Men, Women and the Order of Creation

Transcript

GR 1260
12/14/2003
Men, Women and the Order of Creation
1 Timothy 2:13
Gil Rugh

We are talking about the Church of God as the family of God and how God expects His people, His family, to conduct themselves in the midst of a world that basically has rejected Him. And we are here as God's people to bring glory to Him. We have come to know Him through faith in His Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. It's the message concerning Christ which is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes. And so it is those who hear the message of Christ, the Savior, the one who died on the cross to pay the penalty for sins and was raised in victory, those who let go of everything else they're trusting and depending on to place their faith in Him are the ones that are cleansed from their sin and made new. And now they are to live bringing honor and glory to their Savior--and this happens by our obediently serving Him. We are to bring glory to God,and how do we do that? By our obedient submission. Is there any other way to bring glory to God but as we His people bow in obedience, desirous to do His will?

You know the Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. It's a controlling, shaping, consuming passion of our lives to bring glory to God in the most mundane and routine things. In whatever we eat, whatever we drink, we are to be focused upon Him and His glory.

You know Jesus Christ came to this earth not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. That's Matthew 20:28. We ought not to desire high and exalted positions and be concerned about our honor. That's the context Jesus is talking about in Matthew 20 when He has to tell His disciples, I came not to be served but to serve. That becomes a pattern for us as His people. Philippians 2 we are instructed, "Have this attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus." And what did He do? He humbled Himself to become obedient to His Father. Therefore His Father has highly exalted Him. We are instructed by Peter to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God that He might exalt us in due time.

This is crucial as we come to a passage like 1 Timothy 2. And sometimes confused in peoples minds as they think when you talk about different and distinct roles for men and women that you are putting someone down. That it is a derogatory and a demeaning attitude toward women. But it is just the opposite. We reach our greatest potential and our highest position when we bring glory to God in the fullest way, and we do that by our obedience and submission. It says I fulfill what God has called me to be as a man as His servant and a woman does as a woman as His servant. Now we receive the fullness of His blessing and have the most significant things accomplished in our lives.

I've been asked some questions about if I have anything local in mind as I talk about the role of women. And is there anything here in our own local church that I think needs adjusting? So I brought a list of things. No. I praise the Lord for what He has done in the life of this church. I praise the Lord that He has provided godly women. And as I look over the ministries of our church . . . We have Titus Tuesday that I mentioned are having a brunch. We have SISTERS that meet on Monday night as the more official groups of our church. We have the ongoing ministry of women in so many ways and so many areas of our church. And I think by God's grace that I would say that . . . I'm privileged as a pastor to say this church is an example of what godly women ought to be and ought to do and how they ought to conduct themselves. So it's a blessing for me to teach this Word, not because there is correction that needs to be made, but because I'm privileged to minister to people who are responsive to the Word. I appreciate the attitude expressed as people have asked me about these things as we are going through it. It's consistently been with an attitude, are there things we should change or address to be more biblical? I think if that's our constant attitude, it removes the tension from our lives and service together, doesn't it? Lord, I don't have anything to defend here, anything to fight for. I want to be submissive to Your truth. I want to be submissive to Your will and whatever adjustments that means for me, I'm willing to make them. So I appreciate that ongoing attitude.

I don't think people from the outside . . . You know they form opinions. Oh, that's the church that puts women down. Oh, that's the church that doesn't allow women to do anything and on it goes. And sometimes I hear those things for the amusement and the Lord bringing a little bit of joy to my heart just from the humor of some of the rumors that go around. But it's hard for people on the outside looking in to realize the blessing and joy there is in obediently serving the Lord and having the joy of Him working in and through our lives. Hard for them to appreciate the great impact that women have in the ministry here. We have a great group of men, godly men who serve effectively. And even there that's a testimony to godly women who are being faithful in the role God has given them. I think of Proverbs 31 where that diligent wife serves. Her husband sits in the gate and everybody knows that's a testimony to the godly wife he has. What more can I say? Praise the Lord for His work in our lives.

