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Are The Offices Of The New Testament Church Gender Specific - For Males Only?
●There Are More Pertinent Scriptures to Look At
●Agree To Disagree
You Decide
CHAPTER 9
There Are More Pertinent Scriptures To Look At
In my younger years in the ministry I went to bible school for two years and received certification in Christian Leadership. While there I was told about the campus bookstore which contained books by a particular Christian author that everybody was buying. So I went to the bookstore and decided to take a look at one of his small books. Each of his small books talked about a particular biblical topic such as forgiveness, eternal security, redemption, the blood, etc. Apparently this author was grounded in the Koine Greek, the language of which most the original manuscripts of the New Testament were written, along with having an in depth understanding of Hebrew, the language of which the original manuscripts of the Old Testament were written in.
As I was reading about a particular topic by this author I found that his view was clear and convincing. He was very thorough in his analysis. When studying about any topic he would mention the view or perspective that would be determined according to the particular dispensation of time that it was being looked at from. Another word if you wanted an understanding about the seventh day Sabbath you would read all about it during the Age of the Jews, for whom it was instituted under the tenets of the Mosaic Law.
For the New Testament church, which operates under a different dispensation, verses would be taken from this time period in order to determine if the observance of the seventh day Sabbath was still in effect. So depending on the topic and the period of time (dispensation) in which it was to be looked at would determine the view that was espoused. What I realized is that this is why many people believe the bible contradicts itself. When a view on a topic is convoluted with scriptures from different dispensations this causes confusion.
What you should notice about this topic is that our conclusion about this topic will be determined primarily from the scriptural sections which were written for the Church Age, the age in which we as Christians currently live. As you perceive, there are still differences concerning a churches view on a topic even when it is looked at from one particular dispensation. However, if these differences are confined to looking at a topic from one dispensation, then hopefully you the reader will be able to make a more informed decision as to which view on the topic you will support.
Let’s take a look at more scripture sections from the Church Age, which hopefully will provide for us further insight concerning the office gifts of the church and whether females can be called to any of them.
Andronicus and Junia
Romans 16:7
Near the end of this letter Paul reminds the saints at Rome to commend Andronicus and Junia, whom he calls his fellow Jews and fellowprisoners (those who had been imprisoned for their faith). He goes on to say that they are of note among the apostles.
Was Paul saying that they were apostles?
Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
YES
● The name Junia could be a contraction (shortened form) for the male name Junianus. If this was indeed the case, then this name is ascribed to a male. Both Andronicus and Junia were of note (distinguished) among the apostles meaning that they were considered as apostles.
● If Junia was considered to be female, then it can be assumed that she and Andronicus were either husband and wife or brother and sister. This rendering would suggest that Andronicus and Junia were not apostles, but simply were held in high honor among them.
NO
● Junia was a Roman citizen and according to this understanding of people’s names, this name would not be a contraction (shortened form) for the male name Junianus, therefore, Junia is a female name.
● It is believed because they traveled together they were a husband and wife team. It would be unusual for a single male and female to travel together even if they were brother and sister. They were considered to be counted among the apostles.
● This could be the only example in the New Testament of a woman being called to the position of an apostle.
The next section talks about women keeping silent in the church. This surely would appear to infer they are not called to an office gift in the New Testament church. Is this what these words mean?
Let Your Women Keep Silence
1 Corinthians 14:34-35
The apostle Paul is addressing the women in the Corinthian Church by emphatically stating they should not speak in the church.
What does this mean?
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific - for males only?
YES
● These verses indicate that women were not allowed to teach at any time in the church, and neither were they allowed to interrupt those who were speaking. The women were commanded to be under obedience in regards to these prohibitions.
● According to commentators there was a similar Jewish ordinance which said women were not permitted to teach in the assemblies, or even to ask questions. It was permitted to any man to ask questions, to object, altercate, attempt to refute, etc., in the synagogue; but this liberty was not allowed to any woman.
● If there was anything that the women didn’t understand they were to ask their husbands at home. It is assumed that unmarried women could receive counsel with the pastor or with another believer.
NO
● These verses were not talking about whether a woman can preach or teach in the church. Neither are they talking about whether they can be called to an office gift in the church.
● The idea being addressed here is that some of the women were continually interrupting the speaker of the message by asking questions, which brought about distractions and disruptions of church order.
● During these times the culture had been such that it kept these women from learning. Most were uneducated. With this in mind, if any didn’t understand something that was being taught or preached about, they should ask their husbands at home. It is assumed that unmarried women could receive counsel with the pastor or with another believer.
