LESSON TWENTY
LEADERSHIP
by Steve and Terri
White
This study is not meant to be a
thorough treatise on the subject of leadership. It is, however, a good beginning. We
encourage you to study the scriptures in context, find out meanings of original words, and
read the additional resources recommended.
HIERARCHY?
"But Jesus called them to Himself and said,
‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great
exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to
become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among
you, let him be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’" (Matt. 20:25-28)
Ephesians 1:18-23 portrays
the powerful, eternal, victorious Christ whose headship over all things is a gift to the
church. In Ephesians 4:7-16, Christ’s headship defeats and takes our enemy captive,
bringing about our freedom. . . Just what did Jesus do to become the head of the church?
He sacrificed His own physical, earthly life for the church (Eph. 5:25). In other words,
Jesus submitted His life not only to the Father, but also to the church.
"Looking unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him [the church]
endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God. (Heb. 12:2)
". . . Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. . ." (I Peter 2:21)
Christ is over the church,
not because He placed himself over us, but because we placed ourselves under Him to become
believers. All the activity of Christ (our head) is to come under, to serve, to build, and
even to die for the church. In the world 'head' means boss. But in the Kingdom of God, the
'head' is a person who comes under others, serving and building, and being willing to die
for them – this is true submission.
Submitting to one another
in the fear of God (Eph. 5:21).
"Submission to Christ and to each other in the Body is not demanded, forced, or
involuntary. . . We need to remove the issues of power, control, and hierarchy from our
understanding of submission, and replace them with vulnerability, mutuality, trust,
respect, and volitional giving. Then we will begin to understand the meaning of surrender
through covenant submission to one another in Christ. Perhaps, too, we’ll begin to
grasp His submission to God and to us through the cross.
"There is absolutely nothing resembling hierarchy,
power, or control exemplified by the broken, naked Christ of the cross. This totally voluntary mutual submission of one to another is likened in Ephesians 5:21-33 to the mutually
submitted covenant relationship of husband and wife. This series of verses defines
mutuality; however, it is so often incorrectly used by church people to promote the error
of hierarchy. This error is then compounded in applying it to both marriages and church
leadership.
"Hierarchy has no place at all in a covenant
relationship in the body or our marriages. In fact, in Ephesians 5:32 the writer in reference to the
marriage relationship says specifically, ‘This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and
the church.’ We struggle so to
grasp the importance of the fact that the Church was born, created, and emerged out of
Christ’s total act of surrender for us on the cross." (Where Two or Three Are
Gathered, by Ruth & David Williams)
THE BODY OF CHRIST – A
LIVING ORGANISM
Ephesians 4; I Corinthians 12
& 14; Romans 12
The Church is alive. Paul
likened it to a physical body. A body is composed of many parts, and if each part
functions correctly, the body is healthy. The head is Christ – the brain that sends
forth messages to the rest of the body. I Corinthians 12 says that no one member (part) is
more important than any other member. When each part does its 'job', then the whole body
is strengthened and matured (Eph.4:11-16). Likewise, if certain members of the body are
hindered from functioning, then the whole body suffers and becomes handicapped. A healthy body, then, depends on each part
cooperating with the brain and with the rest of the body (i.e., mutual submission).
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PRIESTHOOD OF ALL
BELIEVERS
I
Peter 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6
The Sinai Covenant instituted
the professional clergy into the Hebrew faith. Up until then, each person walked before
God without a mediator. In the New Covenant Jesus brought us back to the Garden (to His
original intentions for mankind) -- each person walking in mutual submission to each other
and to God. This is agape lived out in its fullest expression as koinonia. No one 'lorded' over the other before the Fall; the man
and the woman simply fulfilled their responsibilities (i.e., each part functioning
correctly). As such, the man and woman represented a true picture of the Lord God.
