Should Churches Ordain Women?

Should churches ordain women as well was made into pastoral ministry. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Our phone lines are open right now and you can call us for the next 25 minutes or so with your question. Here's the phone number you might want to jot this down for future reference. It's 833 the core. If you want to spell it out. 833.

The core 418-338-4326 73 court. You can also post your question on one of our social media accounts, Facebook, Instagram, or twitter, you can watch us on YouTube and you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Doug in Kansas City, Missouri. Doug what your question for pastor atrial. Yeah, I suffer from alcoholism and I was curious as to is there certain books in the Bible. I should read to help me with this or is it just and specific like what what second of the Bible. Should I focus on the try to get help with this. Hey Doug, thank you for that question and III want to encourage you with God's word. You only think about addiction, alcoholism, in particular at work were talking about one cinnamon drunkenness in Scripture's is called the sin, but were also talking about disease and and that the way in which our our bodies can fall into the sort of patterns of struggle with the sickness, so you have your both sanding and in sickness and in this is the result of the fall, sin is entering the world death, sin and and because of that, you know, we have the certain propensities proclivities and answer with regard to the sin. The first thing I would want to make sure is what one year.

A Christian you believe in Jesus Christ, you are in Christ, your sins have been washed away and if if that's the case, the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 8 beginning in verse nine you, however, are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him, but if Christ is in you. Although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh that is in drunkenness and in immorality.

Those who think that the be possible is thinking of there for if you live according to the flesh, you will die.

But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The question is do we have the spirit of God are we in Christ. If we are in Christ you have a new identity. Doug, you belong to Jesus, are no longer characterized by or are defined by those struggles, even though you can still have them those addictions with what your which are marked by is baptism and faith in Jesus Christ.

You belong to him now.

By the spirit we are called your called to put to death the sinful deeds of the body and and again with with regard to sin, and in particular with regard to addiction. This is something you can't do by yourself. One of the things that that is absolutely clear in Scripture, Doug, is that in this fight. This fight against sin this, the struggle against addiction were meant to struggle in the context of the community of faith, you need the church to support you and to surround you. On the other thing that you may need is professional help, brother me that there's nothing wrong with with seeking out a counselor who specializes in addiction in addictive behavior that can that can also be really really helpful. Other organizations like celebrate recovery that I think it's important to get accountability and and a team of people around you working to be able to encourage you in this fight. So two questions for you. Doug, do you have a church you are you Christian you believe in Jesus.

Do you have a church and and do you have that kind of a support structure yes it is available to me just reopened outback backup after the pandemic and every let me just say brother I know for first for so many who battle with with addiction, and it really is that the that the struggle is to feel totally discouraged like you know I'm never going to be free of this and NMI, even a Christian does God love me because I go back to this behavior.

I fail I fall again.

You have to know if you are in Christ. If you believe in Jesus Christ you have a new identity you've been buried with Jesus through baptism by faith you're gonna rise again one day that the struggles that we experience in the flesh that that battle against sin and addiction. One day the Lord is going to take those away. He's gonna restore our broken bodies. He's can it relieve us of our sins and so that's a hope that you have it. In the meantime, as I said, you get the accountability and you pursue that. I'm glad to hear that that that the church community you your part of the just opened up. I would say pursue the accountability there that you need and and even taking it a step further. Maybe getting together with others who who are also looking for that kind of accountability to a program like celebrate recovery and and maybe even pursuing some some more professional help. I think can be really helpful and and so that's my encouragement for you. Let me just say a prayer for you Doug right now as well. Dear heavenly father we lift our brother up to you.

I thank you Lord that he is longing for help, looking for help in Lord God, I thank you that when we come to you with our struggles with our sins with our addictions that you don't turn us away.

They don't cast us out Jesus that you said come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, let Doug experience that rest Lord Jesus that is in you, the forgiveness of his sins by faith in your name and I pray that by the spirit Lord you would sanctify him he would be at work in his life he would surround him with with godly brothers and sisters who can encourage him in this fight.

