Name, Number and Gender

Introduction: The Call to Pass on God's Legacy

0:05 This sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, September 8, 1991, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now let us again seek the face of God in prayer for his blessing upon the ministry of his own word.

0:29 Surely, our Father, there is little else we could ask of you than that which we have already asked in the singing of this hymn, but we would consciously and deliberately affirm again that we desire to be taught of you. We desire to know the Spirit's ministry, attending the reading, the exposition, and the application of the Scriptures. And we desire, O Lord Jesus, that you will stand among us by your Spirit in power, ministering as our great and exalted prophet, whose word to the church is final and authoritative.

1:14 Bring every thought captive to your obedience in this hour, we pray. Amen. Now, as we did last Lord's Day morning, let us turn to the book of Deuteronomy to read a brief portion that will form the framework of our study in the word of God this morning.

1:46 Deuteronomy chapter 6. And I shall read verses 20 through 25. Deuteronomy chapter 6. When thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances which Jehovah our God commanded you?

2:18 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt, and Jehovah, brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And Jehovah showed signs and wonders great and sore upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house before our eyes. And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers. And Jehovah commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear Jehovah our God, and to fear Jehovah our God.

2:57 For our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as at this day. And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before Jehovah our God, as he hath commanded us.

3:17 As the children of Israel are about to enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua, Moses, the man of God, gathers the people of God, together, and as Jehovah's prophet, he rehearses the history of the nation, he re-emphasizes some of her most solemn and important laws, and he issues admonitions and exhortations and solemn warnings about the dangers they will face in this next epoch of their national history.

3:57 And in the passage read in your hearing, Moses articulates a very vital principle. And the principle is this. The generation which had witnessed the initial mighty acts of God, and had received the word of God as a divine deposit, should make conscience of passing on the legacy of God's works, and wills. And in the passage read in your hearing, Moses articulates a very vital principle, to the succeeding generations, to the end that those generations, knowing the works and word of God,

Trinity Baptist Church's Manifesto: Affirmation Six

4:40 might walk before God and enjoy the blessing of God. Now it is just this principle embedded in the passage read in your hearing, which has launched us into this present series of sermons entitled, A Manifestation. A Manifesto of Trinity Baptist Church. As we approach our 25th anniversary as a congregation, it is crucial for us who have been a part of this first generation of seeing God's works in the formation of this assembly,

5:19 and in giving to us His word, not by direct revelation as He did to Moses and the children of Israel, but in the departing, by the composite of this blessed book, and by His Spirit's guidance and providence, causing us to come to grips with various aspects of that inscripturated word. I say it is this generation, having seen His works and received His word, that has a responsibility to articulate to the succeeding generation something of those, those mighty works of God,

6:01 and those precepts and principles which, if believed and obeyed in days to come, will indeed find this congregation in the way of divine blessing. Thus far we've made five affirmations in this manifesto. We are determined that Jesus Christ shall have His rightful place in the life, and ministry of this assembly. We are determined that all of our doctrine and practice shall be molded by the word of God.

6:39 The third affirmation, we are determined to maintain a God-centered perspective in the totality of our life and ministry. Fourth, we are determined that all of our life and ministry will validate without question the unique place of the church in the saving purposes of God. Fifth, we are determined to strive for a truly regenerate and genuinely converted church membership. Now today we take up the sixth assertion of our manifesto, and we will be studying it, I judge, for probably three Lord's Days.

7:18 Here is the sixth tenet in the manifesto. We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard, We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard, for church offices. We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard, We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard, for church offices. Now that seems like a relatively simple statement, a relatively brief assertion, but I assure you, it was not easy in coming.

Explanation of Key Terms: 'Church Officers' and 'Biblically Established Standard'

7:50 It's been whittled down from something much larger, and I believe it is accurate, I believe it does embody what has been, one of the most crucial elements of our life together, and is a crucial element in the life of any church that would know the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ upon it. Now my approach will be the same as with the previous affirmations. I will begin Roman numeral one, for those of you who take notes, by giving an explanation of the key words in this affirmation. An explanation of the key words in this affirmation.

8:29 Everything in this affirmation leads to the words, church officers. We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard, for church officers. Everything has to do with that which comes at the end of the sentence, church officers. Now what do I mean by those words?

8:55 Well an officer is one who holds an office, or a position of office, of authority and of trust. Now officers are other things in other relationships. In the military they are something, in the law enforcement establishment they are something, but in the sense in which I am using it this morning, which is one of its legitimate usages, an officer is one who holds an office, or position of authority and trust. We speak of the office of the President of the United States.

9:28 That is the person who holds the trust of that particular position defined and described in its essence, functions and limitations in our Constitution. Now the word office can also refer to the place where he does much of his work. We speak of the oval office. That's a place.

