Objections to Sexual Identity, Part 5

In this part of the sermon: Pastor Martin welcomes visitors and outlines the ongoing study on male and female identity, roles, and functions, rooted in biblical male headship and female subordination. He…

Paul's division of enemies in Acts 20 into 'wolves from without' (unbelievers) and 'perverse men from within' (false teachers) is used to categorize the types of objections to biblical teaching on sexual identity.

And as Paul divides the enemies of the church in Acts 20 into two categories, the wolves from without and the perverse men from within, so we have sought to consider these major objections in those two categories. And we completed our study of the objections that come from without, that is, from the unbelieving, skeptical, hostile world that claims no allegiance or submission to this book or to the Bible. And we have sought to consider these major objections in those two categories. To the God or Christ of this book.

2:37 - 3:09 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Who becomes the authority to say where a statement of an apostle is a reflection of remaining sin or a revelation of the mind and will of God?

Martin illustrates the danger of arbitrary interpretation by showing how someone could, with equal lack of authority, dismiss Galatians 3:28 as Paul's 'over-enthusiastic desire' if they disliked its implications, just as opponents dismiss headship passages.

with the answer to that objection by noting that this was nothing less than a blatant, arrogant rejection of biblical authority and also a very arbitrary and selective use of scripture. Someone who hated women could say, say of Galatians 3.28, a text which Paul K. Jewett and his ilk love to quote, in Christ there is neither male nor female, someone could with equal authority say, no, that reflects Paul's over-enthusiastic desire to establish the privileges of the new humanity.

5:18 - 5:57 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, females can perform any function that males can, any roles, vice versa, except we have not yet found a way to give men wombs so that they can bear children, breasts to nurse them, but we'll work at that until ev…

The logical extreme of egalitarianism is illustrated by the desire to dismantle all distinctions, even biological, leading to the idea of artificial wombs so women can pursue careers without interruption, highlighting the 'horrible state' of societal values.

is not a hierarchical structure of male headship and female subordination, but a truly egalitarian relationship. That is, females can perform any function that males can, any roles, vice versa, except we have not yet found a way to give men wombs so that they can bear children, breasts to nurse them, but we'll work at that until eventually we can even reverse that role. And that's not foolishness, my friends. That's a commitment that is deep and settled, and that's why there's so much pressure to make the woman's bearing of a child in her womb a matter that a woman will no longer have to have.

9:20 - 10:04 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That is, females can perform any function that males can, any roles, vice versa, except we have not yet found a way to give men wombs so that they can bear children, breasts to nurse them, but we'll work at that until ev…

Opponents use slavery as a parallel institution, arguing that the New Testament accepted it but sowed seeds for its eventual dismantling, implying the same for male headship. Martin uses this to explain their argument before refuting it.

so-called parallel institution which these people use to support their thesis? They say there's something else in the New Testament that is addressed in the New Testament documents that was peculiar to that time, but nobody would say is binding on the Church today. What is that other institution? Slavery, and then one that's used less is the concept of the king and the subject.

10:47 - 11:15 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Our answer to that is, using slavery as a parallel is dirty pool because nowhere does the Bible mandate the institution of slavery. It is not rooted in the order of creation.

The story of Paul sending Onesimus back to Philemon is used to illustrate how the New Testament, without directly abolishing slavery, sowed principles (receiving him as a brother, charging debts to Paul's account) that would lead a master to free his slave, showing how the gospel dismantles certain institutions in principle.

There's no justification of them. But when you read the book of Philemon, where Paul is writing to his friend Philemon at Laodicea, and he says, look, I've got wonderful news for you. You had a runaway slave. And this runaway slave, when he was at Rome, came under my influence.

13:10 - 13:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall never pass away.

The analogy of a 'full-blown flower' is used to describe the idea that New Testament principles need to be 'worked out' by humans, leading to subjective interpretations where 'every man does that which is right in his own eyes' if there is no ultimate authority.

is freeze an arrangement that was a temporary expedient but sows seeds for a doctrine of male and female roles and relationships that we must work out. It means then that the ultimate authority is not God but whom? Man. Now what happens when your description of the full-blown flower doesn't fit mine and mine doesn't fit the man down the street?

25:17 - 25:48 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not bind your conscience to a mere cultural expression of a fundamental principle, but keep the principle itself.

The command to 'greet one another with a holy kiss' is used as a prime example of a cultural circumstantial. Martin argues that while the expression changes (handshake, embrace), the underlying principle of warm, genuine Christian greeting remains.

You see there's a lot of Mickey Mouse argumentation that goes on. I read from Professor Brunt's article last week who in spite of his earned Ph.D. obviously is not a clear thinker but in this matter of cultural adaptation people say all right first century documents tell Christians greet one another with a holy kiss five times four times greet one another with a holy kiss Peter says greet one another with a kiss of love.

33:48 - 34:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Always uphold the essence of the duty of courtesy and considerateness, even as circumstantials vary from culture to culture and age to age.

Examples of modesty in the Balim Valley (gourd covering), other cultures (covered from waist down but not up, or fully covered with only eye slit), and the concept of bearing an ankle, are used to illustrate how the *expression* of modesty varies culturally while the *essence* of modesty remains a universal Christian responsibility.

