Women in the Ministry? What does the Bible Say?
Part 1 of 2. By Dr. Russell K. Tardo.
A Modern Phenomenon.

In the past century America has witnessed the emergence of women to various positions of prominence and authority. It is no longer unusual to find women serving in the fire department, carrying a gun as a police officer, or sitting behind a desk as a judge in a courtroom. Women serve in every branch of the military and even in local and national political office. This emergence of women to various positions of authority has not been confined to the secular realm, but has penetrated into the religious world as well.

Many churches now have women serving in a broad diversity of ministry offices, from deacon to pastor, and several denominations commonly ordain women as pastors, priests, or ministers. Even those churches which function with the traditional male pastor, now frequently designate their wives as “co-pastor.” Additionally, some women have become traveling evangelists, dragging their husbands and children along with them as they hold conferences and seminars, teach from behind church pulpits, and over their own regular radio and television programs.
While these practices are now commonplace and widely accepted in our society, the big question is, are they scriptural?

Is It Scriptural for Women to Serve in Ministry Offices?
Our answer must come from the Holy Scriptures. The Christian holds the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God, so our beliefs and practices must not contradict its clear instruction. The Word of God alone must be the basis for our faith and practice. For us to answer this question by mere logic, humanistic reasoning, philosophy or popular opinion would be to depart from the Christian standard.

What Does the Bible Say?
After careful study and sincere examination of the scriptures dealing with this subject we make the following observations and come to this conclusion.

1. WOMEN DO NOT SCRIPTURALLY QUALIFY FOR MINISTRY OFFICES.
The Scriptures reveal that five ministry gifts and offices were given by Christ to the church.
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers” (Eph. 4:11).
These offices are often referred to as the “five-fold ministry” since they are five in number. They are the ministry offices of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher. They were given by Christ to the church…

“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).
Though a woman might attend Bible school or seminary, earn a degree and be licensed, appointed, certified or ordained to the ministry, still she does not qualify for these ministry offices scripturally.

The Original Language Speaks More Clearly
Absolutely fundamental to Koine Greek (the original language of the New Testament) is its system of agreement between nouns and their modifiers. Nouns in Greek can only be masculine, feminine, or neuter, and the articles which precede and modify them must agree in gender. In fact, at times the article will actually help determine the gender of the noun it modifies. It is, therefore, very significant that in each of the five-fold ministry offices listed in Ephesians 4:11, the Greek nouns and the articles that modify them are all in the masculine gender. This fact alone furnishes us with enough authority to state unequivocally, that these offices were intended by God to be occupied by men only.

Scriptural Qualifications
In 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Paul sets forth the qualifications God gave for the ministry office of a bishop or pastor (certainly these qualifications would apply to every five-fold ministry office). Notice the words in all capital letters in this passage emphasizing who God qualifies for ministry office.
“This is a true saying, if a MAN desire the office of a bishop, HE desireth a good
work.
A bishop then must be blameless, the HUSBAND of one wife, vigilant, sober, of
good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
One that ruleth well HIS own house, having HIS children in subjection with all gravity;
For if a MAN know not how to rule HIS own house, how shall HE take care of the church of God?
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride HE fall into the condemnation of the
devil.
Moreover HE must have a good report of them which are without; lest HE fall into
reproach and the snare of the devil.”
In no uncertain terms, God declares in the Bible that ministry office can be held only by a man! Also, note the masculine pronouns used over and over…”HE” and “HIS.” Honesty demands that we not inject “or she/her” into the sacred text.
Women simply do not qualify.
Furthermore, HE must be THE HUSBAND of one wife. (The Bible does not imply or inject, “or the wife of one husband.”) Obviously, only a man can be a husband, and what should thus be equally obvious is that only a man can meet God’s qualifications for ministry offices.

God Does Not Discriminate
God does not, here or elsewhere, treat women unfairly, or as though they were not equals to men. Men are not superior to women; women are not inferior to men. But while God does not discriminate against women, He did make them different, plainly revealing that He intended them to function in different roles and with different responsibilities. God created two separate and distinct sexes (equal, but separate and distinct).
“Male and female created He them” (Gen. 1:27).
Obviously, He intended that they function in two separate and distinct roles.