9:49 But when we say the office of the President, we are referring to that position of authority and trust. So by the term church officers, I am referring to those who within the local assembly of God's people have been duly recognized and officially acknowledged as the leaders of God's people. So by church officers, I am referring to those within the church, properly recognized by the church, to hold positions of authority and trust within that assembly. Now when I say we are determined to pursue

10:33 a biblically established standard for church officers, what do I mean by the words biblically established standard? Well, I mean nothing more or nothing less than that in everything pertaining to the identity, the names, the qualifications and functions of these officially recognized leaders. God's own word will really set the standard, will really regulate both the thinking and the actions of the congregation as they recognize these officers,

11:16 will really regulate the thinking and the actions of those officers in their office or position of trust, that the scriptures will really regulate the nature of the relationship of those being led to their leaders and the relationship of the leaders to those who are being led. And that scripture will really regulate in all of that. By using the terminology, we are determined to pursue a biblically established standard. That is what I mean.

11:56 And that is in direct contrast to a standard of traditionalism. Traditionalism which says what has been will be, regardless of where it came from. That was the problem in Matthew 15. They had a religious tradition passed down by their...

12:22 And they were not concerned with going directly to the one absolute source of authority in such matters, the word of God. But they were traditionalists. And they were ready to challenge Jesus' activities because he cut across their traditions, though it didn't bother their consciences one whit that they were violating the word of God. So traditionalism is not the standard, nor pragmatism.

12:52 Pragmatism is the approach that says what seems to work will prevail. We'll experiment. And what works, we will use and adopt. No.

13:03 I say in this affirmation we are determined to pursue a biblically established standard. Not a traditionally established standard. Not a pragmatically established standard. And thirdly, not a sentimentally established standard.

13:20 Sentimentalism says what we feel comfortable with is what will be. No. It is not human sentiment that must govern in Christ's house. But Christ himself.

13:34 And therefore, when I use the terminology, we're determined to pursue a biblically established standard. I'm talking of a radical biblicism which dares to say regarding all things pertaining to church officers what the scriptures or in the language of Isaiah 820 to the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to them, not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. A radical biblicism that says when we read in 2 Timothy 3.17

14:13 that God breathes scripture is able to make the man of God thoroughly furnished unto every good work than the good work of identifying, recognizing, submitting to and following the direction of divinely appointed church officers, surely scripture ought to be adequate for so crucial an aspect of the life of the church. And therefore, we are taking this approach and have through the years as part of the very heart of our life together, we are determined to pursue

14:56 a biblically established standard for church offices, a biblical radicalism that says what offices ought there to be, what functions ought they to have, what is required of them in character, gift and desire, what is required for them to be formally recognized, what is required of those who submit to their leadership. In all of those things, I say we are determined to pursue a biblically established standard and by those words, we are determined to pursue, I am simply underscoring again

15:40 that this has been and is and I pray by the grace of God ever will be a matter of settled, negotiable commitment. As what Luther had when he stood before the Diet of Worms and they piled up his books and his pamphlets, they wanted to know whether he were the author of them and affirming that he was, do you now recant what they contain? Luther answered in paraphrased English

16:23 translated from the German, yes, those are my works, but in nothing that I have written have I written contrary to my understanding of what is taught in the scriptures and since my conscience is held captive by the word of God, here I say, I can do no other, so help me God. End of discussion. Was he claiming that the pile of books and pamphlets were infallible? No.

17:07 Luther made no such claim. But what he was saying is that there as a, they were an accurate representation of the heart of biblical teaching. Sure, there was a bit of chaff here and there of short-sightedness and and blurred vision on this issue or that issue, but when they were saying, will you recant? What they were saying is, will you give up the Bible as you understand the Bible's teaching and have expressed it in your works?

17:44 And Luther said, no, I am determined, resolute, non-negotiable, settled determination. And so that's what I mean by the words of this sixth tenet in our manifesto. We are determined to pursue a biblically established standard for church officers. Now, having given an explanation of the key words, Roman numeral two for our note takers, we're going to begin this morning to consider the most crucial aspects of a biblically established standard for church officers.

Crucial Aspects of a Biblically Established Standard for Church Officers

18:26 The most crucial aspects of a biblically established standard for church officers. And as of my preparation for today, I had six such crucial aspects. I plan to cover two of them this morning. And God willing, the other four next week.

18:50 It may be that with the counsel of my brethren and my own ongoing study that that number will grow or the division will change, but that's my purpose. Crucial aspects of a biblically established standard for church officers. Well, the first is this. The biblical standard for the name and number of the standing offices in the church.

The Biblical Standard for the Name and Number of Standing Offices

19:16 That's the first most crucial aspect of a biblically established standard for church officers. You've got to establish what do the scriptures say with regard to the name and number of the standing offices in the church. And we unashamedly confess that while there are manifold gifts and various positions of responsibility and trust in any healthy church, not connected with official office bearing capacity, that the scripture designates as the only perpetual offices in the church of Christ those of elder and deacon.

