A
response to a paper arguing for women being pastors
Following is a letter written by a pastor to a friend of mine. My friend
asked me to review it. I'm hoping that my review finds its way
back to the Pastor and that the Pastor is encouraged to stand more
tightly with the word of God. But, who am I to correct a pastor?
I'm no body. But, all of us are subject to the word of God and it
is through an appeal to Scripture, correcting interpretive errors, and
pointing out errors in logic that we hope to encourage the pastor and
readers to adhere more closely to God's word in this matter.
The opinion of CARM is that the world is slowly
creeping into the Christian Church in various forms such as
contemplative prayer, and over-board concern for seeker sensitivity, in
various forms of political correctness, i.e., women pastors, being a
manifestation of the latter error.
As Christians we are obligated to follow the word of
God in all that it has revealed whether it is convenient or inconvenient
and whether or not the world approves. We answer to God.
The original letter is in brown the text and
CARM's response is in green. We have replaced the name and initials of the church with "-------".
Finally, we are hesitant to be critical of a fellow
pastor. The Bible says that we are to be careful when addressing elders
in the church. We mean no disrespect to the pastor of the congregation
who we believe loves the people of God. But, since we are all in the
same boat, we are sinners, we need a body of Christ to help us stay on
track.
---------------------------------------
ORIGINAL: SEVERAL OF OUR FAMILY MEMBERS ARE CONCERNED WITH THE RECENT ADDITION OF
A FEMALE TO THE STAFF WITH THE TITLE, 'PASTOR.' CAN "---------"yeah BIBLICALLY
SUPPORT SUCH A DECISION (THE ORDAINING OF WOMEN)?
Allow me to first address those of you who have come to (Church name
removed) for any length of time and have heard me address the role of
men and women both in the home and the church. If you have attended the
"---------" Pre-marriage Class," you know that I believe the Bible (our
final authority) teaches that the man is the head of the home even as
Christ is the head of the Church. (Eph 5:23) Furthermore, since I can
remember, I have said (and not to everyone's liking) that "matriarchal"
systems do not work anywhere in the world because it is contrary to
God's plan. I have not changed my position. This is what I believe and
it is what I believe the Bible teaches. This is evidenced in cultures
where the male is absent; it is equally emphasized where a single mother
must assume responsibilities created specifically for the man. (How our
single moms need our prayers and support!) Therefore, to those of you
that believe because we have added to our staff a woman "pastor" I have
changed my position on this matter, be assured, I have not.
Secondly, I believe the real struggle with having a woman assume
"pastoral" responsibilities is not so much in her role as with her
"title." I'll address this in just a moment. Allow me to first state the
Church's position on "women pastors" as set down in our guidelines for a
Church plant.
CHURCH PLANT - CRITERIA
e. As to the following controversial issues which have torn apart,
rather than united, the church, [three are named - Eternal Security,
Tongues and Women in Ministry] a plant must hold the following posture
concerning … Women in Ministry:
CARM: While it is true that it is a three above named
issues have divided the church, it has not been because the issues are
not discernible. Rather, it is due to Christians have not been gracious. "Love is
the perfect bond of unity," (Col. 3:14). Division occurs when Christians
lack the proper grace and love from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, we should not guarantee unity of the cost of doctrinal
truth. There are times to divide.
ORIGINAL:
Women in Ministry
We believe, as Scripture teaches, that a woman may possess every
spiritual gift that a man possesses. However, we strongly hold that God
has clearly given specific roles to woman and men, even as He has given
specific roles to a husband and wife. Ephes. 5:23 clearly states:
CARM:
First, this Pastor's initial premise is in error. Contrary
to what he states, it is not possible for a woman to possess every
spiritual gift that a man possesses. A woman cannot be a father.
