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| What did God tell Eve?...A look at women's roles |
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3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 3:16 To the woman he said, Great will be your pain in childbirth; in sorrow will your children come to birth; still your desire will be for your husband, but he will be your master. 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Their seems to be a lot of interest in the issue of women's roles in the world today, whether it be in ministry or in politics. There are so many views, both conservative and liberal. I would like to take a look at what the Bible says about a woman's role and what better place to begin than at the beginning. At this point in Genesis, we have experienced the fall of man with the transgression (going against) of the only "law" that God had given our parents, Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:15 begins the curse that is placed on the serpent first, then Eve (v. 16), then Adam (v. 17), and then the whole creation. The part I want us to examine is the part that is translated "thy desire shall be to thy husband". A shallow read of this passage could imply that a woman would desire her husband. Where's the curse in that? That would be perfect. Then we would have less incidents of adultery. In fact, it would be all to natural in a perfect world for a woman to have desires towards her husband. If we look at it in its proper context, God has just told Eve that her desire would be to be over her husband. The New Living Translation makes notes in its translation that some manuscripts read this way. The Greek can be translated to read "your desire will be against your husband." Folks, lightbulbs should be coming on here. Don't take my word for it, go and search this for yourselves. You want to know how we got a mindset that being a mother is not good enough? That somehow running a household is not a job? When did we decide that it was no longer noble for a mother to be at home with her children? What better ministry can you have than that? These are some of my favorite verses in all of scripture: 31:10 A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies. 31:11 The heart of her husband trusteth in her, And he shall have no lack of gain. 31:12 She doeth him good and not evil All the days of her life. 31:13 She seeketh wool and flax, And worketh willingly with her hands. 31:14 She is like the merchant-ships; She bringeth her bread from afar. 31:15 She riseth also while it is yet night, And giveth food to her household, And their task to her maidens. 31:16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it; With the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. 31:17 She girdeth her loins with strength, And maketh strong her arms. 31:18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: Her lamp goeth not out by night. 31:19 She layeth her hands to the distaff, And her hands hold the spindle. 31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; Yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. 31:21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; For all her household are clothed with scarlet. 31:22 She maketh for herself carpets of tapestry; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sitteth among the elders of the land. 31:24 She maketh linen garments and selleth them, And delivereth girdles unto the merchant. 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing; And she laugheth at the time to come. 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; And the law of kindness is on her tongue. 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, And eateth not the bread of idleness. 31:28 Her children rise up, and call her blessed; Her husband `also', and he praiseth her, `saying': 31:29 Many daughters have done worthily, But thou excellest them all. 31:30 Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain; `But' a woman that feareth Jehovah, she shall be praised. 31:31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; And let her works praise her in the gates. Your desire will be to be against your husband...And so the struggle continues. A woman that fears GOD, she shall be praised. If she fears (repects) God, she will respect his ways and not set up her preconcieved notions of the way she would like it to be. Folks, we have to get back to what the Bible says and either acknowledge it as God's word, or dismiss it as chovenistic rantings. Paul said he would not suffer a woman to usurp authority over a man. He wrote this under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He also wrote that "all scripture is God-breathed." To be continued.... |
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| To add a comment to "What did God tell Eve?...A look at women's roles" |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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how do you feel bout women in the church ? 14:34 the women should keep silence in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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| by the way i am a women ;-) |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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Chris, it seems as though this blog and possibly one other may have inspired you to write this. I heard someone in yet another blog use the term "subordinate role" to describe a role traditionally performed by ladies, and I wondered deeply why some feel that way. Frankly, in my opinion the role of homemaker is a high and worthy calling, not that I think less of any woman who doesn't go that route in life. But I think we all need to question why we choose the roles we do. Are we truly following God, or are "preconceived notions" (as you put it) at work in our minds? ~mike |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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United: Paul is addressing corporate worship in the verse you cite. He begins making the case in chapter 11 and emphasizes it here. There is no question as to what he meant. Since the Bible also says that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine...", I believe this was clear instruction as to how God wants His Church governed. I do not believe a woman should be placed in authority over a man in any situation and therefore would not place mysellf within that situation. My wife feels the same way and is by no means a "sheepish" woman. Let's look at it from another way- what if men would stand up and fulfill there roles that God has called them to? Whoa... The Bible is 1000% more detailed as to how we are to conduct ourselves, yet most men won't put their "big-boy britches" on stand up. I always think about how God addressed Job: 38:3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. In other words, "Tighten up your belt like a man, I am going to ask you questions, and you will answer me." Regardless of how I feel about women in Church, we have to consider how God feels about women in Church. How do you feel about what I have proposed concerning Gen 3? MIke: Good to hear from you as always. I too feel the role of a homemaker is highly exalted in the Bible and should be today. I am interested in how do you feel about the verse from Gen 3? Carmen and I have been together for 14 years now. We have not always seen eye to eye, but now we understand our respective roles in serving God, each other, and others. Once we accepted those roles there was peace beyond understanding. Things began running smoother than they ever had before. The biggest contributing factor was that I got saved. On Father's Day 2003 I came to know Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. Now, I have come a long way in a short amount of time. One of the first things I lnoticed in my studying was that the Bible is very detailed about our roles as a man, a husband, a father, a Church member, a Preacher, a teacher, etc... The Greek word that is tanslated "help meet" literally means "from the side." In the perfection of the Garden of Eden, man and woman were created to work side by side to help each other. But God's plan wasn't followed. Hence the curse beginning in Genesis 3. I think understanding what it actually says there will help some realize why there is such a struggle. God's plan doesn't relegate the role of Pastor to women. I know some will find that hard to swallow, but we either take God at His word, or we disregard it. We either take it in its totality, or we pick and choose what to believe and that's dangerous. The Bible says that it is better not to know the way, than to know the way and not follow. Brother Chris |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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| Chris, been a while since I looked hard at Gen 3, I'll withhold until I can do that. You wrote somewhere (it may have been a comment in one of those other blogs) that it matters far less how we feel about gender roles than how God feels about it. This is a great point and is what surrender is all about. When I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I should desperately seek His mind on matters such as these and block out as much as possible what society or "the world" has has to say. ~mike |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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| Amen, Mike. Not my will be done, but thy will be done.... |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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| I have a question that is directly related to the issue here. Eve was the first one to eat the forbidden fruit, yet God punishes Adam first. Why? Did God not also command Eve not to eat of the tree? When punishment was given, why did God start with Adam, then Eve, then the serpent? |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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God punished the snake first. The command to not eat of the fruit was given to Adam before Eve was created. The order of the punishments you give is out of order. Snake (Satant) first, then Eve (v16), and Adam. Gen 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, Gen 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." The skip to verse 22: Gen 2:22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Gen 2:23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Gen 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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| I was just testing you, lol. |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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Just a couple questions: Where do you draw the line? I know some people take this to mean that they women should not be leading pastors, but are fine to lead other forms of ministry within the church; others go as far as to say that women do not have a place in any form of ministry that addresses or serves adult males. Some people feel that there is absolutely no circumstance where any woman should have any authority over or teach any man, anywhere. By that, it could be argued that if I witness to a male friend, I'm against God's will. One could argue that any female who blogs here and writes something inspired by scripture to share with fellow Christians, is preaching to a crowd that consists of men and is therefore in the wrong. Something about all of that doesn't feel right. Also, what about single women -- women who have no husband to submit to. This can be a very confusing situation for us. I recall reading that Paul said he did not have a specific instruction for young women who were not yet married, and when I thought he was going to give Spirit-inspired advice on the matter, he didn't. Perhaps I don't understand the passage well enough. It is an incredibly confusing thing for a woman who has been given great gifts in the Spirit and great desires in the Lord to be told by 20 different people that they need to use it 20 different ways (or sometimes, how they can't use them,) based on 20 different scripture passages. Something is causing many women to feel like the way to serve God is to get married and submit to a man, meanwhile men are instructed to not marry if they an help it. I don't think God sends mixed messages. I think there's something flawed in the way we're looking at things. I do not mean to come across too passionately, but I was going to be married once, and then my fiance decided--a night before the wedding--that he did not want to marry me. Everything I had understood about women's roles at that point was in the context of marriage and everything made sense about the direction my life was taking and how I would serve God. I loved my fiance and I wanted to submit to him in marriage (I sucked at it at times, but I desired it,) and then in one single moment, everything I understood and came to understand was shattered into a million pieces. The only way to cope for it, for me, was to stop worrying about myself and my happiness and to pursue God's heart and serve Him. I felt a very strong calling into the missions field, but now I'm discovering that some people believe that this is against God's will--that God's will is that I be a submissive wife--and they use scripture to back it. Would go as far as to say that most of the bible, when it talks about going out and serving others, is addressing men, not me. Yet I never felt closer to God than when I became single, as though my relationship was almost holding me back and it was better for God and I both that I become grounded in Him, first. That said, I am still single. What now? I do not know where you stand on some of these things, but perhaps you have insight on how this is to be approached? Not all women are presented with marriage in life, and not all are gifted in children's ministries or in guiding young wives--which is a widow's calling, but not something a young unmarried woman has the wisdom to approach. Some women are genuinely gifted with the gift of speech and the ability to present things well and write well and teach well -- things that don't neccessarily apply to other females, alone. If it is against scripture to use these gifts for God ... which doesn't really strike me right ... What were we given them, for? |
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| March 23, 2007 |
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All, let me throw a speculation in here... What if... the punishment was to Adam and Eve as a couple (man). What if...since Eve was now to "have pain in childbirth" as part of the fall. What if...Eve thinks, no problem, I can do without him (Adam) now. What if...God turns to her and tells her "your desire will be for your husband". I personally think we read way too much into this scripture that isn't there. Believe me. There is a lot there, but it doesn't derive the basis for male - female relationships or roles, IMHO. It does establish some of the dynamics within a marriage that exist even to this day. |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Voice:I would propose that a woman's desire to be over the man would stem from this part of the curse. Coupled with the distinctions raised in the qualifications for pastors and deacons in Timothy, Titus, and Acts 6, one can understand this variance from God's plan. It's is just a plain reading really. No interpretation needed. Paul's admonition that women were not to have authority over the man was in context with his direction for men to worship everywhere. He then goes on to say, "likewise," connecting the statement about women to the previous statement. We could appraoch this study this way: look at every reference in the BIble concerning women, women in leadership roles, and women in worship. You will find several times where God uses women to accomplish his plan. In Esther, Mordecai tells Esther that God will provide deliverance from somewhere, but how did she know she had not been prepared for such a time as this? So, ideed, God uses women. I would still argue that it wasn't HIs plan from the beginning. If the children of Israel had listened to the Prophets thhey could have prevented going into captivity to begin with. Phillip's daughters prophecying is not mentioned in the context of corporate worship. There are alot of references in many blogs about women's roles that throw one mention out here and there with no serious consideration of proper context, or original meaning. Folks, in my humble opinion that just makes for bad theology. Chris:There are millions of opportunities for women in ministry in the world we live in. There is a missions emphasis in SBC churches at Easter named after Annie Armstrong. Fabulous story behind this lady. Google her name and read. One of my favorites in Elizabeth Elliot's story, the wife of Jim Elliot (End of the Spear, Beyond the Gates of Splendor). There is a directive given women in the BIble that has yet to be addressed that I would like to hit on here. The older women are to teach the younger women many things one of which is to love their husbands. If you look at Jewish manners and customs, the older women taught the younger many of the things I feel are essentials. Things that I feel should we return to would greatly heal our families. Let's take for example a young woman going to an abortion clinic for an abortion. When I see her, I see someone that we have failed. There is a father somewhere that did not teach his daughter the value of human life. A Father that did not show his child how he loved her mother. A father that did not show his daughter that he loved God above all else. There is also a mother that did not teach her daughter that she was loved, how much value is in a human life, nor how much Mom loved Dad. I believe these parents set this girl at a disadvantage from the beginning. Having never been introduced to the Church, I wonder where the Church was that could have reached this girl and tried to love her. There is an entire lifetimes worth of ministry there if we would get out of the box with our thinking... Chris: You asked what were the gifts given for... how about what we just talked about? I don't see why there is such a push for women to be in the pulpit when there are thousands of ministry opportunities all around us. Each of which provides an outlet for these gifts. There are some ministry opportunities for women that men may not be the best candidate for: battered women, molested children, etc. I guess what I was hetting at was this: if we would accept the roles God has laid out for us and accept the responsibilites that God has placed on us WITHOUT blurring the lines or trying to do someone else's God ordained ministry (according to clear Bible, not twisted scripture), we would be able to accomplish so much more for the Kingdom of God. Enough for now. Brother Chris |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Chris, How can you selectively say the first three items are part of the curse and the fourth isn't? 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception (curse); in pain thou shalt bring forth children (curse); and thy desire shall be to thy husband (curse), and he shall rule over thee (not a curse?). I contend all four elements are part of the fall. |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Voice:How would a woman's desire towards her husband be a curse? Childbirth pains for a woman do not turn her desires from her husband according to the mothers I know. I believe all four parts are curse as well, but I feel that is a bad translation of the Hebrew. A more correct rendering in English would be, "thy desire shall be against thy husband..." |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Chris, you know from my own blog http://www.mychurch.org/blog/15838/Women-Shut-Up that I am not with you at all on this issue. I had no intention of weighing in here, but your comment, "It's is just a plain reading really. No interpretation needed," got my attention. There is no such thing as reading without interpretation. We all have our interpretations, based on experience, education, age, maturity, etc., and most often our Scriptural interpretation is based on how our own former leaders have interpreted to us. This is why it is so important that we as leaders do not continue to perpetuate questionable theologies as "the truth" to our congregations. God is not confused, but sometimes we do a great job of making Him look that way! Heather, with all respect to those with opposing "interpretations," God did not create all women first and foremost as a support for men. Should God lead a woman and a man to unite in marriage in His name, the two of them should be sure they are on the same page with women's roles, and if so, and their plan is serve God together, God is pleased. However, as a single woman, by choice, I have and will continue to take my leading from God. He created me, so I suspect He knows I am a woman. Yet, He continues to use me for His glory in new ways all the time, with no gender lines drawn to keep me at bay! Heather, if God should lead you to a Christian man, and the two of you agree that he should be your head, that is a wonderful calling for you, one wonderful option among many. Being in relationship with Christ Jesus is a freeing experience to me, not one that confuses or holds me back. Ghandi is credited as saying, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." We should all take this seriously! |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Chris, I am using your interpretation: "The Greek can be translated to read "your desire will be against your husband."" and not mine. My point is that man's desire to rule over someone is also a part of the curse as well. Based on your comment, it looks like you agree. |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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My computer's being stubborn, ate my original response. Just a quick question for you, Chris -- for perspective. What do you think about women in the missions field? Not everyone agrees that they have a place there, but I personally feel that this is where the Lord wants me. I intend to go as a journalist in addition to however I serve where I'm at, which may range from place to place from being support to verbalised ministry, all to do the Lord's work. As a journalist I wish to bring stories of the work done abroad back to our countries -- here in the US, the UK, in Canada, where we are not met with suffering everyday. I want to open eyes to the fact that most humans live this way, and that we in our safe countries do not realise this because of our luxury. I want to break hearts over the need many are in so that God can restore them by leading us to contribute our love where it is needed most. Some, though perhaps few, would say this is a man's work. My other question is, where do you draw the line when it comes to teaching men? Is it strictly a matter of pulpit? Or should we never, in any circumstance teach men? Many times I have spoken to non-Christian males and Christian males very young in faith--individuals--friends, teaching only insomuch that I was a messenger of God and His word--for anything I "taught" them was in scripture. It can be argued that this is ministry--it is teaching. It is teaching to men, and it came from a woman. My other option is to ignore men and only witness to female friends. That seems, at least to me, to be going too far. Obviously, there is some allowance for a woman to teach and witness and lead others to Christ. Where do you draw the line between the woman Jesus met at the well, and Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy? Again, these are honest questions. I'm not looking to challenge or debate. I want perspective. :-) I suppose the trouble I have is that I hate to put my work for God in a box, ministering to God "only this way" and "only that way." For instance, I want to go into the missions field as my primary work for God, but I want everything I do to point to Him in some way. When women live in a world right along with men, we cannot simply ignore them or leave them out of the equation in our Christian walk. They're there with us, and I think we--all of us, male and female alike--should be living in a way that leads others--male and female alike--to Christ every way we can, every moment we're alive. I don't want to constantly have to make sure that I'm not ministering in a way "that I shouldn't because I'm a female and only men should minister this way." That would cause me to feel like not all of the Bible was directed at me, but only some of it, and most of it was for men, and that can be confusing. Know what I mean? What is your perspective on these matters? |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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| Heather, you have taught me things over the past few weeks and I happen to be a male who has walked with God for quite a while. My wife and I have been on mission fields where the only leader is a woman pastor. If there was never any fruit with a woman pastor, then I would say that there should never be a woman pastor, but the fruit was rich, ripe and prospering. |
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| March 24, 2007 |
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Chris: I will address your questions in detail tomorrow. I am excited for what God has in store for you. Voice & Heather: According to what we have in the Bible concerning the qualifications for a Bishop (Pastor) explain to me how a woman can fill this role? 3:1 Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 3:2 The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3:3 no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money; 3:4 one that ruleth well his own house, having `his' children in subjection with all gravity; 3:5 (but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 3:6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 3:7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Those male pronouns indicate just that - a male. The female usage of the word wife is exactly that in the Greek. Don't miss my point here. All I am saying is that God never planned for a woman to be the head of a Church. It's plainly written in the Bible. As to a woman's ministry bearing fruit, God said his word would not returnn to Him void. There have been unsaved preachers throughout history that have bore fruit. And that's awesome. I never negated that. Voice you said: "that man's desire to rule over someone is also a part of the curse as well" Brother, God doesn't lay that on Adam: 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 3:18 thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 3:19 in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. Again, I never said God would not use and bless a woman in any form of ministry. I do not however believe that gives us the write to suplant God's plan for what we see as prosperous and fruitful. There is a way that seemeth right unto man... |
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| March 25, 2007 |
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Wait ... YP Chris -- when you say Chris, do you mean me, or did "Heather" refer to me? I don't know which of us people mean when they say "Chris." I actually prefer "Chrish." Sorry to get off topic, just getting a little mixed up. *blush* |
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| March 26, 2007 |
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Chris, Sorry for the confusion here. Hard to communicate when it is through the ether like this. Regarding the fall, my point is that we need to look at the entire curse that God is laying out for man and not just selectively take one part of the statement and ignore the rest. Most teachings about the curse look at only the pain in childbirth (for women), but ignore the rest as simply words God said to fill the page. I don't read it that way. I, for one, believe that God doesn't say things just to say them. They are all spoken for a very strong purpose. There are four separate elements of verse 16. In order for us to really understand what is happening, we need to understand all four elements. I am not saying I do understand them fully. I simply questioned if you were taking all four into account and if not, why not. If so, then how do you read the fourth element of the verse...that her husband will rule over her? I don't see where God sat this up this way in the beginning, so this is new and a different way they were going to relate to each other as a result of the fall. Regarding the 1 Timothy passage you quote, you are entirely correct that this lays out the requirements for a man to be a bishop. No debate there. The first verse is key...it says "...if a man seeketh the office..." then it lays out what the qualifications are for that man. I don't see anywhere where it says that a woman can't seek the office. We don't have clear qualifications for a woman to be a pastor (as we do here for a man), so we have to leverage what we know from this scripture and measure the character of anybody who desires that position. IMHO, that character measurement needs to be measured carefully for anybody desiring that position, for the character of a pastor reflects the ability of the pastor to nurture and feed the sheep. Hope that clarifies my thoughts a little better. |
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| March 26, 2007 |
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| Voice I haven't read all the follow up but on the second paragraph you wrote, I would go on to ask why do we as the congregation hold our pastors and deacons to a higher standard than we hold ourselves? Not insinuating that you or I fail to hold such a standard, but people in general are quick to shoot down leadership. When did the congregation get off the hook? |
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| March 26, 2007 |
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Chrish, Sorry about that... |
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| March 26, 2007 |
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| Voice, you say that in 1 Timothy 3:1 it says "...if a man seeketh..." must refer only to a male gender. Are you taking into account that in that time and culture only men were allowed positions of authority? In our time and our culture, women are permitted positions of authority. What would prevent this 'man' from being different from other references to 'man' that refers to 'mankind'? |
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| March 26, 2007 |
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Chris, Good point. Very good point. I do believe there is some expectation that the leadership in the church is held to a standard...I am not sure the same isn't true for any leadership any where...if one aspires to lead then the followers need to have a reason to follow. I do kind of expect my pastor to be one who holds the standard for our church and therefore one I can respect. Although, I realize he is human (haven't always thought that way, though, there was a time I expected pastors to be super human) and makes mistakes as well. Jonathan, do you have the resources handy to check the Greek on this? (I don't right now.) For some reason, I recall that this "man" was indeed the Greek for male and not the plural that is used for mankind. I only recall that because several years ago I had a discussion with a "manly man" who insisted that if women were going to be in leadership they needed a standard and the Bible didn't offer one. I implied that was because women know what the right thing to do was, but men need a list. It didn't go over too well, but I recall the discussion was that the "man" in Timothy was indeed the singular for male. One final thought...one of the hardest parts of leadership is humbling oneself and admitting mistakes, difficulty, and needing help. As a congregation, we need to make it acceptable for our leadership to do this. Once we get to the point where we can support them in those cases, then they will grow and so will we. I hate the chew them up and spit them out mentality... |
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| March 27, 2007 |
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JT: Just because the world has accepted a different world view as to women in positions of authority, doesn't mean that we should. The passage in question is referring to male gender and is confirmed by the "husband of one wife." The word Wife there is reflective of just that. Now, I know of Churches that hold to this verse and insist that their preachers be married. I don't know if that is a requirement as much as I see it as a qualification. Voice: I'm with you on that. People were quick to shred Ted Haggart (spelling?) forgetting he is a man and susceptible to sin like any other man. I have told people this time and time again, the devil knows exactly what sins you will fall for. Not because he can read your mind (this would make him omniscient), but because he can see your reaction to temptations he places in front of you. We need to remember, "take heed lest ye fall..." |
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| March 27, 2007 |
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Chris, Being a pastor is one of the hardest jobs in the world...you have to feed the sheep and in doing so you are exposed to all kinds of sin...temptation must be exteme...while at the same time you need to fall on your face for the congregation you are serving...a pastor's character needs to be firm and as much without flaw as possible (knowing none of us is perfect). I fully respect anybody who desires to be a pastor. Tough job, but the rewards are awesome. |
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