"For there must also
be heresies among you so that the truth is brought out into the open and confirmed." (I
Cor. 11:19, our paraphrase) This and other
scriptures indicate that heresies were prevalent in the early church. Paul considered that
such problems would only illuminate the truth that much more, and he trusted the Holy
Ghost to keep true believers. With the passing of the first century church, however, the
'church fathers' began trusting on the arm of flesh. (Their approach was nearly identical
to what the Jews did after returning from Babylonian captivity, forming 'fence laws'
– traditions to keep the people from falling into error.) A system of hierarchical
leadership was gradually established that was patterned after the secular Roman government
to maintain control. (Hierarchy means chain of command or organized by rank.) Hence, we
have a pope, priests, bishops, etc. – all professionally paid positions. A clergy was
in place with a great gulf between them and the new class of Christians called
'laity'. This system produced a passive, spectator church, one that depended on
the clergy to do all the functioning in the body. The church began looking more like a
modern corporation, complete with a CEO, vice-presidents, and management. In order to
maintain this system, it was, of course, necessary to make sure that the laity financially
funded it. With hierarchical leadership monopolizing all the functions of the Body of
Christ, the church became grotesquely handicapped and impotent – losing its
reflection of Christ. (Church Without Walls, by Jim Petersen)
When Martin Luther came
along, he saw that each believer is not to be a passive spectator, but a vibrant,
functioning holy priesthood (I
Peter 2:5). Each believer is a part of the Body of
Christ with gifts to be exercised (I Cor. 12 & 14). When each part (believer) exercises his
gifts, the body
is built up and healthy (Eph. 4:15,16). Unfortunately, his proclamation was never implemented by the
church. For sure, we quote the scriptures, but we do not practice them. The Protestant
Reformation may have put the Bible into the hands of each believer, but hierarchical
leadership has remained. Roman Catholicism has its pope, priests, and bishops, but
Protestants have their pastors, deacons, and trustee boards.
It is difficult to read our
Bibles without looking through the lenses of tradition. We think a certain way, and,
therefore, interpret scriptures from a certain perspective. We are all guilty, even Bible
translators. It is beneficial to put aside our favorite Bible that is underlined and
filled with notes and read a Bible from a different translation. It helps to get us out of
a rut. With new Bible in hand, read Acts and the letters afresh. Notice that no letters
(except Philippians) are addressed to leaders. When the Corinthian church was in a mess,
Paul appealed to the brothers and sisters, not to leaders. It is not even clear that every
church even had leaders! What we do see, though, is leadership that is based on 'function' instead of 'position'.
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FUNCTION NOT POSITION
Acts 13:1-3; 14:23; 20:17,28;
Eph. 4:11-16; I Peter 5:1-5; I Tim. 3:1-13; 5:17; Titus 1:5-9; I
Thess. 5:12,13; Heb.
13:7,17,24
It is so easy to read over
words without really understanding their meaning. To complicate matters,
some biblical terms are transliterations that have no meaning to us. (i.e., Instead of the
translator giving the meaning of the Greek word [translation], he may just exchange the
Greek letters in a word for the English letters [transliteration]. Some examples are:
apostle, prophet, evangelist, baptism, deacon, and angel). As stated above, we also read
from our own cultural understanding, often missing the original intentions of the writer.
With this in mind, let’s focus on some definitions of common leadership terms used in
our Bibles:
-
Elder --describes the kind of person, his character,
someone who is mature ( it does not define any functions or responsibilities)
-
Bishop --overseer, watch over, attending to the big
picture of the church’s life ('bishop' is a term borrowed from the secular, Roman
government)
-
Pastor --shepherd (only translated as 'pastor' once in
Ephesians 4:11, all other times it is translated as shepherd)
-
Deacon --servant (used to describe Jesus, Paul, Timothy,
etc., Matt.20:28; Phil. 1:1; Acts 19:22; I Tim. 4:6; Phlm. 13)
To aid in understanding, we
will not use the terms bishop and pastor, but will instead use overseer and shepherd. Both
terms are interchangeable (Acts 20:17,28). While elder describes the
kind of person (one who is mature), overseer and shepherd define the
responsibilities (i.e., how they function in the body). Deacon, on the other hand, can be
used to describe any believer, for we are all servants.
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DEACON (Greek:
diakones)
The word deacon is a
transliteration; fortunately, some modern translations are choosing to translate the Greek
word as minister or servant. There are
noun and verb forms, both emphasizing servanthood. Its use is broad, indicating that a
deacon is not one particular position, but a word that describes virtually everyone in the
body of Christ – including the head, Jesus Christ.
I Tim. 3:8-13 can be
confusing without understanding the original language. The passage is not listing
qualifications for deacons, but rather describing the qualities found in one with a
servant’s heart. The KJV translates the Greek word diakones into
"office of deacon" or "used in office of deacon." The NKJV says
"serve as deacons." Neither is correct. The words "office of",
"used in office of", and "serve as" are not in the original
language. The only Greek word used is diakones, meaning servant or serve, depending on whether it is a verb or noun form.
