Women in Ministry

Every now and then, I see a resurrection of the topic of women in ministry. Some male whom considers himself to be well studied and knowledgeable in the Word will present a rock-solid case (in his opinion) of why women should not be allowed to minister in the Church, or to exercise authority over men in the Body of Christ. I have put this off for awhile, but I have finally had about all I can take, so I think it is time to dispel some myths about women and ministry

It never fails, but the writings of Paul to Timothy will be quoted as the end-all, be-all ruling of God’s opinion concerning women in the Church. 1 Timothy 2:12 says, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Well, that does it for every chauvinistic male in the Body of Christ. Christianity is definitely an “all boys club”, so women just need to sit down and shut up, allowing us big strong guys to handle it.

I have to say that I do not agree with this particular view of this scripture, and I believe I can prove why the interpretation is faulty.

We first need to examine the scripture in more detail. The Greek word “authenteo”, translated here as “usurp” needs to be closely examined, because it is the key word in this scripture. “Authenteo” (Strong’s # G831) means “one who does a thing of himself; one who acts on his own authority; master” (Thayer’s pg. 84).

So let’s get this straight. Paul was telling Timothy that a woman should not be allowed to act on her own authority in the Church. I agree. That is an operation of Jezebel. He was saying that a woman should not be allowed to become a man’s master. I agree. Christ is our master. He was saying that a woman should not be allowed to do a thing of themselves within the Body. I agree. We need to be Spirit-led.

However, when we use the correct interpretation, every single one of the above statements also apply to men in the Body (boo! Hissss!).

And to make it worse, these “boys only” theologians are taking this scripture out of scriptural and cultural context. What do the scriptures really say about women in ministry?

Well, in Judges Chapter 4, Deborah is ordained and appointed to be a judge over all of Israel (Jud. 4:4, 5). Now we must remember that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). If He used women in positions of authority under the Old Covenant, how many more will He use under the New Covenant? If a woman could exercise authority in the Congregation under the Old Covenant, why should she be prohibited in the New Covenant? Because of a lie perpetrated against the Body of Christ. I’m sorry if you feel offended, but I believe that I can prove the truth of that statement.

Once again, we need to go back to 1 Timothy chap. 2. Notice the wording of verse 12. It doesn’t say that a woman cannot exercise authority over a man, but she is not to usurp that authority. Encarta Dictionary defines usurp as “seize something without right”. I agree that none of us, male or female, should seize authority without right in the Church. That is an operation of witchcraft, and can lead to some pretty severe problems.

So why did Paul tell Timothy not to allow a woman to teach a man? All we have to understand is the cultural context that the scripture was written in. Paul had dispatched Timothy to the Gentile Church. These individuals were newly reformed pagan worshippers. Their gods had names like Zeus, Apollo, Mars, etc. What’s more, the worship of these gods was pornographic in scope, and they were all served by Priestesses and High Priestesses.

In the worship rituals of these gods, sexual orgies between the worshippers and the priestesses were a normal state of affairs. These priestesses that once, and perhaps still, served false gods through sexual rites were now a part of the Gentile Church. In addition, the priestesses, possessed by the spirit of their gods, would proceed to prophesy through the spirit of Jezebel.

In addition, the whole of the Gentile Church had been born out of a polytheistic culture where many gods were served. So Paul was being wise when he told Timothy not to allow these particular women to usurp authority in the Gentile Church or to teach. They had come from a devil-worshipping culture, and to allow them to teach or to prophesy falsely in the Church would have been a serious mistake. Can you imagine the results had they been allowed to get up behind a pulpit on a Sunday morning and prophesy that God wanted His Church to also worship Dionysus (Greek god of wine and sex), and to engage in an orgy as a form of worship?

I don’t believe that we would even see this prohibition against this particular group of women had they fully left their old lives behind. In our modern churches, we would not allow a newly reformed, drug addicted prostitute who was a Buddhist to teach Sunday School or to preach a sermon because the results could be disastrous. We would first disciple her and help her to fully leave the old life behind. Paul was encouraging Timothy to exercise the same kind of wisdom.

What about women in the five-fold ministry? In Romans 16:7, the Bible says “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” Wait just a second! Did Paul just refer to a woman (Junia) as an apostle? And an apostle of note?  A woman?  Easy, there big fella’. You’ll figure it out!

And now to make it even worse, Judges 4 definitely calls Deborah a prophetess. While some would like to make a distinction between the office of prophet and the prophetess, let’s consider this: the words “prophesy” and “prophet” are actually descended from a root word for “prophetess”. Yep, you’ve got it right. To prophesy is actually considered to be feminine in origin. Ouch! Kinda stabs your male pride right in the foot, doesn’t it?

And here are some other hard and fast Biblical facts: 1 Cor. 12:12 states “For as the Body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one Body, being many, are one Body: so also is Christ.” Is there any doubt in the mind of anyone that Jesus Christ was, in fact, the Son of God? If we are all a part of the Son’s body, are we not all male in the eyes of the Lord?

Mat. 13:38 says, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” The Greek word “huios” (Strong’s #5207), translated here as “children” actually means to be a son. I cannot fathom anyone believing that just because a person is female by birth, that they cannot be part of the “good seed”.

Romans 8:14: For as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Can women be led by the Spirit of God? If so, they must be a son of God.

1 John 3:1-2: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. Is there any question as to whether or not women will be caught up in the resurrection? I sincerely hope not. The fact is, all of us are sons of God on the earth, and will be transformed sons of God in the hereafter.

Once salvation has occurred and we are sanctified by the blood of Christ, God considers us to be dead to the fleshly life of sin and reborn into life in the Spirit.  As such, He sees us as changed (transformed) into the image of His precious Son, all a part of the Body of Christ. Eph. 2:5, 6 tells us that “Even when we were dead in sins, (He) hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

I have only one question about this passage. We know that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 1:20). If we are seated in heavenly places with Him, at the right hand of the Father, is that not a position of authority in the kingdom? I see no distinction here between male and female. I see only that ALL believers are seated in a place of authority in the Body of Christ. I cannot see any other way to interpret this scripture. If Christ Jesus is on His throne at the right hand of the Father, and we are seated in Him in heavenly places, then we are all, male and female, in a place of authority. Not just in the Body of Christ, but over all of God’s creation. To interpret this scripture in any other way is unsound.

I am not trying to say that women should reign over men in the Church. I am saying that men and women together are all workers in the kingdom. Women have as much of a purpose in the leadership of the Church as men. Not one lording it over the other. When we step back and take into consideration that spirits like Jezebel and Ba’al thrive upon the illegal assumption of authority, we must also realize that if God has given a woman divine authority in one area or another and we as men refuse to grant her the God-given authority she already has, it is the man that has introduced witchcraft and the spirit of Jezebel into the assembly, not the woman!

I know that many of you will have to read this several times to gain understanding, because this is absolutely contrary to the false doctrine being presented in many assemblies. I pray that the Lord will open your eyes to the truth of the scriptures and to the truth that we are all sons in the kingdom. Amen.