Originally Posted by Sister Alvear
(Post 858539)
And so with the women, in fact nor "to usurp authority over the man" does occur in the original. But even so, it is no problem either way because usurp meant "to take someone else’s power, position, job when you do not have the right to." I do not believe any godly woman tries to do this.
I Corinthians 14 and I Timothy contain no reference to women sent out to preach the gospel by the call of God’s Spirit. Let us continue to study what law Paul was citing from.
The very reason the Holy Ghost was given was to equip us with power to be witnesses. In Acts 2 when the Holy Ghost fell from heaven the very first time, it fell upon both men and women (Acts 1:14-15).
If women were to be in silence in the church as some say, then they could not receive the Holy Ghost. For one must speak in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. So in Acts 2, we have both men and women speaking in tongues. Paul could not have been quoting from Biblical Law in First Corinthians 14:34.
Some will say if the apostle quoted it, he endorsed it. Paul quoted not to endorse it, but to rebuke it, to reject it, to deny its authority on a Biblical basis. It was not a command to the church and not a law to be obeyed by Christian women.
Notice what he said in verses 35 and 36. This is the language of Judaizers at Corinth. Paul answered back in the words; "What? Came the word of God out from you? Or came it unto you only?" In other words, I did not teach you this. What I write are commandments (NOT THE TALMUD). Paul taught that a woman could pray out loud, could prophecy, and could preach.
We must comprehend the background of the New Testament Church that was mixed with Jews and Gentiles. Even the converted Jews still observed the Talmud. They believed it was inspired scripture and fought against Paul. The greatest battle of Paul’s ministry was fighting against the Judaizers. They were "a thorn in the flesh" to Paul. He fought against them in every church established. This doctrine had come into the Corinth church and they were teaching something Paul had not taught them. For this reason, he said the word of God came not out from you but to you. In others words, I don’t bring this doctrine.
We must understand the problems at Corinth concerning the Talmud that Paul was trying to solve. The Jews continued believing the Talmud and still believe in it today! But the Talmud was not inspired, not in the days of Paul nor in our day; and never was! It was purely a commentary on what they thought the Torah said.
These attitudes from Judaism passed into Christianity. On other occasions, these Judaizers questioned Paul’s right to be an apostle. They said only the twelve were apostles; Paul was not included. They also did not like Paul’s stand on women preachers (I Corinthians 9:1-6).
Paul had to defend his right to be an apostle. They were teaching things Moses did not teach. I Corinthians 9:1-3 and I Corinthians 5:9, show it was a letter. Remember Paul withstood Peter on occasion because Peter wanted to put women back under the law. In I Corinthians 15, Paul gave a list to prove the resurrection of Jesus. In the list, he did not mention a woman. Why? He could not; their feelings were so strong against that in the church at Corinth, and so implanted in them were the laws of the Talmud, he could not mention a woman.
What a shame when it was the women who first discovered that Christ had risen. It was to the women that Jesus had said, "Go and tell that I have risen."
No matter how good a preacher you are you are only repeating a story that Jesus told the women to tell. For if it would not have been for His resurrection, His victory over death, hell, and the grave, we could not be where we are today. That is the core of the gospel. So put your guns aside, beat your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks, and let’s get on with evangelizing the world.
Do not be guilty of setting yourself up as God - deciding whose mouth to open or close. Don’t let the resurrection message that we must carry to the Four Corners of the world get diluted with sour feelings over who takes the message to the lost.
While preachers spend enormous energy debating and deciding who will be the one to carry the gospel, the devil laughs and continues working full speed ahead toward his purpose, and if we are not careful, we’ll help him do it!
Why crush the tongue that could tell a liberating message to captives? Do you realize God’s people that is, God’s messengers carry the only light left for this dark, sinful world? Why try to snuff out a part of it?
We have the only lasting hope, the only real miracle, the only eternal promise, and yet some of our methods resemble India’s Castle System.
It was the Pharisees that always stood on their feet. They muttered and ground that truth belonged to them only and they only had a right to spread it. They pulled their long self-righteous, cloaks around them and condemned the innocent. But did you notice Jesus never condemned - except those that condemned?
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