{"id":1258,"date":"2021-06-10T01:24:41","date_gmt":"2021-06-10T01:24:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/?p=1258"},"modified":"2021-06-10T01:24:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-10T01:24:54","slug":"9-womens-ordination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/9-womens-ordination\/","title":{"rendered":"#9 Women\u2019s Ordination"},"content":{"rendered":"

WOMEN\u2019S ORDINATION<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why all the fuss?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Richard Marin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is the question of whether women should be ordained to the gospel ministry such a hot issue? Could it be important enough to divide God\u2019s church? It is not just a side issue to distract the church from her real mission. Beneath the surface lies a debate that affects every aspect of Christian life and doctrine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue is not whether women are equal to men nor if women are as smart, or as gifted, or as justified before God as men. Neither is it a matter of fine-tuning our definition of the word \u201cordination\u201d. Much less is there an argument as to whether women are to have a ministry. Rather the question is \u201cWhat is God\u2019s will concerning the ordination of women to the ministry?\u201d But the importance of that question is paled by the greater question that lies beneath it, the question of how<\/strong> we are to go about answering the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cHow\u201d is More Important than the \u201cWhat\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the General Conference decision tell us the Lord\u2019s will? By what method should the church settle the debate? The Gender Inclusiveness Commission of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists has well captured the heart of the matter when in its opening paragraph on What Are the Positive Aspects of Ordaining Women?<\/em> it envisions \u201ca community created and perpetuated by Christian process\u201d. The debate over the right process<\/strong> is what threatens to divide the church today. By what process are we to go about answering the ordination question? The Bible, you say. But, how are we to approach the Bible? Must the church hold to \u201cthe notion of Scriptural literalism\u201d or is \u201cprogressive revelation\u201d what keeps us in the present truth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both sides now agree that how we approach the Bible is the dividing issue. When Adventism settles this issue her pathway will be marked. Then 1) Ford\u2019s new view of the antichrist in Bible prophecy;  2) Paxton\u2019s challenge as to whether we are heirs of the Reformation \u201csola fide\u201d; and 3) the Questions on Doctrine<\/em> debate over the nature of Christ all have a basis for being settled. Before us is a row of dominoes \u2013each one close enough to the next so that what we do with the first will impact all the rest. The way we handle the first domino on \u201chow to understand the Bible\u201d will affect the outcome of the women\u2019s ordination question and all the other vital questions in the row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the \u201cChristian process\u201d that will clearly settle the question of women\u2019s ordination? The sides are now drawn. Two clearly opposing ideas of how to approach the Bible are being set forth. The position a person takes on this hermeneutical question will determine their answer on the ordination question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you Read?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some among us feel that \u201cthe prevailing consensus of Adventist theologians and Biblical scholars in North America\u201d should decide the issue. In his review of the book titled Searching the Scriptures<\/em>, Dr. Fritz Guy recommends serious use of the Scriptures, \u201ccareful study of the text, and patient listening to the whole Word of God\u201d. For him this requires acceptance of \u201cthe essential distinction between exegesis and interpretation\u201d. Elder Larry Christoffel, et. al., in their response to the same book add adjectives: \u201cthe essential distinction between textual exegesis and theological interpretation\u201d. Their language is a little more understandable when further down on page one they write: \u201cCompetent interpreters of the Bible have distinguished between the essential message of the Bible and the human medium that conveys that precious truth\u201d. They want us to distinguish between the message<\/strong> and the text<\/strong> of Scripture. Pastor David VanDenburgh expresses this same distinction in his open letter to General Conference delegates. He insists on the need to distinguish between \u201cthe words of scripture\u201d and \u201cthe meaning of the Word of God\u201d. In a more recent manuscript, Raymond F. Cottrell, summarizes the churches predicament in these words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnless we as Seventh-day Adventists resolve this divisive difference in biblical hermeneutics, it has the potential of leading to two Adventist churches \u2013one for open-minded people who base their conclusions on Bible principles, and one for closed-minded people who feel more secure with an immature, literalistic reading of the Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these writers emphasize the need to distinguish between \u201cthe written words\u201d of Scripture and \u201cthe message\u201d of Scripture. The idea of distinguishing between \u201cthe message\u201d and \u201cthe text\u201d may be the key to proper Christian process. Many Adventist laymen barely read the words of Scripture let alone understand their theological meaning. What better time than the present to select a committee of scholars who will interpret for us the meaning of the Word of God. A literal reading of the text of Titus 1:5-6 (\u201c\u2026ordain elders\u2026if any be \u2026the husband of one wife\u201d) and 1 Tim 3:2 (\u201cA bishop then must be \u2026the husband of one wife\u201d) could certainly leave many laymen with the impression that the role of elder or bishop was only for men. Maybe the time has come for the establishment of an authoritative teaching office (the consensus of scholars and theologians) to interpret the Bible for us? Without such the laity might never arrive at the idea that women should be ordained to the ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such an interpreting body has seemed to work well for centuries in the Roman Catholic Church. Most theological divisions in that church can be quelled by the authoritative voice of its teaching office (magesterium). Could Adventists learn a thing or two from Rome?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent Protestant-Catholic debate shows how Rome suggests we approach the Bible. Note how William Marshner (Catholic) in debating the idea of sola Scriptura<\/em> (Scripture alone as a rule of faith and practice) expressed the same principle as that set forth by Christoffel, Cottrell, Guy, and VanDenburgh:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rod Rosenbladt<\/strong> (Protestant): \u201cThe [Catholic] church tells me that the church is the servant of the Word; when in fact, what it looks like so often is it acts like [a] prince over It\u2026\u201d \u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

William Marshner<\/strong> (Catholic): \u201c\u2026. Is the church a \u201cprince over the Scripture\u201d or a \u201cservant of the Scripture\u201d? That\u2019s a good conundrum \u2013or it seems to be. In fact it is no conundrum at all, because it turns upon an ambiguity. When you say \u2018the Scripture\u2019 do you mean \u2018the message\u2019 or do you mean \u2018the text\u2019. The message is what the Scriptures are intended by God to mean. The message is Scripture rightly interpreted. To that message the church is a servant. The text is something else. The text needs to be interpreted \u2026 Sola Scriptura<\/em> itself \u2026 is not in the Book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease tell me which it is\u2026 that is profitable; which it is that thoroughly equips a person unto all good works. What is it that does that? Is it the Scripture correctly interpreted? Is it the message that does that? Or is it the text? Surely it is the message that is a light unto our feet. Surely it is the message of God \u2013the true speaking of God\u2013 what He really wants us to understand. That\u2019s what equips the saints. Please tell me how it is that simple statement about an entity, (which is the message) proves the sufficiency of the text \u2026 to interpret itself, to give you that correct understanding\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The comments made by the Roman Catholic team might be summarized as follows: \u201cOne must distinguish between the words of Scripture and the meaning of Scripture. Rome has always had a ruling magesterium to explain the meaning of Scripture whereas you Protestants each go your own way and have no unity\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were We Fair with Paxton?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1977 Anglican priest, Geoffrey Paxton, called for Seventh-day Adventists to examine their claim to being heirs of the Protestant Reformation. After a number of speaking appointments at large Adventist centers across North America overflow crowds packed the Loma Linda University Church and accompanying halls to hear him defend his book, The Shaking of Adventism<\/em>, before a panel of Adventist theologians. His central thrust was: \u201cIf you Adventists are continuing the Protestant Reformation you must stand with its clear statement on justification by faith alone\u201d. When the dust began to settle the denomination published a critique of The Shaking of Adventism<\/em> suggesting that sola Scriptura<\/em> (the Bible alone) rather than sola fide<\/em> (justification by faith alone) is our claim to being an extension of the Protestant Reformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should we now dump sola Scriptura<\/em> and opt for the Roman Catholic approach to the Bible? If the words of the Bible do not say what God is trying to say do we need to appoint an inspired interpreter who can tell us what God wanted to say through the apostles