20:00 And that's it. The words bishop in the sense that it has come to be used in ecclesiastical circles as an officer who stands over other pastors or other presbyters, the word of God knows nothing. Of archbishop, of cardinal, and of pope, it knows nothing. And of priest, it knows even less, except Christ, our priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and all the people of God as a kingdom of priests.

20:34 But as a standing office in the church, it knows nothing. Only two, elder and deacon. Now for some of you who are new to the Christian faith, for some of you that are old-timers, you could teach this part, but I'm not embarrassed to go over this ground. It must be gone over for each succeeding generation so that it becomes their own intelligent as well as visceral conviction for which they can give an able defense when called upon.

21:04 Lest you be confused, you must understand that the words elder, presbyteros, and bishop, episkopos, and the word for pastor, poimen, that these are all used interchangeably along with one or two other words referring to one and the same office. Now to show that elder and bishop, presbyteros, and episkopos, are used interchangeably, there are two classic passages that make this abundantly clear and you ought to be able to turn to those passages as easily as you turn to John 3.16. The first is in Acts chapter 20.

21:45 Acts chapter 20. When we say we are determined to pursue a biblically established order of church officers and that the first concern is the biblical standard for the name and number, we say that we believe that the name of one office is that of elder or bishop or pastor or those over you in the Lord. And here is the reason for our conviction that the term elder and bishop is used interchangeably. Acts chapter 20.

22:25 We read in verse 17, And from Miletus he Paul sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders, the presbyters of the church. Now the distinct group of people that Paul called to him were the presbyters. They were the elders, a word which in and of itself simply means older men, but came to be the technical term for the office that we are dealing with. Now, having called the presbyters, the elders, to himself from one place, that is, Ephesus.

23:04 Wherever these men came from, they came from Ephesus, not all over that area of Asia Minor, but from Ephesus only. Now, when he is speaking to these elders, verse 18, and when they were come to him, he said to them, so he is talking to them and none others, in Acts 20 and verse 28, he says, Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you bishops, or episcopoi, episcopoi. You see, the elders are called here those whom the Holy Spirit has made the bishops of the flock. Now, he wasn't talking to people who had been called in from other areas

23:48 and one or two among them stood as pastors over a group of pastors, that is, the concept of an ecclesiastical bishop. That is as foreign to point as calling these elders popes, for which there is no warrant in the word of God. In the word of God. And names carry with it an awful lot of theology.

24:16 And bad names and titles carry with them bad baggage of bad theology. He's speaking to the presbyters and he says the Holy Ghost has made you bishops. Why? Because elder and bishop are interchangeable terms.

24:32 All right? We see it in this passage. We see it with equal clarity with fewer verses in between in Titus chapter 1. When you are questioned, why does your church have no office beyond that of elder or pastor?

24:46 Why don't you believe in having Baptist bishops? Well, you say we do. But no bishops beyond the local assembly. In Titus chapter 1, Paul is concerned for the church in the Isle of Crete.

25:03 And he leaves Titus there that he might be his representative to carry on the work of ongoing maturation in the life and structure and organization of the churches. For this cause I left you in Crete, verse 5 of Titus 1, that you should set in order the things that are wanting, now notice, and appoint elders in every city as I gave thee charge. If any man's blameless, husband of one wife, having children that are trustworthy, not accused of riot or unruly, for thee must be blameless. So wait a minute, Paul.

25:41 You told me to appoint elders, now you're giving me standards for bishops. Do you want me to appoint elders or bishops? He said, I want you to do both. Because doing both, you're doing one and the same thing.

25:53 You see, the terms are used interchangeably. You say, Pastor Martin, that's so plain. Why are you making such a big deal over it? My friend, there are people who have written books like this to try to defend the position that there actually is a divinely ordained office beyond that of presbytery, of presbyter, or of episkopos.

26:14 That's why I'm doing it. I want you immunized from such nonsense. Presbyters, bishops, interchangeably. And then there is a second office that is a standing office in the church, and that is the office of a deacon.

The Danger of Ignoring Biblical Standards for Offices

26:37 From the common word servant, there emerges an office as the church develops under apostolic guidance in which men have an official office, a position of trust and responsibility different from, but functioning in cooperation with and submission to the overseers of the church, and that is the office of a deacon. And how do we know that there is a distinct office of deacon? Well, if you turn to 1st John, 1st Timothy chapter 3, Paul, with a similar burden

27:21 for the church at Ephesus as he had for the church or churches in the Isle of Crete, says that he hopes to come and join Timothy at Ephesus, but he's not sure if he'll be detained, and he's concerned that men's behavior in the house of God be according to the mind and will of God. 1st Timothy 3.15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God. This is not ecclesiastical counsel, it is ecclesiastical law issued by an apostle, indicating that certain behavior

28:03 is mandated by the will of God, articulated through the special messengers of God called apostles. And in this very chapter, he has given the divine standard of qualifications for the two standing permanent offices in the church. What are they? Chapter 3, verse 1.

