Conduct of Women in the House of God

Introduction: Context and Review of Previous Studies

0:05 This sermon was preached on Sunday evening, April 12, 1981, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now we return this evening to 1 Timothy chapter 2, verses 8 through 15, this paragraph in which the Apostle Paul, by the guidance and inspiration of the Spirit, sets before us the relative roles and activities of men and women within the house of God. 1 Timothy chapter 2, beginning with verse 8.

0:46 I desire, therefore, that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing, in like manner that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with bounties of gold and silver, and with gold and silver, and with gold and silver, with decency and sobriety, or decency and propriety, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly raiment, but that which becometh women professing godliness through good works. Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection. But I permit not a woman to teach nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. For Adam... Adam was first formed, then Eve.

1:36 And Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being utterly beguiled hath fallen into transgression. But she shall be saved through her childbearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety. We come this evening to the fifth study in this series of expositions dealing with what...

2:03 I have already intimated are the relative roles of men and women in the house of God as set forth in this passage of the Word of God. Now, because there are some with us this evening who have not been present for the previous studies, let me attempt to capture in just a few minutes the heart of what we have considered in our previous studies. We establish that in approaching this passage, four lines of...

2:33 related biblical matters must be understood and constantly kept in mind if we are rightly to interpret this portion of the Word of God. First of all, we must ever keep before us, and we shall see why again tonight, the unique and perpetual authority of this entire letter. It is written according to verse 1 of chapter 1 by Paul, not as a blind prejudiced, half-converted Christian, still carrying with him the grave cloths of his early rabbinical teaching, but he writes as Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, according to the commandment of God, our Savior. And therefore, throbbing through all of these directives is the unique and perpetually binding authority of one who is an apostle of Jesus Christ. This is the unique and perpetually binding authority of one who is an apostle of Jesus Christ. This is the unique and perpetually binding authority of one who is an apostle of Jesus Christ.

3:31 And then secondly, we must keep in mind the general teaching of the Word of God with respect to male and female equality. They are equal in created dignity, equal in sharing the results of the fall, and equal in the privileges of redemption. Thirdly, we must never forget the pressing apostolic burden which directed Paul to write this parable, which directed Paul to write this parable, He is concerned, according to chapter 3 and verse 15, with the matter of the behavior of the people of God in the house of God. He is not giving an exhaustive treatment of the subject of roles, of male and female roles and functions throughout the length and breadth of all possible circumstances. He is talking about this subject as it relates to behavior in the house of God. And then fourthly, we must always keep in mind the immediate contextual concerns. He has dealt with the subject of prayer in verses 1 through 7.

4:46 Having done so, he focuses upon the function of the male members in verse 8 with regard to the duty of congregational prayer, I will that the men pray. And then he is to deal with the first, the further function of certain men who will bear the offices of elder and deacon in chapters 3 verses 1 through 13. And therefore, it is proper that he should expand on the subject of the responsibilities of women in the house of God since he has already connected the activity of men with the congregational prayer of verses 1 to 7 and will return to the subject of the peculiarity and the peculiar responsibility of certain men who will bear the offices of elder and deacon. Well, with those four great principles or broad concerns conditioning our handling of the paragraph, we then began to consider it as it stands before us in the scriptures. Verse 8 is the word of specific direction to men. And then beginning in verse 9, we have the specific words of direction to men.

6:01 To the women. And there are two very natural categories for those words of direction to the women. The first one concerns their appearance in the house of God. Verses 9 and 10.

6:14 That constituted our study three Lord's Days ago. And then verses 11 through 15, their conduct in the house of God. So you have these two broad areas of concern with regard to women. Their appearance in the house of God and then their conduct in the house of God.

The Positive Command: Women are to Learn in Quietness and All Subjection

6:38 Now tonight, we take up the subject of the conduct of women in the house of God. And in any translation which even faintly reflects the sense of the original, the conduct of women in the house of God is clearly and simply stated in verses 9, 10 through 12. I'm sorry, verses 11 and 12. Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection, but I permit not a woman to teach nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

7:23 Now these verses teach us very simply that the conduct of women in the house of God is to be understood in terms of this positive direction of verse 11. They are to learn. And in the negative direction of verse 12, they are not to teach nor are they to rule. So even the youngest child who can grasp just a part of the sermon should be able to go home tonight and remember the basic outline.

7:55 The passage tells us what they are to do, they are to learn, in the house of God what they are not to do, they are not to teach nor are they to rule in the house of God. So let's take up then the subject as it stands before us. And may I urge you please to resist the temptation to let your mind run off in a hundred directions of questions that may arise out of the passage. All we're attempting to do tonight basically is to come to grips with the language, the meaning of the words, the grammar of these very significant verses.

8:38 I will bring a few words of exhortation at the close. In subsequent studies we'll bring further amplification and qualification. But all we're attempting to do tonight is basically to understand the role of women in the house of God as clearly set before us in verses 11 and 12. 12 of 1 Timothy 2.

9:02 All right? Verse 11 then. A woman is to learn in the house of God. First of all, we have the duty stated and then secondly, the manner in which the duty is to be performed or fulfilled.

