Women And Their Place In Ministry (Part One) By Bishop Cornelius Bowser There is much debate about women who are in the ministry to preach and teach. I myself have been on both sides of the debate. My presentation in this article will be based on my understanding according to the scriptures as to the place that women have in ministry. I would like to first take you back to the beginning of creation in order for us to understand God’s purpose for creating the woman Gen 2:18, 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Gen 2:20-22; 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 so the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (New International Version) According to the Scriptures the woman was created to be a suitable helper for man. The Bible makes it clear that Eve was not equal with Adam in authority. Yes they were spiritually equal, but Eve in her role as a woman was a helper. God created Adam and Eve in his image. Gen 1:27, 27 So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (New International Version). Therefore the woman is equal with man in intellect, emotions, and will. By which they were able to think, feel and choose. But the role of Eve as a woman, she was created to help or assist Adam rule an undefiled world. Since Adam was created first he was given the headship over the world and the woman. 1Timothy 2:12-13, 12 I do not permit a Permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 1 Corinthians 11:9, 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. (New International Version). Eve was created last, therefore she must be in a subordinate role to Adam. Secondly, Eve was the one who was deceived and became the first sinner. 1 Timothy 2:14, 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. (New International Version). Eve’s punishment would be her husband would rule over her and she would have pains in childbearing; Gen 3:16, 16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” (New International Version). The man has absolute rule over his wife. She cannot sign a contract, take a vow, or make any decision without her husbands approval. Adam sinned not only by disobeying God’s command but also by succumbing to his wife’s usurpation of his leadership, thus failing to exercise his God-given authority. Gen 3:17; 17 To Adam he said “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. (New International Version). The tragedy today is that many wives are still controlling their husbands. Women are still trying to teach and usurp authority over the man both in the home and the church, which is contrary to Scriptures. While women do have a valid role in the Church, I believe women are stepping over their boundaries as Eve did. Let us first look at the role of a woman being a Pastor/ Overseer. Is it Biblical for women to pastor a Church? Paul gives us great details on this in 1 Timothy 3:1-4 “Here is a trustworthy saying; If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 he must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect” New International Version). The first thing we must take not of is that Paul said an Overseer must be the husband of one wife. The first qualification that Paul gives for a Pastor is that he must be a man who is the husband of one wife. In 1Timothy2:12 we read earlier that a woman is not to teach or have authority over the man. That means that a woman cannot be in any position in which she will be teaching or exercising authority over the man. To be completely Scriptural, a woman’s ministry must always be under the leadership of a man. It is unscriptural for a woman to serve completely independent of the leadership of men God has placed in the Church. The word of God says the man is the head (has authority) of the woman. 1 Corinthians 11:3 NOW, I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (New International Version). Women are always trying to take the authority from the man. It doesn’t matter who ordained them or installed them as pastors. A woman cannot be a pastor. Women are now being placed in positions that God had designed for the men. The woman can help the pastor but she cannot be an overseer because she must be in subjection to the man. Every woman that is a pastor with men in the church, these men must obey and submit to her authority. Look what Hebrews says about obeying the pastor. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. (New International Version). The Hebrew writer makes it clear that we must obey and submit to the leaders of the church. If that is the case, the leader/pastor must be a man because it would be unscriptural for men to obey and submit to a woman’s authority. How could a woman pastor submit to her husband at home and then he comes and submit to her at church? It is impossible. What goes on in the home reflects itself in the church. In order for a person to be qualified to pastor a church, that person must first be able to rule the home. This is an impossible task for a married woman. The question must be asked then, what is the role of the woman in ministry if she cannot be a pastor? I will answer this question in part 2.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 04:21:01 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015