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" Abiding in the Word""If you abide in My word, You are My disciples Indeed..." - John 8:31 "Why Women May Not Be Preachers" Mrs. Creflo Dollar, Mrs. Kenneth Copeland, Ms. Joyce Meyer, Mrs. Jack Van Impe. They are everywhere. Women standing in pulpits preaching. On television. With men in the audience. Is this right? Is this consistent with the Word of God? The Answer: NO.The Evidence: |
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| 1) 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35-37 | |
| "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church. Or did the word of God originally come from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord." | |
| 2) 1 Timothy 2:11-14 | |
| "Let women learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." | |
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The two preceding passages emphasize that a woman must not preach or teach over, take a position of authority, or wrestle authority away, from a man. The reasons are simple: 1) It is God's will. Notice that Paul emphasizes to Corinth that the commands he is given are from God, not male chauvinism. 2) God formed a hierarchy at creation. This is not cultural, flexible nor situational. An additional principle is seen as far back as the Garden of Eden, and is the cross-reference for Paul's words to Timothy. In Genesis 3:16, as part of her punishment for the sin she brought into the world, God said to Eve: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." Thus when women seeks to blame someone for her position of submission, especially so in the home and the church, she has no one to blame but her own gender ancestor. In addition to these things, the Bible never gives a precedent nor command nor allowance in any way for women elders, deacons, or song leaders. I every circumstance where the qualifications and work of deacons and elders is discussed, males exclusively are addressed. In Romans 16:1-2, a woman named Phoebe is mentioned by Paul as being a "servant" of the church at Cenchrea. This is not intended to be a precedent for an official office of "deaconness." Phoebe is simply a servant and a Christian, nothing more. In 1 Peter 3:1-7, Peter commands Godly women to win their unsaved husbands, "without a word. "This shows that her best role as a proclaimer of truth to a man, in particular her husband, is by her life rather than her words. If women were meant by God to be preachers, it is doubtful that Peter would have commanded such. These things do not mean that women cannot sing during worship, make the good confession when obeying the gospel, or teach the Bible in certain settings and classes. To forbid such would cause women to have stumbling block placed in their way as they seek to obey God. Because God forbids women to be preachers, it is my own conviction that I cannot watch them on TV as they take their husband's place and preach as he does. To do so, for me, would violate the conscience and be sinful (Romans 14) David Decker |
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