We are at the final stage of the restoration of God's pattern of creation seen in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. Adam not only brought sin and death to the world but also created a gross unbalance to the teaching and practice of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. Let us recapitulate what we have learned when we apply it to the Church. Genesis 1 teaches that in the Church all ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit are opened to both men and women. Genesis 2 teaches that in the Church only men take responsibility in the areas of doctrine and discipline. The Ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the early Church showed that women should never hold an authoritative position where they tell men what to do. It is the will of God that this original pattern be fully restored. Otherwise, in the eyes of God, the Church is not fully redeemed!
The Apostles' Doctrine
After Peter's first sermon Luke recorded, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer" (Acts 2:41, 42, NKJV, emphasis added).
Paul (or rather God) has given us the ingredients for a healthy Church growth. The primary requirement is upholding the apostles' doctrine (or teaching). The trouble is, the contemporary Local Churches practising all these - fellowshipping, breaking of bread and having prayer meetings except "steadfastly" following and upholding the apostles' doctrine.
Danger of taking a verse of Scripture out of its context
Paul's teaching is totally consistent with the pattern we dealt with in the first two Chapters of the Bible. On the one hand Paul upholds the equality of status, value and worth of every individual person, either male of female. On the other hand he makes a distinction between the male and female in their respective role and responsibility in the Church.
Confusion and trouble come when we take a verse of Scripture out of its context. In the original translation the books of the Bible were written without paragraph and verse number. These were put in by the translators. It will be better if we can read a book of the Bible through like a story without worrying about taking a sentence out of its context.
False basis of support for the feminists and the homosexuals
Let us look at a statement of Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians:
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28, emphasis added).
The above verse taken out of context is now becomes almost the sole basis for the Christian feminists because they take it to mean that there is no difference whatever between the male and female in the eyes of God. What men can do, women can do equally well or even better.
If you take that text and apply it to the relationship between men and women, can can prove that it is perfectly acceptable for homosexuals to get married provided they are both Christians. If that verse means now that we are Christians, if there is no difference between men and women then there is nothing wrong with homosexual marriage. A man can therefore free to marry another man or to a woman. Homosexual Churches actually use that verse to justify their existence. It is obvious that is the wrong meaning.
If you want to find the meaning of a text you have to look at the context - other part of the same chapter or other part of the same paragraph, usually one or two verses before and one or two verses after the text in question. So if you look at Galatians 3:38 in the context you will realize that the apostle Paul was not talking about role relationship (teaching of Genesis 2). He was talking about sons and heirs through faith in Christ Jesus. He was explaining the nature of the Abrahamic Covenant whereby the blessing of salvation came to mankind - both men and women.
Paul said, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26, emphasis added).
Notice that he did not say sons and daughters. Never in the New Testament was the early Church addressed Christians as brothers and sisters - always brothers. Never in the New Testament is a Christian fellowship described as sons and daughters of God - always sons. And all female Christians are also sons in Christ.
Paul further said, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Verse 27).
In other words, when I am baptized I have put on Christ -The One who is a free Jew. Once I am in Christ I am in a male Jew who is free, whether I am a Jew or a Gentile. Because I am in Christ I am Abraham's seed and I can claim the promise made to Abraham (Verse 29).
Galations 3:28 shows that Paul's teaching was totally in line with Genesis 1.
Paul maintained the teaching of Genesis 2
When Paul discussed family life, marriage and the role of men and women in the Church he applied Genesis 2.
Therefore in 1 Cor. 11 he said, "But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3).
Notice the chain of divine order of authority comes from the top downward - Christ, man and then woman. Paul did not say the head of every Christian man is Christ, nor did he say the head of every Christian woman is man. So, this divine order of authority is mandatory to all men - Christian or non-Christian.
Furthermore Paul continued to say, "For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels" (1 Cor. 11:8 - 10).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Here Paul picked up the whole basis of the teaching of Genesis 2 - woman was made from man; woman was made for man; woman was made after man (please read again my earlier message - "God's Pattern of Male-Female Role and Relationship").
2. A woman needs to have a symbol of authority over her head - spiritually it is the man; physically it is her long hair (Verse 15). Notice there is not one word in the original Greek about a woman wearing a hat in the Church. The length of a woman's hair is sufficient to reveal that she is accepting her identity in Christ.