(These added phrases remind us that translators are imperfect and can/do interject their
doctrinal perspective.) A more meaningful translation might go as follows: "The same qualities found in those who oversee
the local body are expected in servants. . . These same qualities are also to be found in
women who serve. . .Let those husbands and wives who serve together be as one [unity,
koinonia], managing their homes and training their children well." (I Tim. 3:8-13, our paraphrase)
The Greek word gune
means woman or wife; the translator must be careful to choose the correct word that fits
the context of the passage. "Their wives" is often chosen as the proper
translation for verse 11; however, "their" is not in the original Greek. Because
of that, addressing the women who serve seems more appropriate.
With Jesus, Paul, Timothy,
and numerous other persons referring to themselves as diakones, the only conclusion
we can come to is that everyone in the body of Christ is a servant or deacon.
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ELDERS-OVERSEERS-SHEPHERDS
Just as the above passage is
a description of qualities to be found in servants, so Titus 1 and I Timothy 3 are
descriptions of qualities found in elders, overseers, and shepherds, not a list of qualifications. And again, the words "office
of" or "position of" are not found in the Greek. A walk through Acts and
the letters gives the impression that elders, overseers, and shepherds are not positions
to be filled. They are, rather, functions in the body just like a host of other functions.
In other words, when someone functioned as an overseer, the local body did not call him
'Overseer Jones'; and when he moved to another city, the local church did not have a
'position' to fill in his absence. Instead, the believers simply noticed that Mr. Jones functioned as an overseer,
"Oh, his function in the body must be overseeing the local body because that is what
he is doing." Just as someone who had the gift or function of hospitality
would be recognized by how he or she functioned, rather than by their title or position. I
Corinthians 12 talks about the members of the body and how each part is important to the
proper functioning of the whole body. The emphasis in this passage is that one part is not
more important than any other part. What
we see in regards to leadership, then, is a more passive role -- one that functions when
needed instead of monopolizing and making all the decisions for the local body. When every
member is functioning, then those whose responsibility is to shepherd/oversee can do so
without overshadowing the whole local church.
So how would one oversee or
shepherd in this context? In Acts 20:17,28 and I Peter 5:1-5 Paul and Peter use the words elder, overseer, and shepherd
interchangeably. They imply that a
shepherd/overseer is an elder (one who is older and more mature) that protects the local
church and is an example to the other believers. Titus 1:9 also mentions that an overseer
may need to exhort those who oppose truth. There is never any indication that one who
functions in this capacity is 'in charge' of the local church. It should
also be noted that functioning in this gifting is not confined to ‘meetings.’
In fact, if there are no meetings, there is still shepherding.
What about the scriptures
that tell us to obey those who rule over us? Hall Miller in Going to the Root
(pp.
64-65) shares this: "Biblical translators (with their own assumptions about church
authority) often mistranslate the Greek into authority-oriented English language. For
example, I Timothy 5:17 [and Hebrews 13:7,17,24] are often translated to indicate that
elders 'direct' or 'rule over' the church. However, a more accurate
translation has elders taking the lead
in caring for (proistemi) [leading by example] the church. This emphasizes a more serving, nurturing role of elders.
"Similarly, I
Thessalonians 5:12 is often translated that Christians should "respect" church
leaders. A more accurate translation, however, is simply that we should know or recognize (oida) church leaders. . . What we
don’t find in the New Testament, then, is a model of leadership that is hierarchical,
authoritarian, or focused on filling offices. What we do find is a very organic, bottom-up model of leadership. In a church, over time, certain church members
exhibit mature Christian character and come to be known as trustworthy people (I Tim. 3
& Titus 1). When they speak, because others know they are virtuous, truthful people,
the Body finds them uncommonly persuasive and readily trusts them. [Note: In Hebrews 13:17
"Obey those who rule over you. .
", the obey means to trust,
be persuaded by, or listen to. A good
translation would be: "Be
persuaded by those who have earned the right to speak into your lives." They earn the right to speak into your life because
of the koinonia you experience with them and because of their maturity and trustworthiness.]
"When these people
become known as caring for the well-being of the church as a whole, they should be
recognized and appreciated as people who pastor [shepherd] and oversee the church (I
Thess. 5:12; Heb. 13:7). Some churches might formally designate them elders. Others might
not."
