Whether a woman can stand in a pulpit to deliver a Bible message has been a bone of contention among professing Christians for many years. As we draw closer to the Lord's return, it seems this argument has intensified rather than diminished.
I believe the Scripture is extremely clear on this issue, but God's people are required to "earnestly contend (Jude 3)" for Bible truth. God's people are also to "stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance (2 Peter 3:1)." Comparing these Scripture leads us to the conclusion that we must constantly remind ourselves of the things for which we are to contend. With that in mind, let us address the issue of women 'preachers' once again. Foundation for Certainty A positive conclusion on this issue must have a solid foundation from which to draw that conclusion. If we desire to know how to conduct ourselves in a New Testament church, we must approach the New Testament for the answer. Much confusion and error have been brought into Bible-preaching churches because someone reached back into the Old Testament to learn how to conduct the Lord's service in a New Testament church. We will discuss this in greater detail later in this article, but we must recognize the difference between service in the Old Testament and New Testament. Failure to Accept the Word Right out of the box are those who acknowledge the office of pastor cannot be filled by women. They agree that God never intended a woman to be in that place of authority in a church. In the next breath, they state that their favourite female 'preacher' is not unscriptural when she ascends into the pulpit because she does not hold the office of pastor. I have heard this excuse many times and always shake my head in disbelief. The only way to justify this position is to ignore the totality of New Testament teaching and focus on the fact that she is not a pastor. In other words, they justify this error in practice because it is not a greater error in practice. The New Testament makes the qualifications of the pastor clear (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). There is no way to justify a woman 'pastor' using these qualifications. But, what about the woman 'preacher?' Isn't that ok? The New Testament makes some clear statements regarding women in a New Testament church. Beyond women being barred from the offices of pastor and deacon, other boundaries are set for women. These boundaries surely irritate the "strong, independent" women of today, but they are still God's plan for New Testament churches. They are as follows: 1. "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 (1 Corinthians 14:34)." Paul said to the women, "Keep silent. Don't speak." There is no room for a woman 'preacher' in this verse. In this context, the apostle Paul spoke about speaking in tongues in the church. It is clear, however, that he applied this commandment to all of church life. The fact that Paul appealed to obedience and the law shows Paul's intent to carry this commandment beyond speaking in tongues. The next verse makes this even more clear. 2. "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 (1 Corinthians 14:35)." Paul bluntly stated, "It is a shame for women to speak in the church." There is NO justification for a woman 'preacher' in light of this verse. It is also obvious that Paul is not limiting the focus of his statements regarding women in the church to the act of speaking in tongues. 3. " If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 14:37)" In this verse, Paul simply said, "If you are truly spiritual, you will acknowledge I am correct in prohibiting women from speaking in the church." In other words, those who defend the woman 'preacher' are not the spiritual individuals they believe themselves to be. 4. "Let the woman 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 (1 Timothy 2:11-12)." If the verses in 1 Corinthians 14 are not clear enough, in these verses, the apostle Paul makes abundantly clear what he knows about women 'preachers.' He said women are not allowed to teach but to be in silence. The only attack that is consistently mounted against this passage is to deny its inspiration - that these words came from the mouth of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Those who wish to deny the Bible say something like, "Paul wrote that verse, not God" or "That was just the misogynistic culture of Paul's day." We cannot "cherry-pick" the portions of Scripture we believe are inspired and deny all the verses and passages we dislike. The Bible plainly states, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16)." If ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God even the verses we don't like must be accepted as inspired and valid for today. I'll go a step further and state that no woman should open or close any church meeting in prayer. If she is to "keep silence," she has no business leading in prayer in mixed company (a group consisting of adult men and women). This used to be unquestioned, but in recent years so-called independent Baptist churches have begun to call on ladies to open and close their meetings in prayer. This action is justified by stating these ladies are not preaching. Whatever excuse is used, the Scripture puts this move outside the boundaries of New Testament practice. Its practice ought to be rejected by the faithful Bible believer. Christians claim to hold the Bible as their final authority for faith and practice, yet when it comes to this issue, many reject the authority of the Scripture. Instead, they make excuses for their favourate female 'preacher' by pointing out the passion of their presentation or some truth they convey. Jesus told us preaching in His Name, performing miraculous acts, and even casting out devils is not the identification of a true preacher of the Gospel (Matthew 7:21-23). It is by doing the will of God (Matthew 7:21) that a true preacher of the Gospel can be identified. Of course, the will of God is revealed in His Word. Failure to Rightly Divide the Word As mentioned earlier, we must recognize the difference between Old Testament worship and New Testament worship. This is a dangerous practice that has led to increasing errors over time. As an example of the danger of this practice, Clement of Rome (d. 110 A.D.) was among the first to parallel the New Testament church with the Old Testament priesthood. His comparison eventually led to the separation of clergy from the laity, with all the trappings we see in the Orthodox 'Church' and Catholic 'Church.' Ignoring the danger of this practice, many point back to the book of Judges to identify Deborah as an example of a female in a leadership position. If they are serious Bible "students," they may point out Huldah, a prophetess during the days of Josiah, king of Judah. The proponents of female preachers, then, tell us that the existence of these ladies proves ladies can be New Testament preachers. The problem with pointing back to these ladies is there were NO qualifications for an Old Testament judge or prophet but, there ARE qualifications for a New Testament pastor and preacher. The effort of dragging these ladies from the Old Testament economy into the New Testament church is both unbiblical and dishonest. A very basic reading of Scripture reveals a lack of justification for women 'pastors' and 'preachers.' God's people must accept the clear teaching of Scripture and reject ALL the women who might seek to justify their 'preaching' because they don't hold the title of Pastor.
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About Jerry JacksonJerry has been writing for many years now. He has written tracts for several churches, as well as his ministries in Papua New Guinea and in Canada. He has had the opportunity to have many of his articles published in several Independent Baptist periodicals over the years. His main goals are to teach truth and lift up the Saviour. Archives
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