What about female pastors

What about female pastors?

Our working theme for Galatians: “Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as taught in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone”

CHARTING THE COURSE FOR THIS STUDY

Ø The Mosaic Law does not continue in its discriminatory capacity

Ø What about female pastors? Is the church contradicting the fact that we are all “sons” through faith in Christ Jesus? (Galatians 3:28)

Ø What is the big deal about women pastors?

SONS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS (Galatians 3:26-29; cf. Romans 10:12; 1 Corinthians 7:21-24; 12:13; Colossians 3:11)

A. Beware of the following pitfalls:

1. No more Law (antinomianism)

2. The religion of Moses is different from the religion of Abraham (some forms of dispensationalism)

“Satan would have us to prove ourselves holy by the law, which God gave to prove us sinners.” (Andrew Jukes)

3. The Law must be kept for our justification (Judaizers)

4. Another pitfall: the Law continues in its discriminatory capacity (Judaizers)

B. Galatians 3:26-29 addresses the Mosaic Law in its discriminatory capacity.

1. The Mosaic Law discriminated between clean and unclean food (Leviticus 11; 20:25; Deuteronomy 14:1-21; Acts 10:9-48).

2. The Mosaic Law discriminated between circumcised and uncircumcised (Leviticus 20:24). Gentiles had their own special court in the Temple.

3. The Mosaic Law discriminated between women and men (Leviticus 12:1-8; 15:19-33; Num.27:1–11; Deut.25:5–10; Prov.13:22)

a. According to tradition women were not allowed to go as far into the Temple as men.

b. It is also possible that the Law discriminated against women because only male believers received the sign of the covenant.

c. Jewish inheritance law favored males (Num.27:1–11; Deut.25:5–10; Prov.13:22).

4. The Old Covenant also contained laws that discriminated between slaves and free men (Leviticus 25:39-46; cf. Joel 2:28-29).

a. The laws discriminating between good and evil have not been taken down but rather the discriminatory laws between people.

b. The Judaizers were using these discriminatory Laws of Moses not only to build up the fence between circumcised and uncircumcised but they were using it for their justification.

5. There is a Jewish prayer dating back to about the 2^nd century AD in which a man thanked God for “not making me a gentile, slave, or a woman.”

a. This prayer may not have been originally intended to belittle gentiles or women.

b. The prayer celebrated that Jewish males have full responsibilities and commandments that were not available to gentiles or Jewish women.

i. Later Judaism taught that God gave the Mosaic Laws to draw Israel closer to Himself.

ii. Gentiles only have 7 Laws while the Jews have 613!

iii. According to this tradition, male Jews had the most opportunities to draw close to God. The more laws the better!

c. Paul would adamantly disagree with this Jewish tradition about the law!

i. Historically, the Law ended up driving Israel further away from God (i.e. exile) instead of closer!

ii. Israel’s “obedience” to the Law led to their crucifixion of Messiah!

iii. The Law prohibited access into the Holy of holies except for the high priest and that only once/year.

iv. In Galatians 3, Paul is arguing that all (Jew, Gentile, Slave) have access before God on the basis of faith.

v. It is common to hear that Galatians 3:26-29 is a “pre-Pauline baptismal formula.” Though this is speculative, the advantage is that it allows commentators to separate vv.26-29 from the context of Paul’s argument.

What about female pastors? Is the church contradicting the fact that we are all “sons” through faith in Christ Jesus? (v.28)

complementarianism – “Both Adam and Eve were created in God’s image, equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood. Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find and echo in every human heart” (Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood).

egalitarianism – the denial of any distinctions between men and women--in the church and home. Egalitarians assert that women should be pastors, elders, and co-heads of families.

“No more restriction is implied in Paul’s equalizing of the status of male and female in Christ than in his equalizing of the status of Jew and Gentile, or of slave and free person. If in ordinary life existence in Christ is manifested openly in church fellowship, then, if a Gentile may exercise spiritual leadership in church as freely as Jew, or a slave as freely as a citizen, why not a woman as freely as a man?” (F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Galatians: A commentary on the Greek text, p.190)

By disallowing women from the eldership, is the RPCNA maintaining/establishing a Mosaic law of discrimination which contradicts the fact that we are all one in Christ Jesus?

“Those eligible to be called as ruling elders must… Be male communicant members in good standing of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.” (RPCNA Directory for Church Government, Chapter 3; IA1).

“The permanent officers to be set apart by ordination are elders and deacons. Women as well as men may hold the office of deacon. Ordination is a solemn setting apart to a specific office by the laying on of the hands of a court of the Church and is not to be repeated. Installation is the official constitution of a relationship between one who is ordained and the congregation” (Testimony of the RPCNA, 25:8).