DIDN'T PAUL APPOINT ELDERS IN
EVERY CITY?
Acts14:23 states that Paul
appointed elders in every church [in Galatia]. In context with the whole of scripture and
the original language, however, Paul is simply recognizing or confirming what God had already done in his absence. He was not choosing; it was evident by the
maturity of the believer and the manner in which the believer functioned that he was
already chosen by the Holy Ghost. It is interesting to note that the only letter addressed
to leadership is Philippians (which is first addressed to saints), and this letter was
written ten or twelve years after the church was planted. All the other letters written to
the local churches are addressed to the believers – even Galatians and Corinthians,
churches with serious difficulties. When dealing with problems, Paul instructs the
brothers and sisters, not the leaders, on how to correct their them. There is not even any
evidence that all the churches had leaders. In many of the churches leaders did not
surface until the local church was ten or fifteen years old. The wonderfully, healthy
aspect of leadership slowly rising from within the body of believers is that every elder is known first as a brother in the
context of koinonia. Their strengths
and weaknesses are well known, their sincere care for the body is evident, and their faith
has been proven over a period of years. Should an elder become domineering, the local body
would put him in his place immediately. No one monopolizes the body; every member functions so that the whole body is strengthened and
matured.
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MOBILE MINISTRY
"It was He who gave
some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
shepherd-teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the
Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and
there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their
deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up
into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole Body, joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part
does its work." (Ephesians 4:11-16)
This marvelous passage states
that the gifts not only prepare God’s people to function in
their individual places in the Body, but also bring maturity to the believers. Thus, the
Body of Christ as a whole is strengthened and encouraged by the mature, functioning
individual parts.
We call these gifts to the
Body of Christ the mobile ministry. The Book of Acts and the letters indicate that these gifts were not resident in
one local fellowship, but rather reveal that they traveled throughout the Christian
communities. From experience and from the scriptures, it is clear to us that when a mobile
ministry stays permanently in one local assembly, growth within the body is stunted. It is
like one large tree overshadowing all the others, and the other trees are
spindly runts.
When a mobile ministry speaks life
into a local fellowship and then leaves
(as Paul and the others in Acts did), they trust the Holy Spirit to keep the believers in
their absence. Later, the mobile ministry returns to check on the church, to share more,
and then leaves again. This is a process that breeds maturity. The length of time that a
mobile ministry stayed in one place varied in the scriptures, from a few weeks to as long
as two years. It is up to the mobile ministry to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in
determining the length of their stay.
It is not clear from scripture that each
person functioned in only one of these ‘mobile ministry gifts’.
Looking at Acts, it seems that they exercised whatever gift that was
needed for the task. Let’s examine Acts 16, as an example:
-
v. 9: Paul, Silas, Timothy, Luke,
and possibly others (see Acts 20:4) were sent
to Macedonia (apostles).
-
v. 13, 29-24: The "team"
shared the gospel with the women who met by the river (evangelists).
-
v. 15: Luke and Timothy (and
others?) stayed at Lydia’s while Paul and Silas were in jail. During
that time, we can rightfully assume that they were
shepherding, teaching, and evangelizing
(v.40).
-
v. 40: Paul and Silas return to
Lydia’s home and encouraged the believers before departing (shepherding,
teaching).
-
It is also possible that the gift of
the prophet functioned during this time.
From this passage we can see that the
mobile ministry functioned according to the needs of this situation in
Philippi, and that no one person in the team monopolized the ministry or
functioned in only one gift. Note also that Timothy was being ‘apprenticed’
by Paul and the others.
Mobile
Ministry: Arriving and Departing
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PAID POSITIONS?
In all the familiar passages
concerning financing ministry, there is no evidence of paid, professional ministers. Paul,
in I Corinthians 9, claimed he had the right as an apostle to receive financial
assistance, which he did, but occasionally he chose to earn his living wherever he
traveled. It’s important to realize that I Cor. 9 is not talking about paying local
elders, but about providing traveling expenses for the mobile ministry. In Matt. 10 and
Luke 9 Jesus sent out his disciples and told them not to take any money because "the worker is worthy of his keep." Jesus was sending out mobile ministries; the
disciples were not functioning as "fixed" ministries within local synagogues
(the New Testament church had not yet been birthed). In fact, it is doubtful that they
even entered the synagogues for ministry.