Furthermore, the spiritual gift of being an
elder/pastor is something only the male is called to per divine
revelation. The Bible says that the bishop/overseer is to be the husband
of one wife (1 Tim. 3:2). Again, in
Titus
1:5-7, Paul says, "For this
reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains,
and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man
be above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe,
not accused of dissipation or rebellion. For the overseer must be above
reproach as God's steward..." Notice that Paul interchanges the word
'elder' and 'overseer'. It is God who gives gifts to the Church and one of the gifts
is the pastor/elder. By definition, a pastor is an elder.
Second, let's take a look at God's word concerning eldership.
We must know what God's word says specifically about pastoring/eldership
before we draw our conclusions.
(We have provided an outline of information on eldership at the end of
this paper from which the following is extracted.)
-
The Term "Elder"
The Greek term is presbuteros and depending on context
means elder, an old man, a leader
in the church. The term is used. It is used of the elder
of two persons (Luke
15:25, or more, John 8:9);
of a person advanced in age (Acts
2:17; in Heb. 11:2);
of the forefathers in Israel (Matt.
15:2; Mark 7:3,5);
of members of the Sanhedrin (Matt.
16:21; 26:47); of
those who managed public affairs in the various cities (Luke
7:3); of those who were the heads or leaders of the tribes
and families, as of the seventy who helped Moses (Num.
11:16; Deut. 27:1).
This included:
-
Regarding the Office:
- The pastor is an
elder who preaches and/or teaches (1
Tim. 5:17).
- The pastor
(elder) is to equip the body of Christ (Eph.
4:11-13).
- Must be a man (1
Tim. 2:9-13).
- All uses of
"elder" are in the masculine except for
1 Tim. 5:2
where it means older women.
-
The Responsibilities of Elders in the NT Church:
- Must shepherd the
flock (1 Peter 5:2).
- They have the tasks
of teaching (1 Tim.
5:17; Titus 1:5,9).
- They have the tasks
of acting as judges (Acts
15:2,6,22-29;
16:4).
-
Qualifications for
an elder
- Must be above reproach (Titus
1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2)
- Husband of one wife (Titus
1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2).
- Household must be in order with children who
believe (Titus 1:6
;1 Tim. 3:4).
- Not a new convert (1
Tim. 3:6).
- Self controlled and temperate (Titus
1:7; 1 Tim. 3:2).
- Honorable, hospitable, seeking good (Titus
1:7).
- Have a good reputation (1
Tim. 3:7).
- Able to exhort (teach) sound doctrine (Titus
1:9; 1 Tim. 3:2).
- Able to refute false teaching (Titus
1:9).
Important: Please take special note of
section two outlined above where the declaration from God's Word
is that the pastor/elder is to be male and that the elder is one who
teaches. A pastor of a church stands in the pulpit, the place
of authority and teaches from God's word. By nature, the
teaching of God's word, in the pulpit, is an authoritative act.
This is why it is to be done by an elder who is appointed in the
church. Let's look further into God's word.
1 Peter 5:1-3, "Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your
fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker
also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the
flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion,
but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid
gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as lording it over
those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the
flock.
-
In
1 Peter 5:1-3, every occurrence of the word "elder(s) is in the
masculine form in the Greek.
-
The elder is to shepherd the flock. A
pastor is a shepherd.
-
The elder/pastor oversees the flock.
-
Therefore, the pastor is an elder of the church.
Since God has declared the elder is to be
the husband of one wife (at the very least a male), it is not possible
for a woman to hold this position. Therefore, this Pastor's premise that
"a woman may possess every spiritual gift that a man possesses"
is shown
to be incorrect. Furthermore, the word of God declares the pastor/elder
is to be male.
If this Pastor in his initial paper were to build upon such a faulty
premise, his conclusions are suspect. Let's see.
ORIGINAL:
For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the
church, his body, of which he is the Savior.
We therefore believe that a woman can be ordained and function in any
role if that role is under the authority of a male Senior Pastor. In
other words, our understanding of Scripture is that a woman should not
function in the role of Senior Pastor when a qualified male is present.
