Oh say, we're glad you have joined us for our Bible study In Search of the Lord's Way! I received a copy of the June 2007 issue of a religious magazine which featured the theme, "Make Way for the Women." It described how some women are committed to taking over the leadership of the 21st Century church. What do you think of that? What does the Bible say about it? We will see.
My friend, you have honored us with the invitation to be in your home today by means of your television or radio. We are thankful. We're In Search of the Lord's Way to become a Christian and to faithfully live the Christian life. We pray the Lord's blessings on our study together.
One of the purposes we had for beginning this program 28 years ago was to present a view which was not generally heard in the religious media-- meaning the Bible response to the spiritual needs of our times. We were told that people today just are not interested in what the Bible says. Some churches even advertise that you will not be troubled with Bibles if you attend their assemblies. But, what a surprise we had in store! How wrong they were! Well, there are millions of good, honest people just like you who are seeking and searching for the Lord's way, without a lot of gimmicks, and hype, and sensationalism and commercialism on the one hand, and ritual and tradition and creeds on the other. So with the blessings of the Almighty God, the program has grown and is still growing.
We have given our message today the title, "Women Preachers, or Chauvinistic Attitudes?" If you think you might want a free copy of it or a CD or audio cassette tape, or even a printed copy of it, you may have any of them free simply by addressing your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or by e-mail, our address is searchtv@searchtv.org. And, you may either read it, or hear it, or view the program again on our website at www.searchtv.org. Ken Helterbrand will lead us now as we sing, and then I will be back with the message about women in church leadership roles. What does the Bible say?
We are reading today from the apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy. In chapter 2 we will begin reading at verse eight. “I desire therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works. Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.” And we read through verse 15. Now let us go to God in prayer. Holy Father, we are so thankful for the revelation of Your will to us in the Bible. And we are thankful that we have the preservation of it in our present day, even in our own language and we can understand it. And we know that it is by Your divine providence that it is so. And we pray Your blessings today as we study this subject of men and women and their responsibilities and their works in the church. And we are thankful for every good Christian woman everywhere and for every good Christian man in their service to You. We are thankful for them and we give You our prayers in Jesus’ name for them. Amen!
As I mentioned earlier, I received a courtesy copy of the June 2007 issue of a national religious magazine in which the cover story is about women in the ministry-- women preaching. It says, and I quote: "Although chauvinistic attitudes still stand in their way, a group of women has risen to the challenge of leading the 21st century church" (end quote). The message seems to offer two choices-- or alternatives: (1) chauvinism (which is ignorance and prejudice), or (2) women leading the 21st Century church.
Our purpose is to offer the third alternative, namely: the Bible. Remember? That is why we began the program. We believe the Bible strongly denounces chauvinism and we believe that it strongly denounces women leading the church Jesus built and died for. The magazine article is pretty acrimonious, sarcastic, caustic and unloving toward anyone who might want to oppose women "taking-over" the church's leadership in the 21st Century. We will refrain from all of that sort of thing and will speak the truth in love as the Lord teaches us to do in Ephesians 4:15. And that's the Lord's Way. The Bible says the church is "the pillar and the support of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). And that's our only purpose in even devoting a program to it.
Please now-- the question is not one of the equality of men and women. Bringing that into a study merely clouds the issue and complicates the whole matter. Of course! Women are generally as intelligent and as gifted and as capable as men generally are. Please, please, friend, understand, we are not arguing the case for the superiority of men over women. In my ministry with local churches of Christ over the years, I have had the privilege of working with two good congregations who traced their beginning to the work of a godly woman. In both places, such a woman moved with her husband and family to a town where there was no church of Christ. Both of these women advertised in the local newspaper that if there were any one living there who would like to meet with her in her home for worship as the New Testament teaches, on the first day of the week, please come. And such was the beginning of the church in both of those places. The question before us is: Does the Bible teach that a woman should serve in a leadership role in the church?
The New Testament is the book for Christianity. Strangely enough, it doesn't have one complete chapter on church organization. However, in a careful reading of the New Testament throughout, a person can see a simple, but functional organization taking form there. Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23). The apostles are His inspired ambassadors through whom His word was revealed during the days of revelation (1 Corinthian chapter 2; and Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11). Inspired prophets were to guide the infant church and the perfect law of liberty was completely revealed (Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Corinthians chapters 12, 13, and 14).