And so as we come to 1 Corinthians 2, we've been looking at what the woman is not allowed to do. She is not allowed to teach or be in authority over a man. You know some of the attitudes are they throw up their hands and say well, you can't do anything. Stop and think. How many men are teachers in this church? Right now gathered together as the Body, how many are teaching? One. . . . everybody else . . . Why go to church there, I mean. And then some of you were in our Bible fellowship hour where there were more teachers, but again the majority are not teachers. In fact, 1 Corinthians 12 when it talks about the gifts of the Spirit says not are all teachers. God has selected out a certain number with the teaching gifts, certain numbers with this gift, certain numbers with this gift, certain numbers with this gift. So we ought not to have the idea because we say that it's not God's design or purpose that women should be teaching or be in authority, oh there's nothing for them to do. I think the ladies of this ministry demonstrate that abundantly as they pour themselves in so many ways into the ministry of this Body so that it might glorify God.

Now he's given the instruction, now he's going to give the reason. I do not allow a woman to teach or be in authority over a man. She's to learn quietly. Why? Verse 13, "For it was Adam who was first created then Eve." They are not allowed to teach or be in authority. Let me make a note here. I touched on it last time. These things can be closely related but grammatically they are two separate things. They are not to teach nor be in authority. And as we noted in our study they are closely related and can become very closely related. When you teach you teach with authority. You are teaching the Word of God. But I don't want there to be any confusion. These are two distinct areas grammatically as they are set forth here, teaching and being in authority, the kinds of authority that would be exercised in the teaching of the Word of God. So that authority would be any time the Word of God is preached. But that is not the only area where authority would be exercised.

The reason women can't do this. It's not related to particular problems in the city of Ephesus. It's not related to the culture of the day. It's not related as some evangelicals have tried to conjure up that the real problem at Ephesus is the women were not educated. And so what we're really being told is uneducated women are not allowed to teach and so this is not applicable to us today because women have education. That's not what the Spirit of God says. How do people who call themselves evangelical, meaning they believe the Bible, come up with such twisted notions? Read it with me again. "For it was Adam who was created, then Eve." The preposition "for" gives the reason. "I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet for . . ." Here's the reason. "It was Adam who was first created, then Eve." He doesn't say because for the women are not trained. For the women in this culture can't do that. You know what he does? He goes back past all cultures of all time to the very beginning of human existence, and he says when God created man as male and female, it was clear that there would be equality before God but distinct roles for each to carry out.

The word "created" in verse 13. Adam was first created. Now before New Testament times the Jews translated the Old Testament into Greek from Hebrew. And that was the common Old Testament Bible of people of the time, and much of the New Testament draws from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And in the Greek translation of the Old Testament in Genesis 2 it is this word translated "created" here that is used in Genesis 2 of God creating or forming Adam out of the dust. And that draws our attention back to that account. Genesis 2 unfolds the details of creation.

Before we go there, back up to 1 Corinthians 11. Paul is again talking about the roles of men and women and in verse 3 he's talking about the fact that the man is in authority over the woman. The woman is submissive to the man. So in chapter 11 verse 3, "But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, the man is the head of a woman and God is the head of Christ. So there is order. Down to verse 8. Giving reasons here. "For a man does not originate from woman but woman from man. For indeed man was not created for the woman's sake but the woman for the man's sake." What I just want you to pick out of 1 Corinthians 11 is here again when Paul is going to talk about the role of a woman and the role of a man, he said it’s inseparably tied to what God did in creation. All of the discussion in so many commentaries trying to explain the culture of the day is just pumping as much smoke out to confuse the clear. Paul, under the inspiration of Scripture, says if you want to understand the role of woman today, the role of a man today, you have to go back to creation.

