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ARE THE OFFICES OF THE CHURCH TO BE OCCUPIED BY MALES ONLY?
Are The Offices Of The New Testament Church Gender Specific - For Males Only?
●Were The Leadership Positions In The Priesthood Of The Jews Gender Specific – For Males Only?
●Does The Gender Of The Office Positions Of The New Testament Church
Indicate That They Are Gender Specific – For Males Only?
CHAPTER 6
Were The Leadership Positions In The Priesthood Of The Jews Gender Specific – For Males Only?
The Age of Israel
Now that you have some background we are ready to take a look at pertinent scriptures.
This will be a daunting study. However, I am so excited to get started.
Initially, we will look at the leadership positions involved with the priesthood of the Jews. Were they gender specific – for males only? If they were, do they serve as the basis for there being gender specifics – for males only, concerning the offices of the New Testament Church?
Aaron And His Sons …The Priest's Office Shall Be Theirs For A Perpetual Statute
The idea of a priesthood began way back with the first humans Adam and Eve, where a sacrificial offering and its acceptance by God was found in Hebrews 11:4.
By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
The priesthood became more unveiled when God called a man named Abram and told him that he would make of him a mighty nation, which would have allotted to them a particular piece of land whose location would be in a certain geographical place
The scriptures disclose that the first-born son of a Jewish family would have the priesthood responsibilities relegated to him.
And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. (Genesis 25:30-31)
Over a period of many years the population of the children of Israel grew significantly. Eventually due to various circumstances they wound up living in Egypt. After being under the rule of a succession of Pharaohs, one of them decided to put them into slavery. This captivity lasted for over 400 years until the children of Israel were lead out of Egypt by a man named Moses. God had caused 12 plagues to be cast over Egypt. It was because of the last of the 12 plagues that Pharaoh finally changed his mind and let the Israelites go.
The children of Israel were told to put blood on the doorposts of the houses they were living in. When the avenging angel passed over the land of Egypt any house that did not have blood on the doorposts, would have the firstborn male and of beasts be slain. Because Jehovah had preserved the children of Israel that night from the destroyer, it was to be holy to them, i.e. to be kept by them on the 14th day of Abib in all future ages. Then the Lord said to Moses, to set aside from all secular purposes to some religious use, all of the firstborn of man and beast of the Jews, whose life was saved that night.
Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine. (Exodus 13:2)
Eventually, the Israelites arrived at a place called Mount Sinai, where the people were numbered (census). At this time the people were segregated according to different tribes, 12 of them in all. Each tribe was named after one of the sons of a man named Jacob, a descendant of Abram. One of the 12 tribes, called the Levites, was not counted in the numbering. The Levites, along with their cattle, were to be separated or substituted to minister unto the Lord, in place of the firstborn of the people and their cattle.
And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord. (Numbers 3:12-13)
The priesthood being relegated to the first-born son of a family lasted until the building of a portable tabernacle that took place at this arrived destination of Mount Sinai. This tent like structure would introduce an extensive sacrificial service, which required a special priestly order, as well as a separate staff of servants, who could exclusively devote themselves to the ministry of the sanctuary. This tabernacle would accompany the Jews throughout their 40 year journey in the wilderness; to their entrance into the Promised Land of Canaan, the land where the children of Israel would eventually dwell; and up to the reign of a King named Solomon under whose direction a temple would eventually be built in Jerusalem, which would replace the tabernacle.
There were three groups of people, who were assigned to work in the tabernacle and later the temple.
First, there were the Levites. Some of their duties were that they set up and tore down the tabernacle (the tent-like structure) and made the shewbread on the Sabbath. Numbers 1:51; 1 Chronicles 9:32
Secondly, there were the priests, the sons of the high priest, who assisted him. Some of their duties were in offering animal sacrifices, burning incense, and lighting the lamps. Leviticus 1:5
Thirdly, there was the office of the high priest. The high priest office was initially given to Aaron, Moses brother, by instructions from the Lord. If Aaron had sons, then at some point one of them would become the next high priest, and so on. Hebrews 9:6-7
The priesthood was the instrument through which Israel was taught and governed in spiritual matters, through acted lessons of ceremonial or ritual service. The offices of the priesthood for the Jews existed no longer, when the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in approximately 70AD.