Was Paul contradicting Galatians 3:28 when he wrote, “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet” (1 Timothy 2:11-15)?

“Redemption does not destroy but rather renews creation. Redemption does not destroy the creation ordinances of God” (Report of the Committee on Women in Church Office” submitted to the fifty-fifth General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church [1988]).

Is Roman Catholicism contradicting the fact that we are all “sons” through faith in Christ Jesus by disallowing women from the priesthood? (v.28)

Do feminist, womanist, black, Latin American, Asian, etc. theologies contradict the fact that we are all “sons” through faith in Christ Jesus? (v.28)

So what? What’s the big hullabaloo about women pastors and the interpretation of Galatians 3:28?

1. Ordination of women to the eldership is a denial of God’s ordering of creation (This explains, in part, the fascination of many “Christians” with Gnosticism).

“Peter said, 'Send Mary away, for women are not worthy of life.' Jesus said, 'I will make her male, so that she may become a pure spirit resembling you males. For I tell you, every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of God.”

-The Gospel of Thomas (a Gnostic document), 114.

2. Ordination of women to the eldership has serious implications for the church.

a. Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor.11:1-16; 1 Cor.14:26-36 and 1 Tim.2:11-15 is often said to be culturally conditioned (authority of God’s Word questioned).

b. Ordination of women to the eldership has implications for the doctrine of the Trinity. Ontological equality is not to be confused with economic subordination.

3. Ordination of women to the eldership has implications for relationships within the family and the concept of headship.

4. Ordination of women to the eldership has implications for society (e.g. homosexuality).

C. A more literal translation of Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is not/no male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

a. Exegetes not only argue that the Mosaic, social and ecclesiological distinctions between male and female have been eradicated. They are now beginning to argue that the biological distinctions between male and female have been eradicated (an androgynous church).

“What he says is that there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, no male and female. I think the reason he says “no male and female” rather than “neither male nor female” is that he is actually quoting Genesis 1:27” (N.T. Wright, “The Biblical Basis for Women’s Service in the Church”).

b. Exegetes have pointed out that Galatians 3:28 trumps other Pauline texts on women (e.g. F.F. Bruce). Now they are doing the same thing for other Pauline texts of marriage and homosexuality.

i. It is argued that when Paul says there is “no male nor female” he is quoting Genesis 1:27.

ii. If there is no male and female when it comes to church offices then why is there a distinction between male and female when it comes to marriage?

“In contrast with the preceding statements, this one names the sexes in the neuter, which indicates that not only the social differences between man and woman (“roles”) are involved but the biological distinctions.” (H.D. Betz, Galatians : A commentary on Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia, p.195).

c. If we have a low view of Moses then why oppose homosexuals and not Sabbath breakers?

d. If evangelicals have a low view of the sanctity of marriage as evidenced by the high divorce rate then how can we oppose homosexual marriage?

"Marriage has been undermined by divorce, so don't tell me about marriage."

-Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, denying that the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples would undermine marriage.

D. While the “fence” or discriminatory aspect of the Mosaic Law is no longer the rule for the church – there are still many applications that we are to draw from the Law of Moses (1 Cor. 5:7, 9:8-10; 2 Cor. 6:17, Jude 1:23).

1. “Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel, as a church under age, ceremonial laws, containing several typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ, His graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits; (Heb. 9, Heb. 10:1, Gal. 4:1–3, Col. 2:17) and partly, holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. (1 Cor. 5:7, 2 Cor. 6:17, Jude 1:23) All which ceremonial laws are now abrogated, under the new testament (Col. 2:14,16,17, Dan. 9:27, Eph. 2:15–16)” (Chapter 19:3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith).

2. “To them also, as a body politic, He gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people; not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require. (Exod. 21, Exod. 22:1–29, Gen. 49:10, 1 Pet. 2:13–14, Matt. 5:17,38–39, 1 Cor. 9:8–10)” (Chapter 19:4 of the Westminster Confession of Faith).

Irenaeus (ca. 140–ca. 202) wrote, “Because of His advent in the flesh,” the Ten Commandments "have received extension and increase, but not abrogation” (Irenaeus Against Heresies, book iv. chap. xvi. sect. 4).

3. “Whatever its form, the law, if it expresses the basic principles of equity, justice, and love for one’s fellow man, is God’s law and not only has to be obeyed, but also has to be used for the benefit of society” (Reid, Stanford, W. “John Calvin, Lawyer and Legal Reformer”. in Through Christ’s Word: a Festschrift for Dr. Philip E. Hughes. ed. by W. Robert Godfrey, Jesse L. Boyd, III. Phillipsburg, P&R Publishing Company, 1985. p.157).