28:24 Faithful is the saying, if a man seeks the office of a bishop, an overseer, an elder, terms used interchangeably, he desires a good work, the overseer therefore must be and then he gives the non-negotiable standard of Christian character, of Christian testimony, of gifts and general provenness essential for anyone to be considered for this office. Then he says in verse 8, Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, etc.

29:09 And down through verse 13, he gives a similar statement of the standard essential for those who would be officially recognized for the office of a deacon. So in this epistle in which Paul's great burden was church order including church government, we are given two sets of standard for the two standing offices within the church which are elder or bishop and deacon. And our own confession of faith states this so beautifully and succinctly in chapter 26 and paragraph 8.

29:54 I read, a particular church gathered and completely organized according to the mind of Christ consists of officers and members and the officers appointed by Christ to be chosen and set apart by the church so called and gathered for the peculiar administration of ordinances and execution of power or duty which he entrusts them with or calls them to to be continued to the end world are bishops or elders and deacons. End of paragraph. And so our confession has beautifully captured

30:37 what our present understanding of the word of God has led us to believe is the truth that with respect to a church with a biblical standard for the name and number of the standing offices in the church the word of God is clear the name deacon, elder, bishop the number only two standing offices. And let me say by way of brief application I've already alluded to this but I want to state it explicitly. When biblical standards in this area are ignored, defied, or regarded as incomplete

31:19 what havoc has been wreaked in the church. It was not long into post-apostolic church history when people began to see that certain men had a sphere of influence in terms of preaching gifts and administrative influence and certain churches were becoming more prominent and a whole system of diocese in which areas were broken up and in that realm the presbyters, the elders, the bishops, the pastors elected one to preside over them and he began to be called the bishop of that whole area.

32:01 You had the seeds of that horrible system that now enslaves its millions with its seat at Rome with its whole system of local priests and then its area-wide bishops and then its archbishops and its cardinals and ultimately its pope. You never would have had a pope if you didn't start with a bishop. And you never would have had a bishop unless you gave up the simple teaching of the word of God. Dear people, cling to these things as for your life.

32:36 To be indifferent to them is to set ourselves loose on a sea of subjectivism pragmatism and human intrusion into the mind of Christ for the moment you create an office not envisioned in the word there is no biblical standard for those who enter the office. And then men will set the standard and men will set the job description and that will bring as it often has done horrible tyranny upon God's people. If we are determined that we shall have under the blessing of God elders or bishops we have a Bible what an elder must be

33:21 and what he must possess in terms of gifts and graces and provenness. If we want a bishop we can write our own job description. A bishop in the ecclesiastical sense. If we want an archbishop write our own standards.

33:37 If we want deacons we have a Bible that says deacons must be. We have a Bible that gives us at least in principle enough data to see how deacons functioned and what the general spirit of their responsibility are. But if we start speaking of priests and of archdeacons and all these other names and titles and offices not recognized in the word of God then no longer does the word of God regulate the leadership of the church. And if it doesn't regulate the leaders how is it going to regulate the followers?

34:12 If the leaders cannot stand in their deepest recesses of heart that they stand under the authority of Christ in their office how can they call others to stand under that authority? It's a beautiful thing when churches are ordered by the word of God. Paul speaks of that in Colossians chapter 2 and verse 5 and I just quote this verse before we leave this matter. Colossians 2 and verse 5 Paul could write to this church and say though I'm absent in the flesh yet I'm with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order

34:56 and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. And that word for order means that each of you is in his proper place like a well disciplined army. When each man knows his place in his marching group and each sergeant and each captain and each general and major knows his rightful place Paul says I'm with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order notice and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. There is no contradiction between a meticulous concern for church order and the deepest devotion to the person of Jesus Christ.

35:39 And don't ever set at odds what God has joined together. Some would say well if you're all persnickety our English friends say pernickety but if you're persnickety about these details and all the rest why that's a legalistic spirit that can't exist with warm devotional passion to Christ not in Paul's mind he joins them joying and beholding your order and the steadfastness of your attachment to Jesus Christ in faith. So when I say as the sixth tenet in our manifesto we are determined

The Biblical Standard for the Gender of Offices in the Church

36:20 to pursue a biblically established standard for church officers the most crucial aspects of a biblically established standard are number one the biblical standard for the name and number of the standing offices in the church and they are two elder or bishop and deacon. Now secondly and this is as far as we'll go this morning there is a second crucial aspect of a biblically established standard for church officers and it's this the biblical standard for the gender of the offices in the church the biblical standard