What is modesty in the Balim Valley in West Irian? I'll never forget a missionary who spent his life among very primitive people in that very area telling me how men who went out in the field to work clad in nothing but a gourd covering their private parts with a little string if that gourd would even crack as much as you could see blushing through their dark skin they would run blushing into the woods until they could find a replacement because they felt horribly immodest modesty in various cultures means that a woman is thoroughly covered from

36:59 - 37:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Always uphold the essence of the duty of courtesy and considerateness, even as circumstantials vary from culture to culture and age to age.

Martin's personal anecdote of inadvertently showing the bottom of his foot and using his left hand for food in Pakistan illustrates how the *circumstantials* of courtesy vary culturally, while the *essence* of Christian considerateness and honor remains constant.

the waist down but not from the waist up modesty in certain cultures means that a woman is covered from here to here and all of her head in her face and all she has is a little slit for her eyeballs to help her to see where she's going and to bear an ankle in certain cultures is to be considered a brazen woman and I see some smiles of people who come from cultures where they know that that's true I soon found out when I went to Pakistan that courtesy that's an essential Christian grace in honor of preferring one another as you would that others do unto you even so do ye also unto them that's t...

37:44 - 38:28 Read in full sermon

The point: Always uphold the essence of the duty of courtesy and considerateness, even as circumstantials vary from culture to culture and age to age.

Paul's description of Cretans as 'always liars, slow bellies' is used as an example of an 'aggravated and universal expression of sin' in a culture, which the gospel *would* change, distinguishing it from non-moral circumstantials.

expressions of sin Paul said the Cretans are always liars slow bellies they had a national sin of being dishonest gluttons lazy he said this testimony is true well that wasn't a circumstantial cultural thing that was an aggravated expression of the patterns of sin in the culture and the essence of biblical morality would alter that dominant quote cultural manifestation so we're not talking about letting the gospel and its moral demands be altered to circumstantials but circumstantials pertain to these matters that are non-moral in their essence

42:17 - 43:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Applying the distinction, Martin argues that male headship and female subordination are not cultural circumstantials but are of the very essence of the hierarchical relationship…

The requirement for a widow to be enrolled if she 'has washed the saint's feet' is used as an example of a circumstantial (the specific act) that expresses an essence (a servant's heart). Modern equivalents like washing dishes or dirty sheets are offered.

and so when it says if a woman is to be enrolled as a widow she must be a proven saint how would a woman prove that she was a true saint and a servant of God and of his people Paul says if she has washed the saint's feet that is if she has a pattern of doing the task that the common servant does out of love to her brothers and sisters then she has shown the marks of having a servant's heart now that's a circumstantial we would say in our day if she has gladly entertained and washed the dishes and the dirty sheets of her house guests that would be the circumstantial

43:01 - 43:46 Read in full sermon

The point: Be immunized against the argument that the historical interpretation of male headship passages is wrong and that 'kephale' means 'source' rather than 'authority over'.

Martin quotes scholars (Letha Scanzoni, Nancy Hardesty, Margaret Howe, Mickelson duo) who argue that the Greek word 'kephale' (head) in 1 Corinthians 11 and Ephesians 5 means 'source of' rather than 'authority over,' which he then refutes with linguistic evidence.

expounded and seen together in our studies these people say no you all have the been wrong and the reason you've been wrong is you have not had the insights of modern and for example a long come two seminary teachers a man and a woman and they begin writing articles to show that the greek word head hydro water on the head cephalic the word head used in first corinthians 11 used in ephesians 5 they come along and with

48:49 - 49:33 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Not once in any of those two thousand three hundred and thirty six usages in ancient greek documents from philosophers to historians to poets does it ever mean that and he said now if you want to take the time to complet…

Martin references George Knight's book and Wayne Grudem's appendix, which surveys 2,336 examples of 'kephale' in ancient Greek literature, concluding that it never means 'source or origin,' thereby refuting the modern reinterpretation.

the semblance of scholarship say you see you've assumed the word head meant authority over it means source of it has nothing to do with authority over it has to do with source of and if you only understood that then the whole texture and fabric of this concept of headship subordination disintegrates before our marvelous new understanding of the word kephale now this is so crucial in the arguments of some that in the second edition of his excellent book the role relationship of men and women the new testament teaching george knight has

49:33 - 50:18 Read in full sermon

The point: Be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you, especially concerning the assigned roles and functions of men and women.

The phrase 'as clear on the nose on Jimmy Durante's face' is used to emphasize the obviousness of the grammatical structure in Ephesians 5, where specific submissions follow the general call to be filled with the Spirit.

describe the channels by which a spirit filled life will be manifested speaking singing making melody giving thanks verse twenty one subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of christ then verse twenty two begins another subject and a peculiar application of this generic mutual submission he's now going to introduce three categories of specific submission wives to husbands chapter six in verse one children to parents verse five of chapter six servants to masters you see the structure it's as

53:21 - 54:06 Read in full sermon

The point: Be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you, especially concerning the assigned roles and functions of men and women.

Betty Elliott's challenge to Christian feminists to 'restructure and rewrite Ephesians chapter five according to your theology' (e.g., 'as Christ is subject unto the church so let the husbands be to their wives') is cited to expose the logical implications of their interpretive approach.

when i represent even error i am not bearing false witness this is done so much so that betty elliott at one of the conferences of the so called christian feminists said i'd like you to re re restructure and rewrite ephesians chapter five according to your theology as christ is subject unto the church so let the husbands be to their wives in everything they got upset with her then she said well if what you're saying is right then you ought to rewrite the passage you see it they take first timothy two well my time's gone and i said we're going to make conscience of it we'll have

55:36 - 56:20 Read in full sermon