So let's go back to Genesis 1. You know, this was really not an issue in the evangelical church till 30 or 40 years ago. And all of a sudden people started seeing things in the Bible that no one had ever seen before. And you are aware that's about the time shortly after when the modern feminist movement arose and confusion was brought to our society, and that confusion has made its way into the church. Genesis 1 gives a summary overview of God's work of creation over 6 days. And then it climaxes in verse 26 with the creation of man. Note verse 26, "Then God said let us make man in our image according to our likeness." God didn't make man because He needed a friend. You note there is a plurality here. "Let us make man in our image according to our likeness." Because God has eternally existed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So He had fellowship. He could commune, manifest love and so on within Himself. One God but three persons. There is no other analogy. Every other analogy is flawed.

God is going to make man in the image of God. Verse 27, "God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them." I just want you to note here first of all that both man and woman, male and female, are created in the image of God. Now we are not talking about a spiritual inferiority. They are both created in the image of God. That's why we say there is spiritual equality. But that does not translate into sameness. There will be distinct roles assigned. One other thing while we're here I want you to note. Verse 26, "Let us make man in our image according to our likeness and let them rule." You note he moved to the plural because his intention . . . He's using the word "man" Adam to include both man and woman on this occasion. The same thing in verse 27. "God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them."

We live in a day where you have to have politically correct language. We don't speak of the chairman anymore. We speak of the chair person. We don't use man to refer to the human race because you know, that would exclude women. We now have translations of the Bible that are called gender neutral so that we take any reference of man, referring to i both men and women, out. But I want you to understand there is a foundation and background for this and it goes all the way back to as beginning we can get - Genesis 1. And when God talks about creating the human race, He says we are going to create man. That includes male and female. The reaction against male terminology comes out of an atom of opposition to God's divinely determined order of creation. And so men and women who have rejected God as their Creator and rejected the authority of the Word of God naturally fall into all kinds of other pitfalls that bring confusion to life. That's not our purpose of being here, but I did want you to note that man as a reference to the race is a biblically-founded terminology. And it's used that way in Scripture.

And the change today . . . I talked to a man who wrote a book on this subject that was published recently, defending gender neutral translations. And I said in all honesty you have to admit (he's an evangelical), your only motivation for doing this is the feminist movement. If it were not for that, you acknowledge the language is sufficient and clear. And he did agree. So now we determine how we will translate the Bible by where society and unbelieving people are moving. Men and women are made in the image of God, male and female both.

Come down to chapter 2. What happens--the chapter break occurs earlier then I would have put it. But nobody asked me. Verse 4 of chapter 2. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. The first three verses complete the six days by the seventh day. Now what happens with verse 4 we are going back. We've had an overview of those seven days. Let's go back and focus attention on the detail on one area of God's creation, the area which is most important and most significant - the creation of man. So Genesis 2 is not a different account of creation. Some try to play Genesis 1 against Genesis 2. And they say, see Genesis 1:26 and 28 there's equality, both the man and the woman are created in the image of God and Genesis 2-- that was written by someone else. Well if you believe in the inspiration of Scripture, that's not an issue.
Of course, it's clear. What we are going to do is go back now and give you the details of how God created man.

To set the context for the creation of man then in verse 7, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground. And this is man as male. And this is Adam. He breathed into His nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. Now you have a male. He's created in the image of God. I take it the image of God includes at least His personality. He's a personal being with emotion, intellect, will, self-consciousness, those things that enable us to relate and have a relationship with other personal beings, that enable us to have relationship with a personal God who made us in His image. Doesn't have to do with our physical form because God is a Spirit. He's not determined by physical appearance, but we are in His likeness.

Now He's a man and He places the man in the garden that He has created, the Garden of Eden, and that's where the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil is and man is not allowed to eat of that tree. He can eat of everything else but he cannot eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Down in verse 17. Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone." Now in chapter 1. I want you just to note the repeated expression. God does a work of creating and then He evaluates it. Verse 4 of Genesis 1, "God saw the light was good." Down the end of verse 10 in chapter 1, "God saw that it was good." The end of verse 12, "God saw that it was good." The end of verse 18, "God saw that it was good." The end of verse 21, "God saw that it was good." The end of verse 25, "God saw that it was good." Verse 31, "God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good. That includes man as male and female that was created on the sixth day. But now as we break down the creation for the first time in verse 18 of chapter 2, "Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone.''" The work of creating man was not done. When He just created the male it was not good. When God declares His creation good it means it's as He intended it to be for the accomplishing of His purposes. And when God created man and just created the male Adam, it was not good because Adam was not yet what God intended man to be and he could not accomplish the purposes for which God created man. Back in Genesis 1:28 what does God say to the man when He has created male and female? "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'" Adam could not do that.