9:19 The duty stated is given to us in these simple words, let a woman learn. And the word to learn is the common verb which means to take the position of a learner. Most of us are familiar with Matthew 11, 29, that great gospel invitation in which the Lord Jesus says, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me.

9:56 There is an invitation of our Lord Jesus to needy sinners to come to Him in the posture not only of casting the burden and weight of their sin upon Him, but coming in the posture of willingness to sit at His feet and to learn of or from Him. Precisely the same word is used. We find it in Philippians 4 and verse 9. Paul says, The things you have, have learned of me.

10:32 In other words, those things you received when taking the posture of a student, of a disciple in my presence, he goes on to urge them to carry them out and the God of peace will be with them. Now, as we found in our text this morning in Philippians, so likewise in this text, the verb comes in the imperative. And that's why I said it is a verb. A duty which is stated.

11:03 Let a woman learn is an imperative. A woman must learn. What is the precise will and function of a woman in the house of God for he uses the singular here.

11:19 Her posture is to be that of a learner. Her posture is to be that of a constant learner. Her position and attitude is to be that of a pupil in the house of God and not an instructor in the house of God. So the duty is stated using no esoteric, no unusual linguistic structure.

11:50 The common verb for learning is used and it is stated in the imperative the woman's duty in the house of God is to take the position. But now the apostle says that there is a peculiar manner in which that duty is to be fulfilled. And there are two prepositional phrases. In fact, the verb is nestled between them.

12:15 If we were to give a very woodenly literal translation, it would be this. A woman in quietness let her learn in all subjection or submission. So the verb is sandwiched in between these two prepositional phrases which describe the manner in which the duty of her learning is to be fulfilled. And the first one is in quietness.

12:48 Now this word is not used too frequently in the New Testament, but it is used enough to feel something of its force and to savor something of its flavor. In the verbal form, It is found in Acts chapter 11, and here is a good example of its significance.

13:08 In Acts chapter 11, some of you will be familiar with the drift of thought.

13:16 Verse 1 says, The apostles and brethren that were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God. That is, Cornelius and his household have received the word. Well, the apostles and brethren in Judea, in the area where you had Jewish Christians, heard of this marvelous event. And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, saying, You went into men uncircumcised, and you ate with them.

13:47 So here is a spirit in which there is heated verbal exchange. They are contending with Peter, telling him he had no business going in with these uncircumcised. He had no business going in with these uncircumcised Gentiles and having this social fellowship with them. Now we read in verse 4, But Peter began and expounded the matter unto them.

14:08 And from verse 4 through verse 17, Peter is giving an account of what God did in bringing the Gentiles to faith. Now what happens when these contenders hear that? Verse 18 of Acts 11, And when they heard these things, they held their peace. They became quiet.

14:31 That's the word in its verbal form. We would say they shut up. They shut up. They stopped their contending.

14:39 They had no more barrage of words to lay upon Peter. They no more were attacking him verbally for what he did. They took the posture of quietness. And then they turned in praise to God and magnified the Lord.

14:56 for his mighty work of grace. Well, in its form as we find it here, it's the same word used in Acts chapter 22 and verse 2. And here again, it's a very helpful illustration of its meaning. At the end of Acts chapter 21,

15:19 there is great contention between Paul and a mob of people. We read in verse 40 of Acts 21, And when he had given him leave or permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spoke unto them in the Hebrew language, saying, Brethren and fathers, hear the defense which I now make to you. And when they heard that he spoke unto them in the Hebrew language, they were the more, and here's our word, they were the more quiet.

15:57 So here was a great silence, and when they heard him speak in Hebrew, the silence even became intensified. And that's our word in 1 Timothy chapter 2. The duty of a woman is to learn, to take the posture of a learner in the house of God, and she is to take that posture in quietness. That's the manner in which she is to assume it.

16:25 And this word in just a little different form is that word used in 1 Peter 3, 4. The adornment of a meek and of a quiet spirit, which in the sight of God are of great price. So you see it is the opposite of being forward, noisy, debating, and verbally aggressive. Furthermore, it is evident that the woman is not to take the lead in verbal instruction even with a meek spirit.

16:59 In the house of God, in the midst of the congregation of God where men and women are gathered, her duty is clearly stated. She is ever to be a learner. She is never to be an instructor. And she is to learn in quietness.

17:18 Now it's very difficult to teach in quietness. One of the unforgivable sins among the men at the academy is we forgive a lot of things, but I tell them if you don't speak with sufficient volume so as to be heard, that's an unforgivable sin.

