Barack Obama- The 44th President of the United States of America

Those of you who have been following my blog (not many!) will know that I haven’t posted anything on the election. Why? Mostly because I forgot to post about it, also, what more can be said that hasn’t been already? I know, I know, that is definitely not a good reason not to talk about it, but what’s done is done.

Well now its November 4th, almost 5th, Obama has 295 of the electoral votes and McCain has 155, 270 are needed to win. The next four years of our American lives will be changed. But not the good kind of change that Obama has promised, but a terrible change. Taxes will be raised, homosexual marriage will be legalized, abortion will be legalized, our Constitution will be abolished, and so much more that I can’t even think of them all. We as Christians are entering into a time of persecution, the true church of God will be made known, His people will stand out in a world where morality is destroyed, justice is done away with, Socialism, Marxism and Communism are the norm and where the righteous are condemned.

Now is the time for trusting in the sovereignty of God over our lives, how else will we survive the persecution of our government? If you look at 1 Peter 1:1, you see that Peter addresses the church as “elect exiles”, this signifies that we have been chosen and our trials have been ordained beforehand. To some, this might not be the least bit comforting, to others, knowing that God is sovereignly in control, is the most comforting thing in the world.

This is the time where we as Christians need to let our light shine before men (Matt 5). Though the next four, maybe eight, years will be trying, God has ordained this time to produce steadfastness (James 1) in our faith. The true believers will persevere, the false believers will fall. As I said before, now is the time, especially now, for trusting in God’s sovereignty.

I will be posting more on this topic in the future. Just keep checking for new posts. Tell your friends. Spread the word.

In Christ,
Scotty

The Roles of Women

The Role of Women in Society, in the Home and in the Church

We are living in a society where the desire is for men and women to be equal on all levels, for our different roles to be made the same, for the old mindsets to pass to the new, and though a large proportion of today’s men and women try their hardest to deny the truth, the truth still remains. It is an unmistakable truth that men and women have different roles, and it is part of our nature to operate in these roles, but it is also part of our sinful nature to deny them and to blur the lines between masculinity and femininity.

In Society
What are is a woman’s place in society? Throughout the ages women have been mistreated by men, thought to be the weaker sex and inferior in essence. Many world religions, such as Islam say that Allah made women that way. John Piper says in his book, What’s the Difference?, “Whenever anyone asks if we think women are, say, weaker than men, or smarter than men, or me easily frightened than men or something lie that, a good answer would go like this: women are weaker in some ways and men are weaker in some ways; women are smarter in some ways and men are smarter in some ways; women are more easily frightened in some kinds of circumstances and men are more easily frightened in other kinds of circumstances.” So no sex is absolutely weaker, smarter or more courageous than the other, yet we do have our specific strengths and nature.
In many cultures, women have been treated like animals, good only for childbearing and housework, yet there is so much more to femininity! But in light of Genesis 2:18, Eve was made as a helper for man, not a slave. But women were not created to be dominant over God’s other creatures, it was Adam who was given dominion, and Eve was given to Adam to meet his needs, physically and mentally.
What about in the workplace? All throughout Scripture and history, man has been the caregiver and provider of families, and women have been predominantly keepers of the home, this is a pattern that should be noted. Titus 2:4&5 say, “and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”
Does this mean that women can never leave the house or do anything outside of the home? Of course not! But the principle related here shows that women are not meant to be out in the world, separate from there husbands and having there own career. How could they be loving to their children if they are working? How could they be submissive to their husbands when they have their own career and a mindset that says they are independent? Its near to impossible, in fact Paul says the Word of God is reviled when women are not submissive.

This all doesn’t mean that women can’t work. There may be in some cases when it is necessary for a wife to work. But should it be the normality that it is in our present day? No. The Scripture clearly points away from that.

In the Home
What is the role of women in their home? Their first and primary responsibility is to their husbands (if married), to be submissive to him, to love him, and be a helper to him. 1 Peter 3:1-2 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives—
when they see your respectful and pure conduct.” Peter goes on to describe how a women should adorn herself, and though the clothing is cultural, the principle is to be modest. That is another responsibility of women, to be modest so that they do not stumble men around them, especially brothers in Christ. Just as Jesus said that if a man looks at women with lust in his heart, he has committed adultery with her in his heart, I would go on to say that if a women is dressing seductively and immodest she is committing the same sin. 1 Peter chapter 3 says that true beauty is of the heart, and that is what women should be adorning with beauty, not their outward appearance.

