WOMEN SERVING AS PASTORS
THE USURPATION OF DIVINE ORDER
By: Victor T. Stephens
"People often claim to hunger for truth, but seldom like the taste when it's served up."
~ George R.R. Martin
OPPOSING ARGUMENTS (continued)
15) Paul authorized women to be preachers in Galatians 3:28.
The Claim: Because God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11), secular feminist point to and emphasize the sociological implications of Galatians 3:28 to claim that Paul authorized women to be preachers. Because secular feminists want to rule out the submission of women to male leadership in the church, they allege that Paul rendered void any gender-based differentiations within the church.
Rebuttal: To assert that this verse eliminates differences in authority and submission will simply not suffice. In Galatians 3:28, Paul is not discussing the matter of whether Jews or Gentiles, slaves or those who are free, or men or women, could take authoritative positions in the church. If we read the preceding verses, it should be clear that Paul is speaking in the context of salvation, which is also the theme of Romans 2:11. In expounding the meaning of salvation, Paul asserts that in Christ there is "neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male or female." Everyone who is baptized into Christ receives salvation, regardless of ethnicity, economic status, or gender, and is thus unified in the Body of Christ (Gal. 3:22, 24, 26). Although those within the Body of Christ are considered equal by God, this does not eradicate legitimate gender distinctions and God's divine order of authority between men and women. For example, Ephesians 5:23 clearly states:
"For the Husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." (Eph. 5:23)
Thus, again, Galatians 3:28 pertains to salvation, not headship in the home or the authority structure within the church.
16) Jesus did not ordain women preachers on account of the culture during His time.
The Claim: Some proponents of women preachers insist that Jesus could not ordain women as pastors because the culture during His earthly ministry would have opposed Him. This is the reason that the twelve apostles were all men.
Rebuttal: Do proponents of women's ordination mean that Jesus was taking a politically correct position rather than doing the will of God? I don't think so! The Word of God states that Jesus never yielded to sin (Heb. 4:15); and "sin" in this case includes putting the traditions, customs, and cultures of men on a higher plane than Scripture. Christ understood the headship principle as it relates to the creation order established by God. This is the reason the Lord chose twelve men to be apostles. His choices were not rooted in cultural conformity. Jesus was well-known for fearlessly rebuking and shattering the traditions of men when they conflicted with the Word of God (Matt. 15:1-12; 23:1-36; Mark 7:1-23; John 2:14-17). It was this argumentation that provoked much hatred towards Him.
In any case, the cultural disputations employed in this matter by proponents of women’s ordination sounds inane and clearly reveal their lack of biblical knowledge as well as demonstrate contempt for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
17) No women pastors, then no Gentile pastors!
The Claim: Pro-women ordainers argue that if Jesus' example of not electing women apostles applies to this issue, then similarly, Gentiles should be prohibited from teaching on account that Jesus ordained no Gentiles to be apostles.
Rebuttal: At that time, Jesus did not ordain Gentiles to be apostles because, initially, the church consisted solely of Jews. There were no Gentiles present during the ordaining of the Apostleship. After the resurrection, Jesus' mission expanded to embrace Gentiles (Matt. 28:19; Eph. 2:16).
18) Junia was an apostle.
The Claim: Romans 16:7 states:
"Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." (Rom. 16:7)
Based upon the phrase "who are of note among the apostles," pro-woman ordainers contend that Junia was a woman apostle and thus occupied a position of authority in the church.
Rebuttal: There is much debate concerning the gender of the name "Junia" (feminine) or "Junias" (masculine). The name is rendered "Junia" in the KJV and NKJV translations, while it is rendered "Junias" in the Amplified Bible, NAS, and NIV translations. For the sake of brevity and irrelevance to my rebuttal, I will not spend much time contesting the gender issue. Why? Because I submit that the phrase "who are of note among the apostle" does not mean that Junia (woman) or Junias (man) was an apostle.
Firstly, the Amplified Bible states,"... held in high esteem among the apostles...", whereas the NAS and NIV state, "are outstanding among the apostles..." Both of these phrases mean that Junia/Junias was well known to the apostles rather than being an apostle.
Secondly, the word "among" is used in the wrong context by pro-women ordainers. It does not mean that Junia/Junias was one of the apostles. This word is more accurately rendered as "in the midst" or "amid". For example, 2 Peter 2:7-8 states: "....and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them..." Take note that Lot resided among the wicked, but was not himself wicked.
Thirdly, also take note that Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:5,
"Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?" (1 Cor. 9:5)
The "other apostles" were clearly all men, with each one having a "believing wife." Thus, Junia could not have been a woman.
19) The meeting at the well between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
The Claim: Based on John 4:7-42, some assert that Christ ordained a Samaritan woman as a preacher on account of her sharing and bringing forth the Word among the townspeople.
Rebuttal: In verse 39, the Bible states that the Samaritan woman "testified" ("He told me all that I ever did."). Thus, many (but not all) Samaritans believed in Christ due to the woman's testimony. Bringing the unsaved to Christ through a personal testimony does not qualify or constitute one as a preacher. There are many Christians today who can offer personal testimonies to those who are unsaved. Would that establish them as a preacher/pastor? I think not.
20) Some New Testament passages were not written by Paul.
The Claim: The perspective of some feminists is that Paul did not write New Testament passages of Scripture that teach the submission of women to male leadership. They allege the passages of Scripture that relate to women's submission to male authority in the home and the church were added by scribes, and therefore, are not valid.
Rebuttal: Apparently, some feminists will accept God's Word where they find it favorable. When Scripture does not fit their agenda, they resort to scripture twisting tactics, taking scriptures out of context, and outright fabricating falsehoods, as in this case. According to this viewpoint, some parts of the Bible were inspired by God, while other parts were not. Thus, rather than conforming to God's Word, the individual (Christian?) serves as the judge of the Bible, making personal choices about which passages of Scripture are inspired and which are not. The Bible, however, says that all Scripture is inspired by God, not by human authors (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). True and intellectually honest Christians do not cherry-pick scriptures from the Bible that they find personally advantageous while contorting and dismissing other portions of scripture that do not fit their agenda.