17:36 You may stumble over your words, but at least have enough volume so people can hear the stumbling and the good stuff in between. Now you see it's utterly impossible, utterly impossible for a woman to fulfill her duty in the house of God and violate this principle. I'm sorry, it's utterly impossible for her to fulfill her duty without coming to grips with this little phrase in quietness she is to learn so that even in the learning process where there may be opportunity and may be situations where it is legitimate for her to speak, there is never to be a casting off of that spirit of quietness and of meekness. There is never to be the forward, noisy, debating and verbally aggressive attitude and disposition. And it could well be that in this passage the unqualified statement finds a parallel in sorry, finds a parallel in the unqualified statement of 1 Corinthians 14 as in all the churches let the women keep silence. But be that as it may, we're sticking with this passage, we see that the manner in which the duty is to be fulfilled is quietness,

19:01 but not only that, notice, in all submission. Now of all the words which raise opposition among those who have a controversy with God's goodness in assigning distinct roles to men and women and then defining what those roles are, this is the word that causes trouble. This is the word which in its verbal form has an unmistakable significance. It is the word used of our Lord Jesus in Luke's Gospel, chapter 2 and verse 51.

19:42 And he went down with them, that is with Mary and Joseph, and came to Nazareth and he was subject unto them. The verb hupotasso. He was subject, unto them. He took the place of submissiveness to Mary and to Joseph.

20:04 He ranged himself as a boy in submission to the fifth commandment who in honoring his father and mother would obey them insofar as their directives did not contradict the law and the word of God. It's the word in the verbal form in Luke's Gospel, chapter 10 and verse 17. Luke 10, 17. The seventy whom Jesus had commissioned returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name.

20:41 The demons range themselves beneath us in submission when we exercise the authority of your name. They obey us. They submit to us. They take this posture of subjection.

20:57 It's the word in Romans 8, 7. The carnal mind is not subject to the law of God. The disposition of the unregenerate man is one of non-subordination to the authority of God's law and to the God who has given that law. In its noun form, it's the word we read in Galatians 2 this morning.

21:22 Some of these Judaizers were pressuring Paul to have Titus to have Titus circumcised. If Titus is going to be a full-blown Christian, he must become a full-blown Jew. He must be circumcised and embrace all the Mosaic rituals. And Paul says when they put that kind of pressure upon us, what did we do?

21:45 Galatians 2, 5. To whom we gave place in the way of, here's our word, subjection. No, not for an hour. They were putting pressure upon us.

21:57 To direct our conduct, we did not give them subjection. We would not yield to that pressure. We stood against it. We defied it.

22:07 We resisted it. The meaning is clear. And I'll not weary you with any more passages except one more, 1 Timothy 3, 4, where it speaks of the man aspiring to the eldership. Notice how proximate is the context.

22:22 And the one who aspires to the eldership must be one that rules his own mind. Having his own house well, having his children in subjection, having his children ranged under him in a posture of obedience. So you see, the issue is clear. A woman is to learn in the house of God.

22:48 That is her duty. She is to learn in what manner? In quietness and in all submissiveness or subjection. That is, the spirit of submissiveness is to permeate her entire attitude to the God-ordained structure in the house of God.

23:14 You see, she is not simply to learn in quietness like the little Quaker child who, upon being reminded by his mother in the Quaker meeting that he should say sit and not stand in the pew said, Mother, me sitteth on the outside but me standeth on the inside.

23:39 And the little Quaker child was saying, I'm doing what you say but not with all submissiveness. If I could have my way, my feet would be where my heart is on top of the chair or the pew. Now one of our kids tried something like that. One of our youngsters here when the prohibitionist prohibition went out with the new house rules we couldn't stand in the chairs they wondered if they could kneel in the chairs or if there could be put something under their feet.

24:06 I remember them trying to keep the letter of the law or the spirit and break the letter. Well, like that little Quaker child who was acknowledging that something was going on externally but it hadn't touched the spirit. And as we saw this morning this is the area of God's great work in us. It's the work of the heart.

24:24 And the place and function and role of women in the house of God is clearly stated they are to learn in quietness and in all submission. Now, let's be honest. Aren't the words of the passage clear? Aren't they simple?

24:45 There's no complex grammar. Most of you first year Greek students who have your New Testaments there you can see this. You don't have any complicated structure. You don't have a situation where the great exegetes battle it out as to the precise significance of this phrase in relationship to this one and the weight we ought to give to the other.

25:06 No, no. The behavior of women in the house of God is abundantly clear according to this passage. A woman is to be a learner. That's her duty.

25:17 Here is the mandate of apostolic authority and she is to fulfill it in quietness and in all submission. Now, the reason will be given in verses 13 to 15. But it's not our concern to look at the reasons because Paul does not give the reasons the moment he enunciates the duty.

25:40 The duty is clear and the posture and disposition of every true disciple of Christ should be Lord. Though I don't have a clue as to why you require of it, why you require it, the fact that you require it of me is all I ask. Make your will clear and I'll follow whether or not I understand the reason or not. That's obedience for obedience sake.

26:05 That's true obedience.

The Negative Command: Women are Not to Teach or Rule

26:09 Now then, we move on to verse 12. And here we have the negative. And the negative is equally clear. But I permit not a woman to teach nor to have dominion over a man but to be in quietness.

26:27 Notice, first of all, the heading is a woman is not to teach nor to rule in the house of God. And we have three lines of thought to open up. The source of this prohibition, the source of it is to be found in the verb I permit not. Now the word permit means exactly in the Greek what it means in the English to give someone leave to do a certain thing.

26:56 In Matthew 8 and verse 21 we find this word used. Matthew 8 and verse 21. And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me, permit me, give me leave, give me permission to go and bury my father. That's the word.

