Refutation of
the General Council of the Assemblies of God Position
This final section of this study on the role of women in Christian Ministry is a refutation of the official statement prepared by the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God dated August 14-16, 1990 entitled: The Role of Women in Ministry as Described in Holy Scripture. This document is accessible in its entirety by clicking on the underlined title in this paragraph. This refutation will demonstrate the errors, whether unintentional or contrived, that exist in this document which espouses that women may hold the office of Pastor/Overseer/Bishop of a Christian Church. This section does not refute the position that women may hold office with or even receive ordination by the Church; however, it clearly demonstrates that there is no precedent in the Bible which allows for anyone other than a man, preferably married with a family, to serve in the biblical position of Pastor in a Church.
The arguments found in the aforementioned Assemblies of God statement are based in large part upon the so-called 'successful ministries' of women in the Pentecostal Church. Thus, the Presbytery of the AOG procedes, not from the Bible as thier final authority (although this is claimed in paragraph 2 of the document), but from perceived personal experience.
The introductory paragraph of the aforementioned document closes with the following statement:
The Pentecostal movement believes that the 20th-century outpouring of the Spirit is a true fulfillment of the scriptural prediction, "Your daughters shall prophecy...and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit." (Joel 2:28,29)
There are three interpretational fallacies associated with this statement: (1) The term 'prophecy' simply means to 'speak in the behalf of,' and in this context to speak in the Name of God (W.E. Vine refers to the Old Testament application of the word as the act of speaking forth the mind and counsel of God, whereas he identifies the New Testament application as the gift of prophecy itself or the exercise of the same), (2) This statement reveals the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon all of mankind, both men and women, not just to a select few prophets and priests, (3) The writers of this document conveniently leave out the portion of this quote from Joel which reads, "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants" thus indicating that the prophesy refers to both men and women, young and old.
The writers of this statement further seek to impose their own worldly wisdom in the matter as they cast doubt upon the inerrancy of the works of Scripture which are currently available for examination and study as they write in paragraph 2:
Although the Holy Spirit may be active in the work of translation and interpretation, we cannot claim inerrancy for interpretations (even of extant Hebrew or Greek texts).
Thus, they are attempting to close all doors to those who would challenge their decision regarding this matter. At the close of the second section of the statement the Presbytery writes that, "The Church must always be sensitive to cultural concerns, but it must look to Scripture for the truth that applies to all times and cultures." This is a pretext that is later violated in the fourth section of the same statement where the writers claim that, "Paul was giving Timothy advice about dealing with some heretical teachings and practices involving women in the church at Ephesus." This is the rationale used to explain Paul's statement that women keep silent and show reverence in the church in 1 Timothy Chapter 2. This subject will be addressed in greater detail shortly, but serves to illustrate that even this short six-page document designed to validate a false teaching is in disagreement with itself.
In citing examples of women in ministry from the New Testament, this statement identifies Phoebe as a 'leader' in the church at Cenchrea (Rom 16:1-2), and claims that the Apostle Paul refers to Junia in Romans 16:7 as an apostle. To address these two items, let us look at what Paul wrote concerning each of these two Christian women in the following four paragraphs:
Phoebe is identified in the KJV by Paul in the following manner: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea" (Rom 16:1) The literal translation of this verse from the most reliable ancient Greek texts reads, "But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, being servant of the assembly in Cenchrea." Nowhere in this passage is she identified as being either a leader or an elder of this assembly (ekklaysia - Church). We are all servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His Church, regardless of position or title; however, one cannot assume that a title or position is implied simply because one is referred to as a servant (diakonon) of the Church. Some go as far as to say that Phoebe was either a pastor or a bishop of the church at Cenchrea, but no such title is stated or implied in Paul's letter to the Romans. While she obviously was a faithful servant, diligent worker, devout Christian, and a highly respected person by Paul, nothing in this passage either suggests or implies that Phoebe held any 'official' position in the church at Cenchrea.