CARM:
We fail to see the connection between his first (and
erring) premise and the conclusion he draws. The Bible makes no
condition of acceptability of a woman being an ordained pastor as long
as there's a male Senior Pastor present. This is a fabrication. It
is not in the Bible.
Furthermore, the Scripture that he quotes in
Ephesians 5:23 is dealing
with the husband-and-wife relationship and not with the church elder
authority. Therefore, this person has misused the Scripture and is
misapplying it. In other words, he has made the exit difficult
fallacy of transferring the context of one verse over to another.
This is a common and serious mistake.
ORIGINAL:
Here is Biblical support for the above position. Scripture clearly
states that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28 Obviously,
Paul is speaking of our spiritual place in the Kingdom of God -- for
some were still Jews and Greeks by birth, male and female by gender, and
slave or free by position. However, in Christ we have been set free from
the law of sin and death therefore we are "one in Him." This is the
heart of God and this is what we should look for throughout Scripture -
the heart of God.
CARM: There are two problems with the above paragraph.
First, Galatians 3:28 is dealing with salvation, not with church
headship. This is a verse that is very frequently misused in support of
the position that a woman can be a pastor/elder. The context of Gal.
3:28 is dealing with there being no
differentiation in salvation among nationality and gender. It
is not talking about eldership. Therefore, it does not lend
itself to the issue of male headship in the Christian Church. This is a
serious exegetical error made by this pastor.
Second,
what is "the heart of God" that the pastor introduces here?
Though it is a commendable to seek the heart of God, we must be careful
when using a subjective
and biblically undefined statement when trying to build a doctrine. Granted that the heart
of God can mean many things, but without an explicit statement in
scripture concerning it, what right does this Pastor have to use the
phrase in support of his position?
Incidentally, the only two occurrences of the phrase "the heart of God" occurs in Ezekiel 28:2, and 6,
"...Yet you are a man and not God, although you make your heart like
the heart of God... 6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you
have made your heart
Like the heart of God, 7 Therefore, behold, I will bring
strangers upon you..." As you can see, its definition is not
given. Since it is best to let the Bible interpret the Bible, it
is not wise to introduce this phrase in an attempt to support the
Biblical position about women pastors . . . especially since the word of
God seems to be clear that the pastor is an elder and the elder is to be
male.
Original:
What is God's heart concerning women in ministry? That is the question I
would like to answer. By addressing this issue we answer the question:
"Can a woman be ordained and can she hold the title of 'pastor'?"
The word "pastor" derives its meaning from English-French culture based
on a Latin word which means "to feed." Literally - "a herdsman," or one
"who feeds and cares for the sheep." With this in mind, does God permit
a woman to feed and care for "his own?" This is the question at hand. So
rather than play games with semantics, let's go to the Book and see if
God has used women to "pastor" his own.
CARM: This Pastor is in danger of the fallacy of
equivocation. To equivocate means to change the meaning of words during
a discussion without clarifying that change. The word "pastor" in the
Bible (as is the context of this discussion) is by definition a male
since the pastor is an elder and the elder is to be the husband of one
wife. But to use the definition of the word pastor to mean one who cares
for his own and then say that since a woman cares for her own,
therefore she's a pastor, is a violation of the biblical use of that
term which occurs only once in
Eph. 4:11 -- which usage is in the
masculine form in the Greek.
The issue is not if a woman can care for her own, or
care for people. We agree that women have a great ability to
nurture. God undoubtedly recognizes this since he created that
ability in them. But, if it is true that a woman's nurturing
ability qualifies her as big a pastor, then why is God so clear about
the elder being the husband of one wife? (The answer deals with a
concept called Federal Headship which we will address at the end of the
paper).
This pastor has failed to consider the logic of his
position. If pastoring means watching out and caring for people in
your charge, then unbelievers can be pastors as well since they too can
oversee people in their charge with great care. Does this then
mean that unbelievers can be pastors? This is the kind of logic
that this pastor is using in his argument and it is obviously
fallacious.