More Scriptural Qualifications
Titus 1:5-9 also sets forth God’s qualifications for ministry office:
“For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
If any be blameless, the HUSBAND of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;
But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
Holding fast the faithful word as HE hath been taught, that HE may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”
Again, we note the emphasis on the MASCULINE. Just as in 1 Timothy, the one holding ministry office is to be a man, “the husband of one wife” (not the wife of one husband). This is not to suggest that a minister has to be married, but rather the emphasis is on the fact that he was married only once (i.e., not one who has been divorced). Also, we see the same usage of the masculine pronouns.
These Scriptures can only bring us to one conclusion: women simply do not qualify to hold a five-fold ministry office. Honest hermeneutics will allow no other interpretation!

2. WOMEN IN FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY IS A MODERN PHENOMENON, WITHOUT BIBLICAL PRECEDENT OR HISTORIC WARRANT.

No New Testament Basis
a. There are no examples of women serving in five-fold ministry offices in the entire New Testament. Multitudes of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are mentioned and named in the New Testament. None were women.
b. Jesus ordained twelve apostles to function in ministry. None were women! Certainly if Jesus intended for us to ordain women to ministry offices He would have set the example by ordaining at least one woman apostle! In fact, the Bible mentions more than twelve apostles! God also ordained as apostles James (the Lord’s brother) (Gal. 1:19), Paul (Rom. 1:1), probably Barnabas (1 Cor. 9:1-6; Gal. 2:9; cf. Acts 14:4,14), and several others (Rom. 16:7). None were women.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that women were among the 70 that Jesus sent out in ministry (Lu. 10:1,17). Thus in the entire New Testament there is not one single example of a woman serving in five-fold ministry! If we sincerely were to follow the
example of Christ, the pattern and practices of the early church, and the instructions of the New Testament, we would not ordain women into ministry office!

No Examples in Church History
Early church history lends no support to the modern views of qualifying women for ministry office. Actually, in the almost 2,000 year history of the church women never served in ministry office until the last century. Again, we must conclude that ordaining women to five-fold ministry offices is a recent phenomenon, (actually arising only in this century out of Feminism), and is without scriptural precedent or historic basis.

3. WOMEN SERVING IN ANY FIVE-FOLD MINISTRY OFFICE IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN IN 1 TIMOTHY 2:11-12:
“Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

Here women are instructed to learn quietly in submission, and they are not permitted to teach men or to exercise authority over them. Other Bible translations make the sense of this prohibition even clearer:
“Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.
But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” (N.A.S.V.)
The Amplified version reads:
“Let a woman learn in quietness and entire submissiveness.
I allow no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to remain in quietness and keep silence (in religious assemblies).”
And the Living Bible says:
“Women should listen and learn quietly and humbly.
I never let women teach men or lord it over them. Let them be silent in your church meetings.”
Since any exercise of a five-fold ministry office is an exercise of spiritual authority (I Tim. 3:5; Heb. 13:7, 17), women simply are not permitted to exercise this authority over men. God designed in the order of His universe that woman was to be “an help meet” for the man, not an authoritative figure over the man (Gen. 2:18,20), and she is not the head of the man but he is to be her head (Eph. 5:22-24; I Cor. 11:3, 8-9).
Violating these clear injunctions from Scripture invariably leads to spiritual deterioration, chaos, and confusion within the church (or the home). Nothing functions properly when it is out of Biblical order.

Godly Women in the New Testament
There are many examples in the New Testament of godly women who evangelized unbelievers and encouraged believers, including men. Priscilla and her husband, Aquila, even explained proper doctrine to the preacher, Apollos (Acts 18:26), and the woman at the well in Samaria was largely responsible for the evangelization of her community due to her own personal testimony of Christ (John4:28-29, 39). However, these women did not function in any authoritative five-fold ministry office in the church, for such would have contradicted the scriptural principles of proper role relationships, and violated God’s prohibitions.
Amazingly, in spite the clarity of Paul’s instructions, some have argued that these verses do not constitute a prohibition of women ministries, but instead are a “cultural limitation”. They contend that this prohibition applied only to the unlearned women in a particular city and time, who were unqualified to teach due to their lack of education and the prevalent cultural sense of propriety that existed at that time.
However, the context of the verses clearly reveals that such was not the case.
Paul’s prohibition is linked not to custom or culture, but to the very order of creation!
Continuing from Paul’s prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:11-12, verse 13 explains why
the woman is forbidden to teach or hold an authoritative position over men: “For (because) Adam was first formed, then Eve.”
The prohibition is because God did not design for woman to be the head over man, but vice versa! God, in His divine scheme, never intended for women to function in roles He delegated to men. Though created equal, each sex was to function in the role God intended. It violated divine order for the women to usurp male authority in churches or homes. Is God unfair to women? Does this prohibition declare male superiority? Absolutely not! No one sex is more important than the other.