Wives are commanded to be submissive to their husbands just as their husbands are submissive to Christ and as Christ is submissive to the Father. Being in a position of submission does not take away from a persons worth. Christ was submissive to the Father unto death and His worth is far above all the riches in the world. How much more should a women be submissive to her husband? The obvious exception would be that if a husband was commanding his wife to sin, as Acts 4:19 says, “But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’” It is better to obey God rather than any man. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.”

Wives also have a responsibility to their children, to train them, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it,” (Proverbs 22:6), and to love them, “and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,” (Titus 2:4). But it is not only the mothers job to train her children, the father must also have an active role in the child’s training.

Also the model of a women who fears the Lord shown in Proverbs 31 is a helpful guide for women. She is a hard worker, she is responsible, submissive, she looks after her household, she is wise with money and investments and the list goes on and on.

All the Scriptures pertaining to men and women show that a man is the head of his household and his wife is in submission to him and the children of the home are in submission to their parents. Thus, a women acting in rebellion to her husband is not only rebelling against her husband, but also Christ, who is the head of her husband, and God the Father who is the head of Christ. As you can see there is a chain of submission, and it applies to everyone, from children to parents to elders in a church. Some may mistake the Scriptures to say that only women and children are to be submissive, but they would be highly mistaken!
In the Church
The Church is Christ’s body and his bride and there are many guidelines by which the Church is operated. Where can these guidelines be found? Only in the scriptures, which are, as Christians, our only and final authority. But the operations of the church that are found in scripture are not merely guidelines or suggestions, they are commands given by God to his people. Women in relation to the church, have a part and role, but what is that role?

In 1 Timothy 2:12 “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” Now this does not mean that women may not even open their mouths or speak at all on spiritual matters, but it does mean that women are not to be in any position over a man. Therefore, this scripture prohibits women elders, teachers or even worship leaders. Many would agree that women are not allowed to be teachers, but are allowed to lead worship, but isn’t that contradictory to the scripture? The text says that women may not have “authority over a man”, would not leading a congregation in worship entail having some kind of authority over men? I believe it does, and I believe that the scriptures show that.

Though women are not allowed to teach, they are still able to pray publicly, to read the scriptures allowed, and to teach other women. Titus 2:4 says, “and so train the young women to love their husbands and children…”, this shows that women shouldn’t be teaching on matters of doctrine, but on how to be a wife and mother, no man could teach a women the practical out workings of being a godly woman, only a woman can really know. That is why Paul instructs Titus to have older women teach the younger women.

There is no distinction between men and women in salvation, but there is a distinction in role, especially in the church and the home.

The Roles of Men

Here is my paper on the roles of men. I hope you are edified. Let me know what you think.

In Christ,
Scotty

The Roles of Men in the Church and Home

Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” From the first chapter in the Bible we see that there is a difference between male and female. 1 Timothy 2:11-14, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve;
and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.” Here we see distinctive difference in roles between men and women. But what is the difference?

Men and women are the same in essence, we are both created in the image of God, but there is a difference in our roles, physicality and curse. Men are cursed to work and to lord their position over women, women are cursed to have pains in childbearing and to desire there husbands position. But what is the role of men today? What does the Bible say to us men about how we are to conduct ourselves? What does a godly man look like?

Here are a couple traits of what a godly man looks like:
A godly man works hard.
A godly man provides for his family (If married or has children).
A godly man protects women and children, always putting them first.
A godly man is submissive to authority.

These are some things that should be seen in a man, but are not seen in most men today. Instead of hard-working men, we see men who are lazy and stay in their parents house well into adulthood. Instead of men providing for their family, we see men sending their wives off into the work-force to make more money, and we see men abandoning their families. Instead of men that protect women and children, we see men that are cowardly and would put themselves before others. Instead of men who are submissive to those above them, we see men who rebel against their parents, break the law of the land and are going against the ultimate authority of God Almighty.

If we were to look fifty to a-hundred years back, we would see that more men would fit this model than not. Why is that? The reason for this problem is the problem. More and more men, over the centuries, have forsaken their God-given responsibilities and duties, the caring of their families, the training of their sons, to pursue their own worldly pleasure. Now at the outcome of those mistakes we see a decline in real men, and instead of recognizing the failures of those who went before us, we continue in their faulty steps.