ORIGINAL: I believe our first example of a woman shepherding a flock, under the
authority of a male senior shepherd, was Miriam. She appeared to be the
Pastor of Creative Arts. In Exodus 15:20-21 we read: Then Miriam the
prophetess … took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed
her, with tambourines and dancing. [21] Miriam sang …. "
Not only does Miriam direct the choir, drama and dance,
but she speaks for God - she is a prophetess. In fact, the words that
God has given her are repeated by all … even to this day.
The fact that Miriam spoke for God and helped Moses
shepherd the Israelite nation becomes even clearer when she and her
brother Aaron speak against Moses (their brother). Both Miriam and Aaron
said: "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he
also spoken through us?" In verse six of this Chapter, God says He has
spoken through Aaron and Miriam through dreams and vision, but with
Moses face to face. (This is a great lesson in not lifting up one's hand
against God's "senior pastor," but that is another matter we will
address at a later time.)
CARM:
Miriam was the Pastor of Creative Arts? He is reading into the
text far too much.
Miriam was a prophetess, not an
elder or a pastor. The Old Testament setting was not the same as the New
Testament church. Paul and the apostles knew very well about Miriam and
you find no reference to her in support of women eldership. What you do
find in scripture are distinct and clear declarations that the
elder/pastor is to be male. There is no qualification in scripture for
"under the headship of a male" in the female pastorate.
We know that many
people would like to include this in the Scriptures so as to make more
palatable the idea of equality among the sexes (because they are
listening to the secular). However, like it or not,
the male and female each have their respective roles as stated in
scripture. The elder is to be the husband of one wife. A pastor is an
elder as is demonstrated in
1 Peter 5:1-3. Therefore, a pastor, in the church context, is to be male. The
author of this article should not take an Old Testament non-church-context about a
prophetess and transport it into the pastoral epistles' church-context thereby
overriding the clear declaration of Scripture regarding who is to be the
elder.
ORIGINAL:
The second example of a woman shepherding God's people is found in
Judges. (Remember, we are looking for God's heart - the spirit of the
law evidenced by example.) Judges 4:4-5 tells us, Deborah, a prophetess,
the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. [5] She held
court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill
country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their
disputes decided. Two significant details are addressed by the Spirit in
these two verses:
CARM: This is the first mention of what
he means by "God's heart". He defines it as the spirit of the law
evidenced by example. He offers a subjective definition by using
the phrase "spirit of the law". Do not be swayed by the appeal of
subjective, heart-oriented words and phrases. Instead, stick to
what God toward actually says or you will end up in error.
ORIGINAL:
1) As a wife, Deborah is submissive to her husband's headship - "Deborah
… the wife of Lappidoth." As a woman serving with pastoral gifts is
submissive to the male senior pastor's authority - recall Jesus
appointed no woman apostles - so the wife is to submit to her husband's
authority (wherever and whenever it does not transgress the Word of
God). With that said, let us keep in mind that Jesus and the apostles
used many woman to help care for and bring the lost to salvation. (Mark
15:41; Luke 8:2; John 4: 28-20, 39; Act 18:18,26; Col 4:15)
CARM: Where is the senior pastor in the
life of Deborah as revealed in the Old Testament citation? It is
not there. Remember, the idea of a pastor in the Christian Church
is just that, in the Christian Church which is founded
on Jesus Christ. Jesus appointed apostles and the apostles appointed
elders. The apostles taught us that the pastor is an elder who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17)
and that the elder is to be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3).
We repeat this on purpose.
What this author has done is take a
New Testament word and church office, ignored the definitive declaration
of the pastoral epistles regarding the gender of the elder, and then
impose upon an Old Testament context upon the New Testament concept.
