Daily devotion – God says what He means and means what He says.
1 Corinthians 11: 6-15 – Paul goes to great detail to describe to the Corinthian believers that God had made a difference between men and women. That each had a proper place in God’s economy.
There were appropriate customs that symbolized these relationships and reminded the Church, both men and women, of their correct place in the divine scheme. We are troubled today as now the delineation that God created has been not only blurred, it has been obliterated.
Whist the world accepts this with open arms, such is not to be seen or heard, in the Church of Jesus Christ. No matter what the world tries to enforce. The problem is, that such blurring of lines, of demarcation between that of men and women of God has bled also into the Last Days Church.
Men, not being men and not leading their families or fulfilling their role as spiritual head of the family or in the marriage. Women, seeking to seize roles and responsibilities that God declared is to be filled by the men – in particular the role of Pastors.
Many women in roles designated for men, today argue over the Scriptures whereby Paul declares through his letters to the Churches of the designated roles of godly men and women, by saying that God is doing a ‘new thing’. The Bible says not so.
1Ti 2:12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
This verse taken out of context has been the thorn in the flesh to the current trend today of women assuming roles that the Bible declares clearly to be filled by men. With all this, women can fulfill many wonderful godly roles as detailed in the Word of God, and one such Australian woman is doing so as a New Testament scholar by the name of Claire S. Smith.
When she read 1 Timothy 2 for the first time. When asked whether she found it difficult, she replied, “No, it’s easy. Paul is saying women shouldn’t teach in Church, (as such a role of pastoring) because that’s the way God wants it!”
She went on to say sadly, that our current culture is influencing our reading of the text, and that many of the difficulties we find might exist because of OUR culture and OUR personalities and NOT because of the text itself.
Scripture means what is says and says what it means. It does not change with time nor trend.
May we recognise the Word of God is not something we can bring our own personal interpretation to or bend to suit our own selfish desires. It is after all the Word of God!
May we see therefore here at Calvary Chapel Secret Harbour men and women of God fulfilling the precious roles and responsibilities that the Bible declares are for each of us to serve so that we may bring blessing to His body, the Church, and glory to God’s name.