There are two other passages
that hint at paying local elders (Gal. 6:6 and I Tim. 5:17,18), but they are not
conclusive and there are no other scriptural examples to support a local, paid staff.
"In I Timothy 5:17, the common Greek word for "payment" is misthos,
but this is not the word Paul uses to describe what the elders deserve – even though
he does use misthos in verse 18. Nor does Paul use any of the other [Greek]
available words for "money" (argurion, chrema, chalkos, kerma, nomisma).
Instead, Paul only claims that these elders are worthy of double honor (Greek: time).
This means exactly what it says: social esteem. Thus, were it not for the qualification of
verse 18, no one would have ever thought to interpret this as evidence for paid church
ministry. Nonetheless, it is likely Paul had some form of monetary payment in mind [due to
his inclusion of verse 18]" (Going to the Root, by Christian Smith, p.
46). This, however, is simply an act of common sense – if an elder is laboring in the
word of God, then share some physical provision with him. Perhaps the best we can suggest
is that sometimes the local believers shared some of their material blessings with a local
elder out of gratitude.
Offerings where taken to help
the poor and to help the mobile ministry travel from one place to another, but outside of
those examples, we can find nothing to justify a local assembly paying a local elder to be
a full time shepherd/overseer. In conclusion, it is worth noting that Paul never used the
Levitical priesthood as a shadow of New Testament leadership. (Note: the Levitical
priesthood was the tribe of Levi set apart as the paid, professional "clergy"
during the Sinai Covenant. See Lesson 7, Sinai Covenant Part 2.)
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WHAT ABOUT
WOMEN?
We believe that since the
married couple is one,
that their function in the body is one, also. The husband and wife may operate
differently according to their individual giftings, but the call (function) is the
same. Paul refers to several female "co-workers" in Acts and the letters
that function in the 'mobile ministry'. Nothing indicates their marital
status. Since scripture teaches that there is neither male nor female in the Lord,
we have no reason to exclude women
from functioning in leadership,
whether married or single. When we understand (as we have taught in this lesson) that
leadership is not about being the 'boss' and that hierarchy is not Biblical, then
whether leadership is male or female is not an issue. We are free to simply let
individuals and couples function in the Body of Christ. Below is a very revealing
study on the issue of women in the New Testament church:
I TIMOTHY 2:11-15
As the center of world
paganism, a female deity was worshiped, named Diana by the Romans. The cult taught female
superiority and domination of the male. It espoused a doctrine of feminine procreation,
which taught that this goddess was able to bring forth offspring without male involvement.
The cult was characterized by sexual perversion, fertility rites, endless myths, and
elaborate genealogies traced through female rather than male bloodlines. Magic and all
manner of demonic activity flourished.
The Jewish gnostics (meaning
'knowledge') were the first century equivalents of our New Age movement. These
gnostics combined the teachings of the Old Testament with paganism. One example is their
version of the Genesis 3 account of Adam and Eve in which Eve was the 'illuninator' of
mankind because she was the first to receive the 'true knowledge' from the serpent, who
gnostics saw as the 'savior' and revealer of truth. They claim that Eve taught this new
revelation to Adam, that she was the progenitor of the human race, and that Adam was her
son rather than her husband. This belief reflected the gnostic doctrine that a female
deity could being forth children without male involvement.
Because these gnostic
teachings infiltrated the church, Paul encouraged Timothy to confront the problem of false
doctrines head-on. He told him to forbid certain people from peddling their false
teachings in the Body of Christ and to admonish others to turn away from myths and endless
genealogies. He also told him to: oppose those who spoke falsely of the living God; warn
people about the doctrines of demons; avoid stupid, senseless controversies; and have
nothing to do with old wives’ tales such as the corrupted story of Adam and Eve. He
urged Timothy to use the scriptures for sound teaching, reproof, correction, and training
righteousness. (I Tim. 1:3,4; 4:7,16; 5:13; II Tim. 2:16, 23-26; 3:6-9,16; 4:2-4,)
What we can surmise from this
background information and the admonitions to Timothy is that women were teaching this
false doctrine. In light of this, a closer look at the II Timothy 2 passage is very
revealing. However, an understanding of some original language and Greek grammar is
essential before we can proceed.