3. The angels are watching whether the Church is following the divine order and that the women are covered by men in that congregation in worshiping, praying and prophesying (Verse 5). Whenever we are gathering together in a Church the angels are watching us. The women in the Church are vulnerable to supernatural influence because there are bad angels as well as good ones. The bad ones are demons and they are looking around for women who do not accept male protection!
So we see Paul was totally consistent in his teaching (based on Genesis 1 and Genesis 2). He summed this up:
"Nevertherless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of men, in the Lord" (Verse 11).
Therefore there would never be a Church made up of men only, or women only.
Paul's teaching in 1 Cor. 11 is very clear. The man needs to be masculine toward his wife and the womans need to be femine toward her husband. On the one hand, as the husband leads his wife he himself needs to be led by Christ. But on the other hand Paul and the other apostles' teachings say that whatever the woman's husband is like, he is the woman's head. In other words, whether the husband is a believer or a non-believer he is still the head of the woman. We must repect the head of the home whether he is a believer or a non-believer.
Peter also maintained the Creation Pattern
It is interesting to realize that Peter taught exactly the same thing as Paul. Both of them were utterly consistent with the whole Bible.
The first calling of a wife, after loving the Lord, is to love her husband and not the Church. The Church comes third. In a redeemed relationship the wife submits to her husband whether he is a believer or not and whether he is matured or not.
To the wife Peter said, "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear (1 Peter 3:1, 2, NKJV, emphasis added).
Here are some statements of truth:
1. Paul said the same thing regarding the wife's submission to her husband (Eph. 5:22).
2: Sometimes both the husband and the wife heard the Gospel together but the husband would not obey, whereas the wife obeyed and got converted. By the show of chaste conduct of the wife, even without the wife having to say anything, her husband would fear God and would soon accept the Gospel.
To the husband Peter said, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understand, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7, emphasis added).
Notice that the above verse is quite similar to what Paul said in Galatians 3:28. Both Paul and Peter upheld the teaching of Genesis 1.
Equal in ministry but unequal in office
According to the apostles' doctrine every ministry is opened to women in the New Testament but not every office - there is a difference.
Paul said, "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11, 12, emphasis added).
The five offices listed: Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher are Christ's gifts to His Church for the purpose of preparing Church members to take up the various ministries in the Body of Christ. Each of these five gifts listed can be an office or a ministry.
For example Paul asked Timothy to "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5). Obviously Timothy did not hold the office of an evangelist but able to minister and do the work expected of an evangelist. Similarly any Christian, male or female, can be anointed and called to minister, to serve and to function in all these offices except that a woman cannot hold the office of a Pastor - simply because she cannot be in a position to have authority over men, to teach men and tell men what to do (1 Tim. 2:11 -15).
There are women who prophesy. For example, we have Philip's four daughters. There are also women teachers (Titus 2:2, 3). There are women who are given the name of apostle. For example, a woman called Junia:
Paul said, "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who were in Christ before me" (Romans 16:7).
In fact, Paul, in Romans 16, listed 26 of his helpers and companions and 9 of them were women. But, no where can you find in the entire New Testament that a woman is called to be a Pastor or an elder or a teacher in an opened congregation where both men and women are present.
This is the balanced teaching of both Paul and Peter based on the pattern set out by God in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. How I wish the contemporary Churches have balanced teaching as well!
The New Creation
In heaven the sexual difference will go. Neither will men marry nor will women given in marriage (Matt. 22:30; Mark 12:25). That is because there will be no need for reproduction and the population in heaven will not increase. We shall be like the angels. Angels are created beings and they never reproduce; they are of fixed number. You will never be united with your marriage partner. Your marriage ends when one of you dies; and you will never be put together again. You and your wife will be brother and sister in heaven. And we all will have closer relationship with every one else.
The best news is, you will get a new body in heaven and your body will be of age 33! - the same age when Jesus died.
John said, "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2, NKJV, emphasis added).
That is when you are fully redeemed (Romans 8:22, 23). The whole creation will be on the eighth day of creation. God is preparing us for a whole new world. He is restoring what is meant to be in the beginning. That is the whole Gospel! Amen.
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