37:04 for the gender of the offices in the church gender is a word which points to the fact that we are all here this morning male or female in our essential identity as human beings there's no such thing as an innocuous personhood I have either male personhood or female personhood there is no androgynous creature here this morning a person who has neither identity as male nor female no such creature exists except in the longings and the dreams of perverse feminists and emotionally and mentally

37:47 and spiritually castrated men who have joined their movement androgyny in which nor femaleness was never conceived of in God's creation from the lowest beast to his highest creature male and female made he then let us make man in our image in the image of God made he him male and female created he them so when I state that we are determined to pursue a biblical standard for church offices with respect to gender I'm addressing the issue

38:32 of whether or not the offices of elder dash bishop andee are to be filled by males only by males and females or by females only I don't know of any other combination as I worked on the math of it it seemed to me that's about the only combinations you can get and don't need to have a computer brain to figure that out either the offices are open to males only males and females or females only now what is the biblical standard for the gender of the sacred women of the sacred offices well if you're not aware of it take my word for it that if you were in touch with what is going on

39:16 in what we call Christendom that is every wing of that which claims to be part of the Christian faith I would put Roman Catholicism in Christendom liberalism in Christendom I'm not calling it the Christian church I'm using the word Christendom as it is properly used everything that claims some allegiance to Christianity there is within Christendom a very violent intense widespread agitation to bring into Christendom all of the pronouncements of current feminism and a tremendous agitation including within the Roman Catholic Church to open up

Equality in Dignity, Depravity, and Redemption, but Functional Distinction

40:00 every office and every function to females as well as to males now since we're one of the qualifications of an elder according to Titus 1 9 is that he be able to refute or convict gainsayers that is those who speak against the truth I must at least briefly address this issue now listen to me very carefully the heart of this issue when we're considering the biblical standard for the gender of the offices in the church here is the heart of the issue as the Bible teaches that by divine design males and females are made in the image of God by divine

40:45 decree all males and females were represented equally in Adam fell into equal condemnation and become equally depraved and as surely as the Bible teaches that by the intervention of sovereign grace some men and women are chosen purchased effectually called united to Christ given equal redemptive and privilege now do you see where I'm stating very carefully the areas in which men and women stand on level ground in their created dignity

41:30 as image bearers of God in their native guilt and depravity as sinners in Adam in their redemptive status and privilege in Christ there is absolute equality now does this same Bible teach with equal clarity that males and females who are absolutely equal in created dignity incurred guilt and depravity and gracious redemptive privilege and standing are yet to be functionally different by divine design and does this

42:14 have gender restrictions to the office of elder and deacon now that is the heart of the issue the heart of the issue is that against the backdrop of that equality which I have articulated and underscored and stated and could support with text after text absolutely equal in created dignity the same Bible that teaches those truths teach that the same God who made the male and female with equal created dignity

Reasons for Male-Only Offices: Apostolic Guidance and Requirements

42:58 has made them with distinction diversity which in any way influences the question of should these sacred offices be open to males now our answer to this question is settled and clear and it is this the standing offices of elder and deacon are to be filled by biblically qualified males only very simple the standing offices of elder and deacon are to be

43:43 filled by biblically qualified males only and what are the main reasons for this and I have tried to pare it down to its simplicity I am trying to arm every one of you with a layman's polemic for the teaching of the word of God because sooner or later not only will you be approached by someone on the outside but mark whether or not women should be recognized as pastors and deacons it will come

44:27 and you better be able to know the word of God and be ready to spill blood for it what are the three reasons simply these number one only males were given these offices under apostolic guidance for example in Acts chapter six where we have at least the incipient development of the diaconal office you remember the apostles were distressed

45:12 that some of the widows were being neglected in receiving their due benevolence and the service and care for physical needs in the Jerusalem church they did not feel it right that they should forsake their distinctive ministry of prayer and the proclamation of the word verse two it's not fit that we should forsake the word of God and serve tables so the apostles were

45:57 not able to utter no so if the apostles were disin달�ated in their ministry they were not able to forsake their church in that place where they aren't they more likely to get alone with give less impression of could have reasoned a lot of ways but how did the holy ghost guide the apostles look at verse 3 look ye out therefore brethren

46:42 from among yourselves and it doesn't say seven persons nor does it simply use the word anthropos which can mean those of the male species or just a human being but they use the word that always and only means adult people of the male species look ye out among you brethren seven men in fact the word men is forward in the structure in the greek men males you are to look out among you

47:23 and they do that and they present them and they lay their hands upon them and they carry on that ministry and it says verse 7 the word of god increased so in a situation where a lot of women were in the church there was a particularly woman's problem precipitating this holy expedient which under god's blessing became the seedbed out of which the full-blown office of the diaconate is formed the holy ghost guided these apostles to say seven men and likewise in chapter 14 of the book of acts and verse 23 when we read