and prophets, but could not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before we scrap our Protestant heritage let us review what that heritage is. Any funeral certainly deserves an obituary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did the Reformers mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Protestant Reformers used the slogan sola Scriptura<\/em> what did they mean? This latin war cry meant that the Bible and the Bible only was their rule for determining doctrine and lifestyle. Here is how they understood this principle which was so crucial in their separation from Rome:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human wisdom was seen to be the great enemy of sola Scriptura<\/em>. Sinful man rejects sola Scriptura<\/em>. This rejection is expressed in four ways: individually, corporately, mystically, and scholastically. In order to maintain the Bible\u2019s authority over man the Reformers outlined their position by explaining that the Bible was 1) necessary, 2) authoritative, 3) sufficient, and 4) essentially clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The necessity<\/strong> of Scripture meant that it was not in man by nature to direct his steps (Jer 10:23). He was in darkness as to how to be saved and how to live a life pleasing to God. Man needed the Bible; he could not figure out God\u2019s truth on his own. \u201cNecessity\u201d was opposed to rationalism \u2013independent, reasoning man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authority<\/strong> of Scripture meant that It was to rule over man \u2013even corporate man. Peter called it \u201ca more sure word\u201d (2 Pet 1:19). Paul shows its authority by saying it is \u201cprofitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness\u201d (2 Tim 3:16). When in conflict, the Bible is to be obeyed rather than obeying administrators, committees, or conferences. \u201cAuthority\u201d excludes the idea that collective man, ruling man, councils, churches, or popes have the right to overrule what the Bible says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sufficiency<\/strong> of Scripture meant that nothing else was needed in order to understand salvation and Christian living. Paul said it could \u201cthoroughly furnished unto all good works\u201d (2 Tim 3:17). There is no need of other sources. Mysticism suggests that the Bible is not enough; that some additional revelation is needed in order to understand God\u2019s will. Charismatic experiences, dreams, visions, encounters, or ecstacies are touted as the way to understand God\u2019s word for a particular generation or culture. \u201cSufficiency\u201d excludes the need for additional revelation in order to understand God\u2019s truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The essential clarity<\/strong> of Scripture meant that the most humble lay person could understand from its pages how to be saved and how to perform works pleasing to God (\u201cable to make thee wise unto salvation\u2026 profitable\u2026 for instruction in righteousness\u201d 2 Tim 3:15-16). Many believe that the Bible is hard to understand and that much education is needed in order to grasp its message. The Reformers taught that although there were passages that even the greatest Bible scholars could not explain, the messages of salvation and sanctification were clear in the words of the text. \u201cEssential clarity\u201d teaches that a person does not need a university education in order to grasp God\u2019s truth nor does he need a scholar or group of them to reinterpret the Bible for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholars may help laymen understand. Visions may supply the lack of careful reading. Councils may guide the individual or the church in paths of righteousness. Human reason may aid in Bible study. But all of these must be subject to the text of Scripture; for they are not infallible. Whenever human reason, church councils, visionaries, or scholars tried to occupy a place above the Bible our Protestant forefathers upheld the Bible and the Bible only as the rule of faith and practice. Thus they placed man in all his facets (individual, corporate, mystical, and scholastic) below the words of Scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are second thoughts about a funeral for our Protestant heritage in order? What are we going to replace this heritage with \u2013a small group of self-designated scholars who would develop a doctrinal consensus on which we would stand through the final crisis? Why couldn\u2019t that small group be the Vatican itself? Would there be a final crisis if it was?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you think of it, haven\u2019t the same \u201cAdventist\u201d scholars who are proposing a \u201cscholarly consensus\u201d already decided that the one distinctive of Adventism, its sanctuary doctrine, does not conform to the message of Daniel, Hebrews, or Revelation. Were Seventh-day Adventists just a temporary measure on God\u2019s part until He could develop a magesterium<\/em> that would bring us back to Rome? or are the words<\/strong> of Scripture sufficient?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about Infidels, Heretics, and Pharisees?