Most disturbing among all of the claims made in the statement by the AOG Presbytery is that Junia is identified by the Apostle Paul as an apostle herself. This is a false presumption for three scriptural reasons: (1) Jesus hand-picked the twelve, one of whom betrayed him and lost his portion among them, (2) although the apostles and disciples elected Matthias by lottery to be the new twelfth apostle in Acts Chapter 1, God rejected their choice and hand-picked Paul as the new twelfth apostle, and (3) there can be twelve and only twelve apostles, for Revelation 21:14 identifies the twelve foundations of the city of New Jerusalem as representing the "twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Point #1 reveals that no apostle was ordained by men, but all apostles named in the Bible were 'called out' and 'sent forth' (Gk: apostolos) directly by Jesus Himself. Of the original twelve, Judas Iscariot gave himself over to the Devil and as a result forfeited his place among the twelve.
Point #2 reveals that the only time in scripture when men attempted to ordain an apostle of their choice, he was rejected by God in favor of God's own choice made in His own time. In the literal sense of the word, anyone 'sent forth' is an apostle of those who are doing the sending, but only twelve are identified as being the 'Apostles of the Lamb.'
Point #3 shows clearly that there can never be more than the original twelve apostles, for there are only twelve foundations in the city of New Jerusalem. Those identified as being 'sent out' by Church elders (such as Barnabus in Acts 14:4 and Epaphroditus in Phil 2:25) are referred to using the term apostolos with regard to the act they have been commissioned to perform, and not with regard to their relationship to Christ as His Apostles.
In a gross misinterpretation of the Greek text, the AOG Presbytery makes the following statement: "Junia was identified by Paul as an apostle (Romans 16:7)." This verse reads in the KJV, "Salute Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." The key phrase here is "are of note among the apostles." Paul does not identify either Andronicus (a man) or Junia (a woman) as apostles. Rather, he makes the point that they are recognized and respected as Christians and fellow-servants by the apostles. A simple analogy is that if a university student is a person of note among the professors, that in no way implies that he himself is also a professor.
In the section of the AOG statement that examines the biblical record of women in ministry, the clear impression espoused is that those, like myself who do not agree with their position that women are biblically permitted to pastor a church, are placing limitations on female ministry that the Lord never intended. Indeed there are a myriad of ministries to which a woman may be called scripturally. These are ordained of God in His word and may not be reinterpreted for the convenience of any church organization. The Bible does not speak of limitations for women in their role of Christian service, but proper designations. This is true of men as well. Not all men are qualified for all positions of biblical leadership, but all are called to serve.
In the analysis performed in this section of the AOG statement the following statement is made with regard to the 'prohibition against the ministry of women': "There are only two passages in the entire New Testament which might seem to contain a prohibition against the ministry of women (1 Corinthians 14:24 and 1 Timothy 2:12)." First, let me state unequivocally that no woman is prohibited scripturally from performing Christian ministry, for the term ministry simply means service. What is in question here is not whether women may serve in the Church --- in fact they are expected to serve in the church. What is in question is the validity of ordaining women to serve as overseers (pastors, bishops, etc.) of a church or churches.
An argument is made that Paul only addresses the disciplining and restraint of women when writing to Timothy in Ephesus because the women there were historically unruly. This is also the argument posed when, in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Paul lists sixteen qualifications for the pastorate and addresses the indeterminate candidate as a male. However, Paul remains consistent in the same matter when writing to Titus, who is well-known as a trouble-shooter and a widely-travelled elder of the Church. This solidifies the argument that the pastorate is biblically reserved for men who have been called to and are scripturally qualified for the office. Furthermore, Paul leaves instruction with Titus regarding the duty of elder women in the Church in verses 3-5 of Chapter 2 where he writes, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Addressing the Assumptions
Finally, the entire document prepared by the AOG Presbytery is riddled with misinterpretations and human assumptions. Most of the misinterpretations have already been examined and refuted earlier in this analysis; therefore, this final section will reveal and briefly address several assumptions that are found in the text of this statement.