And Lord, that you would fill in with your spirit now so that he might have the joy in the piece that you give be with him today and bless and we ask in Jesus name, amen and amen I will be praying for you Doug, thank you so much for listening and for your your honesty for transparency and not calling us, it'll. I'm so glad you mentioned celebrate recovery. What a great organization that is I've known so many people that have gone through that and the found it tremendously helpful and I would say to Doug if they don't offer that your church there probably churches in your area that do you think of their national website actually will give you the names of the churches locally were you can find a group yeah you don't bill. One of the things we need to we need to recover in the church is what an old Lutheran pastor and copastor called the Fellowship of sinners and a lot of times it is really hard for us to talk about our struggles to talk about our addictions to talk about our sins because we think of the church is just for people who have everything together and we all sort of pretend in the context of of the church community.

We all are. We are wearing our best smile and are our best clothes that kind of a thing. It's what this Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer I in his book life life together called the Fellowship of the pious where everybody is is just Lena looks really good and people are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is found in their midst is as you know we really need and what the gospel gives to us is fellowship with one another as sinners, we can be honest about the fact were broken honest about the fact we failed not because it's okay not because sin is okay, but because there is a Savior who is strong enough to redeem us and who is redeeming us day by day sanctifying us and so weak we could have that kind transparency and then that's what I really appreciated Doug's question there and and him just reaching out and that so important that we do that and that we have the confidence in the gospel that allows us to be honest about our sins and man, this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

We would love to hear from you. Here's the phone number to call its 1-833-843-2673. Our phone lines will be open for the next 15 minutes or so you can call us 833 the core. If you want to spell it out.

Let's go to Pat in El Paso, Texas Pat, welcome to the program. Hi Pat how are you I'm doing well thank you so much sister was your what your question? I will clearly show that something that I think you got the point that it and to be cremated and buried. I don't believe that it's a sin to be cremated and not buried. You know the reality is, the Bible doesn't. I think speak to this specifically.

And when we receive this question a few times on the broadcast.

Pat sometimes people are concerned. You know if if I'm cremated will will my body be resurrected on the final day. You know throughout the Bible we have this hope of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Jesus rose again so that we might have that hope.

The apostle Paul talks about that in talk about this in first Corinthians chapter 15.

So the question is, well if if if my body is not intact. If it's not put into a grave. Am I can experience the resurrection will were raised not because of you know that the the way in which we were buried were raised by the power of God through the grace of Jesus Christ of the question is not how were you buried.

That doesn't determine whether or not you're going to be resurrected, or whether or not your save.

The question is do you believe in Jesus you trust in him. Are you in Christ you have a relationship with Christ. That's that's the main question and so I think that that the no cremation or the more traditional burial. You know that that that's that really has no bearing on your eternal salvation, but it's a matter of personal conscience and so there's freedom here for for the believer for you as you think about these things.

Thank you for your question.

Thank you Pat so much for being one of our regular listeners great. The question this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, one of the ways that you can leave a question is by calling our voicemail 24 hours a day and just leaving a message there 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 let's go to voicemail.

We received yesterday and they we no longer have to follow the laws of the Old Testament is Jesus typically say somewhere, or should we really be more like messianic Jews where we adhere to some of the original laws while still believing in Jesus that he died for our send thank you. Hey, thank you for that question. I actually wrote an article some time ago over core, Christianity.com I think it's called why you don't have to obey all the laws in the Bible or something like that kind of a provocative title and and the point was, you know, why is it that Christians don't observe some of the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament you think about the sacrificial system or even the dietary laws that we see the Hebrew people weren't supposed to eat shellfish or pork. You know that kind of the thing will are we picking and choosing and sometimes people even use this as an argument against Christianity. They'll say you guys reject one thing over here but then you accept another thing you gets just inconsistent and so it's really important for us to to parse this out you have in Scripture. Essentially, the moral law right to summarize, I believe in the 10 Commandments what God calls his people to be in the guy would say you know that moral law is always standing and it summarize. Also, basically, in what Jesus said to love God perfectly and to love our neighbor as ourselves. And Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, he tells us in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17 he came to fulfill the law and so in Christ. The law is perfectly fulfilled. Now some of the laws in the Old Testament that the ceremonial laws. In particular, pointed to a greater reality. They were finally fulfilled in Jesus.