27:18 It's the same word you kids use when in the middle of a class you don't particularly like what's going on and so you go to the teacher and say, Teacher, may I have permission to go to the boys' room or the girls' room? When you say to the teacher, may I have permission, what are you asking? Well, you're requesting that the person in authority will exercise that authority in approving a given course of action in which you dare not engage without their permission. Teacher, may I have permission to go get a drink of water?

27:52 Well, here we have the very clear source of this prohibition. I permit not. Well, who are you, Paul? Verse 1 of chapter 1.

28:03 I am. An apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God. And as an apostle in the uniqueness of my apostolic authority, I cannot, I will not, I shall not permit a woman to teach nor to have authority over the man. And as we shall see, God willing, next week, the reason he could not, he would not do so would mean that as an apostle of Christ Jesus, he would become contradicting the already existing revelation of the will of God in Holy Scripture.

28:41 A revelation rooted in the very categories of roles fixed by the Creator in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.

28:52 The apostle has no authority to cancel out what the Creator has established in creation. He says, I permit not. Why? Not because he's blinded by rabbinic prejudice.

29:05 Not because he was a male chauvinist pig going about under the guise of one who was concerned for the well-being of women and men and of the churches and of the glory of Christ. He could not, he would not permit because to do so would have been to violate the canons of authority and the roles established by the living God. So the source of this prohibition is apostolic authority. Apostolic authority exercised in enunciating the will and the word of God.

29:43 But now what's the substance of the prohibition? Well, look at it. A woman is not to teach in the house of God. A woman is not to rule in the house of God.

29:54 Notice the language. I permit not a woman to teach.

30:01 Plain enough? Clear enough? Teacher, may I have permission to go to the church? To go to the boys' room?

30:08 No. Plain enough? Simple enough? Sit in your seat till the end of the class?

30:14 Teacher, may I have permission to get a drink of water? No. Now you sit there and lick your lips and hope you'll make it to the end of the class. Plain enough?

30:26 I permit not a woman to teach. And you know what it means? Exactly what it says. A woman is not to teach.

30:33 Now notice, not anywhere, but in the house of God. This is pertaining to behavior in which a woman is not to teach. In which men are present, the men who are taking the lead in the prayers, the men out of whose rights certain ones will be recognized as elders and deacons to rule, to teach, to serve, who will secure the services of eminently godly women, the deacons will, in the administration of some of their tasks. Verse 11, this has to do with a woman's role and function in the house of God.

31:06 And it is very, very clear that the substance of the prohibition excludes any woman from a teaching function in the assembly of God's people. In what we would call the official gatherings of the people of God when the church as church is met under the lordship of Christ, any woman under any circumstances who takes to herself the role and the function of a teacher violates the law. It violates this prohibition of the word of God. I suffer not a woman to teach and the prohibition is extended now.

31:50 A woman is not to rule in the house of God. Look at the language. I permit not a woman to teach nor to have dominion over a man. Now this word dominion is found only here in the New Testament.

32:06 And so for those who have no heart, to take the overall teaching of the Bible, they've said, aha, now we can have a field day. You see, they can't take the word hupotasso and hupotage that we've looked at for submission and say submission doesn't mean submission. Some have tried, but it's pretty hard to when you've got biblical usage of the word that makes it evident. And so some have tried to trace back into antiquity and prove that this word had a usage in pagan literature which signified a woman who insinuated herself into a place of leadership by using her sexual powers.

32:46 So what Paul is saying is, I do not permit a woman to be a sort of spiritual seductress in the house of God. Well, isn't that an amazing revelation? As though Paul would need to say something special about something so obviously vile and wicked as that. Like saying I do not permit a Jezebel to have influence in the house of God.

33:08 Well, pray tell, whoever thought an apostle would. Answer the fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceits. And George Knight III has done great service to the church of Christ in demonstrating that that's a fanciful attempt to get around the obvious significance of the meaning of this word. It simply means to exercise authority over.

33:35 And so the second strand of prohibition says, I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over me, exercise authority over a man. Now, there is a problem. Is that an additional thought? Are we in two categories?

33:52 Is he prohibiting teaching and ruling as though they were two distinct categories? Or is he saying, I permit not a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over a man in that act of teaching? And here, the commentators do differ some, but the consensus of opinion based upon the structure of the language and also that final phrase is that Paul is not talking about a qualitatively different thing. For how do chosen men rule in the house of God?

34:30 Well, they rule by their teaching. They exercise God-given authority in the administration of the Word, of the living God. Even those elders who do not labor in the Word and in doctrine, having some aptitude to teach, they exercise their rule by speaking the Word of God, Hebrews 13 and verse 7. So I tend to think that the men who take the position that Paul is not introducing a radically new category of thought, but amplifying the former, are correct in their judgment.