Now that we know what the problem is, how do we fix it? With the Scriptures as our ultimate authority we go them to find our answers. First we see that we are not the same as we were before the fall. Some would argue that there was no difference in roles before the Fall, and that only now we have the difference. This is not true, even before the fall we see that Adam had a position over Eve. He was made first, and Eve was made second, he was given charge over the garden and the animals and he exercised his authority by naming the animals and Eve. Even after the Fall we see that Adam is in a position of authority when God comes to Adam after they sinned.
Genesis 3:9 says:
But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
You see God holds men accountable for what goes on in their families. That is one of the major roles of men in the home, to spiritually guide and protect his family. It was because Adam failed to protect his wife that she was deceived and added to what God said. Much of mans role is showed in his curse.
Genesis 3:17-19
And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you,’ You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
“thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
“By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Here we see that man is cursed to work for a living. That is the curse of the woman, she is cursed to bear children with pain and be in submission to her husband. God set man up to be providers, not woman. Obviously, there are circumstances which would allow for a women to be the provider of the family, but the general principle laid out in the Scriptures imply that men are to be the providers and women to be keepers at home.
In the home.
Throughout the Old Testament we see the model of the Patriarchs, beginning with Abraham and running throughout the entire history of Israel.
Genesis 18:19
“For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Now we know that God does not choose his people for anything that they do, but God knew that Abraham would command his household in the way of the Lord and that was the means by which God fulfilled his promise to Abraham. We see through the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that God used their families to fulfill his promises, but how would the family function correctly if the father is not leading his family? The first responsibility a man has is to his family, to spiritually guide and protect them, to physically defend them and to provide for them.

It is also the father’s responsibility to train his children in the way they should go. It is the father’s responsibility to guard his children from evil, to educate them and to spiritually lead and instruct them.

In his home, a man is called to lead, he is the head of the home just as Christ is the head of the Church. Obviously this analogy isn’t perfect, because men sin, Christ does not, men make bad decisions, Christ does not, men make mistakes Christ does not, and so on. But the principle still stands,
1 Corinthians 11:3
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
This shows that a husband his the head of his wife and home. This means that he leads his home in a way that God would lead. His wife and children should be in submission to him and he should lead in a godly way. You should be able to apply any of the fruit of the Spirit to the way a man leads his home, consider these examples: A man leads in a loving way, a man leads in a joyous way, a man leads in a peaceful way, and so on.

In the church.
God has appointed men to be leaders of the church, to be the teachers and preachers and misters among the body of Christ. Does that mean that women have no gifts? Of course not, but God has given men a specific role in the church that he has not given to woman.
Titus 2:1
But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

This was written to Titus, a man. Women are never commanded to teach doctrine. So we see here a clear distinction between the roles of men and women.
Men are appointed to be elders and deacons, not all men, but males not females. All men have a different calling and gifting in the church. We are not to bury our gifts (Matthew 25:15-30) men have primarily been given the gift of teaching and leading. The elders of a church are called to be protectors of the church, they are shepherds of God’s church. Because they are in a position of authority as elders does not give them all authority, to excommunicate, to forbid certain practices which are forbidden in scripture and so on.
Colossians 2:16
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
This includes elders. Even elders are not to pass judgment regarding food and drink or festivals and new moons. Elders are not to be legalistic, but their primary role in the church is to protect against false doctrine, teach sound doctrine and exercise church discipline.

This doesn’t mean that women can have no ministry at all in the church, but it means that the primary roles of authority, leadership and responsibility belong to godly men. And not all men are meant to be elders and deacons, those that desire that position must meet with the qualifications laid out in 1 Timothy 3:1-13.
In conclusion, we must keep ourselves from becoming that which so many people accuse of being: chauvinistic and demeaning toward women. Though men and women have different roles, it does mean that one role is better or worse than the other. Each role has its own beauty and uniqueness. Just because women have a subservient role does not mean that they are lesser beings or have a role with lesser value.

Men must remember that it is part of a women’s curse to desire men’s position, and not to fuel that desire by letting women take the role of a man. Men must give women grace and mercy, leading as Christ leads.

Women must also remember that it is part of man’s curse to rule harshly over them, and not to provoke that sinful tendency. Women must also give men grace and mercy, by being submissive and gentle in the way that Christ is submissive to the Father.

Though these roles have been distorted by our culture and by pagan philosophies, there can be a return to Biblical manhood and womanhood. However, the only way this can be accomplished is by the grace of God, and a willingness by both men and women to submit to God’s ordained roles for each gender. A thorough search and study of the Scriptures alone will not give adherence to these beliefs, the Holy Spirit must reveal the truth to the individual in order for them to believe.

The Scriptures are clear on the established roles of men and women, and though many people go to great lengths to ignore, or even abolish them, they still exist. Denial of the truth does not cause it to be untrue, its truthfulness still remains. And the truths contained within the pages of Scripture are not bound to any culture, time, race, tongue, tribe, nation, or religion, they are transcendent and everlasting. God’s Word is not able to be erased, it is solid and infallible, yet many in today’s (and every other time) culture suppress the truth and live for a lie.

Hopefully and if the Lord wills, many more will be enlightened by God’s Word and will experience the joy of living in accordance to the Scriptures.

In Christ,
Scotty