she transgresses THIS teaching, by teaching publicly in the assembly, then she is TEACHING false doctrine regardless of the content of her 'message.' This is because "teaching" is not only oral. There is a kind of 'teaching' that is by example, which is what she is supposed to be doing instead of teaching orally. She might be making great theological points with her words.
But there is one glaring point that she is making that completely undermines everything that is coming out of her mouth -- by her actions she is transgressing the biblical teaching regarding the role of Christian women by her public display of blatant insubordination to the commandments of Scripture. Notice in the above passage that these instructions immediately follow specific instructions on how Christian women are to dress and adorn themselves.
This EXAMPLE of CONDUCT is how godly Christian women are to make a statement. A women 'pastor' or other 'teacher' in the assembly by her conduct is no different than if a Christian woman came to the assembly immodestly in her underwear. It is a window into her character. She is not doing "what is proper for a woman professing godliness."
How does this reconcile with Deborah in Judges 4-5?
Even while Deborah was a "prophetess" (God spoke through her and people consulted her for advice) and she held a civil office, the office of the priesthood was reserved for males of the tribe of Levi exclusively. God is able to use whomever He chooses whenever He wishes, and on occasion He breaks with the "norms" in situations where those norms become unworkable. However, man is bound by His commandments when it comes to holding offices (like OT priests or NT elders/pastors). And while there may be an occasional exception to the rule, we should not make the mistake of making an exception the rule while discarding the actual commandment. This is unfortunately what many in the Charismatic movement have done.