When the Holy Spirit came and indwelt the disciples of Jesus on the day of Pentecost, the New Testament Church (The Church Age) began with its new leadership structure of: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. In this age, there are no positions according to scripture in which the local leader is called a “priest”. Remember, a priest was the name for one of the positions of the priesthood during the institution of the Mosaic Law, which outlined to the nation of Israel their responsibilities, both civil and spiritual. Any continued use of this word as being the name of a position in the Christian Church indicates that this church is operating under a religious system that is no longer relevant for a believer’s spiritual growth in Christ.
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
Yes
● Initially, the eldest son would be the beneficiary of the family priesthood unless he died before having this office bestowed on him. Later the firstborn of the males and beast were set aside for religious purposes at the Passover. When the Jews left Egypt and arrived at Mount Sinai a new priestly order was initiated. From the tribe of Levi certain people (e.g. Levites, priest, high priest) would be placed to perform the duties of the priesthood. The office of the priesthood was for Aaron and his sons, and theirs sons for perpetuity.
● Therefore, the office of priest is not only to continue today in the New Testament, but is relegated for males only.
Aaron and his sons, and put the bonnets on them: and the priest's office shall be theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.(Exodus 29:9)
● The office of priest is not listed under the listing of the leadership names of the New Testament Church, because it is understood that it was to continue on. A reference to this office is found in Revelations 1:6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
NO
● The offices in the New Testament church are not the same as those of the Mosaic priesthood, these being called Levites, priests, or high priest. These offices were for the Jews under the tenets of the Mosaic Law. The offices of the New Testament church are apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)
● This idea that the priesthood of the Mosaic Law still continues today with only males allowed to be priests is promulgated by some mainstream faiths in contradiction to the Christian’s new life in Christ, new way of living, new power source, and a newly declared office structure. Since the office of “priest” is invalidated today as a leadership position in the New Testament church, then the position of these mainstream faiths that women cannot be placed in the leadership positions of the New Testament church is unsubstantiated.
● The bible does say Christ “hath made us kings and priests”. Is this saying that there are positions in the New Testament Church that are called kings or priests? No. What this means is that Christ has made those, who believe in him, kings (a kingdom-the body of the redeemed collectively) and priests (those who have direct and constant access to God). The word “priests” is not referring to the calling to an office gift in the church, but to the idea that we can go to God whenever we choose.
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelations 1:6)
What I would like you to look at next is the office of prophet in the Old Testament.
You might ask, why are we looking at this?
This will address the idea of understanding how the gender of a noun, in this case the word prophet, determines the gender of the person occupying this position. What we will learn from this will help us when looking at the gender of nouns relating to the office gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers) of the New Testament church.
THE OFFICE OF A PROPHET
During the time of the Judges, which is the time following the death of Joshua and preceding the reign of Israel’s first king, King Saul, the priesthood had degenerated. The people were no longer affected by the ceremonial service of the priests. Judge was the title given to people, men or women, who presided over the affairs of the Israelites during this time.
The office of the prophet was used to reform the priestly order. The prophet’s duties were to admonish and reprove, denounce prevailing sins, threaten the people with divine judgment, explain the applications of the Law, disclose the future, and call the people to repentance. Some prophets received their office from their predecessor while others received it directly from God. When the kingly order began with the first king of Israel, named King Saul, many of the kings were in contact with the prophets in person for various reasons.
In 2 Chronicles 9:29, a man named Nathan is called a prophet. The word prophet is translated from the Hebrew word hanaabiy, which is a masculine singular absolute state noun. Likewise the word Nathan is translated from the Hebrew word Naatan, which is a proper noun. In the Hebrew the name of a person which is ascribed to a position, in this case to that of prophet, is considered to be of the same gender of the gender of the noun to which it is ascribed. So it is understood that Nathan the prophet is a male.
That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. (2 Samuel 7:2)
Likewise, in Nehemiah 6:14 a woman named Noadiah is called a prophetess. The word prophetess is from the Hebrew word hanbiy°aah, which is a feminine singular absolute state noun. The name Noadiah is understood to be that of the female gender.
My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear. (Nehemiah 6:14)
Another thing to note is that the word “prophetess” occured only six times in the Old Testament whereas the word “prophet” was used over 100 times. The word “prophet” was first used in the Old Testament as being ascribed to Abraham in Genesis 20:7. The word “prophetess” was first used in the Old Testament as being ascribed to Miriam in Exodus 20:7. Hundreds of years went by before a female prophet was mentioned.