48:04 of the practice of the apostles in establishing the new churches when they had appointed for them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting they commended them to the lord on whom they had believed now there is a word that means an older woman it's used in titus it has the same beginning as presbyteros and the holy ghost has often coined words that show up in the new testament into our knowledge show up nowhere else occasionally some old manuscripts dug out in a word that we thought was distinct to the new testament is found to have been used

48:47 in common currency but the holy ghost could have coined a word that they appointed for them elders that is male elders and female no but it says that they appointed elders and the very word points to the fact that these were men that were placed into that church that is what a woman is called and so philip says it is as you can see in the text in chapter office when you say pastor martin why make so much of apostolic guidance and practice well for this very reason the apostles were the divinely appointed architects of the church and their work was to be regarded as christ's will in the churches where do you find that stated

49:30 first corinthians 7 and verse 17 they were conscious of this first corinthians 7 and verse 17 only as the lord hath distributed to each man as god hath called him so let him walk and so ordain i in all the churches what i'm telling you corinthians is the universal practice among the churches in which i move and minister as an apostolic Also, chapter 11 and verse 16, he makes a similar statement.

50:07 Chapter 11 and verse 16, if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. Why should they be concerned with the custom or practice in the other churches? Because it was under the direct superintendence of apostles who were the uniquely appointed heads over the churches to shape and form its life.

50:33 And then if those passages do not persuade you, chapter 14 surely should. For here Paul says in verse 33, be as in all the churches of the saints. Then he gives a specific direction relative to the women. Let the women keep silence in the churches.

50:52 And then when he's done giving these directives, including gender directives, he says in verse 37, if any man thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him take knowledge of the things which I write unto you, that they are the commandment of the Lord. They are the very commandment of the Lord. To treat these directives with indifference is to defy Christ and His Lordship over the churches. Therefore, apostolic practice, when made universal in the churches, is the divine law.

51:34 So in seeking to have a biblical standard for the standing offices of the church, I say a crucial area of concern is the biblical standard for the gender of the offices and the answer of Scripture with respect to what gender should occupy those offices. Males only. Reason number one, only males were given these offices under apostolic guidance. Reason number two, only males are considered.

52:06 Eligible in the spirit inspired requirements for these offices. Only males are considered eligible in the spirit inspired requirements for these offices. And I take you back to first Timothy three and Titus chapter one, only briefly because it's there on the very surface of the passage. Faithful is the saying, if a man seeks the office of a bishop desires a good work, the bishop.

52:40 Therefore, must. Be without reproach. It doesn't say the husband of one wife or the wife of one husband. The assumption is he is a male, only a male, always a male husband of one wife.

52:55 Furthermore, he's to be one verse for one that rules well his own house. And the administrative responsibility of government is clearly assigned to the husband as the appointed head of the domestic structure. And likewise, with regard to deacons, verse eight deacons in like manner must be. And then we are told with respect to them that they must be verse twelve husbands of one wife ruling their children and their own houses.

53:31 Well, only males are considered eligible in the spirit in spartans for these offices. And what is true here is found. Affirmed. Affirmed in first and Titus one five through nine.

Refuting Evangelical Feminism and Problem Texts

53:47 Now you have to come to one of two conclusions. Either have to say at this point the apostles were not inspired by the Holy Spirit. They were left to the current cultural and religious prejudices of the day when they locked up the requirements for males only. And because they were not inspired but were here manifesting cultural and sinful perspectives.

54:13 We are free to discount their requirements. That's a position taken by Paul K. Jewett in his work that's become sort of the Bible of modern so-called evangelical feminism. He says, let's stop all the exegetical dancing through the tulips, trying to show that Paul really didn't mean that women shouldn't occupy the offices of elder and deacon.

54:34 He said, it's playing. I just choose to believe Paul was speaking as a prejudiced rabbi and not as a sanctified Christian man. That's Jewish position. Now they come along in our day, a group who are being answered by this massive work that I'm working through.

54:52 It's part of my job as an elder to refute the gainsayers and an organization that has some very prestigious names attached to it, such as Dr. Roger Nicole, Richard Halverson, Dr. Kenneth concert, Dr. David Allen Hubbard, FF Bruce, very impressive names.

55:13 They have come out in their organization. We call Christians for biblical equality stating that every office is open to women in the church of Christ. And yet they say, we believe the Bible in its totality to be the liberating word of God that provides for the most effective way for women and men to exercise the gifts distributed by the Holy Spirit and thus to serve God. Well, you say, how in the world did they ever say their Bible leads?

55:46 Them to that? Well, it's very clever. This is what they say. The Bible teaches in the new Testament economy, women as well as men exercise the prophetic priestly and Royal functions, and they quote some texts.

55:59 Therefore, the few isolated texts that appear to restrict the full redemptive freedom of women must not be interpreted simplistically and in contradiction to the rest of scripture. But their interpretation must take into account their relation to the broader teaching of scripture. And their total context. And you know what those few isolated passages are?

