Ron Lutz ~ 1 Timothy 2:8-15   Sermon Quotes: 1 Timothy 2:8-15 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Peter 3:15-16 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. Kathy Keller “The verses that mandate this gender based distinction are provided with armor against the charge that their stipulations are time or situation specific only. The truth-telling and truth-giving Word is for us today as much as to those to whom it was originally written. So there is something that is being commanded to the church that we must find a way to obey. Dismissing, ignoring, or throwing one’s hands up in despair of finding clarity are not options.” John Stott “All attempts to get rid of Paul’s teaching on headship (on grounds that it is mistaken, confusing, culture-bound or culture-specific) must be pronounced unsuccessful. It remains stubbornly there. It is rooted in divine revelation, not human opinion, and in divine creation, not human culture. In essence, therefore, it must be preserved as having permanent and universal authority.” COMPLEMENTARIAN God has created men and women absolutely equal in their essential dignity and human personhood, but different and complementary in their roles in the home and church. Philippians 4:2-3 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Kathy Keller “If men and women are equal in dignity but different, why is the man the head?’ I think the truest answer is that we simply don’t know. Why was Jesus, the Son, the one who submitted and served? Why wasn’t it the Father? We don’t know, but we do know that it was a sign of his greatness, not his weakness.” Sue Lutz No one would ever say that Christ is inferior or of a different nature or value than God the Father. That would be heresy. Father and Son are of the same essence, nature, and value, and one is not superior to the other in that sense. However, God the Father and Jesus the Son have different roles within the Godhead and in that sense, the Son is voluntarily subordinate to the Father. Equal does not mean interchangeable. John Stott “We must never forget what we owe to a woman. If Mary had not given birth to the Christ-child, there would have been no salvation for anybody. No greater honor has ever been given to woman than in the calling of Mary to be the mother of the Savior of the world.” Jen Wilkin The challenge for any pastor would be to consider whether he is crafting a church culture that permits women to serve or one that pursues women to serve. This means that men should affirm, champion, appreciate, celebrate and cultivate the gifts and contributions of women in our lives…We are not usurpers, we are the possessors of every capacity you lack and the celebrators of every capacity you possess.