So it was not good. So we are seeing the unfolding of the creation, and God intends for Adam to know that and to know something of his uniqueness. So God brings before Adam the animal creation in verse 19, verse 20. And Adam names them all. He's brilliant. He's the direct creation of God and not marred by sin. He is perfect. And yet there is no helper for Adam. Verse 20, "There's not a helper suitable for Him." Adam was far more intelligent than most people today who look at an ape that looks human in many ways. You know they would have been in Adam's place, they would have said yeah, they'll do. That's the helper I need. Look how much like me they are. Look how he puts his finger to his nose. Yeah. Yeah, that could be my helper. Adam knew there was no helper in the animal world. So now God causes a deep sleep to come upon Adam and God takes a rib out of Adam's side and fashions a woman. And note there a difference here. The order. First He created Adam. Then later He created Eve. He takes the woman out of the man. It's not a separate creation. The sovereign God could have taken another pile of dust and formed another man or could have formed the woman out of the dust. It was not His intention. So He formed the woman, brought her to the man and immediately he knows this is the one. Isn't it amazing? Scientists today can't tell the difference between a woman and an ape but Adam could. You watch these programs on some of these channels and they want to talk about our relatives here. They may be yours. They are not mine. And they won't do.

What's Adam say? Who's this? What's this? One of the animals I forgot to name. Ha ha ha! He knows. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman for she was taken out of man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Isn't it interesting? In marriage is the expression of how we began. Where did the woman come from? The male. She is part of him. She's bone of his bones, flesh of his flesh. It was one flesh and from it God's made two, male and female. You know what happens in marriage now?
We are joined back together in one. It's expressed in a sexual union but it's far more than the sexual union, the oneness that's there in the marriage relationship.

Now they can be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Now it is good. Back in Genesis 1:31, "God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good." Now man is as God intended him to be. Now He can fulfill the purposes for which God created him as male and female. Great truths here. Marriage relationship is established here. You know in Matthew 19 Jewish leaders came and tried to trap Christ. They wanted to ask Him a question, "Can a man divorce his wife for any cause at all." You know what Jesus said to those Jewish leaders, "Haven't you read the Scriptures?" What a dumb question! Have you never read . . . You know what He did? He quoted from Genesis 1:27, "In the beginning God created a male and female." And He followed that up with a quote from Genesis 2:24. He created a male and female, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother,be joined to his wife. They shall become one flesh. What God joined together let no man put asunder."

Now what is the problem. I think we are back to the same kind of issue today on the role of men and the role of women. We go back and read Genesis 1, Genesis 2, and say well, that's pretty clear. What is the problem? You know the problem with the Jews that were asking Christ that question? They didn't want to obey the truth. They didn't want to submit to what God had said. So they are looking for loopholes and they had created a lot, they thought. You know what Jesus said? God's purposes in creation settle it. There is no issue here.

When the New Testament deals with Genesis and particularly the opening chapters here where we are, Genesis 1, 2 and 3, it always takes them at face value - literally. We have so-called scholars writing commentaries now on Genesis supposedly promoting themselves as evangelicals. They are explaining to us the genre of creation literature. Which simply means, you know, creation literature, literature that is talking about creation is of its own unique kind. It is not intended to be taken literally. It's only poor uneducated people who try to take it literally. But you understand Jesus took it literally. He understood that God created a male and female and brought the woman to the man and said that establishes marriage for all time. Well, what about different cultures that have different practice in marriage and some practice polygamy and some . . . Let's go back to Genesis. Here's what God's plan is. That settles it. It's not culturally related. There is no culture at this point. We just finally got the first two people into existence. Whatever culture there is, there is. This whole idea of trying to limit or set aside the Word of God because, well that was culture, or that's what they did in that day. The Bible takes us back. Let's go to the beginning.