So far as the human element is concerned, there was no structure larger than the local church. From a careful reading of Paul's speech to the elders at Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, verses 17 through 35, we can learn that the terms "elder," "bishop,” "overseer", "pastor" meaning "shepherd," are used all of them interchangeably to define function. They refer to the same appointment. And there was a plurality of elders or bishops or pastors in every church (Acts 14:23). Philippians 1:1; 1Timothy 3:8 to 13 indicate the appointment of deacons in the congregation as well. Ephesians 4:11 mentions evangelists, too. And that was it, the totality of it. In each church there were elder men who were appointed bishops indicating overseers; or pastors describing their work as shepherds. There were deacons who were servants and evangelists who gave themselves to preaching and teaching the word of God.
The Pentecostal churches and some para church groups have ordained women preachers for many years, but acceptance of the practice among other churches was slow until the rise of the women's liberation movement in America some, oh, three or four decades ago. On February 11, 1989, the Episcopal Church in America ordained its first woman bishop. And with that, they began a trend. There is no doubt about it, the practice will grow, continue to grow within many denominations that have already accepted it, and it will spread to others as changing attitudes and political expediencies demand that it does so. As they were in New Testament days, churches of Christ today are autonomous-- locally independent, self-governing. They are free of any church laws, conventions or conferences. We are not aware of the appointment of a woman to the office of a bishop, or a preacher anywhere among us. Now I'm not saying that it hasn't happened; I'm only saying I am not aware of it. And that isn't to be interpreted, as it is interpreted in the magazine article, as a lack of appreciation for women. Nor is it "Chauvinism" which my dictionary says is fanaticism, prejudice and ignorance. My friend, we are not ignorant or unappreciative of the many gifts and talents God has given women to be utilized by the church to His glory. It can-- and should be seen as it is-- the intent of these churches to adhere strictly to the teaching of the Scriptures in the New Testament. We believe no church can be a church of Christ any further than it believes, teaches and practices what the church of the New Testament did under the leadership of Holy Spirit inspired men in New Testament days. If that is ultra-conservatism, so be it, my friend.
The appropriate answer to the question of women bishops, pastors, deacons, preachers-- church leadership-- is not found in ecclesiastical law, or church councils, or the Gallup Poll, or the acclaimed success of certain women in that area-- but it is found in the word of God. In Christianity it isn't "what the people want" or "society demands." It really is: "What does the New Testament teach?"
The apostle Paul wrote Timothy in his first letter (chapter 3, verses 14-15), saying, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come to thee shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth." We can learn from what the Holy Spirit had Paul to write to Timothy, how we, too, ought to conduct ourselves in the church-- now not in the church building-- but in the church, which is the pillar and the ground of the truth.
So, what did he write about church leadership? Listen carefully: Earlier in the letter he had said, "This is a faithful (meaning, "true") saying, and it is worthy of acceptance by all" (chapter 1, verse 15). "If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must (now listen carefully)...a bishop then must be the husband of one wife…and rule his own house well..." (verses 1 to 7). Now it sounds very much like he is talking about a man, a husband, doesn't it? It appears to me to be impossible for a woman to qualify for the ministry of such leadership. Is that chauvinism? Is it fanaticism, ignorance and prejudice on Paul's part? No, it is not, friend. "All Scripture (including this one) is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). That's God's word on the subject of leadership!
Paul was also inspired to write a letter to Titus in which he said, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders (or bishops or pastors) in every city as I commanded you-- if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife" etc." (Titus chapter 1, verses 5 and 6). There it is again!
A little later he wrote again, "Speak (preach) these things, exhort, rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15). But, he had said to Timothy and to Titus, "Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And (in the church) I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence" (1 Timothy 2, verses 11 and 12). Therefore, a woman cannot preach in the Lord's church. Why? Because the preacher is to preach with all authority. And the woman's authority is limited. She can not biblically teach or have authority over the man. Please remember, now, that he wrote these things so that we as well as Timothy might "know how to conduct" ourselves in the church in all its teaching.