Remember, unbelievers can have pastoral
gifts, helping, guiding, protecting, teaching, etc. Does this qualify them for
being called a pastor? The way this author is using the term you would
have to say that even unbelievers would be qualified as pastors since
what he's doing is taking the term pastor, using a broad definition of
it (excluding the male eldership qualification), and applying it to Old
Testament women and then transferring it back to the New Testament
church. This is very poor biblical interpretive methodology.
ORIGINAL:
2) Deborah led Israel, that is she was the final authority. This was not
God's plan (that a woman would govern men - as the chapter bears out in
the story of Barak and Jael), but as our Church Plant Criteria states,
where no man is present, or better worded, where no man assumes his
God-given role, God will use a woman. (Women do this today. As single
mothers, they assume a double role, and God graciously assists - but
that is not His plan.)
CARM: Correction, God was the final
authority in Israel.
The fact that there are women pastors particularly in the American
church, is a sign of two important failures. First, it demonstrates that
there are many churches that do not take the word of God seriously
in the matter of male headship. Second, it further demonstrates the
failure of men to heed the call of God, to step up and be responsible as
godly men, and to stand for righteousness whether they (or church
congregations and pastors) like it or not. To rationalize that because men
are not doing their job, that God OKs women to do it, is a double edged
sword. If it is true that God uses women when the men will not do what
they're supposed to do, then it is because of the sin of men that women are
pastors! The sword should cut at the heart of men who fail to
answer the call of God.
Nevertheless, let's look at an exceptional case. Let's say that there was a woman pilot
transporting 20 orphans during a war situation and they crash on a
deserted island where they live isolated for two decades. Furthermore, this woman
pilot is also a Christian and she takes the responsibility of teaching
young children, male and female, about the Lord. In a sense, she's
functioning as a pastor. Should we be so bold as to say that she
should not teach the young manor that she is not functioning in a
pastoral sense? Of course not. It is most certainly better
at the gospel be preached then not.
But, are we to conclude that a woman and
orphans on a deserted island qualifies the exception to the rule in
regular churches? Are we to say that since is acceptable on a
deserted island that we should do it in regular churches? Not at
all. exceptions to the rule do not make the norm.
It seems that the author of the article is saying
that because men are not doing what they're supposed to be doing, then
it is then OK for women to be pastors. However, the pastor's
church has hundreds of men upon which to draw (we are told there are
several thousand attendees). If there are no men capable in a
church of several thousand, then we assume that
the pastor is not discipling various men in that church to bring
them to the place of eldership. In other words, he is not doing his job
in this respect.
The right thing to do is raise up men and disciple them so that they can
be elders according to the Scriptures.
ORIGINAL:
The other reason why Deborah is used to shepherd (lead) Israel is
because she was a prophetess - that is she heard and spoke for God. She
was a prophet just as Moses, Samuel, Elijah and Daniel were prophets.
Hence, because of her "spiritual gift," the people looked to her for
counsel, direction and arbitration.
CARM: True. But does that mean that she
is qualified to be an elder in the New Testament Christian church
context? No. Furthermore, there are no more prophets and
prophetesses in the Old Testament sense, of which Deborah was.
(See Luke 16:16) Remember, the pastor is an elder who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17)
and that the elder is to be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3).
ORIGINAL: So today, women who have spiritual gifts should not be
denied a place in ministry because they are woman. The church can be
enriched by the spiritual gifts God gives to women. Women have insights
and natural intuitions that are peculiar to their gender - their
contribution to the church, like the home, is invaluable. Again, the
caution is to make sure those gifts are used in the role God has
defined. God places every gift in context. When we decide to remove the
context set by Scripture we turn life into death, the blessing into a
curse.
CARM: We are not
saying that women should be denied a place in ministry because
they are
women. We believe that women are greatly gifted and underutilized
in the church. Even though we personally believe that many women may be
far better than many male pastors, what I feel and what we want have no
bearing whatsoever on what the word of God says. Again, the pastor
is an elder who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17)
and that the elder is to be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3).
