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While I have already amply discussed this subject in my 2001 five-part series entitled "Women Shepherds, Pastors and Teachers: A Biblical Perspective", a recent Facebook news feed post has prompted me to bring up this topic once again. In this particular meme, the poster included the following verses which will no doubt be familiar to many Christians:

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."


"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."


Sadly, as a denizen of the online world, have any of you ever noticed how when someone posts the verses which are shown in this meme -- or similar verses where the Apostle Paul discusses the status of women -- which clearly define the pattern and practices of the First Century Church, and which are supposed to represent the model which we modern Christians are meant to follow today, certain rebellious and unsubmissive women will immediately come out of the closet and begin to scream and rant in vehement protest?

As you may know, there is a phrase for people who purposely pick and choose what they want to believe from God's Word. It is cherry pickers. With cherry pickers, if a Bible verse agrees with what they want to believe, they readily embrace it with enthusiasm and joy. However, if a particular verse happens to disagree with their personal belief system, and in fact exposes the fallacy of their own beliefs, they will either outright reject the verse, or else they will try to reinterpret it in their own peculiar way, so that in their mind at least, the verse conforms to their beliefs.

Tragically, that is precisely what occurred in the comments thread that was underneath the aforementioned Facebook post. This is NOT the first time that I have seen something like this occurring on the social networks. It is in fact quite common. Certain rebellious female users were attempting to offer their OWN interpretation of the aforementioned verses by distorting the meaning of even additional Bible verses, in their vain endeavor to supposedly validate their personal understanding of the previous four verses. In fact, some of the female participants were even resorting to referring to extra-biblical sources, to try to refute what the Apostle Paul clearly states in those two Epistles.

As some of my readers will probably know, the Apostle Peter referred to this practice of trying to reinterpret verses as wresting [twisting, perverting, distorting] the Scriptures to their own destruction, as we see by the following verse:

"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction."


As you can plainly see, the Apostle Peter obviously viewed the intentional perversion of God's Word as a very serious matter. Thus he concludes the verse by writing "unto‭ their‭ own‭ destruction‭." My dear friends, clearly, Peter's words should be a stark warning to all of us to NOT tamper with God's Word. We need to respect it and accept it exactly as it is written, unless there is some serious and compelling reason to doubt a particular translation.

In other words, while we should definitely trust God's Word in the original languages, as I explain in my series called "Is the KJV Bible the Inerrant Word of God?", that may not necessarily always be the case with regard to translations into our modern languages. Sometimes serious errors, and even intentional omissions, do creep in.

At any rate, we find a similar warning at the end of the Book of Revelation as well. Consider the following two verses, taking particular note of how the warning is not just to those people who try to add to God's Word, it is also to anyone who would dare try to take away from it as well. So this warning certainly applies to a number of the modern translations where entire verses have been removed, and not just a few:

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."


But returning to our main subject of discussion, what some of these rebellious women will also sometimes do is resort to childish name-calling, as if doing so somehow changes the truth of the Scriptures. I am sorry, ladies, but it most certainly does not change anything! Whether you like it or not, God's Word is God's Word, and we are informed that it stands or is established forever, as we see by this verse:

". . . For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven."


One common tactic which I have repeatedly seen being used on the social networks is where some of these proud women will accuse male Christians who are opposed to women pastors, of being guilty of misogyny. In other words, according to these deceived women, these men hold to this understanding of the Scriptures because they're strongly prejudiced against women. It doesn't matter that such men are simply standing on what is plainly written in the Bible. According to these women, these men are guilty as charged.

Well, all I can say is, this really comes as no surprise to me, because some of these same women likewise accuse the Apostle Paul of being a prejudiced woman-hater as well. It is really quite an absurd accusation to make, considering how many different women Paul associated himself with, and mentioned in his various Epistles. Thus, if this accusation against the Apostle Paul is false, then it stands to reason that the same accusation being made against modern Christian men by these rebellious, unsubmissive women is also false. But God is the judge. At least we are in good company with the Apostle Paul. [sarcasm intended].

In conclusion, my friends, simply put, God's Word is NOT a free-for-all cafeteria. The holy Scriptures are not a buffet where we can freely pick and choose what we want to accept and believe, or where we can interpret certain verses to our own personal liking. It is all or nothing at all. So some of you rebellious women need to stop your nonsense, learn to be more submissive in the Lord's Church, and just get with the program!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you've found it informative and enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

A Biblical Cafeteria, or the Whole Course?
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
Is the KJV Bible the Inerrant Word of God?
My Evolving Theology
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
Understanding the Bible in Context
Why Did Jesus Call His Mother 'Woman'?
Women in the Lives of Jesus and the Apostles
Women Shepherds, Pastors and Teachers: A Biblical Perspective

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Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.