Equivalent

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:
1 Timothy 2 (click the link)


KEY VERSES:
But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Timothy 2:12-14, NASB)


REFLECTIONS:
Good grief!  Tres, whatever I did to you, I’m sorry already!!  J  I feel like I say this every time, but I could go in a million directions with this chapter.  

Well, I was going to just look at verse 14, but I got myself sucked into the previous two verses, so… 

I have to admit, I’m kinda scared.  This chapter in Timothy and similar chapters in other of Paul’s letters have divided churches, distanced friends, created a basis of men abusing women, and ignited a (false) belief that Paul (and therefore, God) is misogynistic.  Great theologians, who are worthy of academic respect, cannot even agree on what Paul was saying and how it should apply for our American church today.  It’s messy and uncomfortable.  I will probably write things that some, most, or maybe all of you will disagree with.  And resting underneath all of my words, is this pesky little question of should I even be writing this…because isn’t this a form of teaching?  And am I, as a woman and some of you, as men… well, are we violating what Paul has said about women teaching men?  A few months ago, I initially had to wrestle with that question, as Greg asked me to give a Sunday sermon.  It truly rocked my boat.  Personally, I felt the Lord tell me that He opened this opportunity for me—as though He, through Greg, was chivalrously opening the door for me to walk through.  So, for better or worse, I walked through.  I was not looking for this, was not demanding I be heard, nor did I have any interest in elevating myself over Greg, the elders, or anyone else in the church.  I was simply walking through an open door.  I share all that to say, this is where I still am with the issue.  So Tres has determined that I, a woman, have something to share that is (hopefully!) helpful and edifying to the church.  It is his authority, and Greg’s authority, that allow me these opportunities.  It is not my authority.  

There are two main approaches we can take with our “gender” theology:  complementarianism and egalitarianism.  Both of these views relate to the church, marriage, home, and other areas of life.  Complentarianism is the belief that men and women complement each other through different roles and responsibilities; egalitarianism holds that men and women share equal roles and responsibilities.  Both views believe that men and women have equal worth.  The problem with both of these views is that they both contain truth and both contain error.

Complementarianism can get a little twist to it, whereby women are seen as having less worth because of the different roles/responsibilities.  It is important to keep in mind, however, that this is simply a man-made twist.  As humans, we are so very good at making different become less than, we barely even stop to realize that’s how our brains have filed those thoughts.  Different is not less than.  Different is different.  As in “male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-28). Different.  God blesses and rejoices in the differences.  Men and women (in this society) work to erase differences; to say men and women are the same, thus we end up with the egalitarianism theology.  Here is my news flash:  we are not the same, yet we do have equal value… we are equivalent.  Equivalent does not mean equal.  Equal means:  of the same measure, or like in nature.  Equivalent means:  equal (same) in value, or like in signification or import.  Men and women are equally significant, equally important, but we are not like in nature; we are not equal.  (GASP!!)  Maybe thinking of it in math terms is helpful.  2+5=7 is equivalent to 3+4=7.  Both equations have the same value, 7, but how they get to that value is different; they have a different makeup.  

Remember, you do not have to agree with me; you may accuse me of simply using semantics and you may be right.  This is simply the way I make sense out of something that is not crystal clear.  You may stand firmly in either camp.  I prefer more fluid boundaries between the two.

How then should we understand this issue of women in the church?  Listen to Paul.  He provides us with a great clue as to how we should approach this passage.  Verse 12 starts off with “But I do not…”  This is continuing his statement from verse 9 of, “Likewise I want…”  Do you notice how Paul is not using language that asserts his statements as law handed down by God?  Paul makes the distinction that these are his thoughts, these are his practices.  This is different language than Paul uses in other letters, as he admonishes churches regarding morality and unity.  If Paul was making this as a statement of God’s law, he would have said, “Do not allow…”  But he didn’t.  Why?  Back in 1 Timothy 1:3, Paul is encouraging Timothy to stay at Ephesus to instruct the believers there, this then, is a letter of advice, of training.  In order to understand what God is saying through His Word, we need to look carefully at how He is having it delivered.  

Personally, I take this passage and others, mush them all together with the entire Word of God, mix in my understanding of God’s character and I end up with the idea that there is a structure, yes, even a hierarchy to God’s order, but that does not mean men and women cannot exercise the same gifts.  Looking at Paul’s example of Adam and Eve, we see that first there is God.  God creates man.  Then God creates woman.  God creates both, so both men and women are given the same value, both come from God.  In an interesting twist, God also forms woman from man’s rib; his side.  In doing so, God, in one motion, sets up a structure that proclaims a lateral (from the side) and vertical (from man, himself) dynamic.  I don’t have the answer on how this all translates to an understanding of authority. 

At the end of the day, what I do have is this:  we all have incredible value to our Creator God.  While Paul did not allow women to teach men, God has.  Joyce Meyers is well-loved by men and women.  The Lord uses her, whether she is “right” to teach men or not.  This for me is the bottom line.  God does what He wants and He uses whomever He chooses.  So, if He chooses to use a woman to teach a man (see Priscilla and Apollos, Acts 18:24-26) then so be it.  If He chooses to use a woman to lead an entire nation (see Deborah) then so be it.  He is not limited by our understanding or our rules.  


PRAYER:
Jesus, thank You so much for showing us how much you love women and men.  Thank You that even when we want to box You in, You escape our constraints.  May we be open to Your ways and may we be willing to let go of beliefs that make You too small.  You are beautiful and creative and I am quite simply undone in Your presence.  You are absolutely amazing to me and I love You!!


WHO AM I?
I am Beth Peeples and I am blessed to be under the authority of my Godly, humble, and generous husband, Max.  Oh, and I love football.  In a few weeks, I get to visit my kids in Washington state and my daughter and I will go to the Seahawks game.  My dad got season tickets to the Seahawks when they first started.  Going to the games was probably the biggest highlight of my childhood—not merely because it meant we got to skip church (!), or because we got to get these incredibly delicious, massive cinnamon rolls, but because it was an experience I got to share with my dad.