Other Books at Freedom's Ring

Chapter 16

Applying Other Scriptures

The Jews killed Christ to stop His message. Peter, at first, would not accept the fact that the Gentiles could be saved. Do we do the same thing when we limit able and informed women in teaching and preaching Christ to the lost? Or building up the saints? Or encouraging the fainthearted?

Ephesians 2:20 says, "The household of God was built upon the apostles and the prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone." There are New Testament prophets, like Philip's daughters. Corinthian women were instructed to seek the better gift, that of prophecy. Upon them the church was also built.

I Thessalonians 4:8 reads, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Were men only to teach these words and give comfort? Or could women use these words regarding the second coming to comfort men and women alike? It is obvious that all the brethren in the church were to do the comforting of one another, privately and publicly.

If these brethren, by reading and teaching, comforted the congregation about the second coming of Christ, on what logical basis would we conclude that this instruction to "one another" would be any different from the singing to "one another" in Ephesians and Colossians, which we claim included women speaking in song in worship settings? If, in the assembly, women can teach others in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, why could they not also be included in this command to "comfort one another" with the words of the apostle Paul in a public assembly? To do otherwise is to be selective in application of similar rules. Certainly the command was not that "men only" do the comforting with Paul's words, nor was such comforting restricted to private gatherings any more than singing was.

In Ephesians 5:11 Paul says, "Wherefore exhort one another and build each other up." Each Christian, man and woman, was involved in this command. The exhortation and the building up were obviously to be done by both men and women. There is no more indication that the building up and the exhortation were limited to men, than singing was limited to men. Paul concluded this verse by saying, "Even as also ye do." Every church member is included. To suggest that women could not be doing their exhorting and building up in both public and private is to "wrest" the scripture, defy logic, and go against what we allow in our interpretation of Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3.

"And we exhort you brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all, see that none render unto any evil, but always follow after that which is good one toward another and toward all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus to you, quench not the spirit, despise not prophesying, prove all things, hold fast to that which is good, abstain from every form of evil." (I Thessalonians 5:14-22). No one would argue that "men only" were to exhort the brethren. Paul instructed "Thessalonian Christians," men and women, to exhort the brethren. And, the same group was to admonish the disorderly. The same group was to pray without ceasing and give thanks in everything. They were not to quench the spirit, nor despise prophesying; all these activities were done by men and women.

The same reasoning which allows women to speak to men under "one another" in the assembly in song will allow women to "speak to one another" in fulfilling all of the above instructions by the apostle Paul. Today, most of this is already done in public Bible classes, rather than other public worship services of the church, by women. But it is done. Those who were to pray without ceasing and to give thanks in all situations were not men only. Who was to "lead" in prayer is not remotely suggested, here or anywhere else. The word "lead" is not used in the New Testament as we use it most often.

Paul orders them not to despise prophesying. He did not say "prophesying by men." What if there were women prophets? Were they forbidden to prophesy? What if no men had the gift of prophecy and women did? Could the Thessalonians despise their prophecies because they were uttered by women? God was the one who gave her the gift in the first place, so the church could profit. By despising the prophesying of a woman who had the gift, one would despise God's revelation and reject Paul's instruction in this passage.

Someone will reply, "But if she prophesies she is usurping authority." This is not so. God gave her a message of prophecy she uttered to the benefit of the church. They listened to her prophesy. There is no wresting of authority from anyone. By giving women the gift of prophecy, He gave them the authority to speak. You can't get any authority higher than this. Telling God's truth in any situation is not exercising authority over people. They voluntarily come to listen; they can voluntarily leave. Only tradition calls this an exercise of dominion - the Bible does not.

I Thessalonians 5:27, "I adjure you, by the Lord, that this epistle be read by all the brethren." Again, we must emphasize that women were permitted to sing, by the instruction to sing, and should also be allowed to follow this instruction on reading. Only tradition precludes them from doing so, not scripture or logic. Would women be restricted to reading it to themselves while alone? Or to a group of other women only? To illiterate brethren? Or to all brethren? This scripture does not place a restriction on women reading this epistle publicly or privately.

I Corinthians 16:15 reads, "Now I beseech ye brethren (ye know the house of Stephanas, they were the first fruits of Achaia, and they have set themselves to minister to the saints), that ye also be in subjection unto such, and to everyone who helpeth in the work and laboreth." This leading household was a ministering household, and one would well imagine that the wife or perhaps the daughters were involved with men in its ministry and leadership. Paul included the whole household. He further says that they had set themselves (plural - more than Stephanas himself) to the ministry of the saints, and told the Corinthian church to be in subjection to such, and to everyone, including male and female members, who work and labor. Women would certainly be included in the command if they also helped in the work and labored. The only reason to argue that they would be in submission to Stephanas and other men only, would be to maintain our false assumptions from the applicable texts. Such a conclusion does not come from the text.

In I Corinthians 16:19 he writes, "Aquila and Priscilla salute you much in the Lord with the church that is in their house." This husband-and-wife team was involved in the work of the church. If Priscilla had the knowledge and the skills to help teach one who was mighty in the scriptures like Apollos, why would anyone doubt that she also taught men and women of lesser knowledge who came to her house for worship and study?

