Quote:
Originally Posted by Sister Alvear
if it is only sisters I say sisters...
In Portuguese nouns are mas. or fem...few nouns have no gender...
a=fem
o=mas.
that is the general rule.
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So then you do use terminology to differentiate genders. Consequently, you must agree with me that there are times when a masculine noun is limited to speaking only to men.
Paul did speak to the “brethren” (1Co 14:26). When doing so he was addressing the body of Christ, both male and female. However, in that same chapter he also individualized some of his comments to males only and to females only (1Co 14:34-35). In verse 35 Paul wrote: “Let your women keep silence in the churches.” When saying “your women,” who else could Paul have been addressing if not the congregation’s men? He adjoined this statement with the context of his teachings on who can and who cannot speak and prophesy in the Church. By doing so, Paul was singling out his instruction on keeping silence, thus making it applicable only to the women. By the law of elimination we can deduce that since God made man and woman, and since Paul forbade women from speaking or prophesying to the Church Body, then those left with that task could only be the men.
Some people think ministry is limited only to those who are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers. The Bible says otherwise. It declares that the elders in the five-fold ministry are to mature the saints for the work of their own ministry (see
Eph 4:11-12). This means every Born Again man and woman has a God-called ministry. Conversely, they’re not all a part of the five-fold ministry; but each of them is called to minister in the capacity to which God wills. To appreciate this one must know that ministry is not just preaching or teaching, but is instead meeting another person’s needs in Jesus’ name. When ministering in the name of Jesus to the needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoner, and so forth, saints are operating as a minister of Jesus Christ.
The qualifications of an elder (one in the five-fold ministry) can only be defined through the Bible’s narrative. Both
1Timothy 3:1-13 and
Titus 1:5-9 list the criteria for apostolic conformity to this call. In both of these writings we find Paul specifying that an elder must be the “husband of one wife.” He also gives guidelines for the behavior of an elder’s wife and children. Hence, compliance with such rules would require one to obviously be a male. As a result, the work of an elder could only be fulfilled by men, and never by women. Even beyond this clear textual evidence is the fact that nowhere in the Bible do we find women operating in the role of a New Covenant Church Elder. This fact alone should settle this apostolic principle.
In an effort to endorse female membership in the five-fold ministry, some use Paul’s statements in
Galatians 3:28. I realize Paul does say there that there is neither male nor female in Christ. But when read in context, Paul is speaking about all people – Jew and Greek, bond and free, male and female – who put on Christ, having equal access to God’s promise. Spiritual impartiality is a theme found in many of Paul’s epistles including:
Gal 5:6;
Rom 1:16, 2:9-10, 3:29-30, 4:11-12, 9:24, 10:12-15; 1Co 7:19; 12:13;
Eph 3:5-10;
Col 3:11. Before
Galatians 3:28 could be made a precedent for biblical eldership, its wording would have to be taken out of context, and the qualifications Paul established for membership into the five-fold ministry would have to be ignored. Such measures would only lead to false doctrine rather than to Truth.
Does God use women in the Church? Of course He does. And just as there is a proper headship in the home (see
Eph 5:23-24; 1Co 11:3), there is also a proper headship in the Church (see
Heb 13:17;
1Th 5:12-13; 1Ti 5:17). A wife’s ‘ministry’ should always compliment her husband’s. Priscilla is a good example of this (see
Acts 18:2, 18, 26;
Rom. 16:3; 1Co. 16:19). Paul depicts Priscilla as being a loyal wife to her husband, Aquila. She accompanied Aquila during his ministry to Apollo. Nowhere does the Bible say that Priscilla was the one who taught Apollo. However, it does indicate that she played a role in what her husband accomplished with him. Not every husband’s ministry will shine like Aquila’s. Nevertheless, that does not give license to his wife to step into his position. Men and women maturing into their ministry is why there will always be an ongoing need for the five-fold ministry.
The Bible speaks of the fundamental role women play in the Kingdom of God. However, what must be noted is that none of these roles were ever said to involve women being in a position in the five-fold ministry. Those positions were limited to men who were called and who met the biblical qualifications. Each of these five offices has qualifications which can only be fulfilled by men (see 1Ti 3:1-13;
Titus 1:5-9). Even though women cannot qualify for those offices, they still have an opportunity to be in ministry. Women have been actively ministering in God’s kingdom since the beginning of time. Nothing in the Bible indicates that this will ever change. However, any ministry in which a woman is involved must be conducted within the perimeters in the Word of God. Nowhere do we find scriptural evidence for a woman operating as a member of the five-fold ministry. For that reason, the Church should not lay hands and ordain women into offices for which the Bible gives no approval.
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