Author	Thread: What does the Bible say about women in ministry?"
Admin	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 20 Feb, 2012 04:29 PM Question: "Women pastors / preachers? What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Answer: There is perhaps no more hotly debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors/preachers. As a result, it is very important to not see this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation. The Word of God proclaims, �A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent� (1 Timothy 2:11-12). In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and the way in which sin entered the world (1 Timothy 2:13-14). God, through the apostle Paul, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or having spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors over men, which definitely includes preaching to, teaching, and having spiritual authority. There are many �objections� to this view of women in ministry. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 nowhere mentions educational status. If education were a qualification for ministry, the majority of Jesus' disciples would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, who was the pastor of the church in Ephesus). The city of Ephesus was known for its temple to Artemis, a false Greek/Roman goddess. Women were the authority in the worship of Artemis. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Artemis, nor does Paul mention Artemis worship as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11-12. A third common objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words in the passage could refer to husbands and wives; however, the basic meaning of the words refers to men and women. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8-10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9-10)? Of course not. Verses 8-10 clearly refer to all men and women, not only husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a switch to husbands and wives in verses 11-14. Yet another frequent objection to this interpretation of women in ministry is in relation to women who held positions of leadership in the Bible, specifically Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah in the Old Testament. This objection fails to note some significant factors. First, Deborah was the only female judge among 13 male judges. Huldah was the only female prophet among dozens of male prophets mentioned in the Bible. Miriam's only connection to leadership was being the sister of Moses and Aaron. The two most prominent women in the times of the Kings were Athaliah and Jezebel�hardly examples of godly female leadership. Most significantly, though, the authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue. The book of 1 Timothy and the other Pastoral Epistles present a new paradigm for the church�the body of Christ�and that paradigm involves the authority structure for the church, not for the nation of Israel or any other Old Testament entity. Similar arguments are made using Priscilla and Phoebe in the New Testament. In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. Priscilla's name is mentioned first, perhaps indicating that she was more �prominent� in ministry than her husband. However, Priscilla is nowhere described as participating in a ministry activity that is in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11-14. Priscilla and Aquila brought Apollos into their home and they both discipled him, explaining the Word of God to him more accurately (Acts 18:26). In Romans 16:1, even if Phoebe is considered a �deaconess� instead of a �servant,� that does not indicate that Phoebe was a teacher in the church. �Able to teach� is given as a qualification for elders, but not deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9). Elders/bishops/deacons are described as the �husband of one wife,� �a man whose children believe,� and �men worthy of respect.� Clearly the indication is that these qualifications refer to men. In addition, in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:6-9, masculine pronouns are used exclusively to refer to elders/bishops/deacons. The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11-14 makes the �reason� perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with �for� and gives the �cause� of Paul�s statement in verses 11-12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because �Adam was created first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived.� God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a �helper� for Adam. This order of creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22-33) and the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men. This leads some to believe that women should not teach because they are more easily deceived. That concept is debatable, but if women are more easily deceived, why should they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? That is not what the text says. Women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. As a result, God has given men the primary teaching authority in the church. Many women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching, evangelism, and helps. Much of the ministry of the local church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted from public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5), only from having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Peter 3:15). God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers, or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership�in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This logically would preclude women from serving as pastors to men. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God�s plan and His gifting of them. Sourced ~ gotquestions.com *** The 1st women "Evangelist" that I am aware of n the Bible is..."the women at the well"...xo Post Reply
View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 10:29 AM MANY women are called to be Evangelist/missionaries, Deaconess and they continued to �Minister� to Lost souls. Lording over Men is what the bible teaches against. Men are to make God their head. Now, how many Men Pastors follow, what God says in His Holy Word ? Let's have a Post on that topic.:laugh: Post Reply
Agapeton View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 02:43 PM I find it amazing at how some people preach and teach obedience to the Word of God until the truth stares them in the face and then the truth is all subjective to the one who interprets it according to their own will. Post Reply
View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 03:26 PM Some Men interpret it according to their own will and understanding. Post Reply
Agapeton View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 03:51 PM I agree, Angel. Sort of like the truth about women being pastors or teachers of men being contrary to what the Word of God says. Certain women who don't like the authority of their Father, Husband, and God over them will tell others to be good sheep and listen to the voice of the great Shepherd with the exception of the reign they themselves have put in their hands like Jezebel did in the days of Ahab. She belittled her husband and not once encouraged him to do his job. She just insulted him and shoved him aside so she could kill the rest of the prophets of God. But, that's just my interpretation of the Scriptures though. I pray that all of us sheep of the great Pastor hear the voice and recognize it enough to obey when He calls us to graze in His pastures. Post Reply
View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 04:01 PM I know a Woman Pastor and when She gets out of bed, the demons run. Jesus has no problem anointing women to do whatever he wills for them to do. It is not hard to recognize the anointing. We do not need any intellects, intellectual's, we need men and women that are hungry for the things of God. Post Reply
Agapeton View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 04:25 PM Be these people intellectuals or no, is not the issue. The issue is that they strictly OBEY to the Word of God and what it says. Post Reply
View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 04:39 PM Of course it is the issue you can not follow the lord with your mind and also that is not what the mind of Christ is either. It is the issue without question. Post Reply
Agapeton View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 21 Feb, 2012 09:42 PM I see your point, PJ. So let us just agree that the women who take up the mantle of being a woman pastor and a teacher of men contrary to what the Word of God says are doing something that their mind tells them instead of the Spirit of God. Post Reply
View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 22 Feb, 2012 01:49 AM Well no Agapeton that response is an example of the mind, you can not take up the mantle. The mantle is put there by The lord Jesus. Jezebel has nothing to do with women been anointed of the lord. she was not anointed of the lord but of the God of this world. When you come up with the answers you do Sal it is of the mind, that is perceivable as day is to knight. You need to be in biblical order and if you are born again, the light will come when you repent and the deception will leave, if you will commit to walk in the light as he is in the light. It is not hard to get others to agree with you, I guess you don't see they are on the other side of the word. Post Reply
Agapeton View Profile History	What does the Bible say about women in ministry?" Posted : 22 Feb, 2012 04:28 AM PJ Shared: Jezebel has nothing to do with women been anointed of the lord. she was not anointed of the lord but of the God of this world. I agree, PJ. That was my point in bringing it up in the way that I did, because the Word of God says that a woman should not teach or be pastors of men. To deny that is to deny the Word of God and to be in strict disobedience to God's will and thereby being captive to the self will on behalf of the woman who does such a thing. May the Lord bring you and all who read this truth into His truth and understanding of the Word. Prov. 18:2 Post Reply

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