Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

The truth on men’s lips is often most offensive, not because it is untrue, but because it is men who are appointed to speak it. In response, some place women in the pulpit in direct rebellion to the clear commands of Scripture (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Cor. 14:34–35). They reason that she is the better communicator, more capable of delivering hard truths with a gentler spirit. In doing so, they assume that they know better than God.

They look to real and imagined abuses in history, and to the failures of many men in the pulpit today, and conclude that the solution is to place women into those positions. But if you believe this, you are not rebelling against men, institutions, or some perceived cultural structure. You show yourself in rebellion against God. He is the One who has issued the command, and He has not changed it (Num. 23:19).

Men fail. They have failed, and they will fail. Women fail as well. But the failure of men is not a warrant to overturn the order God has established. We are not permitted to correct His design as though it were flawed. To do so is to say, whether openly or not, that His wisdom is insufficient and that we can improve upon it (Rom. 9:20).

There is not one sound argument for women preaching. Not one. Why? Because Scripture speaks plainly on the matter. Those who argue otherwise must go outside the text, appealing to experience, abuse, or cultural reasoning, and then return to Scripture only to misuse passages that do not address the question. The meaning of those texts is clear, yet they are bent to justify what Scripture does not permit.

Recently, I saw where a young woman was encouraged to preach to the gathered church, with the full support of her parents, one of whom has served, or may still be serving, in the office of a pastor. This was met with praise from many. Some show themselves to be biblically illiterate. Others know the Scriptures and yet choose to disobey them, claiming that God speaks outside of His Word, apparently speaking something new that nullifies what He has already spoken with clarity and authority.

This is not a small matter. It is arrogant, prideful, divisive, and destructive. Scripture makes clear that it is those who bring in different doctrines that are divisive (Romans 16:17).

Many women are deceived, and their hearts are set against the order God has established. Many churches are in disorder and, by that disorder, show themselves to be in rebellion against Him. Women lead other women further into that rebellion, often encouraged and affirmed by men who refuse to uphold the truth. There are consequences.

Many young men are reacting to this disorder, yet not in submission to Scripture. Instead of being led by the Spirit, they answer error with error, abandoning biblical fidelity in their response rather than restoring it.

Many are quick to say that this is a secondary issue, something to be set aside under the banner of unity. To each their own, they say. No. It is not to each their own. This is not a matter of preference. It is open rebellion against God. It strikes at the authority of Scripture, the sufficiency of Scripture, the God-ordained order of the church, and even the practice of church discipline (Titus 1:9). It redefines the church and supplants authority that God has not given.

You cannot reject God’s clear commands, hear the truth, be called to repentance, continue in disobedience, and encourage others to do the same, and then suppose that there will be no consequences.

Women have been given many gifts by God, good and beautiful gifts for the building up of the body (Titus 2:3–5). But the office of pastor, and the authoritative preaching that belongs to it, is not among them (1 Tim. 3:1–2; Titus 1:6).

If a pastor or a husband encourages you to step outside of what God has commanded, appealing to your natural ability or desire to communicate truth, you must submit to God rather than man (Acts 5:29). Use your gifts in the way God has prescribed. Honor Him in obedience, not in self-expression.

From the beginning, there has been a temptation toward disorder. The fall itself testifies to it (Gen. 3:16). That this inclination exists is not surprising. What is grievous is when men encourage women in that very rebellion, calling it empowerment, affirming it as good, and celebrating what God forbids.

Do not be persuaded by it. Do not be flattered into disobedience. Submit to God, even when obedience is costly, even when it is despised by the world and by those within the visible church who have abandoned His Word (Rom. 12:2).

Not every man in the pulpit is qualified. Not every man is faithful. Not every man handles the Word rightly. But this does not justify abandoning God’s design. We are commanded to test everything (1 Thess. 5:21). We are called to discernment. The answer to unqualified men is not disobedience, but reformation according to Scripture.

The problem is not with God’s order. If we find ourselves resisting it, the problem lies within us. And when that resistance is exposed, the proper response is not to justify it, but to repent, to submit ourselves to God’s Word, His authority, His wisdom, and His rule (James 1:22).

You may believe that you are resisting men. You are not. You are resisting God (1 Sam. 15:23).

You may step onto a platform with confidence, with excitement, even with a sense of sincerity, believing you are sharing something true and helpful. You may even speak words that are, in themselves, true. But the very act communicates something else. It communicates rebellion against God’s established order. That is the message being proclaimed, regardless of the content of the words.

And when others support and encourage this, calling it women supporting women, what is truly being supported is not faithfulness, but rebellion.

We will either submit in faith, trusting that God does all things well, even when men fail, or we will take matters into our own hands and follow our hearts into disobedience (Prov. 3:5–6).

You may twist Scripture, or claim that God has spoken to you apart from His Word, granting you authority He has explicitly withheld. You may be praised. You may be affirmed. You may be told that your words were needed. But none of these things justify disobedience.

And once Scripture is set aside here, it will not remain intact elsewhere. You have opened the door. Others will walk through it. Authority shifts from God’s Word to the heart of man, whatever seems right (Judg. 21:25).

Scripture is not a prop. It is not there to support what you already desire. It is authoritative. It stands over you, not beneath you.

The issue is not with the Word of God. The issue is with our hearts.

The question is simple:
Will we submit to what God has said?
Or will we reshape it to accommodate what we want?