The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Need some help.

Your reasoning is fine, i.e., ALL that God commands is to be obeyed. One cannot pick and choose what is important and what can be ignored. On the practical level, yes there are some matters which are weightier than others, but none can be categorized as irrelevant or unimportant.

On this matter of women occupying positions of authority in the Church, I believe it to be a most important matter, vs. your 'pastor'. When a sinner is drawn to Christ through the sovereign, secret work of the Holy Spirit, he/she is brought out of darkness into light. And that person is called OUT OF this world and INTO the kingdom of God and His Church. The visible church is the earthly manifestation of Christ's rule on earth. Of course, the visible church isn't an exact representation of the invisible church, for the visible church consists of both wheat and tares and is imperfect in doctrine and life to various degrees. However, regardless of the visible church's less than perfect presence, nevertheless it is required to preach, teach and live out ALL that God commands, requires of its members. And one of the MAIN requirements is that men only should be elders (NOTE: there is no mention of a bifurcation in the eldership; pastor and elder) and deacons. Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is very explicit regarding the qualifications for those two offices, e.g., HE must be literally "one wife's husband". The pronoun "he" is used throughout Paul's injunctions in both 1Tim 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9.

Thus, the Church is to be pure in both doctrine and life and its organization is to be obedient to what Christ has intended and commanded for it, since the Church is the "Bride of Christ" and is to be pure and holy in ALL things. The church of this world is quickly becoming more like the world for it has not only allowed but even deliberately brought into it the things of this world so that it is sometimes very difficult to see any difference between the two. Allowing women to be ordained to office in the visible church is just another attempt by sinful men to blur the lines between 'the world, the flesh, and the devil' and God's holy church. I believe this is a VERY important matter and one which God will one day bring severe punishment upon all those who have violated His "Bride" through their disobedience and bringing shame upon Christ's church.