Now this has important ramifications for all our life. I want you to listen. I've selected quotes and I've always selected these from people who would basically take our view of this. There's two views I've mentioned to you. Egalitarians. They always have to give you long names to these things. Egalitarians believe that men and women are equal in every way, meaning the same. So they should do the same things, be free to do whatever. There's no distinction to be maintained in the role. The complementarian position is men and women complement one another. They are spiritual equals but they are different.
The woman was made to be a helper for the man. Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 11. The woman was made for the man, not the man for the woman. She is the one who complements him and completes him and makes him what God wants Him to be. These are writings from those who are complementarian and I think what happens, and I've referred to this before, people limit what the Bible says to a certain context. So they are trying to limit what the New Testament says to just the Church when it meets on Sunday morning. Let me read you some examples. One well-known evangelical, we carry his writings in our bookstore says, "A Christian woman may be," and he lists different professions and occupations. I don't want to read them because I don't want to get into-- is this acceptable for a woman or this one, but--his argument is basically a woman can do anything out in the world. A Christian woman may be any number of things in the world, "but when the Church assembles, men take the lead in teaching and governing the Church family. In this way the local church displays God's design for the sexes." Later in the book he says, "This explains why women are not to teach or exercise authority over a man. To do so, would contradict God's creation design for the sexes." Now you note here we have a non sequitur. He makes a statement and makes a second statement, but the second statement does not follow on the first statement. A Christian woman may do anything out in the world, but when the Church assembles then the Bible says she can't teach or be in authority because the local church has to display God's design for the sexes.

Now let me ask you, is it only in the local church that God's design for marriage is to be manifested? So really marriage is limited to churches? We say that wouldn't make any sense. No it wouldn't. I mean, can you have a sexual relationship with someone at work? I mean, you are not in the Church. I mean, why would Genesis 1 and 2 have to do with anything outside the church? I mean, we are talking about God's design for the sexes. We'd say it would make no sense. No, it won't.

And you see what we are doing with the role of men and women. Well, this is the role of men and women in the Church because the Church has to manifest the plan of God. Doesn't the child of God have to manifest the will of God in all he does? Of course the Church has to. This is the people of God. Oh good, when I get out of Church and go to work, then I can do whatever I want. No. You have to manifest God's creation design for the sexes whatever you do. Of course he addresses what the Church is to be like. In the Old Testament he addresses Israel. But the people of God are to be the people on the earth manifesting the will of God by living obedient to the Word of God. Now that doesn't mean it's only confined now when the Church assembles.

Another writer again who considers himself complementarian says, "Much misuse of Paul by Christians and maligning of Paul by nonChristians might be avoided if the primary horizon of Paul's admonition were recognized." If you really recognize why Paul was writing when he writes,"Women's offices and roles in church and (Christian) family as Paul and other biblical writers outlined them, ought not to be treated by the Church as automatically and necessary binding on society at large." In other words these instructions regarding the role of men and women and the family are not necessarily binding on society. "Though they may be commended as worthy of respect because grounded in the creation order." Now just what has this evangelical writer said? God gives recommendations. He says well, we wouldn't want to say this is binding on the world, but we might recommend them to the world because they are grounded in the creation order. You know what God says about sex outside of marriage. He says in Hebrews 13, "Let marriage be held in honor by all. In marriage the bed is undefiled. Adulterers and Fornicators God will judge." I want to tell you God's creation design for the sexes and for marriage is binding on all. Why do we have Christians upset about homosexuals marriages? If God's design for the creation order is not binding on creation, then so what, if two men marry or two women marry? I mean, that's only binding on the
Church.