There are some interesting thoughts to keep in mind as we continue on in this study.
Are the offices of the New Testament Church (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers) synonymous with the offices (Levites, priests, high priest) of the priesthood under the Mosaic Law?
Is the obscurity of the number of female prophets in the Old Testament in regards to their counterparts, the male prophets, a reason why many New Testament churches might conclude that this office is for males only?
One more question to consider is this, just because the initial gender of the person ascribed to the position of prophet was masculine did this mean that all subsequent prophets would be masculine (male)? While you already know the answer to this, we will see how this line of thinking could be used to conclude that the office gifts of the New Testament are gender specific – for males only.
CHAPTER 7
Does The Gender Of The Office Positions Of The New Testament Church Indicate That They Are Gender Specific – For Males Only?
The Church Age
What is the gender ascribed to the names of each of the leadership positions of the New Testament Church?
If the gender is masculine for each of the nouns does this indicate that a woman cannot be called to any of these positions?
Let’s begin by looking at the names and gender of each of the leadership positions of the New Testament Church.
And He Gave Some
The offices that are given to some members of the body of Christ are mentioned here as being those of: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.
The word “apostles” is translated from the Greek word apostolous, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
The word “prophets” is translated from the Greek word profeétas, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
The word “evangelists” is translated from the Greek word euangelistas, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
The word “pastors” is translated from the Greek word poimenas, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
The word “teachers” is translated from the Greek word didaskalous, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
It is apparent that each of these leadership positions is in the masculine gender.
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (Ephesians 4:11)
In 2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul is addressed as being an apostle. Both of the words “apostle” and “Paul” are in the masculine gender. As in the Hebrew, which we looked at earlier, so in the Koine Greek, the gender of a noun in this case concerned with an office position in the New Testament Church, indicates that the name of the person, who is addressed, will be of the same gender.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
Because none of these nouns that pertain to the office gifts are in the female gender does this mean the calling of a Christian to any of these offices is gender specific – for males only?
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
Yes
● The names of the offices for the New Testament Church are all in the male gender. Therefore only males are called to occupy any of these offices.
NO
● It’s true that all of the names of the offices are masculine in gender. However, before drawing any further conclusions from this let’s continue to search the scriptures in order to see if there are any words that provide a female rendering for any of these offices.
There is another position that we will look at next which is not named as one of the office gifts. This position involved the practical skill of making sure that the widows of the church were adequately cared for. This position is called deacon. Will this position provide for us insight as to whether the calling to any office gift is gender specific – for males only?
Look Ye Out Among You Seven Men Of Honest Report
Acts 6:1-6
There arose a complaining of the Grecian Jews (Jewish immigrants to Palestine-those who spoke Greek) against the Hebrews (the native Jews who also spoke Aramaic and Greek), because their widows were overlooked in the daily administration of money and food. The apostles recommended that the brethren choose (by the showing of hands) seven men of honest report (of an authentic testimony), who are full of the Holy Spirit (whom the Holy Spirit directs; those who are spiritually minded) and wisdom (skill for practical affairs) whom they may appoint (put in charge) over this matter. This would allow the apostles to continue in prayer (public prayer; public worship) and to the ministry of the word (preaching the word of God).
These chosen men were set before the apostles, who prayed for them while laying their hands on their head, which was a gesture signifying commissioning and granting of authority.
Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. (Acts 6:3)
At this time there was no word used to describe this position. However, in 1 Timothy 3:8 it was declared that the word “deacons” would be the name designated for this position. This word is translated from the Greek word Diakónous, which is a masculine plural accusative noun.
Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;
It’s interesting to note that the qualifications for a person to be considered for the position of a deacon (1 Timothy 3:8-13) are similar to the qualifications for a person being considered for the position of a bishop (pastor) (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
Based on the scriptures which we have looked at so far we can conclude that it appears that all of the office gifts and the position of deacon are in the masculine gender.
Does this finding allow us to conclude exclusively that the office gifts and the position of deacon in the New Testament Church are gender specific – for males only?
There are a few things to consider.
None of the deacons chosen were female. What could this mean? This could mean that the position is gender specific – for males only. This could be substantiated by the declaration of the apostle Paul, who asked them to choose out seven men, and not simply to choose out seven believers.