The next group of scriptures we will look at talks about the idea that the head of the woman is the man, the head of the man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God. This view says that the man is the head of the woman and therefore the call to a leadership position in the church is for males only. Is this what this verse means?
The Head of the Woman Is the Man
1 Corinthians 11:3-16
Initially in this verse the subject of divine order is mentioned.
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
The head of Christ is God. This refers to Christ voluntary submission or subordination to the Father, even though he is one of the members of the trinity. His obedience resulted in him being exalted to the Father’s right hand. His submission didn’t mean that he was relegated to not being able to be used in any capacity, but on the contrary he performed miracles, revealed the divine nature to others, and went to the cross paying the penalty for the sins of the whole world along with providing forgiveness for them.
The head of every (born again) man is Christ. Man ministers in Christ’s name as he operates in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The head of the woman is the man. This refers to her voluntary submission or subordination to the male. In what sense? It depends on the context.
The idea that is being presented in relation to the divine order has to do with the covering of the head. It begins by saying when a man prays or prophesies he is not to wear a turban or cap. This appears to be culturally based. In the presence of a prince or a nobleman, it would be considered as a mark of disrespect should the head be covered.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
However, a woman was supposed to wear a head covering when praying or prophesying. Why? Because this was a custom during this time for modesty and subordination. Women, who chose not to wear a covering, were considered by cultural standards to either be a prostitute, an adulteress, or a slave. Not only would this reveal to the assembly lewd conduct, but if the woman were married this would be a sign of offending the dignity of her husband. If the woman followed these cultural rules, she would be allowed to pray or prophesy.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
The question is, do these verses support the idea that a woman is not allowed to teach and therefore cannot be called to an office gift in the church?
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
YES
● The head of a man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man. This indicates that the man receives from Christ as his representative and conveys these truths to his wife. The woman is to receive from the man, and while she may pray before others and exercise the gift of the Spirit known as prophecy, she cannot be called to an office gift in the church.
NO
● As Christ voluntary submitted (relied upon; to receive from) to the Father, so should the woman submit to the man in regard to the covering of the head when praying or prophesying as this was a custom during this time for modesty and subordination.
● There is no indication that these verses were talking about a woman’s calling to an office gift.
Of all of the verses that we have studied up to now one of them seems to be very clear concerning as to whether a woman can be called to an office gift of the church. This verse is contained in the book of 1 Timothy and is considered to be the cornerstone for the belief that a woman cannot be called to an office gift in the church.
I saved the best for last.
But I Suffer Not A Woman To Teach
1 Timothy 2:11-14
The apostle Paul is instructing Timothy. He tells him that the women in the congregation should learn about what is being taught in silence (by holding their peace) with all subjection (being under authority in this matter).
11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
Furthermore, they are not to teach, nor to usurp authority (not to domineer; not to have control) over the man, but to be in silence.
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
What does it mean when it says that the woman was not permitted to speak, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence?
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
YES
● There are two issues that are being addressed here.
The first is that a woman is not allowed to teach in the assembly. Teaching is the exclusive function of men. This prohibition of a woman to be a teacher does not include the teaching of classes where those being taught are women, girls, or children in Sunday School. However, this does prohibit the woman from being a pastor or a doctrinal teacher in a school. It would not be seemly, either, for a woman to teach a mixed class of adults.
● The second issue has to do with a woman interrupting the message as it was being spoken. They were instructed to learn without asking questions. If they were married, they could ask their husbands at home as was previously instructed in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
NO
● The background as to why the scriptures state that a woman is not to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, are multifaceted.
The first thing we will address has to do with the women interrupting the message, asking questions in a manner in which they tried to take control by means of teaching false doctrine in the assembly. Many of them were new converts in the church that had come directly out of paganism and were attempting to incorporate their pagan customs and rituals into the Christian church. Among these were a group known as Gnostics. The Gnostics were a group of people, mostly women, which claimed to have a hidden or secret knowledge that had not been revealed to others. If you take a look at verse 10 it says “women professing godliness”. The words “professing godliness” are from the word in the Koine Greek epaggellomai which means “promising godliness in exchange for good works”. Gnostic women, considering themselves as mediators, were promising godliness if the hearer would follow their teaching.
But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
● Another reason for these prohibitions could be because there was another group of women, who were not affiliated with a pagan religion, but who were simply less likely to be literate than men. As such the proper way for any novice to learn was submissively and quietly. Another word to learn in silence.
● In regards to a woman not “to usurp authority over” a man. Many contend that this refers to a woman assuming the authority in the church by trying to take the place of a man. The Greek word for “to usurp authority over” is authentein;and this is the only occurrence of it in the New Testament.