IS A KNIFE MORE IMPORTANT THAN A FORK?
No! Both are equally necessary, and we would be foolish to argue over which was more important or superior. Both are important and were fashioned to perform equally essential functions! However, neither can do as good a job as the other was made to perform. Did you ever try to eat spaghetti with a knife–or cut steak with a fork?
They don’t function well in those capacities because that is not the purpose for which they were designed! But when functioning in the roles for which they were intended both perform excellently!

The Same is True with Male and Female Roles
As it is with the order of man’s creation (knives and forks), so it is with God’s (men and women). Though this may not be a perfect analogy, yet it helps to make the point.
The Bible declares that women simply were not “formed” for the role of church leadership; they are, after all, the “weaker vessel” (I Peter 3:7). God created the male and female equal but different. Each was to function in the role and capacity for which God intended! For the woman to hold authority over the man, or for the man to submit to the woman, is to depart from divine order.

Paul’s Prohibition in I Timothy 2 Linked to the Fall
As we continue in the context, Paul links the prohibition (I Timothy 2:11-12) not to “culture” but to the nature of the fall!
“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Tim. 2:14).
Paul is not trying to lay the blame for the fall all on Eve (In fact, in Romans 5:12-ff he attributes the entrance of sin into the world directly to Adam and doesn’t even mention Eve.) But Paul could be suggesting here that woman, being the weaker vessel and more emotional, was more susceptible to deception than was the man. Paul states plainly that Adam wasn’t deceived in the garden. He knew what he was doing! He sinned with his eyes open! He was persuaded by the woman, but not deceived by her or the serpent (cf. Gen. 3:17).
Thus, to discard the Bible’s prohibition of women serving in five-fold ministry on the basis of “ancient culture” is to clearly disregard the entire meaning and context of the verse. This prohibition is valid in any age and in any culture! No other meaning could possibly be intended.

Yet Another Prohibition!
“In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matt.18:16).
God repeats Himself in order to get the point across!
“Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience (literally, to take a submissive, subordinate place) as also saith the law.
And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church” (I Cor. 14:34-35).
One may argue the point from logic, reason, philosophy or popular opinion, but the Bible is clear! Women are out of place in any ministry position that gives them authority over men. No woman can scripturally serve in a ministry that puts them behind a pulpit preaching to or teaching men.
Any church that allows a woman pastor, co-pastor, associate pastor, evangelist, preacher, or teacher of men, clearly violates these biblical injunctions, and does so to their own peril. It is no light thing to so wantonly disregard God’s own clear commands.

ANSWERING THE OBJECTIONS.
There are several passages of Scripture that objectors use in an attempt to justify their views allowing the ordination of women. We will mention the major objections here and refute them scripturally.

QUESTION 1: WHAT ABOUT GALATIANS 3:28?
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Doesn’t this passage declare the equality of women, and therefore justify their ordination into the ministry (as well as man’s)?

ANSWER:
Many people do quote this verse in an attempt to justify women serving in five-fold ministry offices. In an effort to justify their unscriptural practices and beliefs, they resort to lifting this verse entirely out of its context, twisting its intended meaning to fit their own purposes, and actually using it to contradict everything God says in the New Testament on the subject.

Take It in Its Context
The context declares the intended meaning of the verse which is justification by faith in Christ, irrespective of social status, sex, or nationality. Male and female, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, all have equal access to God and are heirs together of God’s gift of grace (cf. Eph. 3:6).
This verse teaches that all are equal in the sight of God. No one race, social status, or sex is superior. Gentiles are not inferior to Jews; the poor are not inferior to the rich, and; women are not inferior to men. Every believer has access by faith into the very same presence of God through the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:19), and all believers can equally receive the promise of the Holy Spirit and manifest spiritual gifts (Acts 1:13-14 with 2:1-4, 17; 1 Cor. 12:7; 14:26,31; cf. 1 Cor. 11:5). So all believers are equally children of God regardless of sex, race, or social status.
To be Continued.

Lord willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.