Assumption #1: Paul was addressing Timothy in light of current conditions at Ephesus alone and not establishing biblical doctrine concerning qualifications for leadership. The council writes, "A reading of the entire passage of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 strongly suggests that Paul was giving Timothy advice about dealing with some heretical teachings and practices involving women in the church at Ephesus." Unlike his letters to Corinth and Colosse in which Paul clearly addresses the heresies present, in his letter to the Church at Ephesus he makes no mention of any female-centered heresies. Furthermore, he establishes the ministry qualifications listed in Chapter 3 of this letter to Timothy by reiterating them to Titus in the first chapter of that letter.
Assumption #2: The Presbytery writes regarding 1 Timothy 3:1-13, "It is true that the passage deals primarily with male leadership, most likely because of majority practice and expectations." They also once again falsely identify Phoebe as a Church leader in this same passage. First, this passage does not deal primarily with male leadership, it deals exclusively with male leadership. The argument can be made successfully that verses 8-13 may also apply respectively to deaconesses because there are a number of women identified in this role throughout the New Testament. However, the same cannot be said for verses 1-7, for not one woman is found in the office of overseer (pastor, bishop, etc.) in the entire New Testament. This statement also suggests that Paul in his zeal to address a troublesome social issue involving female dissidents has failed to make universal the doctrine of ecclesiological (church) leadership. Thus, on this occasion, the Holy Spirit would have to have been unsuccessful in communicating His word to the Apostle Paul, resulting in a violation of the Doctrine of Inerrancy of Scripture.
Assumption #3: Because some statements in the male gender may be applied universally to men and women alike, all such statements are universally true regardless of the person's sex. In attempting to expound upon the meaning of verse 11 in 1 Timothy the Presbytery of the AOG writes, "One rendering leaves the impression that these are qualifications for deacons' wives; the other suggests this exhortation is addressed to female spiritual leaders." Here, when the clear and obvious explanation of the passage does not fit with the experiential position of the church organization, ambiguity is used. By posing two or more possible interpretations confusion is injected into the argument in an attempt to render further discussion to the contrary moot. However, the Bible teaches, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." This passage was written by Paul in 1 Cor. 14:33.
Assumption #4: What applies to salvation applies to leadership as well. Regarding the statement made by Paul in Galatians 3:28 that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus", the Presbytery writes, "Some interpreters restrict the meaning of this triad to salvation by faith or oneness in Christ...Yet the verse carries a ring of universal application for all our relationships, not just as an assurance that anyone can come to Christ." This passage refers exclusively to the availability of salvation to all, and to the fact that the Father sees all, regardless of race, sex, or nationality, through Christ according to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (i.e. Salvation).
Assumption #5: The term "no respect of persons" grants universal availability of Church leadership to all. If this were the case then Paul would have had no need to list sixteen qualifications for Church leadership in 1 Timothy Chapter 3. Furthermore, this statement refers to the fact that all are equal in the eyes of God and that He does not favor one over another based upon worldly merits, social status, financial position, or other contrivances of man.
Assumption #6: If it has worked in the past and it works now, then God must be blessing it. One of the worst and most corrupt events of modern time is the establishment of setting legal precedent by the use of case law. In short, within the last half-century many leaders in the Church have adopted the secular notion that what works in one instance must universally apply in all instances. Roe v. Wade is an example of such a decision in the legal realm, and countless children were never allowed to experience their God-ordained right to life as a direct result. Yes, it worked and continues to work. Abortion is still legal in this country. However, is this barbaric form of infanticide condoned by God? How then can we simply say that because our experience was good and continues to be so that it is also righteous? This is the dangerous overtone to the entire AOG statement which both opens and closes with the sentiment that women have had 'successful' ministries because God has blessed them.
Conclusion
Jude 3 and 2 Timothy Chapter 3 both address the danger of apostasy from those who outwardly show themselves to be identified with the Church, but inwardly seek to fulfill their own motives and agendas. Such ones, whether willing or no, are subservient to desire and emotion, and not to the Perfect, Immutable, Infallible Word of God.
