The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Timothy 2:11-14,
"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."
In March of 2014 I wrote the following about 1 Timothy 2:11-14. As I read what I wrote then this morning, I think it bears repeating (I'm sorry for the length of it):
In his letter to Timothy, Paul provides some instructions on worship relative to the two (and, there really are only two) genders.
How impolitic!! How sexist! What a misogynist! I can just hear the cacophony, the shrieks, the shrill indignation. Here is a statement that just won't square with today's culture. Paul says he does not permit women to teach or have authority over a man. Just wait for those gals who force their little boys to play with dolls and their little girls to play with toy trucks to hear this!
Unfortunately, for those little boys who played with dolls and somehow made it into the church without a spine, their futile attempts to salvage the authenticity, authority, and credibility of their Bibles by claiming Paul was addressing the cultural context of the day, Paul has taken away any attempt to correlate this teaching with the cultural proclivities of the day. His reference to Adam and Eve clearly lifts his teaching on the genders here out of any cultural context and places it squarely in the cosmic dimension of God's creation.
What Paul is saying is that the formulation of correct doctrine and teaching is not within the purview of the female gender. It is to be left up to the men. I have read way too many detractors of Paul, claiming he was, in fact, a misogynist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paul loved women and held them in great appreciation and regard for their many wonderful contributions to God's agenda of redemption. Listen to his expressions of appreciation regarding some of the women who labored in the gospel, "Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord." Romans 16:12.
Note Paul's appreciation of Priscilla, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them." Romans 16:3-4. Note also Paul's acknowledgment of another woman, Mary, "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you." Romans 16:6. Also Junia, "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Romans 16: 7.
In Paul's concerns for Euodia and Syntyche, note his acknowledgment of their past efforts working with Paul, expressing his appreciation, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life." Philippians 4:2-3.
Don't tell me Paul was a misogynist!
It wouldn't make any difference anyway, since the argument against not permitting a woman to teach or assume authority over a man is an argument with God through the Holy Spirit, not Paul. Paul's writings, what he had to say in Scripture was inspired. Listen to what Peter says of Paul's writings, "He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16. When Peter says unstable people distort Paul's writings as they do the "other Scriptures", it is an affirmation of Peter's knowledge that Paul's writings were Scripture, that is, inspired by God. Of this, Peter says in another place, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
As I say, anyone who would argue that women not be limited from establishing doctrine and assuming authority over men in the church has an argument, not with Paul, but with God. Shall we accuse God of being a misogynist? I believe it was God that created women, as well as men and said it was all very good! In fact, God loves women so much that he sent his own Son to die a miserable death in order to pay for their sins. God loves women. And, just as he does for men, he has a role for them in the church - and it is not the formulation of doctrine or the assertion of authority over men.
Are you going to go with the pop culture of the day, or are you going to go with God? Are you going to yield to the insistent demands of our culture that we bow to political correctness, or have a spine and stand for God's truth? We have many issues that force us to choose: abortion, homosexuality, immorality, etc. God has provided a great "shaking out" of the church these days as we see whole denominations abandon God to follow the cultural dictates of the day.
For all you men who grew up as boys playing with dolls, it is time to man up! Same for the women (well, can I say woman up?). Proclaim your allegiance and loyalty for God and his perspective over the culture of our day. Let Jesus Christ be the Lord of your life. This is, after all, what this is all about.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."
In March of 2014 I wrote the following about 1 Timothy 2:11-14. As I read what I wrote then this morning, I think it bears repeating (I'm sorry for the length of it):
In his letter to Timothy, Paul provides some instructions on worship relative to the two (and, there really are only two) genders.
How impolitic!! How sexist! What a misogynist! I can just hear the cacophony, the shrieks, the shrill indignation. Here is a statement that just won't square with today's culture. Paul says he does not permit women to teach or have authority over a man. Just wait for those gals who force their little boys to play with dolls and their little girls to play with toy trucks to hear this!
Unfortunately, for those little boys who played with dolls and somehow made it into the church without a spine, their futile attempts to salvage the authenticity, authority, and credibility of their Bibles by claiming Paul was addressing the cultural context of the day, Paul has taken away any attempt to correlate this teaching with the cultural proclivities of the day. His reference to Adam and Eve clearly lifts his teaching on the genders here out of any cultural context and places it squarely in the cosmic dimension of God's creation.
What Paul is saying is that the formulation of correct doctrine and teaching is not within the purview of the female gender. It is to be left up to the men. I have read way too many detractors of Paul, claiming he was, in fact, a misogynist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paul loved women and held them in great appreciation and regard for their many wonderful contributions to God's agenda of redemption. Listen to his expressions of appreciation regarding some of the women who labored in the gospel, "Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord." Romans 16:12.
Note Paul's appreciation of Priscilla, "Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them." Romans 16:3-4. Note also Paul's acknowledgment of another woman, Mary, "Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you." Romans 16:6. Also Junia, "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Romans 16: 7.
In Paul's concerns for Euodia and Syntyche, note his acknowledgment of their past efforts working with Paul, expressing his appreciation, "I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life." Philippians 4:2-3.
Don't tell me Paul was a misogynist!
It wouldn't make any difference anyway, since the argument against not permitting a woman to teach or assume authority over a man is an argument with God through the Holy Spirit, not Paul. Paul's writings, what he had to say in Scripture was inspired. Listen to what Peter says of Paul's writings, "He [Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:16. When Peter says unstable people distort Paul's writings as they do the "other Scriptures", it is an affirmation of Peter's knowledge that Paul's writings were Scripture, that is, inspired by God. Of this, Peter says in another place, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
As I say, anyone who would argue that women not be limited from establishing doctrine and assuming authority over men in the church has an argument, not with Paul, but with God. Shall we accuse God of being a misogynist? I believe it was God that created women, as well as men and said it was all very good! In fact, God loves women so much that he sent his own Son to die a miserable death in order to pay for their sins. God loves women. And, just as he does for men, he has a role for them in the church - and it is not the formulation of doctrine or the assertion of authority over men.
Are you going to go with the pop culture of the day, or are you going to go with God? Are you going to yield to the insistent demands of our culture that we bow to political correctness, or have a spine and stand for God's truth? We have many issues that force us to choose: abortion, homosexuality, immorality, etc. God has provided a great "shaking out" of the church these days as we see whole denominations abandon God to follow the cultural dictates of the day.
For all you men who grew up as boys playing with dolls, it is time to man up! Same for the women (well, can I say woman up?). Proclaim your allegiance and loyalty for God and his perspective over the culture of our day. Let Jesus Christ be the Lord of your life. This is, after all, what this is all about.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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