Manslick Road church of Christ » 2007 » September
A Methodist church in our community recently hired a new “pastor.” For the first time in the history of the congregation, their pastor is a woman. In an interview with the local newspaper, she is quoted as saying, with reference to serving in that capacity, “Being a woman doesn’t matter to God.”
How do we know what matters to God and what does not? If He has not spoken it is all guesswork, and one’s guess would be as good as another’s. However, the Bible affirms that God has spoken. “God . . . in these last days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2 ). That divine communication which started in Christ was completed through the apostles, Jesus’ inspired spokesmen (Jn. 16:13-15; Mt. 16:19; 1 Th. 2:13 ). When we read what they wrote, we can know the mind of God.
Being a woman doesn’t matter to God regarding one’s salvation. All are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28 ). But it clearly does matter to Him when it comes to being a preacher. He commanded through the Apostle Paul, “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet” (1 Tim. 2:10-11; see also 1 Cor. 14:34-35 ). The same is true for pastors or elders or overseers. (Denominational people often confuse this function with that of preacher or evangelist.) One requirement of a pastor is that he be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2; Ti. 1:6 ).
In view of these plain statements, how can one assert that in this context, “Being a woman doesn’t matter to God”? Is it ignorance or rebellion?
In the Old Testament, God’s requirement was that priests be taken from the tribe of Levi, specifically the family of Aaron. On one occasion, some men from other tribes and Levites not from Aaron’s line affirmed their right to be priests too. “All the congregation are holy,” they argued. In other words, “Being from Aaron’s family doesn’t matter to God.” God responded by sending fire from heaven and opening the earth to swallow them up (Num. 16). What was true then and now is this: it matters to God that we respect and obey His revealed will.
Jesus’ parable of the sower is a story about hearing. It depicts four responses to the gospel. One man hears, but his heart is so hard the message does not sink in. He goes on his way unchanged. Another man hears and obeys, but his convictions are shallow. When opposition arrives, his commitment departs. Another man hears and, taking the truth to heart, obeys, but the gospel is not all that is in his heart. It is full of other things; eventually, they take over. A fourth man, one with a good heart, hears and brings forth fruit (Mt. 13:1-23 ).
In addition to this basic fourfold division, consider some other New Testament descriptions of hearers.
- “Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new” (Acts 17:21 ). Old truths had no appeal to this crowd. They were obsessed with novelty. And their spirit lives on. Suggest a Bible study and these folks will yawn. Yet they intensely follow every detail of stories about the so-called “lost books of the Bible” or the Bible Code or the Gospel of Judas or the Da Vinci Code or any other “new” thing (which is really old infidelity). Not surprisingly, Paul had little success at Athens. Fascination with the bizarre does not lend itself to acceptance of plain preaching.
- “. . . always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7 ). Perhaps these were also enamored with new ideas. The context suggests two other problems. One is that they were learning from wrong sources: slick-talking teachers whose hearts were not wholly devoted to God. You cannot learn truth by listening to error. (Contrast that with the instruction of vv. 14-17: Timothy was to continue in the Scriptures, which he had learned from a godly mother.) The other problem was these hearers’ hearts. They were “gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts” (v. 6, NKJV). As Matthew Henry observed, “A foolish head and a filthy heart make persons . . . an easy prey to seducers.”
- “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths” (2 Tim. 4:3-4 ). Truth hurts, at least sometimes. Yet it is the truth that makes us free (Jn. 8:32 ). Error keeps us in bondage to sin. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of people who prefer entertainment, feel-good stories, and pats on the back to solid gospel preaching, and no shortage of speakers anxious to provide whatever the audience wants.
Compare these to Luke’s description of the Bereans: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11 ). What kind of hearer are you?
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one of us may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10 ).
Jesus has numerous roles in God’s plan: teacher, model, savior, lawgiver, king, high priest, head of the church, advocate, intercessor, etc. He is also our judge. Jesus is uniquely qualified for this task: He is both God and man, He was tempted in all things as we are yet without sin, and He showed both His love for us and dedication to the Father’s will in giving Himself on our behalf.
This text reminds us of several important characteristics of the judgment.
It is universal. All will appear before Christ for judgment. No one is exempt. Even if you die before it occurs, you will still be there. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds” (Rev. 20:13 ). Jesus’ own resurrection is the guarantee of ours and the judgment to follow (Acts 17:31 ).
It is personal. Each one will be judged according to what he has done. You will not be held accountable for another’s misbehavior. Some say we are guilty before God because of what Adam did or because of what our parents did, but the Bible teaches otherwise (see Ezek. 18). You answer for your choices in life. Others may influence you to do wrong, and they will have to answer for that, yet that does not eliminate your responsibility for your conduct. This also means that no one else can do right for you. You will not pass the judgment because your parents or your spouse or your children are godly. Righteousness cannot be borrowed.
It is behavioral. We will be judged according to what we have done. The Bible emphasizes that we are justified by faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1 ), not on the basis of our own goodness. Yet it also reminds us that faith without works is dead (Jas. 2:26 ), that Christ is the source of salvation to those who obey Him (Heb. 5:9 ). “Lord, Lord” will be an empty cry on that day (Mt. 7:21 ). What we claimed to be or intended to do will count for nothing. In Matthew 25:31-46 , Jesus’ depicted the judgment as a shepherd separating sheep and goats. Interestingly, the goats in that picture are not those who were grossly immoral in life; they are those who failed to do right.
It is final. Jesus said that the Father has given Him all judgment (Jn. 5:22 ). That being the case, there can be no appeal of His decision. There is no higher court to which one could turn. The verdict is for eternity.
The verse following our text says, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. . .” Are you persuaded to follow Christ now?
We ought to pray at all times and not lose heart (Lk. 18:1 )
We ought to always give thanks (2 Th. 1:3 )
We ought to have sound judgment and not think too highly of ourselves (Rom. 12:3 )
We who are strong ought to bear with the weak and not just please ourselves (Rom. 15:1 )
Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies (Eph. 5:28 )
Wives ought to be in subjection to their husbands in everything as the church is to Christ (Eph. 5:24 )
We ought to make our plans in a spirit of dependence on God (Jas. 4:15 )
We ought to be sober-minded and stop sinning (1 Cor. 15:34 )
We ought to follow the apostles’ instructions so as to walk in a way that pleases God (1 Th. 4:1 )
We ought to walk as Christ walked (1 Jn. 2:6 )
We ought to be holy and godly (2 Pet. 3:11 )
After a time in Christ we ought to be teachers (Heb. 5:12 )
We ought to love one another (1 Jn. 4:11 )