You understand when Genesis 1, 2 and 3 were written, the Church was thousands of years away from coming into existence. The idea that this was written and now it only is focused in the Church. Of course, the Church is to manifest it. And we noted the Church--not just when we get here on Sunday morning, it's not only important for you to be moral and faithful to your husband and wife while you're here--that controls everything you do everywhere you go, right? Now of course it's true for the world. God is holding the world accountable for their rebellion against Him. But the point is not to try to get the world to conform to biblical conduct. The cry is to call the world to biblical repentance.

I'm concerned about this because we have developed another way of handling the Scripture so we don't have to obey it; because of course these instructions on the roles of men and women--that's only for the Church. That is for God's people, God's household. I have to be what God says I'm to be as a man no matter where I am no matter what I'm doing. A woman has the same responsibility in the role God has given her. Why? That is grounded in God's purpose for her in creation. It does not surprise me that fallen men and fallen women rebel against that, but we as the Church are to live it out. And the Church--not just as the church assembling here as they keep wanting to say you know-- when the Church assembles then these roles have to be carried out. Because they are grounded in God's creation order.

I just . . . I bet I read that a hundred times in the last few weeks. I say maybe I'm missing something. I even typed it out word for word. Then I underlined it. I said now . . . You know, sometimes your mind goes blank and you say, "There's got to be a logical connection here." This only applies to when the Church assembles because it's rooted in God's creation order. Now why does this only apply to the Church when it assembles when it's rooted in God's creation order. I don't think it comes together, folks. It doesn't follow. But since we put it in the biblical context, we think something profound is going to develop. Now I can work this out. So now a woman doesn't have to observe the role that is hers. And that's where the issue is. The issue isn't can men stay home and change diapers. The issue is can a woman be the president of a company. Can a woman be in authority over man. Can a woman.. .well, all I can say is look at the creation order. Now that the world is living in rebellion against that nobody argues. That's sin. Adulterers and fornicators God will judge. So we want to be careful we're manifesting that.

OK. Let me find out where I am. Let me say a word here and then we are going to wrap this up. The issue is not ability or desire when we talk about the role of a woman. I say this—it's not an issue . . . Well, what if a woman is such a good teacher? What if a woman would be a better boss than a man? Are you saying every man is a better teacher and every man is a better leader? Well, that's not the issue. You know, we have to be careful because we get ourselves boxed in by our own confused logic. I was reading the arguments over homosexual marriages. You know what some of the proponents were saying? In some homosexual relationships (two men together or two women together) they have created a more stable home, a more secure environment for a child than some heterosexual marriage relationships where the man and the women are not functioning as they . . . Well, I say, does that mean then OK . . . Well, at least some homosexual marriages must be all right because some of those relationships might be better and more effective than some heterosexual marriage relationships? Well, wait a minute. That doesn't have anything to do with it.

"The fact that some heterosexual marriages have been a disaster in many ways doesn't mean therefore that some homosexual marriages will be all right before God. You see the comparison? The fact that a woman might be able to get up here and preach better than me and be more interesting doesn't make it right for her to do it. People always ask well what about if the woman has the ability or has the desire. Would she have the desire if God hadn't put it there.? Well, isn't that ah . . .

Remember the song "You Light Up My Life?" "It can't be wrong. It feels so right." And for a while some were parrying that around as a Christian song. It can't be wrong. It feels so right. You know, I have to come and find out what's right in the Word. Well, why do I have this desire? Well, stifle it. It's not from God. There's a lot of people with that strong desire. Even believers--and I have to decide it's not biblical. So it's not well, they have a desire, therefore we ought to try to redo our theology to allow for it. I think they have the ability. And whatever abilities and gifts they have need to be channeled to be exercised in light of and in obedience to the Word of God.

And the fullness of blessing comes when we function as God has intended, and as God created us. It's not that God wants us to be miserable. You know, someone . . . a man who says, Ah, I'm frustrated. I can't be a teacher. I've tried it. I can't do it. I'll never amount to anything. I can never be anything in the Church. I might as well drop out. Well, the other alternative is what? Find out what God has gifted you to do. How He will use you to strengthen and build His Body for His honor and His glory.

