“We
are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God
heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of
error” (1John 4:6).
When it comes to
understanding the Bible one of the most important distinctions that you
can learn to make, is the distinction between what a passage actually
(explicitly) says and what it is interpreted to mean. That distinction
is vital to a correct understanding of Scripture, because without it
you will not be able to separate man’s word from God’s Word, or
differentiate between fact and opinion.
Those who lack the
ability to make that distinction often wind up explaining away
something that the Bible says, because it contradicts a particular
doctrine or interpretation that they have accepted. In other words,
they explain away God’s Word, because it does not agree with man’s
word. Moreover, because anyone who explains away the words of Scripture
is refusing to hear what the Prophets and Apostles have said, the
passage quoted at the beginning of this essay is telling us that those
who explain away God’s Word have a spirit of error (1John 4:6).
MAKING
THE WORD OF GOD OF NONE EFFECT
When those who have
not learned to
distinguish between explicit statements and interpretations come to a
statement of Scripture that they are unwilling to accept, they usually
look for a passage that they can interpret to say the opposite. Upon
finding such a passage, they then assume that their interpretation
somehow negates what the Bible says (Mark 7:13). However, as far as God
is concerned, the opposite is true. It is the Word of God that negates
their interpretation (Isaiah 8:20).
In order to clarify
what I am saying,
let us compare the passages that explicitly address the role of women
in the church, with some interpretations are commonly cited in
opposition to those passages.
1Timothy 2:11-14 “Let the woman 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. For Adam was
first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression.”
1Corinthians 11:10 “For this cause
ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
1Corinthians 14:34-37 “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, as also saith the
law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at
home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church… If any man
think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that
the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.”
[Comment: 1Timothy 2:11-14 tells us
that Paul did not allow women to teach or hold authority in the
congregation. Moreover, the reasons he gives have to do with God’s
order of creation, and the problems that Eve caused when she took the
lead, not culture. Furthermore, 1Corinthians 11:10 implies that when
women take the lead it causes a problem for the angels. 1Corinthians
14:34-37 expresses similar sentiments in a little stronger language.]
Those who are
unwilling to accept what
is said in the verses just quoted, often claim that Galatians 3:28 says
the opposite: “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.” However, since that passage is talking about salvation,
not women in the ministry, the doctrine that they claim to get from
that passage consists of a conclusion, not what the passage actually
says. Therefore, what they are doing is placing their own idea
(conclusion/interpretation) in opposition to explicit statements of
Scripture.
While they imagine
that their
interpretation somehow negates what 1Timothy 2:11-14 says, the opposite
is true. 1Timothy 2:11-14 negates their interpretation, because
whenever the word of man contradicts an explicit Statement of
scripture, the word of man must yield to the Word of God (Romans 3:4,
Isaiah 8:20, 2Peter 1:20). Furthermore, by trying to replace God’s Word
with their own word (conclusion), they are attempting to exalt
themselves over God, and that is the sin of self-deification (Isaiah
14:12-14).
The story of the
woman at the well, and the fact that she told her countrymen about
Christ, is also interpreted to contradict what the Bible says about
women in the ministry (John 4:28-42). However, as with the
previous example, they are placing a conclusion (interpretation) in
opposition to what the Bible explicitly says, when they should be
rejecting that conclusion because it contradicts the Bible. The fact
that the woman at the well was never in the ministry, and that she
never taught in a church, does not seem to faze those who have hardened
their hearts to what God says.
While other
passages could be listed, none of them explicitly say anything about
women in the ministry, instead they are interpreted to contradict
1Timothy 2:11-14 and 1Corinthians 14:34-37.
[Note: I know of one denomination that maintains a special teachers
college for women who desire full time Christian service. Congregations
then call the graduates of that college to teach in their Christian day
schools. However, great care is taken to see that everything is done in
accord with 1Timothy 2:11-14 and 1Corinthians 14:34-37.]
SOME
FINAL THOUGHTS
On at least two
occasions, I have told someone that they should not be explaining away
what the Bible says, only to have them say “You explain away passages
such as Luke 14:26,
If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
Therefore, I want
to make it perfectly
clear that I do not explain that passage, or any passage, away. In each
case, the
person in question simply assumed that I would have to explain away
that passage, and then falsely accused me of doing it. The way that I
deal with Luke 14:26, is the same way I deal with any other passage.
First I accept what it says, and then I reject any conclusions that
contradict what the Bible says. For example, if someone told me that he
thought that Luke 14:26 was telling him to kill his parents, I would
tell him that his conclusion was wrong, because the Bible condemns murder
and specifically condemns those who kill their parents (1Timothy 1:9). In
fact, one way that we eliminate false interpretations, is by
eliminating interpretations that lead to conclusions that contradict
Scripture. [Converts to Christianity are often accused of hating their
families.]
What I have said
about women in the
ministry applies just as well to those who want homosexuality to be
accepted as normal. Although the Bible clearly and explicitly condemns
homosexuality, those who refuse to accept what the Bible says interpret
certain passages to contradict what the Bible says. They then act as if
their interpretations negate the passages that condemn homosexuality,
when the opposite is true (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26, 1Corinthians
6:9). The Word of God negates the word of man (Isaiah 8:20).
Whenever, a church
is going contrary
to what the Bible explicitly says, every member has the right to stand
up and say, “That is wrong and I am not going to allow it.”
Furthermore, because the one who speaks out is speaking the Word of God
he has the authority of God behind him, and those who oppose him are
opposing God (Luke 16:10). Nevertheless, because the carnal mind tends
to get things backwards, he will most likely be condemned by those in
authority, called a troublemaker, and persecuted. On the other hand, no
one has the right to insist that their own interpretation or opinion be
followed (Matthew 23:8).
In some cases,
pastors who know that
they should take a stand against women in the ministry or
homosexuality, wind up trying to assert their own personal authority
instead of standing on God’s authority (see preceding paragraph). As a
result, they do not limit their stand to what the Bible says, but wind
up placing themselves in opposition to the will of God by imposing
their own interpretations and opinions on the congregation (1Peter 5:3).
CONCLUSION
Much of the
confusion and controversy that exists in modern churches stems from the
fact that many believers lack the ability to distinguish between what
the Bible explicitly says, and interpretations. In many cases, entire
doctrines are created out of interpretations, while any statements of
Scripture that contradict those doctrines or interpretations are
explained away. However, the Bible makes it clear that those who twist
Scripture in that way have a spirit of error, and should be shunned as
troublemakers (1John 4:6, Isaiah 8:20, Mark 7:13, Romans 16:17).