35:05 So the substance of the prohibition is a woman, a woman is not to teach in the house of God, nor is she to rule in the house of God, implication being, if she were to be a recognized teacher, she would take the place not of a learner, but of a master in the assembly. For the person who teaches becomes the master to be heard and obeyed, not in the sense of a slave-master relationship, but in terms of the instructor and the pupil, whereas the person, who sits and learns, takes the position of quietness and submissiveness. And that seems to be conclusively pressed upon us by the concluding statement. We've looked at the source of the prohibition, apostolic authority, the substance of it. A woman is not to teach nor to rule. Now look at the concluding statement.

36:02 I permit not a woman to teach nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. So that he now says, using exactly the same word as we found up in verse 11, she is to learn in quietness. Now he says, taking the simple verb to be, she is to continually be in a state and condition marked by quietness. Now how in the world can you rule in dumb silence?

36:34 It's impossible. How can you teach in dumb silence? You cannot. And so by this concluding statement, he puts, this canopy over the prohibitions and says, if there is any misunderstanding of the prohibition, this should forever clarify it, the woman is to be.

36:54 She is continually to be found in the condition and state of quietness.

37:03 Now again, it seems to me, and I trust to everyone who is candidly considering the passage, that the words are clear, they are unambiguous, and, if we are determined to have our thinking regulated by the Bible, there should be very little confusion about the basic lines of biblical truth with regard to the relative roles of men and women in the church of Jesus Christ. We may have a thousand questions about a lot of little details in the outworking of the principles, but the evangelicals should be debating whether or not women should have the role of elders, whether or not women should be officials, teachers and preachers. There is only one way that could become an active issue of debate in so-called evangelical circles, and that is blatantly to ignore or refuse to heed the word of the living God.

Exhortation 1: Beware of So-Called Liberation from Scripture's Norms

38:01 Language is clear. Let a woman learn. I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quiet. Now then, having opened up the obvious meaning of the words, I trust simply and I hope clearly, let me draw out three lines of exhortation.

38:24 First of all, beware. Beware of all so-called liberation from the clear norms of Scripture. Beware of all so-called, I should say, attempts at liberation from the clear norms of Scripture. We live in the day in which the terms, sexual liberation, women's liberation, have become common verbal coinage.

38:57 Now, what is the so-called sexual liberation movement? Well, it's an effort to say that people who live by the norms of the Bible, who believe that virginity is a virtue until marriage, that it is not only the will of God, but in the best interest of a man or woman to keep, himself or herself pure until his or her wedding night, people are being told that's a terribly binding and restricting concept. We want to liberate you from the bondage of virginity this side of marriage.

39:38 It's a terrible thing to torture young people with such a notion. When their sexual passions are at their height and they're not yet married to say that they must contain themselves, why, what a terrible, wicked thing to do. We must liberate our generation from the bondage of any such notions. Furthermore, we must liberate people from the idea that once you've gone on your honeymoon and been joined to one person, that you should be true to that person as your exclusive sexual partner till death parts you.

40:12 They say that is the most ridiculous thing in all the world.

40:17 The only way you're going to find true fulfillment is to be more realistic. With the fact that you get tired and weary of the same sexual partner and you've got to have periods when variety becomes the spice of life and you'll come to a greater appreciation of your legitimate full-time sexual partner by a little part-time dalliance on the side.

40:44 And this is called liberation. You see, liberating people not only from the notion that virginity is an ideal to be pursued in our own lives, best interest as well as God's glory prior to marriage, but furthermore, we're told that to be true to one's sexual partner in marriage is also bondage. We need to be liberated. And furthermore, we're now being told that to think only in terms of relating as a man to women or women to men is terrible bondage.

41:16 Why, how constricting that is to think that all the variety of sexual activity has to be limited to a heavenly, heterosexual relationship. A man to a woman, a woman to a man. And we're being told we need to be liberated from that so that if men get urges for men as well as women, fulfill the urges.

41:38 Well, enough of that filthiness. It's almost the profaning of a Christian pulpit to articulate it, but I want you to know exactly what I'm talking about. Now, my exhortation is this. Beware of all so-called attempts to liberate you from the clear norms of Scripture.

41:56 What is it that men end up in when they follow the theology, the thinking of the so-called sexual liberation movement? The Bible says they end up in bondage. The wicked shall be held by the cords of his own iniquity.

42:17 Sexual dalliance becomes a form of self-destruction. There are burnt-out young people who've never walked down a marriage who are disillusioned with sex in its entirety. Because they were liberated from any notion of virginity.

42:38 They were brought into the most miserable self-destructive bondage imaginable. Well, now carry it over into this matter. There are amongst us those in the evangelical church saying we want to liberate our dear sisters from the position of bondage in which they have been kept for centuries. A bondage originally perpetrated by a woman.

43:01 By a half-converted Jew in terms of his thinking about women. Still having about him the grave clause of his rabbinic prejudice. This man Paul. And then all the preachers that have followed him that have said women should not hold office in the church.

43:18 Women should not teach and preach in the midst assembly. Women should not rule as elders. Oh, we want to liberate our dear sisters.

43:27 Listen to me, my dear sisters in Christ. Any person, male or female, who tries to liberate you from a biblical norm is not your friend.

43:39 He's coming to you as a Satan who tried to liberate Adam and Eve from God's norms in the Bible.

