Well Is There Anything Positive To Say
The biblical revelation of the role relationships of men and women, those who are called to the office of pastor, to those who were called to the office of deacon, or elder, or those who serve in a variety of other honorable professions and trades, recognizes the value and worth of every individual. The same Apostle Paul who wrote 1 Timothy 2 is the apostle who did indeed write,
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus .
We serve the Lord according to God’s calling, according to God’s own revealed order, and we do so in humility, and total dependence upon his strengths. And we never serve apart from others. We are, indeed, members of the same body. Our calling is always conducted in the presence of others following their vocation. So, let respect and honor be the marks of our ministry, evenno, especiallywith those brothers and sisters from whom we might part because of this or another matter.
Men and women of good will might certainly disagree about this teaching. In fact, we do. But if one reads 1 Timothy 2 and concludes a position differently than my own, and does so out of an earnest desire to understand and follow God’s Word, then I have only to say, let us cooperate without compromise.” And if your heart is with my heart give me your hand.
We Read About Hannah In The Book Of I Samuel Chapter 1 She Was Childless And Prayed Fervently To The Lord For A Child Hannah Conceived And Bore A Son And Called His Name Samuelsaying ‘because I Have Asked For Him From The Lord’ First Samuel : 20 She Trained Him And Taught Him Until He Was Old Enough To Go And Live In The House Of The Lord With Eli The Priest
And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees sons. Matthew 27:55-56 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea.Romans 16:1 At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.Acts 9:36
Question: What Does The Bible Say About Women Preachers
Answer: There are examples in both the Old and New Testaments of women preachers . There are no examples, however, of women pastors in the New Testament. Lets look briefly at some of these wonderful women preachers in the Bible.
Why dont we start in the Old Testament and work our way to the New Testament. The first woman mentioned in Scripture as a prophetess is Miriam. You can look up the references on her: Exodus 2:4-10 15:20-21 Numbers 12:1-15 201 26:59 1 Chronicles 6:3 Micah 6:4.
Miriam helped save her younger brothers life. He grew up to be the lawgiver, Moses. Miriam was a prophetess who sang praises to God when her brother successfully led their people out of Egyptian bondage and across the Red Sea. However, religious pride caused Miriam to join another brother, Aaron, in criticizing Moses. God struck Miriam with leprosy. She was healed upon Moses prayer.
.We first hear of Miriam by name after Moses had led the Hebrews out of bondage and across the Red Sea. Aaron had acted as Moses spokesman in Egypt. All three siblings had escaped ahead of Pharaohs pursuing chariots. The Red Sea parted miraculously, and the Hebrews crossed safely over on the first leg of their journey toward the Promised Land.
As a prophetess, she was the feminine equivalent of a divinely inspired foreteller, but more accurately one who speaks for another, as the Hebrew word means.
Other Old Testament prophetesses that are mentioned are:
Nehemiah 6:14 the prophetess Noadiah
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He has performed mighty deeds with his arm he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
For additional passages showing women as speaking in the assembly and leading and having authority over men, see, e.g., Romans 16:1-2 1 Tim 3:11 Romans 16:7 Micah 6:3-4 I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.) Num 12:1-15 Gen 1:26-31 Genesis 5:1-2 Isaiah 8:3 Nehemiah 6:14 Psalm 68:11 Acts 9:36 Mark 15:40-41 Luke 8:1-3 John 4:28-29 Matthew 27:1-7 Phil 4:2-3 Acts 1:13-14 Acts 12:12 Col 4:15 Acts 17:1-9 Luke 8:2-3 Romans 16:2 Acts 16:14-15 Rom 16:7 Rom 16:3-4 Esther 9:29-32 1 Corinthians 11:26 1 Samuel 1:21-2:11 Hosea 2:16 James 2:1-13 Luke 8:1-3 and Luke 23:27, 49, 55 Proverbs 1:20-33 and 9:1-6 Proverbs 31.
See also these:
Genesis 30:22
Exodus 15:19-21
Judges 4:6
Esther 9:29-32
Psalm 68:11
Psalm 68:25
Luke 8:1-3
Romans 15:14
Romans 16:1-2
1 Corinthians 16:15-16
Hebrews 10:25
Added:
Matthew 20:25-28
25 Jesus called them together and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
10/3/18: Added Southern Hills Church of Christ link.