It's not a put down to say the woman was made differently than the man and given a different role. That's the beauty of it. Why do we think that we have accomplished something? God makes man, male and female, so that they complement one another beautifully, fulfill one another and complete a oneness, and our whole goal is to make everybody the same, destroy the beauty of the diversity because we want women that are like men. And the only thing we're still stuck with is they'll have to have the kids, but in every other way men and women are the same. Who wants a world filled with men? I mean do I want my home? Some people say Oh yeah, that's what I want. No, it's not what God designed. And what do we see happening in our society? Disintegration, turmoil, confusion. Oh, we've liberated women.

You know I think of it like your children. You know, with Christmas coming you get them gifts and they get toys. And you know, at certain ages what they like to do . . . you could buy them two nice cars or trucks and what do they want to do? They want to get them together and smash them. Crash! Crash! Crash! What do you say? You are going to break it! They are not made for that. But they are having fun. And then pretty soon they come and they are all broken and they are crying and what? It's broken. What do you say? I told you. You didn't use it properly. You didn't listen. That's the way the world is. God's the creator. He says here's how I made you. Here's what I made you for and like little children in rebellion we want to do it this way. I mean everything gets broken and into pieces. We say what happened? What's wrong? We didn't listen to the instructions. We wouldn't do what we were told.

Now again the world is like that. Isn't it sad that this is where the Church is? I was asked to come on a radio program and debate an evangelical feminist. And I had read his writings and I read some of them again recently. And I had to tell him, I said, Look, I'll come on and explain the biblical position. You can have him come on to explain his position, but there is absolutely nothing to be accomplished by us both being on the same program because we have nothing in common. All you are looking for is a big argument and battle. You are not interested in what the Scripture says. You are interested in a good program that will be heated and hot. What are we going to do? Here's a man who spent his life undermining and twisting the Scripture and I'm going to go on a half hour program so we can provide entertainment for the Christian world.

It's not so difficult, is it? We read Timothy. Then we went back and read Genesis. You don't have to be a great biblical scholar to understand it. It's pretty simple and straightforward. The problem is not that it is not clear. The problem is people don't want to submit to what it says and they don't want to openly deny the Scripture, so they want to try to make a way that they will look like they're biblical but really they have twisted the truth. Remember the warning of Peter, and then we'll close. Those who twist the writings of Paul, twist them to their own destruction. Those who twist the opening chapters of Genesis . . . Oh, I'm a Christian who's a theistic evolutionist. That's an oxymoran. A Christian who is a theistic evolutionist. How can you be that? I'm a Christian who doesn't believe the opening chapters of Genesis. Oh. Well, no, I believe them. I just interpret them differently. No, no. I'm not buying that cover. Interpretation is not very difficult. Read it. Do you believe what it says? Well, you have to understand that it's creation genre. You know where I put him? The rubbish heap. Jesus understood it clearly. Paul understood it clearly. Peter understood it clearly and now I have to take a course in creation genre? You are not sucking me in to that. The Church of Jesus Christ ought not either. The beauty of it is God has created us for His purposes, for His glory. And His purpose ultimately is to bring us great joy and blessing, and that always comes from obedience. We don't have to be afraid to submit to the God who loved us, created us in His image and redeemed us by His grace. Let's pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for the simple truth of Your Word. Lord, give us ready hearts to submit and obey. Thank you, Lord, that You have created us for Yourself. You've created us in Your image that we might walk in sweet fellowship with you, to enjoy communion with You, to have You as our Father, to enjoy eternity in the glory of Your presence. Thank you, Lord, for our local church. Thank you for those you brought to be part of it. Thank you, Lord, for faithful godly women, who pour their life into glorifying You by being obedient to Your truth. Thank you for all they contribute to our ministry, the effectiveness of our church, the effectiveness of the men of this Body. Lord, I pray that our testimony would grow stronger. You will be honored by our service together, that many more might come to know You. We rejoice in the honor and blessing of living as You have created us to live. We praise You in Christ's name, amen.