She is to Remain Silent

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he writes to confront false teaching that Timothy, his young protégé, is encountering as overseer or pastor of the church in Ephesus.  Paul responds to the false teaching in 1 Timothy 1:3-20 and then proceeds to describe the Gospel-centered life of the church in 1 Timothy 2:1-3:13.  Paul’s point is that the church’s faithful Gospel-centered living will protect it from false teachers who would come in to destroy it.  It’s in this context and in this section, however, that we come across these perplexing verses:

[11] Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. [12] I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. (1 Tim. 2:11-14 ESV)

Wrong interpretation of these verses has usually fallen into two categories: (1) too strict or (2) too lenient.  Both approaches ignore the original context and lead to dangerous applications for the church.

A too strict interpretation of these verses has led some to conclude that women in every area of life (not just life in the church) should remain silent.  This sort of interpretation, however ignores Paul’s purpose for writing to Timothy (i.e. the context), which is to confront false teaching and protect the church from it.  The Apostle Paul’s command for women to remain silent in the church must be seen in light of Paul’s desire to protect the church from false teaching.  Therefore, Paul’s refusal to “permit (women) to teach or to exercise authority over a man” is actually a protection against false teaching.

The word “teach” refers to the public teaching or preaching of God’s Word in the church.  It is in this setting, when men are present, that women are to remain silent.  Paul makes clear that this position of authority is reserved for men in the church (cf. 1 Tim. 3:2).  This, however, does not mean that women should remain silent in every situation or even in every teaching situation in the church.  For example, women are to teach younger women in the ways of godliness in relation to their families (Titus 2:4) and Paul even praises the sincere faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, which they most assuredly taught to Timothy (cf. 2 Tim. 1:5).  Furthermore, women are not prohibited from discussing biblical truths in the presence of men.  In Acts 18:24-28 Apollos shows up in Ephesus speaking and teaching “accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25).  Hearing him teach, a husband and wife missionary team, Priscilla and Aquila, “took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26).  So, women are to remain silent concerning the public proclamation of the Word of God when the church is assembled for worship but there is biblical command and precedent for allowing women to teach other women and children and for allowing them to discuss biblical truths in the presence of men.

A too lenient interpretation of these verses has led some to conclude that the false teaching Paul addresses is specific to the women in Ephesus or the early church while the present day church doesn’t deal with such false teaching.  Thus, women are now permitted to teach publicly the Scriptures when the church is gathered for worship whereas previously women were forbidden to do so.  This interpretation, however, is undone by the record of early church history and Scripture.  Church history does not record any specific false teaching that was limited to women in Ephesus or limited to women during the days of the early church.  In addition, 1 Timothy 1:20 mentions the names of the false teachers that Paul has in mind, Hymenaeus and Alexander, both of which are male names.  Add to this the fact that Scripture makes clear that the role of publicly teaching Scripture in the church is reserved for Christian men as was mentioned earlier.  This responsibility belongs to overseers or pastors in the church and is an exercise of God-given authority.  This is one reason why Paul refuses to allow a woman “to exercise authority over a man…” The teaching of the Word of God is authoritative and belongs to the overseer, pastor, or elder, which are positions God has reserved for men.

Paul bases his command for women to remain silent in relation to public teaching in the church on the created order of man and woman in Genesis 2 before the fall.  In Genesis 2 Adam is created first and is given responsibility and authority over the created order.  Eve is then created as his helpmate.  Based on this order then, Adam has the responsibility of authority and leadership and Eve is to be submissive to his leadership.  Paul says the church should, in the same way, look to men for authoritative leadership in teaching and preaching rather than women who are to learn “quietly with all submissiveness” (1 Tim. 2:11).

Paul also bases his command for women to remain silent in relation to public teaching in the church on the fact that Eve was deceived in Genesis 3 while Adam was not.  It was Eve who believed the lies of the serpent.  It was Eve who fell for Satan’s deception.  Adam’s sin was willful and destructive for the whole human race (cf.Rom.5:2) but he was not deceived.  Paul draws on the story of Adam and Eve because they, like the church in Ephesus, encountered false teaching.  Adam, as the man, refused to exercise his God-given authority.  Eve, as the woman, refused to be submissive.  It was when Eve exercised authority and Adam submitted to her leadership that the first family was swallowed up in false teaching with all of its destructive effects.  The Apostle Paul tells the church in Ephesus and every church throughout history that if they would avoid the destructive effects of false teaching, then godly men must publicly teach the Scriptures and exercise authority in the church while godly women learn quietly with all submissiveness.

Gathered In My Name

Church discipline is not fun.  It is not exciting or glamorous.  It is painful and it is biblically mandated.  Church discipline is the process by which a church removes a member from fellowship because the member refuses to confess and repent of verified public sin.