In His Love,
Dr. Jack L. Burton
-Hebrews 11:1-3
This final section of this study on the role of women in Christian Ministry is a refutation of the official statement prepared by the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God dated August 14-16, 1990 entitled: The Role of Women in Ministry as Described in Holy Scripture. This document is accessible in its entirety by clicking on the underlined title in this paragraph. This refutation will demonstrate the errors, whether unintentional or contrived, that exist in this document which espouses that women may hold the office of Pastor/Overseer/Bishop of a Christian Church. This section does not refute the position that women may hold office with or even receive ordination by the Church; however, it clearly demonstrates that there is no precedent in the Bible which allows for anyone other than a man, preferably married with a family, to serve in the biblical position of Pastor in a Church.
The arguments found in the aforementioned Assemblies of God statement are based in large part upon the so-called 'successful ministries' of women in the Pentecostal Church. Thus, the Presbytery of the AOG procedes, not from the Bible as thier final authority (although this is claimed in paragraph 2 of the document), but from perceived personal experience.
The introductory paragraph of the aforementioned document closes with the following statement:
The Pentecostal movement believes that the 20th-century outpouring of the Spirit is a true fulfillment of the scriptural prediction, "Your daughters shall prophecy...and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit." (Joel 2:28,29)
There are three interpretational fallacies associated with this statement: (1) The term 'prophecy' simply means to 'speak in the behalf of,' and in this context to speak in the Name of God (W.E. Vine refers to the Old Testament application of the word as the act of speaking forth the mind and counsel of God, whereas he identifies the New Testament application as the gift of prophecy itself or the exercise of the same), (2) This statement reveals the outpouring of the Spirit of God upon all of mankind, both men and women, not just to a select few prophets and priests, (3) The writers of this document conveniently leave out the portion of this quote from Joel which reads, "and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants" thus indicating that the prophesy refers to both men and women, young and old.
The writers of this statement further seek to impose their own worldly wisdom in the matter as they cast doubt upon the inerrancy of the works of Scripture which are currently available for examination and study as they write in paragraph 2:
Although the Holy Spirit may be active in the work of translation and interpretation, we cannot claim inerrancy for interpretations (even of extant Hebrew or Greek texts).
Thus, they are attempting to close all doors to those who would challenge their decision regarding this matter. At the close of the second section of the statement the Presbytery writes that, "The Church must always be sensitive to cultural concerns, but it must look to Scripture for the truth that applies to all times and cultures." This is a pretext that is later violated in the fourth section of the same statement where the writers claim that, "Paul was giving Timothy advice about dealing with some heretical teachings and practices involving women in the church at Ephesus." This is the rationale used to explain Paul's statement that women keep silent and show reverence in the church in 1 Timothy Chapter 2. This subject will be addressed in greater detail shortly, but serves to illustrate that even this short six-page document designed to validate a false teaching is in disagreement with itself.
In citing examples of women in ministry from the New Testament, this statement identifies Phoebe as a 'leader' in the church at Cenchrea (Rom 16:1-2), and claims that the Apostle Paul refers to Junia in Romans 16:7 as an apostle. To address these two items, let us look at what Paul wrote concerning each of these two Christian women in the following four paragraphs:
Phoebe is identified in the KJV by Paul in the following manner: "I commend unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea" (Rom 16:1) The literal translation of this verse from the most reliable ancient Greek texts reads, "But I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, being servant of the assembly in Cenchrea." Nowhere in this passage is she identified as being either a leader or an elder of this assembly (ekklaysia - Church). We are all servants of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His Church, regardless of position or title; however, one cannot assume that a title or position is implied simply because one is referred to as a servant (diakonon) of the Church. Some go as far as to say that Phoebe was either a pastor or a bishop of the church at Cenchrea, but no such title is stated or implied in Paul's letter to the Romans. While she obviously was a faithful servant, diligent worker, devout Christian, and a highly respected person by Paul, nothing in this passage either suggests or implies that Phoebe held any 'official' position in the church at Cenchrea.