56:21 You guessed it. First Corinthians 11, in which the whole issue of the hierarchy established by God is explicitly addressed. The head of the woman is the man. The head of the man is Christ and the head of Christ is God.

56:35 They say that's an isolated passage. First Corinthians 14, as in all the churches, let your women keep silence. That's an isolated passage. Of course, it's dealing with speaking and utterance in the church, but that's an isolated.

56:46 Isolated passage. And then they quote first Timothy two. I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority of the man, but to be in silence. Those are the few isolated passages.

56:58 In other words, they say where God conclusion. I won't say what they're saying in principle. It'd be irreverent, but that's what they're saying. They're saying, take God's word and chuck it while maintaining the name evangelical.

57:16 My Bible has a name for such people. It says they are. The. Ignorant and the unstable who choose to their own destruction.

57:30 I don't know whether they're saved or lost, but I know this much. When you can take the areas where God has spoken to the very issue under debate and push those things to one side and say, we don't care what God says there. It's so plain. They're problem text problem to whom a spoiled brat would say that Ephesians six is a problem text.

57:56 Children obey your parents in the Lord, but this is right on it. I. Father and my mother. That's a problem.

58:00 Get over that one. There's a problem text. If you're a spoiled brat, if your kid wants to please God, that's no problem. Text life's relatively simple.

58:15 When you're living under your mom and daddy's roof, just honor them and obey them. Pretty simple. What's the problem text when it says the head of the woman is the man and the head of the man is Christ. And in his role as the servant of Jehovah in his messianic function, the head of Christ, I do always the things that please my father.

58:42 If that isn't a clear statement of hierarchy and subordination, I don't understand words when it says, as in all the churches, let your women keep silence. I permit not a woman to speak. It's a problem text for whom someone that didn't want to do what God says. And when it says, I suffer not a woman to teach, nor do you serve authority over a man, but to be in silence, to be in subjection, that's a problem.

59:12 Text only if you're determined to have your own way. So I say we take this position not because we are dominant males and we've got the pulpit and we're stronger than any woman that would try to shove us out. And therefore we're going to keep our niche. No, dear people, we hold this position because only males were given these offices under apostolic guidance.

Women Explicitly Forbidden to Usurp Office Functions

59:34 Secondly, only males are considered eligible in the spirit inspired requirements for these offices. And thirdly, women are explicitly forbidden to usurp the functions bound up with these offices. Women are explicitly forbidden to usurp the functions bound up with these offices. What are the functions is bound up with the office of elder Bishop pastor, authoritative teaching and rule.

60:08 First Timothy 212 says, I suffer not a woman to teach, nor do you serve authority over the man, but to be in submission as in all the churches. Let your women keep silence in the context of formally speaking the word of God in the mixed assembly. It's not talking about a woman in a naturally God given established relationship of mother to child teaching in the Sunday school, a group of children. That's a projection of the structure of the home.

60:42 Timothy from a child. You've known the script. You've known the scriptures from your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. That's a totally different thing.

60:50 But in the gathered assembly of males and females, he says, I permit not a woman to speak. It is a shame for them to speak. Women are explicitly forbidden to usurp the functions bound up in these offices and what's bound up in the office of the deacon, though it is not a ruling office. It is an office of trust in which the funds of the church, in which the material concerns of the church must be administered wisely and authoritatively.

61:23 When those seven had to sort out how there was going to be an equitable distribution, they were exercising authority and judgment. And God has clearly shut up that office. Those of the male gender. Now, since it is not my purpose to give a comprehensive statement of male and female roles, I've done that in the past and the tapes are available.

Conclusion: Functional Difference is Not Inferiority; Acceptance Brings Liberty

61:50 Yet I'm constrained in conclusion to say two things to any of you who may have found some of this difficult going down. You may have been so steeped in the current heresies of modern feminism that some of this is stuck going down, even though you've been compelled from the scripture to see that it's there. May I say two things that I hope will help you and help you in discussing this with others. The first is this.

62:18 Functional difference by divine design does not mean inferiority in dignity or importance. Functional difference by divine design does not mean inferiority in dignity or importance. Only women can nurture human life in a womb and sustain it at a breast. That's a very radical functional difference from me as a man.

62:49 Much as I would have liked to, for at least a few days, have carried a child in a womb to have known what it was like, all my wishes couldn't bring it off. That's a functional distinction. Only females can nurture life in a womb and sustain it at a breast. Does that make me inferior to my wife in dignity or importance?

63:14 She has a function exclusive to her as a woman. Does that demean me? You children, does that make me less dignity, have less dignity than my wife? Only oxygen can supply life to the brain. It's carried there by the bloodstream.

63:34 It gets cut off. There's brain impairment. There's death. Hydrogen can't do it. It's got to be oxygen.

63:45 Does that mean that oxygen has as a functional difference from hydrogen is more important? I don't think so. I don't know a lot of chemistry, but I know that the chemical equation for water is H2O. Two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen.

