And look what the Bible has to
say unto us about it. You know, from time to time we
are kind of forced to take up issues that are contemporary
issues. I think we saw it in the scripture,
Paul. had to meet some contemporary
issues and some practices being brought into the church that
were not scriptural. Paul dealt with that in placing,
and I think it's okay for us at times to do that. So let's
raise a question this evening. I hope I'm in friendly territory,
not stirring up something. But in 1 Corinthians chapter
14, let's read there verse 34, verse 35, then we'll flip to
1 Timothy chapter 2 and look at the end of the chapter. All right, first of all, 1 Corinthians
14, 34, 35, Interesting point to make here,
Paul is discussing public worship in this place in the scripture.
He's discussing how they ought to handle themselves in public
worship. So in verse 34, 35, let your
women keep silent in the churches, for it's not permitted unto them
to speak, but to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything,
let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women
to speak in the church. And 1 Timothy chapter 2, let's
read verse 9 down to the end of the chapter. In like manner
also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobriety, not braided hair, or gold, or pearl, or costly
array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good
works. Let the women learn in silence
with all subjection, but I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to
usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. Watch,
for Adam was first formed, then Eve, and Adam was not deceived,
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding,
she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith and
charity and holiness with sobriety. A short introduction. There are
certain movements that in our lifetime have arisen in the world
or in the secular realm, and they become entrenched in society. They then become accepted as
the norm, and a large section of society then accepts them. Well, then it's not long until
most of them find their way in some degree or another into the
churches. Now, looking back over our lifetime
and our generation, we've seen that come to pass. Remember the
hippie movement. You remember that it also had
a religious element onto it, and it found its way into some
churches, and some churches began to cater to them and such like. And our lap time has come. political
correctness, and it's been established in society and also is taking
hold in the church. Certain things we don't mention,
certain words we don't say. Then came the homosexual movement,
and it wasn't long until there were those in the church also
welcoming them and ministering to them. Then came psychology,
the new child on the block, and the church welcomed that. with
open arms and began to preach more psychology than they did
theology, and began to send men to Freud's couch rather than
to the cross of our Lord for a remedy for their sin. And then
came what we might call the feminist movement, And it also grew a
religious branch, like a lot of them do. And it stirred up
a lot of controversy and is still stirring up controversy in our
day, so that it has also entered into the church. And the gender
war, as they call it, is now being fought out in the church. And so there's the question,
how about women preachers? What's wrong? with women being
pastors and bishops and such like. Now I grant, as we must,
that this is not an issue that is brand spanking new to our
generation. I admit I was a little bit surprised
in reading an article by R.L. Dabney, Robert L. Dabney, who
lived and wrote in the United States in the 1800s. I was surprised to run across
these words, quote, Now the innovation is brought face-to-face with
the southern churches and female preachers are knocking at the
door unclosed. That was a long time ago. Well,
now they've kicked down the door and gotten into the pulpit as
well, and there's a lot of Hubbaloo made over first woman pastor,
first woman bishop, and such like. Now we're waiting on the
Catholic Church to see what they will do. But let us agree in
this matter that we will be guided only and always by the Scripture. Let us agree that Scripture is
the final matter, or say, in every matter. Let us agree that
Scripture are the inspired Word of God, that they are without
error and without mixture, and that they can never be changed.
Let me quote again from R.L. Dabney's article, The Public
Preaching of Women, quote, this common movement for women's preaching
must be regarded then as simply infidel. It cannot be candidly
upheld without attacking the inspiration and the authority
of the scripture." And may I add, the same is true in many other
areas in Christianizing many of these movements that we have
seen come among us. The point being those things
being accepted in the church did not occur until the scriptures
are regarded very lowly by some in our generation, until they're
not regarded as the God-breathed inerrant word of our God. and that they possess the authority
of Almighty God behind them. There must come a lessening of
the reverence for the Word of God for these things to be allowed
and to be Christianized and baptized into the church. And before they
ever become established in and among the churches, it is usually
done by those who have a low regard for the word of the Lord. Usually, it is done by those
that we would call liberals or modernists who question the word
of our Lord. But in pursuing the matter from
scripture, let's consider it from two standpoints or two things. Number one, scriptures give a
clear prohibition of women preachers, and that's considering the text
that we read in our service today. And number two, we must give
some reasonable explanation in our time to such matters as are
used in support of the ministry of women. There are those texts
that will be brought out against the and in favor. Some have used
Galatians chapter 3 and verse 28, that in Christ there is neither
male nor female, yet you are one in Christ. Some have used
that. But all the writings of the scripture
identify male, female, husband, wife, and such like. And so the
meaning is that with regard to faith and grace and salvation,
it's not a matter of male or female. Some say, Paul said,
1 Corinthians 11 and verse 5, every woman that prays or prophesied,