The meaning of “to usurp authority” in Paul’s day refers to the following:
Clement of Alexandria a Greek theologian argued against several groups who accepted sexual license (authentia) as Christian behavior. Another Greek church father John Chrysostom (347-407), in his commentary on, 1 Timothy 5:6 used authentia to express “sexual license”. We know the Gnostics used sexual practices to bind the flesh and the divine together (Revelations 2:20). In most pagan religions fornication was thought to link them to the divine.
In this regard, the Gnostic women were using sexual overtures to entice their male students. Paul said not to permit those women to teach a man using feminine wiles.
●In summary, women were not allowed to teach who were interrupting the message and interjecting false doctrine. It’s possible that these were the same women who were using sexual overtures to entice their male students.
There was another group of women who being illiterate were to learn submissively and quietly. If they had any questions they could ask their husbands at home.
I think you will agree there has been quite a bit of information presented in this study. I’m sure that much of it has been surprising to you as it has been to me.
It’s probably a good time to provide you with a brief recap after which I will leave you with some parting words.
Agree to Disagree
What we can deduce from this study?
We learned that the positions of the priesthood under the Mosaic Law were gender specific – for males only. None of these positions should be used as an office gift in the New Testament. Does the fact that only males were appointed to these positions have any bearing as to the gender of those who are called to the leadership positions of the New Testament church?
We became aware that when we looked at the position of deacon the gender of the noun was masculine. It appeared there was no female rendering for this position. However, after much research we found one rendering. The point to consider is that just because most of the nouns (five) relating to a deacon or deacons were in the masculine gender doesn’t mean there was no female rendering noun for this position.
What about the calling to any of the office gifts, are they gender specific – for males only?
In regards to the office of prophet, there was one female rendering noun found. Even though it was determined that this woman was not a prophetess, the very fact that she called herself a prophetess seems to confirm that women could be called to this office.
In regards to the office of evangelist along with the word evangelists there were three references found all of which were in the masculine gender.
In regards to the office of apostle along with the word apostles there were over seventy five references all of which were in the masculine gender. There was one reference to a female as being of note among the apostles. Some believe that she was an apostle and others do not.
In regards to the office of pastor along with the word pastors there was only found one reference. There are other words which many believe are ascribed to the same office (e.g. bishop, elders, etc.). The word bishop or bishop occurs five times. The word elders occurs about fifteen times. There was no female rendering noun found for this office.
Can a woman be called to an office gift? This is left up for you to decide for yourself based on the information presented in this study.
In regards as to whether you have decided to keep your current view or have changed your mind about his topic please consider the following words.
For many Christians it is a very difficult thing for them to change their view on a biblical topic. If their view no longer lines up with the church they are attending this could mean alienation and rejection by not only the members of the assembly, but also by those in leadership. The opportunity to be placed in a position of leadership could also be jeopardized.
In my early years as a believer I was involved in an assembly where the pastor was upset because not enough money was being generated in the offerings in order to pay for the expenses of the church facility and related salaries. He wondered out loud to the assembly that probably the reason for this was that certain members were not tithing. In order to address this issue he asked everyone in the church to attend a special discussion on this topic on the following day. After an initial speech by the pastor everyone would be allowed to provide input as to whether they agreed with the position of the church on this topic or not. It was adamantly conveyed that anyone who disagreed with the churches position on this topic would not be ridiculed or reprimanded.
On the following day most of the church assembly attended this meeting. After the pastor finished saying what he had to say the members were encouraged to speak up, which they did. Some agreed with the churches view and some did not. Those whose view was contrary to the church on this topic were verbally assaulted by those in the gathering who agreed with the churches view. The pastor not only found out who were not tithing, but he did not allow them to fully expound their scriptural reasoning before those assembled. Some, who were living in church provided housing, were asked to either start tithing or leave the premises asap.
So, discussion resulted in division. Those who had attended the assembly for years were now the subject of conversion among thos who were tithing as not being supportive of the church. Lines were drawn. These people who were not tithing gave of their time, talent, spiritual gifts, and monetary treasure over and over again. However, because the specifics of the monetary treasure were not according to church theology nothing else mattered.
As I have said so many times in my teachings on many topics is this, it’s not so much as to whether you agree with me on certain topics or not, it should be whether we are engaged in two things: preaching the gospel to unbelievers and learning how to walk in the Spirit.
I pray that these will become your priority, and if they do I believe that doctrinal differences could take place where believers will be able to agree to disagree. God Bless.
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Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/James-Rondinone-560602797425740/
Website: http://www.makingtheonerightchoice.com/
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