In Matthew 18:15-20 Jesus lays out the proper procedure for church discipline:

(1) The brother or sister in question must be confronted quietly.  Jesus said, “… go and tell him his fault between you and him alone,” (v. 15).  Hopefully the one confronted listens and the relationship is immediately restored.

(2) If the brother or sister confronted quietly does not listen, then two or three witnesses are to be brought in so that charge of sin may be established beyond doubt.  Jesus said, “… if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses,” (v. 16).  Important to notice is that the witnesses are to have evidence of the sin in question.  It should go without saying but “witnesses” ought to be just that – witnesses to the sin of the accused brother or sister.  Hopefully at this point the one confronted turns from the sin and the relationship is immediately restored.

(3) If the brother or sister, however, does not repent, the issue is then brought before the whole church.  Jesus said, “… tell it to the church,” (v. 17).  With each step the process of church discipline grows in severity with the hope of restoring the brother or sister caught up in sin.  If he or she has not repented before, hopefully he or she will at this point and find immediate restoration in the church.

(4) If the brother or sister, however, does not repent, then extreme measures are taken in hopes of restoring the unrepentant brother or sister.  Jesus said, “And if he refuses to listen to even the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector,” (v. 17).  Gentiles and tax collectors were not welcomed among the Jewish people of Jesus’ day.  Rather they were treated as outsiders, as those who had no real place among the people of God.  This is how Jesus says those who have refused to repent of verified public sin at every stage of the process should be treated.

This may seem harsh and might immediately cause some to ask, “Is the church as a people really worthy of making this kind of decision?”  The answer is “yes” for two reasons:

(1) Jesus has granted the church the authority to prescribe discipline.  In Matthew 18:19 Jesus said, “Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by Father in heaven.”  If even two of Jesus’ disciples rightly agree that a brother or sister is in sin then there is need for repentance.  The idea is that the brother or sister is confronted individually.  Perhaps the individual confronted says, “I have not sinned.”  The one confronting then goes to two or three others who have been witness to this brother or sister’s sin and says, “Do you agree that this is sinful and repentance is necessary?”  Those two or three then say “yes” or “no” depending on their honest assessment.  If they say “yes,” then repentance is necessary and the process moves forward.  If they say “no,” then repentance is not necessary and the matter is dropped.  Amazingly, Jesus is saying that whenever the process is followed faithfully by the church, God is in agreement with it.

(2) Jesus promised to be with the church throughout the process of church discipline.  In Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  This verse is often divorced from the context of church discipline and is mistakenly applied to everything from worship services to prayer meetings as if Jesus is only with Christians when they are gathered in groups.  This is how we sometimes misuse this verse.  Indeed Jesus is among us during worship services and prayer meetings but He is also with us when we are alone.  When we divorce this verse from its context we increase confusion perhaps leading some to think that Jesus is absent when Christians are absent or leading them to think that Jesus is only present when Christians are present.  Jesus, however, is always present whether we are in groups or all alone, which is what makes this verse a claim to divinity.

The promise of presence that Jesus gives here is specifically given to the church during the process of church discipline.  We know that to remove someone from fellowship is a big deal, one that should not be taken lightly, but we know that we can move through the process confidently because Jesus has promised to be with us in the process of church discipline whenever two or three have gathered in His name.

Rehash of Bible study on John 21

This is what we talked about in Bible study tonight.

I love the conversation between Jesus and Peter in John 21 – the most important conversation of Peter’s life. Peter had denied Jesus three times right before Jesus was crucified and in the Gospel of John, Jesus has already appeared twice to His disciples since His resurrection. But in this third appearance to His disciples Jesus speaks to Peter about his previous denials.

Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” But there is more to it in the Greek. The first two times Jesus asks this question, Jesus uses the verb “agape”. The third time Jesus uses the verb “phileo”. Each time Peter responds with, “You know I love you,” and each time Peter uses the verb “phileo”. We are also told that after Jesus asks Peter the third time, “Do you love (phileo) me?” that Peter becomes very sad. Why is this? Why does Peter become very sad after this third question from Jesus?

Here’s what I think is going on. Jesus asks Peter the first two times if Peter loves (agape) him. “Agape” love is thought to be the highest level of love. Peter responds to this question by saying that he does indeed love Jesus but it is a “phileo” love. I think Peter is reluctant to say that he loves Jesus with an “agape” love because he has denied Jesus three times. Jesus asks for the second time and Peter responds the same way. But then Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love (phileo) me?” It’s at this point that Peter gets really discouraged and its because Jesus is no longer questioning Peter’s “agape” love, Jesus is even questioning Peter’s “phileo” love.