you know, with her head uncovered. Acts 2 and verse 17, your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy. Acts 21 and verse 9, And the
same man, Philip, had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. And then some will say, what
about Exodus 15 and verse 20? Miriam, the prophetess among
Israel. What of Judges chapter four and
verse four of Deborah, the prophetess, a wife of Lapidoth, who judged
Israel at that time, that one of the women, one of the judges,
was a woman. 2 Kings 22 and 14. So Hilkiah the priest went in
unto Huldah the prophetess and communed with her. Luke 2 and
verse 36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess
of great age, mentioned in the scripture. Now, these and like
texts are sometimes used to justify the preaching of women in the
pulpit and the pastoring of the church. Now, Scripture does not
contradict itself, and can you imagine that Paul allows in 1
Corinthians 11 and verse 5 what he categorically forbids in chapter
14 34, 35, and the passage we read in 1
Timothy chapter 2. We therefore affirm that the
Holy Scripture in both the churches of the Lord and in the familial
construction of the human family, in church and in family, forbid
that the woman become the head of either. Now, the scriptures
for the home are as follows. Ephesians 5, 22 through 24, Colossians
3, 18, 1 Peter 3, verse 1, and verse 5, and verse 6. And we
shall see that both of these orders are based upon what we
read in Genesis 3. So let's examine the two texts
that we have read this evening. 1 Corinthians 14. This is part
of Paul's treatment of the seventh issue that he treats in the epistle,
and it concerns public worship. And the section began in chapter
11. how they had made such a confusion
and such confusion had resulted from their form and order of
public worship. Of the Lord's Supper, which they
had turned into a drunken orgy, at gorging themselves with food,
the matter of tongues and speaking therein. Those matters he takes
up. So that the text that we read
is part of that section on the order of public worship to the
church there in Corinth. Now, the section begins in chapter
11 with instruction concerning men and women in the activity
of worship and public worship until in chapter 14, verse 34
and 35, Paul in no uncertain term forbids women
from public teaching or authority in the church, saying, let them
keep silent in the churches for it is not permitted under them
to speak, that is, to teach or to preach or to instruct or to
have authority. Let the women learn in silence
with all subjection, he writes to Timothy. Now, let us be clear
on the matter, on this matter. Women have equal access to the
grace of God in Jesus Christ. They have equal access to spiritual
revelation and to the knowledge of the things of God. In fact,
there are women that are more spiritual than some men are. There are wives that are more
spiritual, better instructed than their husbands are in the
things of God. They have the same Holy Spirit. They have the same spirit of
grace. And the Christian woman has every
right and privilege to participating fully in the public worship,
taking of the Lord's Supper, praising God in singing and hymns
in the public assembly, reading and meditating upon the Holy
Scripture, and praying unto God All of those things fall within
the realm of her right and her position in Jesus Christ. So Paul does not forbid any of
these unto the Christian sister, but he, yea, the Spirit of God,
does expressly forbid the Christian woman from the public preaching
of the word of God and the exercising of authority over the men and
thereby from speaking in the assembly. She is excluded from
such no matter how spiritually advanced or learned in the things
of God and advanced in the knowledge of God, how sound in faith and
in doctrine, and no matter how well she knows and can quote
the scripture for her and others' profit. But they have not the
access unto the pulpit. Now, taking it from the standpoint
of exclusion, that women are excluded from the ministry. Let's use that to take note of
God's exclusion of some, yea of many, from the service of
the ministry beginning under the old economy. Let's look at
the old economy for a bit and see that there were those that
God particularly, deliberately excluded from the ministry. Here are some. A. God excluded
all other tribes other than the Levites from the priesthood. He did not allow anyone but a
Levite to be in the priesthood. God called Aaron to be the high
priest. No man can take that honor unto
himself. Hebrews 5 and verse 4. No matter
how spiritual, no matter how zealous, no matter how much he
loved God, a man outside of the Levite tribe could not serve
in the priesthood or offer up sacrifices, that exclusion. And
then B, furthermore, even a Levite, if he had some physical deformity,
or to be politically incorrect, a handicap or a special need,
that was excluded from serving as a priest. Leviticus 21, 17
through 21. There were certain deformities
that did not allow them to serve as a priest, even though they
were a Levite, I'm sure because it was typical of the absolute
perfection of our Lord. But such things as a flat nose,
or being a dwarf, or being too slender, or having a broken hand,
or a crooked back, all like that were excluded from the priesthood,
no matter their love or their zeal for the things of God. Exodus chapter 21, verse 21. He could not offer the offerings
of God made by fire. And then see, the scripture excludes
a novice from being an overseer in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse
6. A new convert as well as a polygamist
could not be one who was a bishop or an overseer. So then why has
the sovereign God excluded women from the ministry? Here are the
facts. Under the old economy, no ecclesiastical
office was held by a woman. No woman was ever in the high
priesthood. No woman ministered at the altar. or was a priest in the Levite
tribe. No woman sat on the throne as
a king. And in Christ's ministry, no
woman was chosen and appointed as an apostle. And of the early
deacons in Acts 6, all of them were men. And covering bishops
and elders and pastor, it was always a male spoken of for the
office. And you see that in 1 Timothy
chapter 3, 1 through 5. Now, to repeat the question,
and why then has the sovereign God excluded the sister from