The word translated as authority is the Greek word
authentein, and its meaning changed dramatically
over a period of 1,100 years. In 6th century B.C. classical literature, the
word meant "to initiate or be responsible for a murder." By 200 A.D. it meant
"to usurp authority." At the writing of this letter to Timothy (about 64 A.D.),
though, the most common meaning for authentein was to claim to be the originator of something.
The word that is translated silence (Greek,
hesuchia) also means harmony, peace, conformity, or agreement.
The phrase I do not permit is in the present tense. That being the case, a more accurate
rendering would be I am not presently
permitting/allowing.
With these in mind, a
translation of I Timothy 2:12 more in keeping with the social context and the original
language would be: "I am not
presently allowing a woman to teach or to proclaim herself the originator of man
[authentein], but to be in agreement [with sound teaching from the scriptures]." Paul was advocating that the women who had been
teaching this false doctrine not be allowed to teach for a season, while
they were being taught the truth from the Genesis account.
His statement that "Adam was formed first, then Eve" negates the doctrine of Eve as progenitor. And his
claim that "Adam was not
deceived, but the woman was and sinned" directly contradicts the notion that Eve was the 'illuminator'.
Otherwise v. 13,14 do not make any sense within the context of this passage.
I Timothy, along with
numerous other examples of women ministering in the Body of Christ, refutes the false
teaching that women cannot speak out/teach in the Body of Christ. While others may say
that a woman cannot teach 'at church' (gathering/meeting), but may in other
places, we must be aware that BELIEVERS ARE THE CHURCH. One cannot go to a building and
say you are 'in church' and then say that women cannot speak out. Since believers – the people – are the
church, there is no way to justify women not speaking, teaching, or prophesying in a
meeting.
"Women's Role in the Church" by Frank Viola (This excerpt is from an open letter
addressing the issue of women speaking in 'meetings'.)
The NT should never be handled as a manual of fragmented
doctrines and isolated teachings. The NT is a whole. It is essentially a story.
What is written in the letters of Paul and others is part of that story.
The story contains a consistent message. It is the message of
the New Covenant. This covenant is not an updating of the Old Covenant.
Contrary to common misunderstanding, it does not include a new set of
rules to replace the old set of rules.
The Old Covenant contained a set of rules by which men and
women were to live. It also drew sharp distinctions between people—granting
special privileges to certain ones. Some were worthy to be God’s people
(Jews). Others were not (Gentiles). Among those worthy, some were given the
honor of being nearest to God (the priests). Others were not (the people). Some
were given special ministerial functions (the high priest and priests). Others
were given smaller functions (the Levites). Still others were given virtually no
function at all (the congregation).
When Jesus Christ entered the scene, things radically
changed. Our Lord inaugurated a New Covenant which made the old one obsolete.
The New Covenant did away with rules. It did away with earthly distinctions. It
abolished special classes of people who possessed special privileges.
Under the New Covenant, the Law of God has been written on
the human heart in the Person of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit has come to indwell
all who call upon the Savior—including men and women. Including Jew and
Gentile. Including slaves and non-slaves. All earthy distinctions are
abolished by the New Covenant. All ministerial classes are wiped out. For to
possess the Spirit means to have access to God—no one excluded.
But more, possessing the Spirit means being granted the
privilege to minister . . . As Joel prophesied, "I
will pour out my Spirit on all flesh . . . and your sons [men] and your
daughters [women] shall prophesy . . . and upon the servants [male slaves] and
upon the handmaidens [female slaves] in those days will I pour out my
Spirit" (Joel 2:28-29).
Thus Galatians 3:28 is an unalterable reality of the New
Covenant: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor
free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This
passage summarizes Paul's understanding of the effect of the Gospel on cultural
givens like racism, slavery, and gender oppression. This passage is not
constricted to "salvation"; it holds social implications for everyone.
The New Covenant erases all social and class distinctions. And it has afforded
all to receive the Spirit and serve as priests in God’s house. That includes
women.
With that said, whatever the "limiting passages"
mean, they cannot in any way overturn the New Covenant. Neither can they
contradict the entire thrust of the NT. Hence, the idea that women are excluded
from speaking in God’s house [editor's note: God’s
house? WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit!] is a catastrophic breach of
the New Covenant. A covenant that has done away with earthy distinctions and
treats both men and women as effective co-priests in God’s kingdom.
The truth of the matter is that the "limiting
passages" are highly obscure. Anyone who asserts that they are clear and
direct are living in a fog of presumption and academic naivety. For one, such an
assertion reflects a benighted dismissal of texts like Acts 2:17, Galatians
3:28, 1 Corinthians 11:5, and 1 Corinthians 14:26,31.
