Christ Centered Lessons
Tuesday, December 16, 2014 - Ignorance or Extreme Arrogance
| ignorance_or_extreme_arrogance.pdf |
Those in the Lord's church who have jumped on the "women preachers" bandwagon fall into one of two categories. They are either ignorant or extremely arrogant as it relates to God's word. There can be no other answer. I know that calling someone ignorant sounds harsh but I challenge you to search the scriptures with me.
Paul, in Romans 10 begins the chapter by saying, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to every one that believeth."
Paul's desire was that, in spite of their desire to kill him, all Jews would come to a understanding of THE TRUTH and submit themselves to the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Jews had great zeal in what they did religiously but, as we see with this particular issue, zeal without knowledge leads men into error. Zeal MUST be tempered with knowledge of God's will in order for us to be pleasing to Him. Jesus said, "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Mark 7:7). Hosea 4:6 reminds us, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." We desperately need a return to a knowledge of God and His Word in the church of my Lord! Zeal with knowledge will cause us to be cautious not to go beyond what is written. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21).
The Jews were ignorant of God's means of salvation. They sought to be saved their way, by the law. Because of this ignorance, they did not submit themselves to the gospel in order to believe and obey it. Many today want to be saved but want to be saved their way instead of submitting to God's way. Today, many want to be saved but they want to have things their own way as opposed to praying "not my will but thine be done." We have NO EXCUSE for being ignorant because God's complete revelation has been delivered to us. Paul reminds readers in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work ." How many times has God's soul saving revelation been delivered to us? The answer is found in Jude 3, "...exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints."
The righteousness of God, of which Paul now writes, is the righteousness revealed in the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16). Ignorance of God's righteousness is the tragedy of all ages. Even in the Hebrew Scriptures we recall, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8-9). These Scriptures are just as valid today as they were in the time of Isaiah, Christ, and Paul.
The law ended with Christ (Colossians 2:14-17). With the death of Christ, the law was nailed to the cross and this put to an end seeking to attain salvation by meritorious works. Salvation is in Christ (Acts 4:12). The means of attaining this salvation is by the faith that obeys. Any substitution of human philosophy and "wisdom" for what God says is soul damning. Yet every generation has those who think they are wiser than Jehovah. They aren't.
Why is the subject regarding women preachers such an easy one to understand? My friend Brad Harrub in his column several weeks ago summarizes the subject in a brilliant fashion when he states, "I strongly encourage you to go back and read 1 Timothy 2:11-14. Pay close attention to WHY women are instructed to remain silent in worship. 'Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.' In case you missed it, verse 13 starts off with the word "For" and tells WHY. "For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." Guess what... Adam being deceived was NOT "cultural." Your cultural argument is illogical and shows you are not able to read Scripture in context. Adam being formed first was not "a sign of the times back then." Yes, our culture has changed, and feminism is reigning in America--but cultural changes and attacks from Satan do not change God's Word. Period. Never have, never will."
Amen.