Am thinking in particular about that the sacrifices in the temple, or even that some of the dietary rat restrictions that you had under the old covenant, and so the reason we don't observe those things anymore is because Jesus is, and two books of the Bible in the New Testament that I think really help to explain this are the book of Galatians and the book of Hebrews because in both of those books you had Christian communities that were being tempted to go back to the old covenant system. The old covenant way of doing things, observing Old Testament laws and in the author to the Hebrews and Paul in the book of Galatians says you don't have to do that Jesus has fulfilled these things he's he's the reality we have the reality now, the substance, all of these other things were signs that pointed to Jesus. Don't go back to the signs. I've taken my kids to Disneyland on a couple of occasions out here in Southern California and as you're getting closer and closer to the park you have these signs right like Disneyland. This way, several hill leading into the park will could you imagine if we showed up to Disneyland and were having a good time there in the park is as we do when we go and halfway through the day. I say to my kids, you know what, let's go back outside this.

Let's go back to the sign was leading us here. Let let's let's hang out there you know when we got off the freeway. We saw that Sage be like what, that's crazy. Why would you do that that your your your there.

You're in the park and that's what the author the Hebrews says that's what Paul says in Galatians. We've we've arrived to Jesus the reality. Let's not go back to that and so we don't go back to the ceremonial law of the Old Testament signs pointing forward to Jesus or even some of the sort of political laws associated with Israel as it is a national body under the old covenant, the civil laws and that those are not binding in the same way upon believers today upon the church today and so that's how we parse those things out and thank you so much for that really important question. By the way, we have a core question on this topic. It's called how do Christians relate to the law. You can find that boy going to core Christianity.com/questions again. It's called how do Christians relate to the Lodge is one of our many core questions that we answer will let's talk about something that we have four new listeners. If you have just joined core Christianity recently and you're new to the program. We would love to send you a free what we call our core kit. Yes, the core kit offers our listeners a just a number of different resources is jampacked with a DVD.

Finding yourself in God story answers to the top three questions we get asked on the show a printed copy of our most read article over@corechristianity.com our Bible reading plan to help you get in the word more frequently and a lot of other just really really need material and so the court, it is just that a kit that introduces you to the best content and items we have at core Christianity and we heard from a lot of people that have these resources have helped them and encourage them in their Christian faith. So we want to collect them into one place and give it away for free. So to receive what was it yeah go ahead until the shirts here so you didn't go to core Christianity.com/kit again.

Core, Christianity.com/kit to get yours again. It's absolutely free. Would love to send that to you by the way, you can get that resource or any one of our resources. Also by calling us at 833. The core let's go to email question we received yesterday and this person says I recently saw that one of the biggest churches in America ordained three women to pastoral ministry. This is the first time that you, this church has done this. Did the church leaders just change their mind or do you think this is a practice that more churches should begin doing yeah I think I am familiar with the situation you're talking about. I don't know a ton about the church in particular. It sounds to me like there must've been a shift.

If this was something new that they've decided to do and in your question knows this is something that I think that more churches should start doing personally know the way I understand essentially ordination in the New Testament and you know that the calling on elders on pastors in particular is that that's an office it's reserved for men.

Paul talks about this in first Timothy three and in Titus chapter 1. I also think of what the apostle Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 14 is is is in all the churches of the saints.

The women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission is the law also says not an event that starts out like what what is Paul getting out there, but in the context he had just talked about with essentially what what the elders in the church do related to judging profits would speak. We know that in the New Testament church. There were male and female prophets who would who would speak in his talking in particular hear about back in verse 29 of chapter 14 about what what the elders in the church would do. Judging or weighing that which was said it was a sort of authoritative function that I think in in in the New Testament, it seems like it's reserved for the pastor or that the male elders in the church and so so my position is is is that and it's I think historically what what the church is embraced.