Most disturbing among all of the claims made in the statement by the AOG Presbytery is that Junia is identified by the Apostle Paul as an apostle herself. This is a false presumption for three scriptural reasons: (1) Jesus hand-picked the twelve, one of whom betrayed him and lost his portion among them, (2) although the apostles and disciples elected Matthias by lottery to be the new twelfth apostle in Acts Chapter 1, God rejected their choice and hand-picked Paul as the new twelfth apostle, and (3) there can be twelve and only twelve apostles, for Revelation 21:14 identifies the twelve foundations of the city of New Jerusalem as representing the "twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Point #1 reveals that no apostle was ordained by men, but all apostles named in the Bible were 'called out' and 'sent forth' (Gk: apostolos) directly by Jesus Himself. Of the original twelve, Judas Iscariot gave himself over to the Devil and as a result forfeited his place among the twelve.
Point #2 reveals that the only time in scripture when men attempted to ordain an apostle of their choice, he was rejected by God in favor of God's own choice made in His own time. In the literal sense of the word, anyone 'sent forth' is an apostle of those who are doing the sending, but only twelve are identified as being the 'Apostles of the Lamb.'
Point #3 shows clearly that there can never be more than the original twelve apostles, for there are only twelve foundations in the city of New Jerusalem. Those identified as being 'sent out' by Church elders (such as Barnabus in Acts 14:4 and Epaphroditus in Phil 2:25) are referred to using the term apostolos with regard to the act they have been commissioned to perform, and not with regard to their relationship to Christ as His Apostles.
In a gross misinterpretation of the Greek text, the AOG Presbytery makes the following statement: "Junia was identified by Paul as an apostle (Romans 16:7)." This verse reads in the KJV, "Salute Andronicus and Junia my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me." The key phrase here is "are of note among the apostles." Paul does not identify either Andronicus (a man) or Junia (a woman) as apostles. Rather, he makes the point that they are recognized and respected as Christians and fellow-servants by the apostles. A simple analogy is that if a university student is a person of note among the professors, that in no way implies that he himself is also a professor.
In the section of the AOG statement that examines the biblical record of women in ministry, the clear impression espoused is that those, like myself who do not agree with their position that women are biblically permitted to pastor a church, are placing limitations on female ministry that the Lord never intended. Indeed there are a myriad of ministries to which a woman may be called scripturally. These are ordained of God in His word and may not be reinterpreted for the convenience of any church organization. The Bible does not speak of limitations for women in their role of Christian service, but proper designations. This is true of men as well. Not all men are qualified for all positions of biblical leadership, but all are called to serve.
In the analysis performed in this section of the AOG statement the following statement is made with regard to the 'prohibition against the ministry of women': "There are only two passages in the entire New Testament which might seem to contain a prohibition against the ministry of women (1 Corinthians 14:24 and 1 Timothy 2:12)." First, let me state unequivocally that no woman is prohibited scripturally from performing Christian ministry, for the term ministry simply means service. What is in question here is not whether women may serve in the Church --- in fact they are expected to serve in the church. What is in question is the validity of ordaining women to serve as overseers (pastors, bishops, etc.) of a church or churches.
An argument is made that Paul only addresses the disciplining and restraint of women when writing to Timothy in Ephesus because the women there were historically unruly. This is also the argument posed when, in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Paul lists sixteen qualifications for the pastorate and addresses the indeterminate candidate as a male. However, Paul remains consistent in the same matter when writing to Titus, who is well-known as a trouble-shooter and a widely-travelled elder of the Church. This solidifies the argument that the pastorate is biblically reserved for men who have been called to and are scripturally qualified for the office. Furthermore, Paul leaves instruction with Titus regarding the duty of elder women in the Church in verses 3-5 of Chapter 2 where he writes, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Addressing the Assumptions
Finally, the entire document prepared by the AOG Presbytery is riddled with misinterpretations and human assumptions. Most of the misinterpretations have already been examined and refuted earlier in this analysis; therefore, this final section will reveal and briefly address several assumptions that are found in the text of this statement.