43:47 His message was a message of liberation from God's norms. Wasn't it? Oh, you mean to tell me, Eve, you really believe that God says it's in your best interest to leave that tree alone? Now, you don't really believe that, do you?

44:02 I'll let you in on a little secret. You know why God said that tree's a no-no? Because He knows in the day you eat it that you'll become like He is. You see, He's keeping you off in a corner to cramp your style.

44:17 He doesn't want you to come to full expression of your selfhood. You'll never really be yourself until you're like God, knowing good and evil in a way that you do not now. Eve, be the liberated woman.

44:35 Her liberation became abundant.

44:39 And dear women of Trinity Church, if I know anything, if I know anything of my own heart before God, I speak to you and I hope my personal relationships to you verify it. I don't believe there is anything of a wicked desire to demean womanhood, to put down the glorious and precious distinctiveness of femininity and all that surrounds it in the will and purpose of God. As one of your under-shepherds, I would protect, protect you from false liberators who in the language of Scripture promise liberty while they themselves are the bond-slaves of corruption, and they'd make you the bond-slaves of corruption as well. If God in His wisdom did not design a woman for the teaching, ruling office in the church, it is not in her best interest to come up with specious arguments to say that she ought to aspire to the teaching and ruling offices and functions within the church. It is a form of cruelty and it is out of genuine love to you precious women and to you dear teenage girls and to you young girls amongst us that I'm preaching this series to you and warning you, beware of all so-called attempts to liberate you

46:09 from the clear norms of Scripture. Your liberty is within the boundaries of the will of God. Anything outside of it is death and is bondage. Never forget it.

46:26 I have people look at me in amazement when I have opportunity to tell them that I've been married to one woman for 25 years this summer. And by the grace of God I've been true to that one woman. Been one woman in my eyes, in my heart and in my bed. And they look at me like I'm some kind of a weirdo when I tell them I'm glad of that.

46:48 I've not found it bondage. But I have found it blessed liberty. Now you beware of all so-called attempts to liberate you from the clear norms of Scripture. So when you open up your Bible and you say, well, it sure looks pretty plain to me.

47:07 It sure looks pretty plain to me. Let a woman learn, in silence, with all submissiveness. I permit not a woman to teach nor to exercise authority over a man. But to be a tax collector.

47:22 Be in silence. You say, that sure looks pretty plain to me of what my role may be in the house of God. So as I pray, and as I seek to know, Lord, how can I serve You? How can I honor You?

47:34 How can I make a positive contribution to the life and testimony and ministry of the church? One thing you never need to pray over, Lord, should I become an elder?

47:47 Lord, should I become an exhorter? Should I become a preacheress? That's one thing you never need to pray over. You just turn to 1 Timothy 2 and say, there's the will of God clearly.

47:57 Now, Lord, should I assume this role? Should I assume that responsibility, this function? There'll be many things you'll have to pray over, but that's one thing you never have to pray over. You mock God if you pray over that issue.

Exhortation 2: Beware of Clever Manipulation of Scripture

48:11 Now, there's a second warning I want to give you tonight based on the opening up of these words. It's this. Beware. Beware of all clever manipulation of Scripture which neutralizes these clear norms.

48:27 Beware of all... All clever manipulation of Scripture which neutralizes these clear norms.

48:35 Now, I will not weary you with some of the stuff I've read on this very passage. I'll just give you one example. You know I'm not just making something up. I'll hold it up in front of you.

48:46 Here's the so-called evangelical Christian feminist movement's publication. And of all the euphemisms, you know what they call themselves? It's not a euphemism. It's downright deception.

48:58 Daughters of Sarah. That's the title. It comes from 1 Peter where Peter says, Wives, be subject to your husbands. Reverence them that you may be like Sarah who called Abraham Lord.

49:10 They called themselves daughters of Sarah. And now this article is called Paul, our friend and champion.

49:19 Paul, our friend and champion. And you know what text this woman expounds? 1 Peter 2. Verse 11.

49:28 And you know what she says? This is what she says. Look at the text.

49:34 Let a woman... Let a woman learn.

49:36 She says, Aha, there it is. That's a radical feminist statement. I said, what? She said, yes.

49:43 That's a radical feminist statement. Why? She says, well, in Paul's day, women were regarded as being stupid. They couldn't learn.

49:53 And so Paul was starting the ball rolling in the direction of a full-blown feminism. See? So he took people where they were. And their attitude was, women are stupid.

50:04 Women can't learn. Well, you're never going to say, let the women teach and rule until they first become learners. And they become intelligent enough and well-instructed enough to teach and learn. So when Paul said, let a woman learn, he was, as it were, taking the little bit of the snowball at the top of the hill.

50:20 You know when you make a snowman, how you make your snowball at the top of the hill and you start it down the hill, kids? And then it gets bigger and bigger? Well, Paul was forming the snowball of total liberation in the church. And once he formed the snowball and nudged it, then succeeding, many generations were supposed to come along and push it down the hill until women being totally taught then can be totally liberated from non-teaching, non-ruling offices and can rule and teach in the church with men.

50:47 That's how she handled the passage. Isn't that a marvelous manipulation?