We might understand this a bit better if we think of it in terms of perfect and imperfect. In that case it would be as if Jesus asked Peter the first two times, “Do you love me perfectly?” And Peter responds each time by saying, “I love you, Jesus, but imperfectly.” But the third time Jesus then asks, “Do you even love me imperfectly, Peter?” Peter responds by saying, “Master, you know all things. You know that I at least love you imperfectly.” Amazingly, even though Jesus knows and Peter knows that Peter’s love for Jesus is not perfect (e.g. triple denial of Jesus before the crucifixion), Jesus still tells Peter, “Feed my sheep. Tend my lambs.”

No matter how imperfect Peter’s love for Jesus, what matters most is Jesus’ love for Peter.

It’s Jesus that loves perfectly and no matter how imperfect our love for Him, Jesus still uses us if He calls us His own.

*I know you’re thinking the picture above is an actual photo of the event described in John 21 but it’s not. Shame on you for thinking such a thing.

Rehash of Sermon on Hosea 1:1-2:1

On Sunday nights at our church I preach verse-by-verse through an entire book of the Bible.  Recently we began our journey through the Minor Prophets beginning with the book of Hosea.  A couple of Sunday nights ago we looked at Hosea 1:1-2:1.

In this passage God calls on the prophet Hosea to live within a dramatic example of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God (cf. Hosea 1:1-3).  Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness is portrayed symbolically in the marital unfaithfulness of Hosea’s wife, Gomer.  Thus, Hosea represents God and Gomer represents Israel.

Through the relationship between Hosea and Gomer we see that Israel was entirely unfaithful to God.  Israel’s unfaithfulness to God was most clearly displayed in 1 Kings 21 when the King of Israel, Ahab, incited the people to worship the Canaanite fertility god Baal and killed a man faithful to God named Naboth.  Because of their worship of Baal God said to Israel, “You will be scattered.  I will have no mercy on you.  You are not my people and I am not your God” (cf. Hosea 1:4-9).  In other words, the Mosaic Covenant, the covenant of law that bound God and Israel together, had been destroyed by Israel’s unfaithfulness.

Nevertheless, God still promises to poor out mercy on Israel according to the Abrahamic Covenant, the covenant of promise (cf. Hosea 1:10-11).  This covenant of promise is ultimately realized in the person of Jesus Christ.  That’s why 2 Cor. 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in (Jesus Christ).”  It also why 2 Cor. 6:2, “Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  Because of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ the mercy of God is now available to Israel and the whole world through faith in Jesus Christ.

That was pretty much the whole sermon minus illustrations and “uhs”.

*The commentary pictured above is one of the commentaries I’m using as we study through Hosea.

Rehashing the Sermon on Romans 12:12

This past Sunday morning I preached on Romans 12:12.  A straight-forward and simple verse, it says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation and constant in prayer.”  These practical commands, inspired by the Holy Spirit through the pen of the Apostle Paul, are bolstered by the theological legwork done in Romans 5:1-5 and Romans 8:18-26.  The conclusion that we are lead as we consider these two passages in light of Romans 12:12 is that the commands of Romans 12:12 are impossible apart from faith in Jesus Christ.  If we have no faith in Jesus Christ, what hope do we have to rejoice in?  If we have no faith in Jesus Christ, what’s the point of remaining patient in tribulation?  If we do not have faith in Jesus Christ, then how do we remain constant in prayer?  The answer is of course that apart from Christ there is no hope, no reason to faithfully endure tribulation, and no possibility of remaining constant in prayer.

That’s pretty much the entire sermon minus illustrations and awkward pauses.

Missions in Prison

Matthew 28:19-20 couldn’t be more clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But what if you’re in prison?  Does this command no longer apply to you?

I picked up a copy of Leadership Journal the other day and read an incredible story about the work New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is doing in Angola Prison.  I hope that you will take the time to follow the link and read the story as well.

Thank God that NOBTS is doing this work, that men and women are trusting Christ, and that they are obeying the Great Commission command even while in prison.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2011/summer/makingministers.

Not Neglecting to Meet Together

Hebrews 10:24-25 states it plainly, “… let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

I went to see Ms. Mamie and Mrs. Pat today.  Both of these women are members in our church who are not able to attend as often as they would like due to physical ailments.  Nearly every time I visit with either of them they will say, “We sure do miss being there on Sundays.”  I know they are telling the truth.

They miss being there on Sundays because that is where they can gather together with brothers and sisters in Christ to sing His praises and hear His Word.  They miss the laughs, the encouragements, the tears, the stories of triumph, the stories of struggle, the prayer requests, and hearing about prayers answered.  They miss church and I think I can safely say we miss them just as much.

So, here’s the point.  This Sunday morning you’re going to be laying in your bed deciding to NOT go to church.  You’ll NOT go because you just don’t want to or you stayed up too late the night before or sleep just feels better in the moment.  You’re body would cooperate if you told it to get up and go to church but instead you tell it to lay there… so it does.  Just know, that as you waste the opportunity to “meet together” there are many others praying their bodies will cooperate so they can go.

Take advantage of the opportunity while you have it.