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You ask, \u201cWhat about all the infidels, heretics, and Pharisees who read the words of Scripture and entirely miss the plan of salvation and the principles of loving obedience? Don\u2019t they prove that Scripture alone is not enough?\u201d Yes, they do!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as each of the other reformation slogans teaches a truth that must be connected to its companion truths so it is with sola Scriptura<\/em>. We should remember that sola fide<\/em> must be faith alone in Jesus alone (solo Christo)<\/em> or else one might think faith in anything would bring salvation. Solo Christo<\/em> would save no one if God\u2019s grace (sola gratia<\/em>) had not given heaven\u2019s Best to be born a man. Sola gratia<\/em> can only be understood in the light of Scripture (sola Scriptura<\/em>). And sola Scriptura<\/em> is only words unless accompanied by a divinely appointed interpreter who can make the true meaning clear to the mind. That office was not bestowed on any man or woman; not on any body of people; not on any rank of people; not on any visionary. It was committed to the third person of the Godhead \u2013the Holy Spirit. That Person is \u201cgiven to all them that believe (sola fide<\/em>)\u201d Rom 8:9. Infidels, heretics, and Pharisees don\u2019t believe in the only Son of God as their Savior from sin. They don\u2019t have the resident Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. They read the words but they don\u2019t understand them unless the Holy Spirit enlightens their minds. Only we who believe are equipped to rightly divide the Word of truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observe how the apostle John shows that believers do not need an exterior \u201cteaching office\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it\u2026 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.\u201d 1 John 2:20-27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The words of the new covenant shine out in this context: \u201cAnd they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.\u201d Jer 31:34. Since Pentecost a teaching magesterium in the church is outdated. The Comforter has come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The divinely appointed Interpreter is God Himself. He will not lead God\u2019s people contrary to how He taught them in former ages or in different cultures. In the world He convicts all men of sin, and righteousness, and judgment. But believers He guides into all truth (John 14-16). He is the Holy Spirit who moved holy men of God to record God\u2019s thoughts for us. Since these thoughts are recorded in the language of men, and by imperfect men at that, we are not to regard the words as perfect even though the Bible is infallible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Spirit of God guides believers into all truth He uses primarily one means \u2013\u201cthe sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God\u201d (Eph 6:17). In other words the Spirit-filled person is guided in his understanding of God\u2019s Word by having the Holy Spirit bring to his mind other words in the passage or other portions of the Book that help him understand the part he is reading. This concept may be reduced into the phrase: \u201cthe Bible is its own interpreter\u201d. No human being or collection of them has been called to interpret the Bible (2 Pet 1:20). That is God\u2019s work. To humans has been given the privilege to read, understand, explain, and apply Scripture (Neh 8:8; Dan 9:13,23; 2 Tim 4:1-3). Christ\u2019s command to us is to teach and to preach not to interpret the Word. The Holy Spirit is its Interpreter. In this way the Bible becomes an unerring guide to eternal life and godliness. When its study is accompanied with the Holy Spirit\u2019s presence God\u2019s message will be understood \u2013His will will be made clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may ask, then why are there so many divisions in Christianity? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Christians Don\u2019t See Eye to Eye<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real Christians understand that salvation is a gift from God in Christ and that holiness is the way to serve God. They may not see eye to eye on every doctrine or every practice because they are not perfect and still have truths to learn. The sinfulness of our natures and the dullness of our minds hinders us from understanding all that heaven has revealed. But the direction of the Christian is into the unity of the faith. The Christian\u2019s desire is to understand God better and to more perfectly do His will. This is true not only of the individual but of the church body that is committed to Christ. The foundation of Christ\u2019s church is the apostles and the prophets (Eph 2:20). On this Word He builds His church and though Satan\u2019s armies try to tear away that foundation by clever means, Christ is pledged to defend that Word for it is His also.