There are no words in any these verses that were used to indicate what the name would be for the position of bishop (pastor) or deacon if the person occupying them was female.
Does this mean that there are no female pastors or deacons?
Let’s continue to read on and see if there is any reference to a female deacon.
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
Yes
● Absolutely. The word for “deacon” is in the masculine gender as are the office gifts in Ephesians 4:11 indicating that these offices are for males only.
● There are no words that are used to describe any of these offices in a female sense.
● Paul in the choosing of the deacons declared that the assembly was to choose out from among them seven men. There was no mention of choosing out from among them any women.
NO
● It is true that the office gifts and the position of deacon which we looked at were in the masculine gender. The question that remains in this regard is, are there any female renderings of any of these positions?
● It is also true that Paul asked the assembly to choose out seven men. Why did Paul only ask for men to be chosen? Did it have to do with cultural practice? Was Paul instructed by the Holy Spirit in this regard?
● In Romans 16:1 there is mention of a woman named Phoebe. Scripture states that she is called a servant of the church. This word “servant” is translated from the Greek word diakonon which is in the feminine gender and is derived from the Greek word diakonos. The word “deacons” in 1 Timothy 3:8 is translated from the Greek word Diakonous which is in the male gender and is derived from the same Greek word diakonos. Therefore, the word servant indicates that Phoebe was a deaconess.
1 I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea:
It does appear that there were female deacons. There doesn’t appear to be any other reference in the New Testament of a female operating in this position in regards to the word servant. However, there is one more section of scripture that could refer to the office of deaconess which doesn’t use the word servant or deaconess.
Even So Must Their Wives
1 Timothy 3:11
If someone desires the office of a bishop (pastor) or deacon, there are not only a list of qualifications but also qualities of character which evidence as to whether the candidate is operating under the influences of the Holy Spirit.
There appears to be a verse that is talking about either the pastor or deacons wives or both which says, that their wives must be: grave (dignified which invites respect); not slanderers (not false accusers; not those who say harmful things about others); sober (conduct that is free from any form of excess); faithful (honest and absolutely trustworthy) in all things.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Does this verse have anything to do with the position of deacon or to the calling to an office gift?
Is the calling to an office gift in the New Testament church gender specific – for males only?
Yes
● This verse is talking about the wives of both the pastors and deacons. This is another one of the qualifications of someone seeking either the position of deacon or the office gift which concerns their wife, if they are married.
● If their wives are not being influenced by the Spirit, thus evidencing carnal behavior, this would disqualify their husband.
● This qualification along with the others maintains the idea that the office gifts are gender specific – for males only.
NO
Let’s take a look at some of the words in this verse.
The words “Even so” introduce a second or third in a series.
The words “must their” are not in the original manuscripts.
The words “wives” could either mean women or wives.
11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
Because the possessive pronoun “their” is missing, then the verse could be translated as either:
Even so wives must be or even so women must be.
All the ancient commentators, and De Wette, Wiesinger, Wordsworth, Alford, and Ellicott among the moderns, so understand that the word being referred to is women, which they believe refers to those occupying the office of deaconess.
Is there any other information that might support the idea of there being deaconesses? There is, according to early ecclesiastical history in about the late second century there was a book called the Apostolic Constitutions, which indicated in book iii that the office of deaconesses did exist in the early church as this quote signifies, "Ordain a deaconess who is faithful and holy, for the ministries toward the women."
What I would like you to ponder on is the fact that the word “servant” (deaconess) appears only once in the New Testament scriptures (e.g. book of Acts, Epistles, book of Revelation). The word “deacon” or “deacons” in the male gender appears five times. If the reference in Acts 6 is included, there would be at least six occurrences of this position. So what we can at least conclude is that the initial gender rendering of an office gift or position doesn’t necessarily mean that there is not a female rendering.
Does the fact that the female rendering “servant” of the male counterpart “deacon” prove that the office gifts of the church are not gender specific – for males only?
The only way to answer this would be to see if it could be found that at least one of the male gender designated office gifts has a female rending, then we probably could conclude it possible that the remaining office gifts might also have a female rendering.
Just to remind you, what we are trying to do is determine as to whether a woman can be called to the position of a pastor.
In the scripture sections that follow we will look at the office gifts (e.g. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers) in order to determine if any one or all of them might indicate that a female could be called to any of these leadership positions.
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