64:01 You can't live without water. Functional distinction. Oxygen has a function in the sustaining of life, hydrogen. Does that make oxygen more dignified? No. It's just different.

64:16 Can you see the point? So that God, who is assigned functional differences, does not mean a woman is inferior in dignity or importance. When God says in the functions of the church, males are to lead, it doesn't mean males have more grey matter, greater intelligence, greater dignity, greater peace, greater honor, greater peace, greater dignity, greater life, greater life, greater degree. or great or anything else Bible nowhere teaches that and we don't teach it and we abominate anyone who would teach it or infer it and the second statement I hope will help you is this acceptance from the heart of divine design results in liberty and blessedness acceptance from the heart

64:56 of divine design results in liberty and blessedness when fish made by divine design to swim in God's vast oceans except this sphere by divine design that fish is liberated fish and he's a blessed fish he can flap his gills and wiggle his tail and go all over God's ocean wherever he wants but if he happens to look up through the refraction of the water and see the vast sky and see a seagull splitting the air with its wings and begins to covet it and say I can't fly I'm in bondage to the sea made for nothing but the sea you

65:38 weep with me tee hee tee hee and you say foolish little fish foolish little fish there's a functional difference he was made for the ocean made to swim and if that seagull looking down could see that fish and begin to say it didn't fare he'd down there hour after hour and it's cool and doesn't have to worry about the sun and his food's floating around for him to just open his mouth and I gotta go find mine it's just not fair to the ocean I'm gonna trade places and I didn't have any idea what the earth is called yourman it's just a kind of ritual

66:22 oh and I'll show you how it could happen but I think it does it's aama's home and in the church and true liberty comes according to psalm 119 44 and 45 he says and i

67:02 shall have respect unto all thy commandments and i shall walk at liberty liberty comes in the realm of the acceptance of divine distinction from the heart oh my dear brothers and sisters never forget luther's off-quoted words where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldiers tested and we are tested here and we're going to be increasingly tested the battle's going to become more fierce i predict the time may come when churches like ours will either capitulate and put females in the office of deacon or elder or have our official recognition by the state

67:44 withdrawn will no longer be recognized as a tax-exempt organization will you still continue to tithe even though you can't deduct it on your income tax return you're ready it may come it may come it may come and we may be the unregistered churches in the u.s like they've had the unregistered churches in russia who refuse to bow the knee to government strictures as to how the church should be run the time may come dear people but the word of god i suffer now why because god never designed the woman's life to be a woman's life to be a woman's life to be a woman's

68:26 for that task and he has too much concern for her well-being to put her in the ocean when she's made to fly and all these people girls and women that tell you they're out to liberate you know they're out to plunge a seagull in the depths of the ocean and kill you and i've lived long enough to weep to see a generation of women killed in the pursuit of the so-called liberty of the seagull having the privileges of the seagulls

69:02 of the fish and some of them are coming out of the closet now and saying i've had it all and now i'm a nag and a hag at 45 with a barren womb and nothing to look forward to but 40 more years of growing old and dying i was sold a bill of goods thank god for some of the women in this place who never bought it they were growing old gracefully in holy sanctified femininity free as a bird

Final Exhortation and Prayer

69:44 blessed in the ways of god we are determined to pursue a biblically established standard for church officers both with respect to name and number of the standing offices and with respect to a biblical standard for the gender of those offices this is a tempest in a teapot you say i haven't preached christ this morning yes i have this is the mind of christ for his church if you love christ you love his mind for his church and if you're not a christian i hope you've at least

70:25 gotten this much from the message this morning if i ever become a christian i better start taking my bible seriously you got it right on that's it because you cannot embrace christ without being prepared to embrace his word as it touches every area of your life but he's a gracious master his yoke is easy his burden is light or that you might seek him while he may be found thank you for being patient i went beyond what i had hoped i thought in cutting it down to two i'd be done by 20 till may the lord bless his truth to us let us pray oh our father we feel so keenly

71:06 the pressures of the world about us and then the voice is being raised up within the so-called professing church and we wonder we wonder oh god how long you will remain silent how your patience must be taste tested when those who claim to love you will not be able to do it love you and love your word and believe in it twist it and encourage others to do the same oh have mercy have mercy upon some of these whose names we have mentioned this morning who put their signatures to these statements that would overturn what is so plain in your word be gracious to them lord if they're your children call them back from error if they are deceived and

71:50 they are not saved oh god open their eyes and turn them from their deception rid the church of the scourge of unconverted false teachers and then lord have mercy on this place that we may with grace and love and tenderness and yet with holy and transigence stand by the biblical standard for officers in your church help us give us grace for in ourselves we are weak and vacillating may we be willing to pay any price even to the giving of our life's blood for the sake of our dear lord and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father and our father jesus and his will being done in his house we ask in his worthy name amen