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If only Spirit-filled people have the resident Bible Interpreter, then how can we recognize them or be sure that we are one of them? In Matthew 7:15-24 Jesus gave the test: \u201cTherefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock\u201d (Matt 7:24 NIV). Notice the attitude believers have toward the words of Christ. One of the disciples asked: \u201cLord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words.\u201d John 14:22-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How a person relates to the words of Scripture reveals whether he has the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Bible the close connection between being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the Word is repeated (Cf. Eph 5:18-19 & Col 3:16; Acts 2:4, 11; 6:5-10; Lk 1:67-79).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is reading the words<\/strong> really that important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 Attitude Towards the Words<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of the way Jesus viewed the words of Scripture. When the Pharisees questioned the actions of His disciples in the corn field Jesus\u2019 response shows what He expected their approach to Scripture to be: \u201cHave ye not read what David did\u2026 Or have ye not read in the law\u2026\u201d (Matt 12:3-5). Apparently he expected them to read the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked if the grounds for divorce were limited He answered \u201cHave ye not read\u2026\u201d (Matt 19:4). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His response to men upset by children crying in the temple was: \u201cYea; have ye never read\u2026\u201d (Matt 21:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When His authority was questioned Jesus answered by telling a parable and concluded with these words: \u201cAnd have ye not read this scripture\u2026\u201d (Mk 12:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lawyer asked Him about getting saved. In return Jesus said: \u201cWhat is written in the law? How readest thou?\u201d Lk 10:26. The lawyer\u2019s answer was a direct quote from the ten commandments (the text, the words, the written medium). And Jesus said: \u201cThou hast answered right\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In answer to the Sadducees\u2019 inquiry about how many husbands one woman could have in heaven, He said: \u201cYe do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God\u2026 have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying\u2026\u201d (Matt 22:29-31). Apparently He believed that what Moses wrote down in the wilderness was not just Moses writing to the wandering Israelites; nor just God speaking to the people of Moses\u2019 day; nor just God speaking in a way that could be reinterpreted to speak to later generations; but it was God speaking to the people of Christ\u2019s day. So Jesus said: \u201cthat which was spoken to you by God\u201d. This is true, for Christ continues by quoting from the words of Exodus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When last-day events are dealt with on the Mount of Olives we are clearly told to read Daniel in order to understand the antichrist and his timing. We are not told: \u201cIf by that time you have developed the apostelesmatic principle you will be able to recognize the man of sin.\u201d Charismatic gifts or higher education aren\u2019t the prerequisite. It says, \u201cwhoso readeth, let him understand\u201d (Matt 24:15). Apparently understanding comes from reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great Catholic once observed: \u201cIt is a mark of heretics that they always quote Scripture.\u201d Will those wrestling with issues in Adventism today make it a sin to read a verse and suggest that it means what it says? Is it a mark of stale traditionalism and bigoted chauvinism to defend your position with the words of Scripture?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only did Christ show that Pharisees, Sadducees, church-goers, disciples, and lawyers could have their questions answered by reading the Bible but He even quoted verses to the Devil when tempted in the wilderness. The Bible also records at least ten other occasions when Christ used the phrase \u201cIt is written\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are people who dismiss Christ\u2019s example of making the words of Scripture primary. Under the guise of glorifying Christ they propose that His personal sayings are to take precedence over the rest of Scripture. Jesus didn\u2019t see it that way. When His time on earth was almost done and He had just been raised from the dead He met two disciples troubled by recent events. Although He could have revealed Himself to them and said \u201cI<\/strong> say unto you\u201d, His response to their confusion was: \u201cO fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken\u2026. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.\u201d Luke 24:25-27. Rather than saying, \u201cI say unto you\u201d, He said, \u201cMoses says unto you and the prophets say unto you\u201d. Shortly afterwards, with the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, His approach was the same: \u201cThen opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written\u2026.\u201d Lk 24:45, 46. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 attitude toward Scripture was that people should have their questions answered and their way made plain by reading its words. This rule he applied to all classes of society. Will we submit to the Word in deciding women\u2019s ordination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the Real Priests Please Stand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems strange that proponents of women\u2019s ordination would emphasize the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers to support their position, while at the same time proposing that all believers cannot be priests when it comes to understanding the Bible. They talk of \u201cuniversal priesthood\u201d when favoring the ordination of women while advocating \u201climited priesthood\u201d when opposing the idea that lay people could correctly understand Scripture. Will we be robbed of the priesthood of all believers by those carrying a banner on which these very words are inscribed? Must we surrender this Protestant principle also and encourage our church to set up an interpreting magesterium to tell us what God wants us to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the tool the Spirit uses to open up the text is the Bible itself then a proper understanding of Scripture has never been dependant upon the science of archeology, nor the availability of more ancient manuscripts, nor a knowledge of the history of antiquity, nor a proficiency in biblical languages. If the Bible is available and readable by lay people as well as scholars then we need no scholarly Bible-interpreting body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the proponents of women\u2019s ordination want us to distinguish between the \u201cwords\u201d of the Bible and the \u201cmessage\u201d of the Bible, the real effect is to divorce the two. If, as they suggest, the message and the words don\u2019t agree are we to cut loose from the \u201cIt is written\u201d mooring and anchor in the mud of scholarly consensus? Would we be any better off with our Bibles chained to scholars than with them chained to cathedral walls? Isn\u2019t our brightest hope for the unity Christ desired found in the union of Spirit-filled believers based on the study of God\u2019s Word? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are We to Do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If what we have said is true (and the more noble will search the Scriptures to see whether it is [Acts 17:11]), what should we do in the present crisis? Will our church be \u201ca community\u2026 perpetuated by Christian process\u201d? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the proper process? Should the laity begin a witch hunt of scholars in order to purge the church of its problems? Do biblically illiterate administrators need to be dethroned? Is waiting for the shaking our only hope? Where do grass roots Adventists fit into the \u201cprocess\u201d. Spirit-filled administrators, scholars, and laity are all on an equal basis as concerns understanding the Bible. All believers are equipped to take part in the process. We needn\u2019t revive the Inquisition in order to settle the women\u2019s ordination crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answers may not be easy for a drowsy church. In past generations God\u2019s remedies have generally not come in the form of band-aids. When palmerworms, cankerworms, caterpillars, and locusts had destroyed the land in Joel\u2019s day God didn\u2019t propose fly-swatters. He went to the very heart of the problem and told Israel that the only remedy was to gather at His sanctuary for judgment day. Everything points to a similar solution in our crisis. Here are some things we can do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we need to examine ourselves<\/strong> to see if we are not the cause of the problem. Do we accept or reject a doctrine because we are told all the scholars see it a certain way? Do we prefer pastors who entertain us rather than ones that force us to go to the Bible because they have? Do we elect Sabbath School leaders who will tell us the same things we have always heard rather than those that expect us to stretch our minds in comprehending truth. Is our choice of fellow church members those who don\u2019t read the Bible or talk to us about what it says. If so, doesn\u2019t Scripture refer to us when it says: \u201cFor the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.\u201d 2 Tim 4:3 NIV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God has not sent us heresies in order to discourage us. When lesser means fail he permits their entrance in order to awaken us. In addition to their alarm-clock function there is another reason God permits heresies. He says: \u201c\u2026there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you\u201d (1 Cor 11:19).  