the ministry? Has he the right to assign the
respective order of the church social and ecclesiastical relations
as well? And Paul writes in positive terms,
that women are to be subject to their husband, Ephesians 5,
and two, are not to teach or have authority in the public
assembly, but to be in subjection. Now, of course, there are those
who are willing to set all of this aside, attacking Paul as
being a sore-headed old chauvinistic pig who was prejudiced against
the fairer sex and therefore being not married, did not like
women. And I've read that argument,
put them down at every opportunity that he found. Have you not read
how highly Paul exalts the sisters and speaks of our sisters in
the Lord Jesus Christ? What is this but to attack Paul,
but another attack on the inspiration and authority of the Scripture? And if we reject what he teaches
concerning women as being prejudiced, may we not also do the same for
children? Is it an embarrassment for children
to be under the subjection of their parents? Children, obey
your parents in the Lord, for this is right, and be subject
unto them. Again, Paul commands Christian
slaves to obey their masters when they have been saved, when
they have come to the grace of God. Peter and Paul both do that
in their writing. Now, neither the child subject
to their parent nor the Christian slave subjected unto the master,
neither of them are degraded by what the scripture teaches
concerning them. For the slave has liberty in
Christ and is the Lord's free man, even if he is a slave. after the flesh. So, in 1st Corinthians,
he cites the authoritative sources. Verse 34, the law, as also saith
the law. Then 37, the Lord himself. The things I write unto you are
the commandments of the Lord. Now, something to notice about
both of our texts, if we would, in both of them, Paul makes references
to the original pair, Adam and Eve, And he goes back unto the
beginning. Watch it here in 1 Corinthians
14, 34. Let your women keep silent in
the churches for because it is not permitted unto them to speak
as those in verse 29. Also compare, let your women
keep silent in the churches with, let them keep silent in the church
again in verse 28. And watch how he enforces the
ban on women preaching in public assembly by appealing unto the
law, but to be under obedience as also saith the law, as the
law said, as stated in the law. And the reference is no doubt
to Genesis chapter 3 and verse 16, and God's sentence upon Eve
for her part in the fall. Unto the woman he said, I will
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow shalt
thou bring forth children. Thy desire shall be subject unto
thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And please notice,
her punishment has two parts. Number one, the agonies associated
with conception and childbirth, the sorrow and travail every
time she becomes a mother, the misery of her body, the anguish,
the pain, the travail, and such like. And secondly, the abject
subjection on her husband. Thy desire shall be to thy husband,
that is, subject unto his approval, and he shall reign over you. Now this is the argument that
Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 14, 34, and John Gill tied the two
texts together. Genesis 3, 16, 1 Corinthians
13, 34. when he wrote, and the reason
why women cannot exercise the ministerial function is that
it involves an act of rule and dominion of government and so
is contrary to the law of God. They are to be under obedient. Now Adam and Eve's sentences
pass on to their posterity. Adam, do men still make their
living by the sweat of their brow? Does the ground still yield
her fruit? grudgingly and bring forth thorns
and thistle? And E, do women still endure
many sorrow? Do they still bear children in
great travail? Are their sorrows not multiplied
still yet? in such a time. Why then not
still be subject to their husband and do what God has commanded
concerning them in that position? So that these things yet being
so have passed upon the sons and the daughters of Adam and
of Eve, and have been so in every time, every age, and in every
generation. And now, let my words from henceforth
be toward the Christian sisters and the Christian wives and the
blessedness that God has bestowed upon them. And sisters, if you
would, please consider, meditate on the place and the role and
the dignity and the honor that God has vouchsafed unto you and
especially and particularly in a state of grace and your role
and your place in the kingdom of Christ, your role in the church
and in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be saved by
God's sovereign election and grace and be under the yoke of
Christ. And secondly, to be the wife
of a Christian man. What a blessing is that to be
the wife of a Christian man. Peter talks about being heirs
together of the grace of life. First Peter chapter 3 and verse
7. For is Christ's yoke is easy
and is light. So too, not to despise that of
a Christian husband, for it ought to be easy and light as well. What a difference the grace of
God makes, not only in you personally, but in that one flesh union with
that man that God's providence has brought into your life. and
that walk together in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, and share that faith which was once delivered unto
the saint. What a difference it is to be
married in grace, to have a husband that is in Christ, that loves
Christ and that fears God, and that loves you even as he loves
himself, who desires for you that good that God also has desired
and has pledged, that when you are submitting yourself unto
Christ or submitting yourself unto your husband, It is as unto
Christ and is a Christian duty and is an act of faith. And I'll close with this, that
neither the husband or the wife should take advantage of the
other because of God's special and particular arrangements for
them. Do not beat each other over the
head with those things, but in tender love and the sharing of
grace, walk together as the heirs of life. Thank God for the institution
of marriage, for his providence therein in our personal lives. How wonderful is the providence
of God who brought us from different places parts of the country to
be together and share life together. Share it in Christ and share
it in the Christian Church. May the Lord bless us for that
and with that great honor.