Pick up any decent commentary. Look up the "limiting
passages." And you will discover the various ways these texts can be
interpreted due to the ambiguity of the language. The fact that competent
evangelical scholars disagree on the meaning of Paul’s word-usage in these
verses attests to their obscurity.
It is my opinion that we should always interpret the obscure
by the clear. And never interpret the clear by the obscure. When we interpret
the clear and consistent thrust of Scripture in light of one or two obscure
passages, we end up rupturing the core message of the Bible. And we are forced
to do all sorts of exegetical gymnastics to make the (many) clear passages fit
our interpretation of the (few) obscure texts. Therefore,
when an obscure passage seems to be at odds with the clear thrust of Scripture,
we must look very carefully at context.
--end Frank Viola
CONCLUSION
The early church lived in koinonia as the foundation
of their faith. Out of koinonia believers functioned within the community
of believers and among unbelievers. There was no sense of a hierarchy as was
common under the Law and in the pagan religions. Those who functioned as
elders - shepherds - overseers and in the mobile ministry simply did as the Holy
Spirit guided them without monopolizing the
community of faith.
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KING
SAUL AND KING CLERGY, by
Buff Scott, Jr.
It
was a sad day for Israel of old when they rejected God as King and
begged Samuel to appoint an earthly king that they might identify with
all the other nations. God gave them Saul, a man who was physically
impressive but irresponsible, immature, and who later proved to be
emotionally and mentally unstable. (He even hid among the baggage when
Samuel was ready to appoint him king.)
When
Saul's condition worsened, David was called in to soothe his erratic
spirit by playing upon his harp. But Saul's paranoia increased until he
felt threatened by David and, as a result, attempted to kill him.
Finally, Saul succumbed to self-destruction. God told Israel they would
regret their choice. "When
that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have
chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day"
(I Samuel 8:18).
Israel
was never the same again. The lesson is appropriate for our age. God
appointed His Son to reign over new Israel, the Christian community. But
like Israel of old, new Israel has rejected Jesus as her King and has
chosen other kings to rule over her. These 'kings' are labeled
Ministers, Pastors, Evangelists, Doctors, Reverends, and Pulpit
Preachers. In the aggregate they form the 'kingly clergy'.
God's
children today are not content with elders ('judges' under the Old
Covenant) to shepherd them (I Timothy 3:1-7, 5:17, & Titus 1:5-9).
They want 'kings' who can fight their battles, speak and make decisions
for them, go to God on their behalf, do their ministering by proxy, and
organize 'sacrificial offerings' (conduct 'church services'). Since that
day when the kingly clergy were chosen, new Israel has not been the
same. Since that day, her children have been in slavery. Will God send
prophets to free His children from 'Egyptian bondage' and to dethrone
the 'kings' who have made them 'brick-makers' and spiritual robots?
Surely He will! He always has.
It
is really and truly a matter of how we are to be edified or strengthened
in the faith. Deity's testimony says we are to mutually edify one
another (Rom. 14:19). We are told to "instruct
one another"
and to "teach
and admonish one another"
(Rom. 15:14 & Col. 3:16). Additionally, we are
told to "encourage
one another and build each other up"
(1 Thess. 5:11). In all of these passages, there is no hint of the solo
edifier or pulpit minister. Paul, in the Corinthian letter, clearly
paints a picture of believers mutually instructing one another (1 Cor.
14). The solo edifier or pulpit minister isn't even alluded to. His
function is conspicuous because of its absence!
The
professional clergy is the root of most of the problems within the
Christian community. I implore you to awaken to the truth that a fatal
disease called the 'kingly clergy' has attached itself to the body of
believers, and has devoured
most of its vital organs
in the form of natural and acquired talents, gifts, abilities, and
potentials, thus rendering the body feeble and afflicting it with
spiritual leukemia. --end
Buff Scott, Jr.
RECOMMENDED FOR FURTHER
STUDY:
We
Already Have a Shepherd
Peterson, Jim.
Church
Without Walls Navpress.
Smith, Christian.
Going
to the Root
Viola, Frank.
Who Is Your
Covering?
Present Testimony Ministries
Who Pastored the Early Church?
Williams, David and Ruth.
Where Two or
Three Are Gathered.
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