I know that this is not I don't believe that this is one of those gospel issues that that should cause us to think all that that other church over there, they must not really be Christians, that kind of thing it's it's not I would say gospel issue, but it is an issue that's that's important for us to talk about and it's it's in the Bible only say this week we have this discussion, we say well they know we believe that the pastor should be men or elders should be men in the church and then we sort of don't really go any further than that and I think that there are a lot of women who wonder what it what is it that God is called meat to do in the life of the church does mean that II you know studying theology and understand the Bible. That's a thing for men. And when you know were wheat we have to focus on just serving the nursery or are that kind of a thing you for the for the women of the church, but you look at the New Testament and it's amazing how God used women for the advancement of his kingdom.

I love this story in the book of acts in acts chapter 18 elicited this verse 24 now a Jew named Apollo's. A native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man competent in the Scriptures.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

But when Priscilla and Tukwila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately here you have this this mighty teacher of the Scriptures. Apollo cc gifted and yet he's confused about some things according to the Scriptures and so who helps them out.

Priscilla and Tukwila date they come alongside of him and they explained to him the way of God more accurately, friends, men and women that you should know the Scriptures theology sound doctrine well enough so that you can do this very basic and you can have this kind of conversation Priscilla Tukwila were actually described by Paul in Romans chapter 16 verse three as coworkers in the gospel and is already mentioned, you know it. In the New Testament church you had men women were prophesying and praying, female prophets, in particular in places like acts chapter 29 verse nine. This was something that that was indicated way back in the Old Testament you know Joel, the prophet prophesied that God was in a proudest Spirit on all flesh men and women sons and daughters prophesying, being used by the Lord. So I think it's important that that we understand that that that men and women are gospel laborers together side-by-side. Paul talked about that and in the book of Philippians Philippians chapter 4 verse three and so so I would say right like it like in the structure of God's church in terms of how it's supposed to be structured and unstructured. It seems to me like men are called to some men in the church were qualified are called to serve as elders that that's an office reserved for them, but that doesn't mean that women aren't cold. Laboring with them that it's that it is important for us to listen to and learn from the entire body of Christ and be encouraged by the gifts that God is given to everyone as I want to encourage the women to be Priscilla's to do it to be those who know the word of God so well that you're able to explain it and help others in the way of God more accurately think the question this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.

Let's go to Paul in Sioux City, Iowa Paul what your question for pastor. Israel is that a lot of people on your program. Talk about remarrying versus bearing but would it be okay if we donate our bodies to science a Paul I'm not. I think I would just say this also is a question of of Christian liberty. I think I think it would be okay. Yes I mean I think the if the intention is to help others. That seems to me like a noble thing. You also think about just donating donating your organs if you ever and in some kind of an accident or something like that and I think that that's I think that's a good thing. It's not something that you have to do, but I think that believers are free to do it and I don't think that they they should worry about.

You know is this is a something wrong or am I am I sending by doing this may second keep you from being resurrected again it's it's the power of the Holy Spirit that raises us on the final day and so the issue of of Christian liberty and freedom. There this is core Christianity, we have a YouTube question that came in. Michael is watching our YouTube stream right now and he says Augustine and Luther taught that God regenerates via water baptism and that this can be lost. Is this true rather been a lot of great theologians in the history of the church who have who have believe this. A lot of the church has embraced this view for four unit in the history of the Christian church and the ideas just that once a person is Baptist when they're baptized there undoubtedly regenerated that is that that through the water baptism they are born again. That is not my view. I think regeneration is a work of the Holy Spirit. I think an individual can be regenerated at their Baptist guy got it working an individual at a very young age, but that doesn't necessarily mean that just because someone is baptized they are saved when we experience shows us otherwise. There are many people who have been baptized who don't trust in Jesus aren't born again. So the question is, is the spirit of God worked in you to regenerate you and that's what we look to is the work of the spirit. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together