Overall Biblical Testimony About Women
Interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:915 has produced many opinions and much debate, particularly since traditional, restrictive models of interpretation began to be questioned in the last century. However, one important aspect of interpretation is to look at the overall biblical testimony of a topic and allow that testimony to shape the interpretation. In this case, 1 Timothy 2:915 has a command to women to learn, but a temporary restriction against their teaching. This is sandwiched between a very specific address to certain wealthy converts who brought into the church habits that needed to be addressed, and a difficult-to-interpret comment about salvation through childbearing. It is important to use clearer biblical passages to interpret those verses that are less clear or more mysterious. When viewed in light of the biblical testimony of women leading, teaching, and speaking in prophecy throughout the New Testament, one should conclude that Paul is indeed restricting false teaching and inappropriate behavior, not restricting women from participation in the worship of the church through teaching, leading, or speaking.
Certainly, Paul would not have provided qualifications for women deacons in such close context if he really did intend to restrict women from teaching or exercising authority in the church in 1 Timothy 2:915.
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Final Thoughts Woman Teacher In The Bible
Pauls words about Phoebe give us a glimpse into the ministry of early female deacons. They were not merely assistants or administrators, but vital members of the church who preached and taught the gospel served others, and navigated difficult cultural waters with wisdom and grace. Let us follow their example as we seek to serve Christ and his church today.
As we can see from their examples, women have always played an important role in furthering Gods Kingdom both inside and outside of formal church settings. They helped spread the great commission, in worship service and in church service to the infant church. So let us never underestimate the power of a godly woman! May we all aspire to be like those mentioned in Scripture -Women who teach others about Jesus with wisdom, knowledge, grace, and truth.
God Bless Greg
If The Church Persists In The Distinction Of The Role Relationships Of Men And Women Especially Pertaining To The Pastoral Ministry Won’t This Have A Negative Effect Before The Watching World
The truth is that much of what the church stands for, teaches, and proposes runs contramundum that is, “against the world.” Is it not true that the Church’s teaching on human sexuality, the family, and, of course, the Person of Christ, is increasingly at odds with the postmodern and post-Christian society? Then again, if the Church advances this position or any other position based on anything other than Scripture, she will be completely defenseless against rhetorical attack. Indeed, the Church without biblical doctrine is in danger of collapsing. Therefore, those men who boorishly employ this Scripture as a weapon to keep female parishioners from exercising their gifts are wrong . They will be seen for what they are by the world and, ultimately, by the Church.
On the other hand, whether it is the ordination of women and we must remember that, again, there are those within the body of Christ who love the Lord, love his Word, and have arrived at a different position or whether it is human sexuality or any of the other issues we face it, if we alter, add to or take away from the Word of God we will not only fail in our attempt to impress the world with our magnanimity, but more importantly, we will incur the wrath of God.
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A World Full Of Noise
The world tells our young women that their worth is relative to their popularity, looks, romantic partners, social status, and so on. But we know the truth. So lets embrace our responsibility to speak up and train them together, as a strong collective of adults who are dedicated to loving and leading well. Courage begets courage. Love begets love. Leadership begets leadership.
Thats what Bible Belles is all about.
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Love, love, love everything about these books! The illustrations are bright and lively. The dialogue is captivating, and the lesson is oh so important. Truly a powerful tool to help moms in an effort to hide God’s Word in our Bible Belle’s heart. Job well done!!
– Sharon K.
My daughter and I enjoy these books immensely! The illustrations are warm and inviting and the lessons are both easy for my little one to comprehend and dynamic in their ability to provide lasting encouragement. I couldn’t be more thankful for these beautiful books.
– Candice M.
My girls loved the illustrations, the characters and quite simply we loved the story! Thank you for the reminder that with God we can be brave and have the courage to do what’s right no matter what. Things may be difficult but nothing is impossible for God!
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Bible Classes And Women Teachers
Kyle Campbell05/15/15- Doctrinal Discussions
In the quest for truth on any religious matter, there must be an appeal made to the New Testament for authorization by God. Colossians 3:17 clearly spells out this need: And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Every sincere person will agree that there must of necessity be authority from the scriptures for every practice or work. Without a strict attitude toward authority, biblical study becomes fruitless because any false doctrine can be proven through enough wrangling of the scriptures .
We are aware of the division in this area that exists among members of the Lords church over the objections to the Bible class arrangement of teaching and over whether or not qualified sisters may teach some of these classes. Hopefully, this short article will fall into the hands of some of the protesters to the class arrangement and can in some way be a contribution toward narrowing the chasm that presently exists.
