Many Christians dogmatically teach that there were no woman pastors in the New Testament. They also claim that the New Testament forbids the ordination of women to the office of pastor.
Such dogmatic teachings require strong biblical evidence. However, it is very difficult to find unambiguous evidence to support this belief.
In Ephesians chapter 4, we find the one and only text which is considered the basis of the Five Fold Ministry.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11–13 NIV
There is no mention here of any qualifications or requirements for a person to be a pastor. Nor is there any hint of what the leadership position of pastor involves or how pastors relate to Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists or Teacher.
The office of pastor in churches since the Reformation is based on the office of priest in the Roman Catholic Church of that time, but this is not in any way derived from Biblical teaching or practice,
Protestant theologians typically teach that a pastor is the presiding elder in a congregation, but this is not based on any biblical text. It is pure speculation. The bible simply does not give us any definition or description of the authority or leadership position of a pastor.
Not one minister, preacher or leader in the NT is referred to as a pastor. Not one.
So how can church leaders dogmatically declare that a woman cannot be a pastor?
Conservative bible teachers commonly equate the office of pastor with a senior eldership position. There is also uncertainty about the meaning and role of elders. There are two Greek words which seem to be interchangeable.
EPISCOPOS, which is translated as overseer or bishop.
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1 Tim 3:2 NASB95
Does this mean an overseer must be married? Then Paul and Jesus would not qualify.
Does it also mean that an overseer must be a man? An important source of information on this question is the teaching of John Chrysostom, the eminent Patriarch of Constantinople around 400 AD. He was certainly no feminist, but his understanding of the NT Greek text was unsurpassed. His mother tongue was Greek, which had changed little since the time of Paul.
John Chrysostom asserted that 1 Tim 3,2 did not imply an overseer could not be a woman.
In 1 Timothy chapter one, dealing with qualifications for ordained leadership, women are only referred to as wives of overseers of deacons in conservative translations.
Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 1 Tim 3:11 NKJV
Actually, this is not what the NT Greek text says at all. Some modern translations are literally accurate.
In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 1 Tim 3:11 NIV
This can either refer to wives of ordained ministers or to women who are themselves ordained ministers of the gospel. There is nothing in the text to exclude women from ordained preaching ministry.
PRESBYTEROS, which is translated as elder.
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 1 Tim 5:17 NIV
The Greek words for older men or older women can also mean male or female ordained leaders, so the Greek NT text cannot be used to exclude women from ordained eldership.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Women as Pastors or Elders
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Healing from God.
God promised the Jews health and healing in the Old Testament.
He said, “If you listen carefully to the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.” Ex 15:26 NIV
This promise was not unconditional. The Jews had to obey all of God's commandments.
But then we come across an exception, Naaman.
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Ki 5:1 NIV
He had a Hebrew slave girl. She was a young woman with a good heart. Jesus later taught that we must love our enemies, and she cared for her master who had enslaved her as a captive.
She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 2 Ki 5:3 NIV
The general went to Israel to look for the prophet Elisha.
Elisha sent his servant to Naaman with instructions. The general was to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River.
This hurt the general's pride.
But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 2 Ki 5:11–12 NIV
Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 2 Ki 5:13 NIV
The general thought again and went to the Jordan River. When he emerged from the water for the seventh time, he was completely well.
Naaman was a pagan and worshipped other gods, but God spoke through the prophet and he obeyed.
Today, many Muslims are healed supernaturally in the same way. Many convert only after their miraculous healing, and others never convert.
It was similar in the New Testament. Many received miraculous healings from Jesus, and not all repented of their sins.
Jesus lamented this tragedy. He loved his countrymen with all his heart. His heart was broken.
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.
But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgement than for you.” Mt 11:23–24 NIV
In the New Testament, healing is an effect of the love of God, who loves everyone, and not a reward for virtue. Likewise, salvation and eternal life are a free gift from God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 NIV
God promises in Psalm 103 that he will forgive all your trespasses. In the same verse in the same psalm, he promises to heal all your diseases.
He forgives all your iniquity; he heals all your diseases. Ps 103:3 CSB
Some Christians think that the gift of miracle healings was only for the first apostles. But this misguided teaching is clearly contradicted in the New Testament.
Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Jas 5:14–15 NIV
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
WHERE DID CHURCH HIERARCHY COME FROM?
The ministry of Pastor is mentioned only once in the entire New Testament.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the SHEPHERDS and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-12 (ESV)
- There is no New Testament text indicating that one preacher dominated the ministry of a local church.
The Apostles were missionaries, evangelists, teachers and church planters. When the Apostle Paul planted a church, he stayed for a while and then moved on without appointing office holders or official leaders. Later he would return and appoint elders. These pioneer churches were small networks of house churches.
- No text tells us that Paul put one man in charge.
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, he addressed serious problems of sin and disorder but he did not address his letter to a leader or leadership group.
1 Corinthians 1:1-2 (ESV) Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
- To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Paul addressed his letter to the whole community of believers.
It was up to the community of believers to work out how to make decisions, who should be delegated to exercise leadership, how to manage their affairs.
- Paul was very conscious of his spiritual authority but he was clearly against authoritarian hierarchy and micro management.
Some years later, some preachers had set themselves up as religious rulers over the Corinthian church. The Corinthian believers submitted to the domination of these leaders and Paul was not happy at all.
2 Corinthians 11:19-21 (NIV) You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise!
- In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face.
- To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! ....
- In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in the face.
- To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! ....
Paul calls dominating preachers FOOLS and he sharply criticises the Corinthians for submitting to them.
Paul’s approach to leadership was very different and he ironically calls his own leadership “WEAK”.- But today we see many churches ruled by a rigid patriarchal hierarchy. Many leaders are like the FOOLS and BULLIES described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 11.
Where and when did the church abandon the free brotherhood and sisterhood of Paul’s time?
Between 100 AD and 250 AD, bishops became the absolute rulers of the churches. They claimed to inherit the absolute authority of the first Apostles but unlike Paul, they practised extreme authoritarian micro management.- Only a bishop or an ordained priest was allowed to celebrate the Lord’s supper or baptism.
Cyprian was Bishop of Carthage from around 248 to 258 AD.
- “He taught that a bishop had no superior but God. He was accountable to God alone. Anyone who separated himself from the bishop, separated himself from God.” (Pagan Christianity. Viola and Barna p.114)
But Jesus said to the first Apostles.