50:55 Now, I said, I'm not weary with the rest of the stuff. I think you'd get so mad you'd end up pulling the curtains down in this place.

51:03 But you beware. You beware of all clever manipulation of Scripture which neutralizes which neutralizes its clear and its obvious teaching. This is no new thing. The devil attempted it with our Lord himself when he was foiled in his first two attempts in the temptation.

51:22 How did he come to him the third time? He started spouting Scripture.

51:27 Took him up into a pinnacle of the temple and said, look, if you'll just cast yourself down, why, you have the promises of God to sustain you. And he quotes several verses from the Psalms.

51:42 And Jesus counted with Scripture saying, in essence, you've quoted Scripture in its literal, verbal structure, but you've missed the whole point of Scripture. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And 2 Peter 3.16 says, the ignorant and the unstable rest.

51:59 And that word rest means to put on a torture rack and to stretch it out of shape. That's the etymology of that word in the original. They put the Scriptures on a torture rack and stretch it out of shape. They take every one of these passages setting forth the relative roles of men and women and they put them on a torture rack and they stretch them until they're completely out of the shape in which God gave them to us.

52:24 They take Ephesians 5 and prove that there's no such thing as male headship in a marriage. They say, come off it, Pastor. I'm being truthful. You know what the key to Ephesians 5 is?

52:36 It is the word submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. That means wives submit to husbands, husbands submit to wives. So we rewrite the passage. As Christ is subject to the church, so let the husbands be to their wives in everything.

52:54 You want to rewrite the Bible that way? Well, you better if that's true. And yet intelligent people with earned doctorates will both preach that and sit there and say amen to it and even give it credibility by publishing it in Christian periodicals. Dear people of God, beware of all clever manipulation of the Bible.

Exhortation 3: Beware of Reservations of Obedience

53:15 It's Scripture which neutralizes its clear teaching. And then my third and final exhortation is beware. Beware of all reservations of obedience which refuses compliance with the clear norms until the obscure is clarified.

53:41 You know what I'm saying? Beware of all reservations of obedience which neutralizes which refuses compliance with the clear norms until the obscure is clarified. Now there are some obscure and difficult passages in this subject. I'm aware of them as well as you are.

54:05 What did Paul mean and what was he assuming when he said in 1 Corinthians 11 a woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonors her head? Well, I have probably more questions about that passage than you do. But at least one of them is where was she praying or prophesying when he says in 1 Corinthians 14 34 as in all the churches of the saints let the women keep silence. It is not permitted for them to speak but to be in subjection as saith also the law it is shameful for the women to speak in the church.

54:43 Is he contradicting himself? Some have no problem. They say yes, he was.

54:49 Others come up with come along and say well, he was the proud rabbinic half sanctified rabbi in 1 Corinthians 14 but he was really in the Holy Ghost in 1 Corinthians 11.

55:01 No, that's right. He's the rabbinic prejudiced rabbi in chapter 14 somewhere between 11 and 14 he lost it. He lost his grace. Lost his sanctification.

55:14 Came back under the bondage of his early training. Well, that's an obscure and difficult question. But my friend is this the problem? Obscure.

55:23 Let a woman learn in silence. Is that obscure? Ask you. Is that to teach?

55:36 Is that obscure? Is that to be in? Is that obscure?

55:45 Then my exhortation is beware of any reservations of whole-souled obedience holding back saying until God clears up all the obscure I will not render obedience to that which is clear. Listen. The only insurance I have that God will shed light upon the obscure is that I plant my feet firmly dead center in the path of what is clear. It is His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.

56:17 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them I will manifest myself to Him. In Thy light we shall see light and His light comes as we walk in the light as He is in the light and have fellowship one with another He with us we with Him and we with each other and it's in the context of obedience to that which is clear that God will give us further light on the obscure.

56:46 And there are some things obscure to me. Passages over which I've prayed and puzzled and passages which I've looked up in every commentary on my shelf in my library and I still don't understand the meaning of some of those passages but I still don't understand but I find this passage as clear as the noonday sun in the cloudless sky behavior in the house of God what is the great normal I will that the men pray in every place lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting women likewise I will that their outward demeanor bespeak the profession they have made and that their conduct reflect their hearty embrace of their God assigned role which is in their best interest but now someone says Pastor Martin I thought you had a little grace and maybe a little less but some sense and now to think that you would dare make such bold assertions about these matters while the world is going to hell to be squabbling over whether or not women become elders and teachers and all the rest isn't that ridiculous? if they're teaching the word of God isn't that all that matters? and I answer no that isn't all that matters

The Church as Pillar of Truth and Confronting Rebellion

58:14 the church according to chapter 3 and verse 15 in this epistle is the pillar and the ground of the truth the church exists to be the display case as well as the sounding board of the truth of the whole Bible and what truth is more foundational than Genesis chapters 1, 2 and 3 and as we shall see in handling the subsequent verses Paul roots the reasons for these assigned roles in the truths revealed in Genesis 1, 2 and 3 and if the church is not bearing clear witness to the most foundational truths of the opening chapters of the Bible all of her witness to any subsequent revelation is neutralized in great measure the whole structure of life before the fall after the fall and in redemption is the structure established in creation if we refuse to come to grips with the God of creation our witness to the God of redemption in great measure will be an empty and a hollow witness now I would be greatly surprised if there were not someone sitting here tonight some males