The pastor of this article is
correct in his last statement in the above paragraph. He should abide by
it.
ORIGINAL: This could easily become a book - or at least a
"Master's thesis." And, I am not unaware that I have not addressed the
arguments to why women should not serve in pastoral capacities. However,
it is not my purpose to do so in this format. My purpose is to simply
state the position of the Trustees and Advisory Board of Prayer
Ministries, Inc.
CARM: Actually, he did not address the
issue of the clear declaration that the elder is a person who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17)
and that the elder is to be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3),
the husband of one wife. This is a very solid and essential
declaration of scripture
that, so far, he has not even touched. If he has not even examined
such clear teaching of Scripture, can we trust his conclusion about
women being pastors?
ORIGINAL: In conclusion, a final look at the married couple who
accompanied St Paul on his second missionary journey - Aquila and
Priscilla, and Nympha (Colossians 4) - whose home served as the church
at Colosse, along with Phoebe who served in Cencrea, makes it quite
clear that women were certainly given pastoral responsibilities under
the authority of men who were appointed as elders (senior pastors).
Paul's letters continually place Priscilla's name in front of her
husband's because she was the "type A" personality in the relationship
(Acts 18; Romans 16:3-5) whose gifts were not only recognized by her
husband but by the church at large.
CARM: Really? Where are they designated
as pastors and elders? The Greek word for elder is 'presbuteros' in
the pastoral epistles where it refers to church hierarchy and authority.
In the pastoral epistles dealing with church authority and office, it
is always without exception used in the male gender.
Here is the faulty argument that he is using.
1. A pastor is someone who exercises care over another.
2. Cite a woman, or women, in a home who cares
for others.
3. State that she is qualified to be
called a pastor.
4. Conclude that we can have female pastors in
the church.
This is an absurd leap of logic.
ORIGINAL: Although Paul told the women in the Corinthian church to
keep silent, he certainly did not give those instructions to Priscilla
or Nympha. Why? Because both of these woman understood the word of God
and were able to explain it with accuracy. (2 Tim 2:15) If the Holy
Spirit allowed Deborah to govern a nation and Priscilla and Nympha to
serve as assistant pastors in Corinth and Colosse, would it not behoove
us to follow the same pattern? The answer is unequivocally "yes."
CARM: The reason Paul told the women in the Corinthian
church to be quiet was most probably due to lack of proper order and the
gathering of believers in the Corinthian context. Most probably, Paul did not need to construct
Priscilla or Nympha to be quiet because there was no problem with the
order and manners that they possessed. Obviously, Paul would not
make the blatant mistake of saying to some women be quiet while
encouraging others to speak if there was not a contextual reason for
both. The pastor has not examined the contextual reasons yet he
makes broad conclusions.
Nevertheless, how does this mean that a
woman can be a pastor or elder? It does not. Furthermore, there is no problem
at all with woman being able to understand and teach the word of God. But as we
have seen the Scriptures clearly teach,
the pastor is an elder who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17)
and that the elder is to be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3). In order for this pastor to support a woman pastor in his
church, is to ignore the pastoral epistles -- as he has done in his defense of
his position -- and is a serious mistake.
CARM:
Observations
-
This
pastor who authored the original paper began with an erring premise,
i.e., that a woman can possess any spiritual gift a man possesses in
the church.
-
He is
reading way too much into the context of Old Testament verses, i.e.,
citing Deborah "with pastoral gifts is
submissive to the male senior pastor's authority."
-
He is erringly transporting
Old Testament contexts into New Testament concepts of pastors.
-
He has misapplied Galatians
3:28 which is dealing with salvation, not with pastoring and
eldership.
-
He has not looked at the
pastoral epistles regarding the qualifications for an elder which
clearly defined them as being male. This is perhaps his
biggest mistake.
-
He has used to broad
definition of the term pastor and then applied overly broad
definition to different contexts.