Assumption #1: Paul was addressing Timothy in light of current conditions at Ephesus alone and not establishing biblical doctrine concerning qualifications for leadership. The council writes, "A reading of the entire passage of 1 Timothy 2:9-15 strongly suggests that Paul was giving Timothy advice about dealing with some heretical teachings and practices involving women in the church at Ephesus." Unlike his letters to Corinth and Colosse in which Paul clearly addresses the heresies present, in his letter to the Church at Ephesus he makes no mention of any female-centered heresies. Furthermore, he establishes the ministry qualifications listed in Chapter 3 of this letter to Timothy by reiterating them to Titus in the first chapter of that letter.
Assumption #2: The Presbytery writes regarding 1 Timothy 3:1-13, "It is true that the passage deals primarily with male leadership, most likely because of majority practice and expectations." They also once again falsely identify Phoebe as a Church leader in this same passage. First, this passage does not deal primarily with male leadership, it deals exclusively with male leadership. The argument can be made successfully that verses 8-13 may also apply respectively to deaconesses because there are a number of women identified in this role throughout the New Testament. However, the same cannot be said for verses 1-7, for not one woman is found in the office of overseer (pastor, bishop, etc.) in the entire New Testament. This statement also suggests that Paul in his zeal to address a troublesome social issue involving female dissidents has failed to make universal the doctrine of ecclesiological (church) leadership. Thus, on this occasion, the Holy Spirit would have to have been unsuccessful in communicating His word to the Apostle Paul, resulting in a violation of the Doctrine of Inerrancy of Scripture.
Assumption #3: Because some statements in the male gender may be applied universally to men and women alike, all such statements are universally true regardless of the person's sex. In attempting to expound upon the meaning of verse 11 in 1 Timothy the Presbytery of the AOG writes, "One rendering leaves the impression that these are qualifications for deacons' wives; the other suggests this exhortation is addressed to female spiritual leaders." Here, when the clear and obvious explanation of the passage does not fit with the experiential position of the church organization, ambiguity is used. By posing two or more possible interpretations confusion is injected into the argument in an attempt to render further discussion to the contrary moot. However, the Bible teaches, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." This passage was written by Paul in 1 Cor. 14:33.
Assumption #4: What applies to salvation applies to leadership as well. Regarding the statement made by Paul in Galatians 3:28 that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus", the Presbytery writes, "Some interpreters restrict the meaning of this triad to salvation by faith or oneness in Christ...Yet the verse carries a ring of universal application for all our relationships, not just as an assurance that anyone can come to Christ." This passage refers exclusively to the availability of salvation to all, and to the fact that the Father sees all, regardless of race, sex, or nationality, through Christ according to the baptism of the Holy Spirit (i.e. Salvation).
Assumption #5: The term "no respect of persons" grants universal availability of Church leadership to all. If this were the case then Paul would have had no need to list sixteen qualifications for Church leadership in 1 Timothy Chapter 3. Furthermore, this statement refers to the fact that all are equal in the eyes of God and that He does not favor one over another based upon worldly merits, social status, financial position, or other contrivances of man.
Assumption #6: If it has worked in the past and it works now, then God must be blessing it. One of the worst and most corrupt events of modern time is the establishment of setting legal precedent by the use of case law. In short, within the last half-century many leaders in the Church have adopted the secular notion that what works in one instance must universally apply in all instances. Roe v. Wade is an example of such a decision in the legal realm, and countless children were never allowed to experience their God-ordained right to life as a direct result. Yes, it worked and continues to work. Abortion is still legal in this country. However, is this barbaric form of infanticide condoned by God? How then can we simply say that because our experience was good and continues to be so that it is also righteous? This is the dangerous overtone to the entire AOG statement which both opens and closes with the sentiment that women have had 'successful' ministries because God has blessed them.
Conclusion
Jude 3 and 2 Timothy Chapter 3 both address the danger of apostasy from those who outwardly show themselves to be identified with the Church, but inwardly seek to fulfill their own motives and agendas. Such ones, whether willing or no, are subservient to desire and emotion, and not to the Perfect, Immutable, Infallible Word of God.
In His Love,
Dr. Jack L. Burton
-Hebrews 11:1-3
Have a question, comment, or suggestion?
Please feel free to visit the CONTACT PAGE and send and email.
-OR-
Stop by the BLOG PAGE where you can comment on a variety of topics.