59:43 perhaps some females who say if that's what I have to believe to come to this place is the last time I'll ever show my face within these walls my friend may I speak to you gently what are you going to accomplish by running away from the truth God isn't going to come down from heaven and scrub those words out of my Bible or your Bible and every time you open the first Timothy 2 it's going to say the same thing you will find yourself a little island out in the middle of the Pacific nothing but you and a palm tree and a couple of armadillos and if you happen to slip your Bible out of your pocketbook or out of your back pocket it's going to say the same thing it's not going to change so don't be angry don't go away foot stomping mad ask yourself why are you angry did I manipulate the verses did I twist the word of God did I make the words let a woman learn say something other than what they obviously say when I thought to tell you what the words quietness and submission meant and compared scripture with scripture did I twist did I put on a torture rack or was that an honest and fair treatment of the language of the Bible if it was my friend

61:11 your controversy is not with this preacher not with this church it's with God and if you've got a controversy so fundamental with God it's probably because your basic controversy with God has never been resolved and that's the controversy of an impenitent sinner who refuses to bow to the authority of the God who made it the carnal mind is enmity against God it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can it be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God and if that's your case my friend you know what you need you desperately need a new heart a heart that loves God's laws that loves God's ways that embraces God's right to tell me as a man what my role is and functions are his right to tell me as a woman what my distinctive roles and functions are and then wonder of wonders who gives me not only a heart to love what he says my role is but the power to fulfill it to his glory and to my own enrichment and joy that's Christianity that's Bible Christianity and that's what the Lord Jesus came all the way from heaven to give to sinners who come in the name of God the nakedness and the undone-ness of their rebellion and guilt and throw themselves upon his mercy and I speak especially in closing to you young people you children you girls and boys

A Plea to Young People: Embrace God's Design for Happiness

62:39 as someone who is older than I said last night when we were reflecting upon the many births the many little ones God has given us in our congregation our hearts greatly rejoice but in a sense they tremble as we see the drift of our society as we see the breaking loose from all of the moorings that once were firmly planted by the principles of the word of God I feel for you precious young people you dear children you won't be told this in your schools your public school systems and many Christian schools are shot through with a humanistic man-centered approach to life and to what it means to be a man and a woman how the church should be run who should have the lead and who should follow and who should take what roles in the home and in society and from every direction you're bombarded with these tremendous pressures to feel you're some kind of a nut if you believe what this book says oh may God help you to be that person described in Psalm 1 blessed the word blessed means perfectly happy you kids want to be happy don't you I've never met a one of you come up to me and say you know Pastor Martin

64:07 you know my goal in life is what's that I want to be the most miserblest boy that ever lived I want to be the most miserblest girl that ever lived why that's not what you say if I ask you tonight what do you want to be in life whatever else you want to be you say I want to be happy well God tells you the way of happiness Psalm 1 blessed perfectly happy is the man the woman who does not walk in the way of the ungodly does not stand in the way of sinners does not sit with scoffers who mock at these things but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law does he meditate day and night oh dear children dear young people I plead with you ask God to write upon your heart what this book says about who you are haven't you sung many times holy bible book divine precious treasure thou art mine mine to tell me whence I came mine to teach me what or who I am that's what this book is for not only to tell you where you came from but who you are it's the book to tell you what God would have you to be as a boy as a girl as a man as a woman and then as God is pleased to give you a place in his church I do I trust when some of us if the Lord tarries are in our graves there will be an ongoing witness

Closing Prayer

65:36 to the fact that you did not let this generation rob you of true blessedness oh that God will perpetuate a witness from this very organic this very living assembly of his people from you young people we're in the midst of what will probably be an increasing increasingly aggressive feminism both without and within the church there will be women who shine with the beauty of embracing their God given place oh may God make it true for his glory and for our good let us pray oh our Father we thank you for your holy word and we pray that the Holy Spirit will take the things of Christ and indelibly write them upon all of our hearts we do pray for the children and young people amongst us some of us can think in our youth of actually sitting in churches where women preached and exhorted no one ever directed us to passages such as these Lord help these precious young people

67:02 to feel something of the responsibility that is theirs for to whom much is given of him shall not be much be required we pray for any who sit amongst us in whom there is even at this moment a seething spirit of rebellion against what they have heard tonight Lord have gracious dealings with them don't let them destroy themselves in their rebellion but powerfully and graciously draw them to the feet of your Son hasten the day when all of this nonsense that is being propagated in the church is purged away when truth will take the field when people will see nonsense for what it is and perversion and twisting of the scriptures for what they are oh God give courage to your servants to stand in an ungodly age and proclaim the unchanging norms of the word of God hear our prayer and be with us as we part from this place help us in our witness throughout the week may we so live before an unlooking world as to make it evident that we have been with Jesus this day receive our thanks for your presence and hear us in these our prayers as we draw near in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen