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believer, in the face of popular opinion, to have nothing to do with beliefs which are
grounded on the world's misconceptions, and it particularly behoves Christian women
(who could so easily be taken in by the emotional cries of "women's rights") to see that
their own position is built upon nothing other than the Word of God.
It was felt necessary to give this long introduction in view of the vexed subject which
is to follow, involving the thoughts of leadership and teaching in women. So often
judgments are formed on the basis of current trends, the professing church taking its lead
from the world; following, rather than setting the pattern. So often `progress' is
confused with `change', whereas true `progress' often means going back to old standards,
not bringing in new. So it is with the calling of woman.
When the wind of `emancipation' blew through the western world, it blew out a
number of things, which on the basis of Scripture ought never to have been there in the
first place, and which detracted from woman's essential equality with man; but it has
also since brought with it other things which no godly woman can, again in the light of
Scripture, have anything to do with.
Praying and teaching.
It is essential to an understanding of Paul's argument in I Tim. 2: concerning the
place of woman with respect to prayer and teaching, for the reader to have in mind the
events which led up to the tragedy in the garden of Eden. For this reason it is advisable
that the reader should look again at Gen. 3: 1-7, keeping in mind those things which
have already been observed in article No.6 (concerning `identification') and article No.7
(under the title `the deception of the woman'). Briefly they are as follows:
(1)
Identification. Paul's word concerning all women is based upon the position and
failure of Eve in Eden.
(2)
Deception. The woman was cleverly weaned from the Word of God (which she
misquoted and minimized) to form her own judgment on the basis of what she
`saw'. She was `thoroughly deceived'.
(3)
Authority. Woman as not equipped to withstand the cunning of the serpent by
reasoning with him on the Word of God; this was not her place in God's
"order". Adam was so equipped, having been entrusted with the guardianship
of the garden and the commandment concerning the tree of knowledge. He
was not therefore deceived.
I Tim. 2: 8-15 is a passage about which diverse views have been entertained, a fact
which seems strange in the light of the clear statements of the Apostle (at least
concerning the teaching of women). Verse 12 cannot surely be gainsaid under any
circumstances, except those which do away with the conviction that `all Scripture is
given by inspiration of God' (II Tim. 3: 16) and reckon Paul to be giving his own
opinion which may be accepted or rejected at will. A brief structure of the whole epistle
was given by 100: H. Welch in Volume XXXII of The Berean Expositor and in my next
article I shall relate this to the subject before us.