Woman in the Church - Part Two

Furthermore, is 1 Timothy 2:11-15 saying women must bear children in order to be saved? Or does the Bible say we all must be born again by the Spirit?

"...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit... ye must be born again" -John 3:5-7.

The Bible nowhere explains how that women need to bear children to be saved, as might be inferred by 1 Timothy 2:15. Nor do I know of anyone that teaches they do. (Because the Bible says- "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" -2 Cor. 13:1 so that the reading of one verse, without supporting passages, does not equate to doctrine). More on this subject in the conclusion.

Moving on then, if it were God's will that women were to keep silent in the presence of all men, we would expect to find NO women used by God Himself in "speaking" positions of spiritual leadership (for God is not the author of confusion 1 Cor. 14:33). So then, does God use women in speaking ministry positions? Can they be found in the Bible?

"...Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron..." Exodus 15:20-21.

"Hilkiah the priest... went unto HULDAH THE PROPHETESS... And SHE SAID unto them, THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD... to the king of Judah... because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord... thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place..." -2 Kings 22:1-20.

"...And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord... And Deborah... a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, SHE JUDGED ISRAEL at that time... -Judges 4:1-21.

What is the Old Testament significance of a prophet?

"The Lord God will raise up unto thee a Prophet... and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I command him..." -Deuteronomy 18:15-22.

What is the Old Testament significance of a judge?

"Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates... and they shall judge the people..." -Deuteronomy 16:18.

"And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them HEADS OVER THE PEOPLE, RULERS of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And THEY JUDGED the people..." -Exodus 18:25-26.

"...The JUDGES RULED..." -Ruth 1:1.

The law, far from prohibiting women from speaking, actually records several prophetess, and even a woman judge, who ruled Israel. A judge was the highest spiritual position at the time, and a woman occupied that place! A godly woman, according to scripture, who led Israel to victory!

Do we find women prophesying or in other speaking ministries in the New Testament church?

"...ANNA, A PROPHETESS... served God... and SPAKE OF HIM TO ALL them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" -Luke 2:36-38.

"...Philip the evangelist... had four daughters... which did prophesy" -Acts 21:8-9.

"...That which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY... And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy" " -Acts 2:16-18.

"I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church at Cenchrea: That ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh saints, and that ye ASSIST HER IN WHATSOEVER BUSINESS SHE HATH NEED of you: for she hath been a succourer of many, myself also" -Romans 16:1-2. ("Phebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchrea, recommended by Paul to the church of Rome..." -Ungers Bible Dictionary, page 856".)

"...Aquila and PRISCILLA... EXPOUNDED... THE WORD OF GOD more perfectly" -Acts 18:26. ("Priscilla... the wife of Aquila, in connection with whom she is always mentioned- Acts 18:2, 18, 26; Rom. 16:3; 1 Cor. 16:19. She seems to have been IN FULL ACCORD WITH HER HUSBAND in sustaining the "Church in their house"- 1 Cor. 16:19, in helping the apostle Paul- Acts 18:18, AND IN... THEOLOGICAL TEACHING... -v.26" -Ungers Bible Dictionary, page 889.)

"And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel... my fellowlabourers..." -Philippians 4:3.

What is the significance of a Prophet in the New Testament?

"And God hath set some in the church... secondarily prophets... He that prophesieth SPEAKETH UNTO MEN to edification, and exhortation, and comfort... He that prophesieth edifieth the church"... Prophesying serveth... for them which believe" -1 Corinthians 12:28; 14:3-4, 22.

"And He gave... prophets... For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" -Ephesians 4:11-12.

Strong's Concordance defines "prophesy" as- "to foretell events, divine, speak under inspiration, exercise the prophetic office: prophesy"

Therefore, anyone who says that no women at all should speak in the church, must contradict the Bible they claim to uphold! On the other hand, carnal churches, those not having the Spirit of Christ, nor walking after the Spirit, are correct in not letting their women speak in the church. But then, their carnal men shouldn't be teaching about spiritual things either- "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" -Romans 8:6-8. "The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now WE HAVE RECEIVED, not the spirit of the world, but THE SPIRIT WHICH IS OF GOD; THAT WE MIGHT KNOW THE THINGS that are freely given to us of God... But THE NATURAL MAN RECEIVETH NOT the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" -1 Corinthians 2:11-14.

** IN CONCLUSION **

"Who can find a virtuous woman... The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her... She will do him good and not evil... She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchant's ships; she bringeth her food from afar... She considereth a field, and buyeth it... She maketh fine linen and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant... SHE OPENETH HER MOUTH WITH WISDOM; AND IN HER TONGUE IS THE LAW OF KINDNESS... a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised..." -Proverbs 31:10-31.

"...Saith God... your sons and your DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY... And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out... my Spirit; and they shall prophesy" -Acts 2:17-19 & Joel 2:25-29.

So the next time someone tries to say that the Bible says ALL women are to keep silence in the church, ask them where it says that in the law. For 1 Corinthians 14:34 says- "Let your women keep silence in the churches... AS ALSO SAITH THE LAW" and the law NOWHERE says that all women are to be in subjection to all men. Instead, ask them why there were women prophetesses who taught and spoke to all, and a woman judge who ruled over all, in the Law? Because they won't be able to answer by the scriptures if they hold the opinion that no women should speak.

Or if they tell you that 1 Timothy 2 says all women are to be in subjection to all men, ask them to explain why it says women will be saved through childbearing. ("I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the (singular) man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve... Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety" -1 Tim. 2:11-15). Because if they don't have the understanding or the authority from the scriptures to explain the 2nd part of this passage, what gives them the understanding, the right, or the authority to explain the first part?

The answer is this, that Paul did not leave a woman in the state of submission, for he said (literally)- "But she shall be saved through the childbearing, if they abide in faith..." (This quote is from George Ricker Berry's Interlinear Greek-English New Testament).

What we see here is that the salvation plan that redeems a woman from the curse of Genesis is no different from the salvation plan that redeems men, for-

And what Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:15- "IF THEY CONTINUE in faith and charity and holiness" is no different than saying- "he that endureth to the end shall be saved" -Matthew 10:22, 24:13, or Mark 13:13. For- "We are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe TO the saving of the soul" -Hebrews10:39, see also Rev.12:11.

"Of a truth I perceive that GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS" -Acts 10:34.

"By faith in Christ Jesus... For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" -Galatians 3:27-29. "in Christ Jesus" that is THE KEY!!!

"For there is no respect of persons with God" -Romans 2:11.

So we see, once again, the Bible is at least 2,000 years ahead of it's time- in this case in offering equal opportunity, not only for women, but also for all races!!!

In fact, look what the scriptures say to, and about, those that show respect of persons-

"My brethren, HAVE NOT THE FAITH of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, WITH RESPECT OF PERSONS... If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: BUT IF YE HAVE RESPECT TO PERSONS, YE COMMIT SIN, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" -James 2:1, 8-10.