We are sure there are many who will not be happy
the analysis of this
pastor's defense of his position. All we can say is that we are they
need to, as Christians, stick to the word of God and not listen to what
they feel is right. The logic is simple and the Scriptures are clear. We do
not need to rip verses from their context and commit interpretive fallacies
when trying to uphold an agenda that we want the word of God to support.
------------------------------
What is Federal Headship?
Federal Headship is
foreign to the modern mind, but it is a biblical concept. It
is the teaching that the father is the one who represents his
family, his descendents. Proof of this can be found in Heb. 7:8-10.
"Here mortal men receive tithes,
but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
9Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through
Abraham, so to speak, 10for he was still in the loins of
his father when Melchizedek met him."
Levi was a
distant descendent of Abraham, yet it is said that Levi paid tithes
to Melchizedek even though he wasn't born. How is this so?
We know that Levi did not physically carry out the act of paying
tithes, but we do know that Abraham did and we also know that
Abraham was the representative head of his descendents. This
is how it can be said that Levi also paid tithes to Melchizedek.
Federal Headship also finds its place in the Epistle of
Romans when Paul says in Rom. 5:12-14,
"Therefore, just as through
one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus
death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13(For
until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when
there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to
the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him
who was to come."
The Bible knowledge
Commentary says, "The federal headship view considers Adam, the
first man, as the representative of the human race that generated
from him. As the representative of all humans, Adam’s act of sin was
considered by God to be the act of all people and his penalty of
death was judicially made the penalty of everybody."1
Also, "The federal headship of Adam presupposes and rests upon his
natural headship. He was our natural head before he was our federal
head. He was doubtless made our federal representative because he
was our natural progenitor, and was so conditioned that his agency
must affect our destinies, and because our very nature was on trial
(typically if not essentially) in him. Whatever, therefore, of
virtue in this explanation the natural headship of Adam may be
supposed to contain the federal theory retains."2
Therefore, it should be clear that Adam represented us and when he
fell, we fell.
But some may object and say that this is not fair.
They will say that we should not be held responsible for Adam's sin
because we never sinned. If this is the position that they
want to hold, then let's take a look at the cross and see why
Federal Headship is important in relation to Jesus.
Jesus represented
His people
1 Cor. 15:45 says, “The first
man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving
spirit." The "last Adam" is a reference to Jesus because
of the similar relationship that exists between them both.
That is, both Adam and Jesus are representative heads. Please
consider 1 Cor. 15:22 that says, "For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive."
This is teaching us that Adam and Christ are heads of groups.
Notice "in Adam" and "in Christ" referencing our position in
relationship to both of them.
If Adam did not represent mankind, then Jesus could not
represent the Christians when He died on the cross. As Adam's
offense resulted in condemnation to all people, so also, Jesus'
sacrifice results in justification for those who believe in Him (Rom. 5:18). It is because of
Federal Headship -- legal representation -- that we are able to be
saved at all. As Adam's sin was imputed3
to us because of the Fall, our sin was likewise imputed to Jesus on
the cross and Jesus' righteousness is imputed to us when we receive
Him. In other words, if it was not for the biblical idea of
Federal Headship (of one person representing others), then Jesus
could not have represented us on the cross. If Jesus did not
represent us on the cross, then it could not be said of us that
"...you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God," (Col. 3:3); and, "Now if we have died
with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him," (Rom. 6:8).
Jesus represented us so completely on the cross that it
can be said that we have died with Him. If it were not for
Federal Headship, this would not be possible and we could not have
died to sin.
Conclusion
Federal
Headship is a biblical concept with some very important
ramifications. Because of the biblical concept, we are able to
enjoy salvation; we have died to sin, and we can rest in Christ who
represented us before the Father in His satisfaction of the Law of
God.