In Galatians 3:27,28 Paul writes, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female, for ye are all one man in Christ Jesus." This passage clearly teaches that Jews have no special privilege over Greeks since both have the same baptism and both have put on the same Christ. It is true that the Jews had the greater knowledge of scripture, but Greeks could still preach, teach, etc. Free men have no special privilege over bond men, for they too put on the same Christ in baptism. It is true that slaves were subject to masters, but they could still read, teach, prophesy, etc. in worship. How could we thus conclude that the equality between men and women was somehow different, since both male and female had put on the same Christ through baptism and had enjoyed the same spiritual gifts? Women could speak in tongues and prophesy, teach, sing, and pray right along side free men, bond men, Jews and Greeks.

Paul says all of the above are "one." If "one," why should each not respect the others' gifts and talents and allow them to be used for the benefit of all? Certainly Gentiles, who knew the word, could teach Jews who had accepted Christ. Masters could teach slaves, and slaves could teach masters. And males could teach females, and females could teach males. They are all one in Christ Jesus, and any one of them could edify and teach the other.

Would anyone argue that a sister in the Galatian church, who might have had an early privilege of learning the truth about being saved by grace rather than works, could not teach this truth to Galatian Christians who did not understand it? If she moved elsewhere and some false concepts about justification by works of the law were held, would God want her to remain silent? Would she let heresy flourish because she was to be in submission to uninformed men and thus be forbidden to teach?

In Galatians 6:1 Paul writes, "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a trespass, ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, looking to yourselves lest thou also be tempted." Would anyone argue that spiritual women in a small church would have to remain silent and in submission if there were only a couple of men in the congregation and both of them were ignorant, in error in doctrine, and were living unholy lives? What is applicable and permissible in a small church is likewise applicable and permissible in a big church. A godly woman has the same responsibility to restore the fallen and to keep the life and the doctrine of the church pure as men have.

In Ephesians 3:14 Paul writes, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the father from whom every family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through His spirit in the inward man. That Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and height, and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Paul, in the above prayer, included all Christians at Ephesus, men and women. To this mixed group of saints he taught in chapter 4:11-13 that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers in the church were there for the perfecting of the saints.

Would anyone argue that his prayer for all the saints in Ephesus for inner strength through the spirit was limited to male members? Godly, informed, spirit-empowered women had a role in the ministries and the maturation of the church. Women could teach against or cry out against the evils of vanity, darkened understanding, alienation, ignorance, hard hearts, and lasciviousness condemned in verses 17-19 of chapter 4. They could, and they should.

In Ephesians 5:1-14, Paul addresses a number of sins from foolish talking to fornication to other unfruitful works of darkness, and he tells the church to reprove such. He does in no way limit those who do the reproving to men. In fact, all Christians have the responsibility.

Ephesians 5:22-23 deals with wives being in subjection to their husbands. It is interesting that Paul said, "Wives, be in subjection to your own husbands." This strengthens the argument that the women who were to be in subjection were only to be in subjection to their "own" husbands, not to other husbands in the church, just as they were to ask their "own" husbands at home, in I Corinthians 14. The men of the church have no right to force women of the church to be in subjection to them. My wife isn't in subjection to another woman's husband! This also strengthens the argument of a mistranslation of "gune" and "aner" in chapters 11 and 14 of I Corinthians, and in I Timothy 2. Just as in this passage from Ephesians, husband and wife would be the consistent, logical, and preferred translation in the three texts with which we are dealing.

Ephesians 5:22-33 clarifies what "as also saith the law" means. It is quite clear that a Christian wife is to submit to and recognize her husband as her head from this passage, as did the law. In every organization, someone must be ultimately in charge, if it is to stay together and function well. So with the home. The only requirement in the law was the Eve was to be ruled over by her "own" husband, Adam, nothing more.

Headship in the home, however, does not mean in the slightest way to suggest trampling on the rights of the wife. In fact, just the opposite is true. Paul said, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for it," Ephesians 5:25. The head of the house is to have a self-sacrificing love for the wife.

The husband is to "love his wife as his own body," verse 28. "Nevertheless, do ye also love each one his own wife even as himself, and let the wife see that she fear (or reverence) her husband," verse 33. To love one's wife as one's own body is to be considerate of her needs, as a husband is of his own needs. To "fear" is to respect or reverence one's husband to whom God has given ultimate responsibility in ruling the home.

There is nothing in this passage which makes a wife inferior or a husband superior. Nor were husbands made inferior because wives taught them. Rather, this passage from Ephesians is God's instruction on how the relationship of the husband and the wife should be viewed. Husbands should not oppress their wives nor suppress their God-given talents; neither should the church.