And in all the teaching about the church in the New Testament, there is neither a command or authority, expressed authority for, neither is there an example of a woman serving as a bishop or elder or pastor in the Lord's church. And she is specifically forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach over the man. Now, she may be a police woman with authority over a man; she may be a judge in the civil court and with authority sentence a man to life in prison. Or, she may be a professor and teach men in the university or elsewhere, but not in the church of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that His disciples are in this world, but they are not of the world (John 17:11, verse 16). The church in every generation must maintain an interest and genuine concern in world conditions and social problems around it, especially those in which injustices and inequities are perpetrated. However, the church must not yield to the demands and pressures and social movements of the secular world to conform to it or to become like it. Indeed, it cannot do so and retain its saving power, and its identity as a New Testament kind of church. Rather, the church is to be "the pillar and the support of the truth" even in a world that denies the existence of truth (1 Timothy 3, verse 15).
Anyone (woman or man) who knows his or her Bible knows all the Lord's apostles were men, hand picked by the Son of God, Himself. It wasn't as though there were no faithful, dedicated, committed, talented women from whom Jesus could have chosen an apostle or two or three or even more. Luke mentions a number of them by name. There were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others "who ministered to him of their substance" (Luke 8:1 to 3). And of course, we know many of the women "which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him," were present at the crucifixion (Matthew 27, verse 55). And, it was the women who came first to discover the empty tomb after his resurrection (Matthew 28 and 1). But Jesus chose twelve men. Men! Happenstance? Coincidence? I would not venture to say so.
On Pentecost the apostle Peter quoted Joel's prophecy that in the Christian age, in the church age, women would prophesy (Acts 2:18). Philip had two daughters, four daughters I should say who prophesied (Acts 21 and 9). And Paul says a woman who prophesies with her head uncovered, dishonors her head (1 Corinthians 11 and 5). So, it seems to some (especially to some women who aspire to "take over" the leadership of the 21st Century church) that some women preached in the New Testament Church. However, the word "prophesy" doesn't always, and is not always used in the Scriptures, to mean to "preach" any more than it always means to foretell future events. Scripture does not contradict itself. And all Scripture must be interpreted in harmony with all other Scripture. If our understanding of Scriptures forces a contradiction between two passages, we are misunderstanding one of them-- or perhaps both of them.
It seems, therefore, that the purpose of the ministry of the woman prophets would be to teach, comfort, encourage and edify other women in the church. As a matter of fact, that's precisely what Titus 2:1 to 5 commands her to do. "But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine… [teach] the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be chaste, discreet, home-keepers, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." Therefore, friend, women in the church are commanded to teach each other. Let us pray. Holy Father, we are thankful for all of Your teaching on this relationship between the men and the women among the disciples in Your church. In Jesus’ name, we thank You. Amen!
In 1 Timothy 2:12 the Holy Spirit limits the extent of the woman's speaking forth when He says through Paul, "I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness." The use of the word "nor" in this passage is explanatory in force, prohibiting her from prophesying in a way as to assume dominion over the man. So, while it is said of women in the New Testament church that they did prophesy or teach, indeed they are commanded to do so in Titus 2 and 4, they are restrained from and, therefore, did not do it in such a way as to subordinate men to the role of students or learners.
My friend, we have tried to be gentle. We have sought, too, only to determine what the Bible says about women "taking over" the leadership of the 21st Century church. We want only to be helpful, and we pray that we have been. We'll probably have more to say about this subject at a later date.
We plan to be back at this same time next week. And, we invite you to be with us again, also. We are not trying to be just another denomination. We're not even trying to be the only right denomination, friend. We are just trying to be the church that you read about in your New Testament.
We thank you again for being with us today-- and for your patience in this study. If you would like a free printed copy or a free CD or audio cassette tape of the entire program, please address your request to In Search of the Lord's Way, P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083. Or you may use our toll free telephone number 1-800-321-8633. Our e-mail address is searchtv@searchtv.org. We plan to be back here next week. We hope you will, too; and we hope that in the meantime you may invite other people to be with us. And God bless you now. We love you.
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