Final Remarks
So how
does the teaching of federal headship applied to the issue of women
pastors. Quite simply, federal headship teaches us that the male is to
be an authority in the church. This authority is based upon the fact
that Christ represented his people on the cross and that Jesus, being a
man, was called a the second Adam. As Adam represented all of mankind,
Jesus represented his people. The natural order is established with male
headship in the church, Jesus is the head, and in the family where the
husband is the head of the wife. There is no mention in Scripture were a
woman can be a pastor (in violation of the pastoral epistles teaching
that the elder is to be male), as long as there is a male head over her.
By definition, a person in the pulpit, on Sunday morning, preaching the
word of God, is in a place of authority. Such authoritative proclamation
of the gospel is the responsibility of the elder in the church. Again,
the elder is a person who teaches (1 Tim.
5:17) and that the elder is to
be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13;
1 Peter 5:1-3),
the husband of one wife.
_______________
Appendix
- The Term "Elder"
- PRESBUTEROS
- elder, an old man, a leader in the church. The term is used
- of the elder of two
persons (Luke 15:25,
or more,
John 8:9).
- of a person advanced in age (Acts 2:17;
in
Heb. 11:2).
- of the forefathers in Israel (Matt. 15:2;
Mark 7:3,5).
- of members of the Sanhedrin (Matt. 16:21;
26:47).
- of those who managed public
affairs in the various cities (Luke 7:3).
- of those who were the heads or
leaders of the tribes and families, as of the seventy who helped
Moses (Num. 11:16;
Deut.
27:1). This included:
- acting as judges in
apprehending murderers (Deut.
19:12).
- conducting inquests (Deut.
21:2).
- settling matrimonial disputes
(Deut. 22:15;
25:7).
- If theirs was a city of
refuge they also heard pleas for asylum (Joshua
20:4).
- of those qualified by the Holy
Spirit who exercised spiritual care and oversight of the local
congregation.
- EPISKOPOI -
overseers, bishops
- Titus equates bishop
and elder in Titus 1:5-9.
- Regarding
the Office:
- The office of Elder is a
divinely appointed office as defined in the Pastoral Epistles.
- Elders are apparently appointed
by the laying on of hands (1 Tim. 4:14;
2 Tim. 1:6).
- Should receive double honor in the
church (1 Tim. 5:17).
- The pastor is an elder (1 Peter 5:1-3).
- The pastor is an elder who preaches
and/or teaches (1 Tim.
5:17).
- The pastor (elder) is
to equip the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13).
- Must be a man (1 Tim. 2:9-13).
- All uses of "elder"
are in the masculine except for
1 Tim. 5:2 where it means older
women.
- The
Responsibilities of Elders in the NT Church:
- Must shepherd the flock
(1 Peter 5:2).
- Must voluntarily exercise oversight
upon the flock (1 Peter 5:2).
- Must live as examples to the flock
(1 Peter 5:3).
- Anoint and pray for the sick (James 5:14).
- They have the tasks of teaching (1
Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5,9).
- They have the tasks of acting as
judges (Acts 15:2,6,22-29;
16:4).
-
Qualifications
for an elder
- Must be above reproach (Titus
1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2)
- Husband of one wife (Titus
1:6; 1 Tim. 3:2).
- Household must be in order with
children who believe (Titus
1:6 ;1 Tim. 3:4).
- Not a new convert (1
Tim. 3:6).
- Self controlled and temperate (Titus
1:7; 1 Tim. 3:2).
- Honorable, hospitable, seeking good
(Titus 1:7).
- Have a good reputation (1
Tim. 3:7).
- Not addicted to wine (1
Tim. 3:3).
- Not greedy (1
Tim. 3:3).
- Able to exhort (teach) sound
doctrine (Titus 1:9;
1
Tim. 3:2).
- Able to refute false teaching (Titus
1:9).
- They must be ready to earn their
own living if necessary (Acts
20:17,
33-35).
______________
1. Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press
Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985.
2. Hodge, A. A., Outlines of Theology, (Escondido,
CA: Ephesians Four Group) 1999.
3. To impute means to reckon to another's
account, to credit to another's account.
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