In Ephesians 6:13-20 Paul writes, "Wherefore take up the whole armour of God." The battle is not to be fought by male church members only. Women are also to gird themselves for battle. They, too, are to take "the sword of the spirit which is the word of God." If a godly Christian woman has an opportunity to exhort, teach, reprove, and rebuke evil men, men in error, or ignorant men, who would or could believe that God would want her to retreat from the battle in silence and let evil, error, and ignorance prevail to the destruction of men's souls? If Christians, male or female, can teach, exhort, and rebuke evil non-Christian men, why could they not teach, exhort and rebuke Christian men in error?

Women, just like the apostle Paul, should want fellow Christians to pray that they too might "make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:9). Can we believe that God would want men to remain in error and be lost, and that able, gifted women stand by maintaining silence? If they, by opening their mouths, saved one man, Jesus said, "that soul would be worth more than all the world." What scripture or logic would restrain women from preaching and teaching truth, thereby converting or restoring men?

Do we really think that God wants women to snatch souls like Apollos from Satan only in private classes; and that the same God prohibits her from snatching souls from Satan in a "humanly" defined and circumscribed public service?

Could women, if given the opportunity, speak up for truth and righteousness, with God's approval, in a Presbyterian church? A Baptist church? A Methodist church? A Catholic church? A Unification Church? Then why not in any Church of Christ with God's approval? Would God prefer that any errors that may be taught to the above listed religious groups be allowed to prevail because of the "silence" argument of I Corinthians 14:35? Or would He want women to instruct all people more perfectly in the way of righteousness? Why would He then prohibit the same women from instructing the Churches of Christ more perfectly in the way of righteousness?

God would not prefer that error, in any church, be allowed to prevail because tradition says informed women were commanded to keep silent and not to teach men.

In Philippians 1:9-10 Paul says, "And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and discernment, so that ye may approve what is excellent." God would not want only Christian men to so abound. What if brothers did not so abound and Christian sisters did? Whom would God want to do the public and private teaching in the church at Philippi: knowledgeable, discerning women or ignorant, undiscerning men, or both knowledgeable and discerning men and women?

In regard to the preaching of Christ from insincere motives, Paul says, "What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea and will rejoice." If Paul could rejoice that Christ was preached from impure motives, how could we believe he would condemn women for preaching Christ with pure motives?

Throughout the book of Colossians, Paul encourages the church to grow spiritually and to watch out for false teachers and fleshly pursuits. He reiterates the charge to wives (gune) to be in subjection to husbands (aner), not men, in 3:18.

The whole church was to continue in singing and giving of thanks in 3:16-17. They were to continue to be steadfast in prayer in 4:2. In 4:6 he says, "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt that ye may know how to answer every one." Certainly both men and women had an opportunity to teach and instruct and to give the right kind of answers to everyone. And the "everyone" certainly included men in the church as well as women. This was a general command.

When Paul concluded this letter, 4:10-17, he again listed the fellow workers and included "Nymphas and the church that is in their house." There is textual evidence that this passage could have been translated, "Nymphas and the church at her house." If so, it is another bit of evidence that yet another woman, who was a fellow worker worthy of Paul's salutation, had a church meeting at her house. There are tens of thousands of husbands and wives who are "fellow workers," doing the same things in a business they operate and in the home they live in, with no distinction in roles played. Why would we conclude that women could not be in the public ministry as were men in Paul's labors?

I have heard some argue, "But God's ways are not man's ways, and therefore, He has a good reason of His own for keeping women silent." Such is a "cop out" and rejects the logical implications of the great commission, the mercy of God, and these passages.

I Peter 4:7-11

But the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer; above all things be fervent in your love among yourselves; for love covereth a multitude of sins; using hospitality one to another without murmuring; according as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; if anyone speaketh, speaking as it were the oracles of God; if any man minister, ministering as the strength which God supplieth; that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ who is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter again seems to reiterate in synopsis form the message of Paul in I Corinthians 11-14. "Be sober unto prayer," verse 8. "Above all things be fervent in your love," verse 8. "Each one hath received a gift," verse 10. "Use your gift to minister it among yourselves," verse 10. And, whether it is speaking the oracles of God or ministering, it is to be done to the glory of God.

There is no justification to conclude that speaking, as it were, the oracles of God was a man's domain any more than was using hospitality in verse 9 or being sober unto prayer and fervent in love, verses 7-8. In I Peter 5:5 he says, "Yea all of you gird yourselves with humility to serve one another." The greatest service any man or woman could render to others would be teaching them the unsearchable riches of Christ, saving the lost and strengthening the saved. God would have a Christian make these unsearchable riches known to any person, man or woman, anytime, anywhere that he or she has the opportunity.

Peter says, in II Peter 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. In verse 18, he admonishes the Christians to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Our longsuffering God would certainly want a Christian woman, who had grown in the grace and knowledge of God, to teach those who had not come to repentance and to teach those who had not grown in the grace and knowledge as she had, regardless if it were a man or a woman.

Jude 3

Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you, exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.

There is no limit in this scripture or in logic that men only were the ones to contend earnestly for their faith, nor does Jude limit those who "snatch the lost out of a fire" in verse 22, to men. Women can debate issues and contend for truth as well as men.