In order to come to a unity of the faith the real heretics must be unveiled so that the true teachers of God\u2019s Word are recognized. God is beginning to remove the smoke screen that has for so long clouded the issues. He has promised: \u201cYet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven\u2026 that those things which cannot be shaken may remain\u201d (Heb 13:26-27). Let\u2019s look first into our own attitude toward the Scriptures \u2013for heretical parasites only grow on trees that produce the right kind of sap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, let\u2019s confess that we are strangers to God\u2019s Word and repent<\/strong> and return to a careful reading of the Bible. This will bring a refreshing of God\u2019s Spirit to guide us into all truth. A dissatisfaction with those that try to teach us God\u2019s will apart from Scripture may force our teachers to study the Bible also before they speak. A reformed laity may produce a reformed clergy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time God\u2019s people have prayed, believing His Word, He has heard from heaven. He delights to purify His bride, the church, if she will but ask<\/strong>. If things aren\u2019t right at the head of the work do you think God is unable to grant the petition of His people to correct injustice and selfish management?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As in Joel\u2019s time so today, 1) self examination, 2) repentance, and 3) prayer are not enough. Malachi says, \u201cthey that feared the Lord spake often one to another.\u201d Mal 3:16.  There is an urgent need for believers in Jesus to gather together<\/strong> to exchange ideas from the Bible. Ephesians 3:18 says comprehension comes with \u201call the saints\u201d. Sabbath School, camp meetings, Adventist Forums, and Bible conferences were designed for just such a purpose and are effective to that end when they do not deteriorate into a one-sided lecture format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1) Examining ourselves, 2) repenting of our failures, 3) praying for God\u2019s purifying work, and 4) assembling ourselves together to study God\u2019s Word will not be sufficient to meet our crisis. When the prophet Joel saw the heretical inroads to take place in our day he was also shown that there was only one ultimate solution \u2014the blotting out of sins<\/strong>. We live in the time of the judgment of the living. The prophets call us to gather to the heavenly sanctuary. Joel wrote: \u201cGather the people.\u201d Joel 2:16. Zephaniah captured the same thought with these word: \u201cGather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired.\u201d Zeph 2:1. The writer of Hebrews says: \u201cNot forsaking the assembling<\/strong> of ourselves together.\u201d Heb 10:25. Only in the Most Holy Place where Jesus intercedes for us is there hope of a final answer. If we as a people do not gather through informed faith to the judgment our sins will never be blotted out of heaven\u2019s record, we will receive no latter rain, the church will not come to the unity of the faith, and Christ will not \u201cappear the second time without sin unto salvation\u201d. May God give us eyes to see Jesus where he is; and minds to understand the significance of what He is doing there; and boldness to enter in trusting in His broken body, His spilled blood, and His final mediation. \u201cWho knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?\u201d Joel 2:14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our crisis will not be settled by a consensus statement, nor by political intrigue, nor by a grass roots rebellion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[We] are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. [We have come to the appointed day of judgment.] See that ye refuse not him that speaketh.\u201d Heb 11:22-25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes \u201cwomen\u2019s ordination\u201d is a domino issue. Beneath it lie two approaches to the Bible. Each approach regards the other as heresy. God is using this issue to awaken His people to His Word and how to understand it. Many will refuse to be awakened. Many will take the easy way, accepting the position of those they respect. But some will unite, not just to talk together, not just to come to an understanding of God\u2019s Word, but they will unite in \u201cfollowing the Lamb whithersoever He goeth\u201d. As they see Him where He is, the cloud that has obscured certain key issues will be lifted. They will understand not only His plan for pastoral ministry but also His plan of salvation. They will identify not only His role in the final crisis but also the role of the antichrist. They will understand not only the nature of Christ in the incarnation but the nature of His Church in the final generation. They will not only understand His Word but they will be the ones that join in the loud cry of the third angel. The dominoes will all come into place.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WOMEN\u2019S ORDINATION Why all the fuss? by Richard Marin Why is the question of whether women should be ordained to the gospel ministry such a hot issue? Could it be important enough to divide God\u2019s church? It is not just a side issue to distract the church from her real mission. Beneath the surface lies […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-thinking-aloud"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1260,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1258\/revisions\/1260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanctuarycall.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}