After studying the subject of authority, it is easier to understand the truth about Bible classes. Non-class brethren try to bind the place of teaching the Bible. For instance, if we asked them if they believed it to be scriptural for four families of the same congregation, who lived in four different directions of the building, to have simultaneous classes in their homes under the request of the elders of the church, they would answer Yes.
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Thoughts On Women Bible Teachers
When I was teaching the series Growing Girls in my church, I said I was working on a list of women teachers. As promised, here is my “list,” but rather than it being a list of names – it is a treatise concerning this day of Christian women celebrities. I could write SO MUCH MORE but this is a start. Please feel free to comment or ask a question … my heart is to obey God in my own life and as He leads, help other women to do the same. So here goes …
On one end of the spectrum we have women who are complete heretics they would not view themselves that way and they may even have portions of truth nuggets in what they say, but there are major problems with their doctrine and they are teaching a false gospel and should be completely avoided.
On the other end of the spectrum there are women who are completely orthodox, who not only teach the gospel and the truth of the gospel but also teach the proper perspective of biblical womanhood and practical application for living it out. They understand the roles of both men and women, understand the biblical narratives, commands, accounts, and biographies in the Scriptures. Though not perfect , these women would be highly recommended.
Today there are so many false teaching celebrity women who are capturing the hearts of good godly men and building a relationship with supposedly orthodox men where even these men are not willing to call the women out on their teaching errors. This is tragic.
Guidelines for Women Teachers
Twelve Christian Women To Read
One of the many things I am grateful for in our church is the large number of godly women, young and old, who are not satisfied with lukewarm, fluff teaching, but truly desire the meat of God’s Word.
As a result, one of the questions I am regularly asked is this: Who are some solid, women Bible teachers and authors that I can learn from?” Well, in light of this question, I’ve decided to share a short list of several women that I very much appreciate, have learned much from, and endorse without hesitation. Now, in saying this, I want to always be careful to remind each of us to test every teacher according to our ultimate standard: the Word of God . For only the God-breathed Scriptures are infallible. That being said, in my observation and experience, the following women truly seek to faithfully and unapologetically teach the truth of God’s Word for the building up of the body of Christ . So, while this is in no way an exhaustive list, if you want to read some good, biblical, doctrinally sound stuff to help you grow, check out the writings and teachings of these twelve godly ladies:
Jen Wilkin is a speaker, author, and teacher of womens Bible studies in Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. Her passion is to see women become articulate and committed followers of Christ, with a clear understanding of why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God. You can find her at jenwilkin.net.
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So Does The Bible Condone Women In Other Offices Of The Church
That is a very good question and, once again, the answer to that question is not unanimous. There are some who believe that 1 Timothy 2:12 forbids a woman to be a senior pastor, it does not forbid the ordination of women to the office. Others, feel that a woman can serve as an associate pastor or in another expression of pastoral ministry. There are others still, who believe that the office of deacon is open to women. Usually, those who hold this position point to the great female figure in the New Testament, Phoebe. She most certainly is identified as carrying out diaconal ministry. Others, point to 1 Tim. 3:1-7 ).
Paul says that “their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderous, but sober minded, faithful in all things.” Why are deacons given this requirement and not elders? A survey of the New Testament provides further insight to this question. The deacon was required to be involved with the women of the church, for example, the distribution of support to widows, and, obviously, other ministries that are necessary but not mentioned. The elders principal duty is the teaching of the Word of God and the spiritual and doctrinal oversight of the flock. Therefore, the apostle Paul focused his comments on the work of the deacon and the necessity, if he were to be married, of a wife who is trustworthy in dealing with such sensitive, confidential matters within the body of Christ.
Boundaries For Teaching And Authority
Boundaries are always bad when it comes to the nature of human depravity. We are constantly asking how far is too far and laboring to see how close we can walk to the edge of the cliff without falling. This is a most dangerous approach to life in generaland within the world of theology. When you play with fire, you will eventually get burned. The natural man has a problem with authority, and often he seeks to avoid it or usurp authority that he doesnt possess. Historically, the liberals have embraced womens liberation theology as a means of elevating women to their rightful position among men in the church. Such theology does much damage to Gods design for the home and the church. John MacArthur writes:
Women may be highly gifted teachers and leaders, but those gifts are not to be exercised over men in the context of the church. That is true not because women are spiritually inferior to men but because Gods law commands it. He has ordained order in His creationan order that reflects His own nature and therefore should be reflected in His church. Anyone ignoring or rejecting Gods order, then, weakens the church and dishonors Him.
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