The woman guilty of sexual misconduct was to lose her capacity for childbearing. This was a fearsome penalty indeed, for women in the ancient Near East established their sense of personal value and esteem on one activity only-bearing and raising children. Education, business, military status, community leadership-none of these were open to women; motherhood was everything.
Continue reading WHAT IS THE SICKNESS THAT PUNISHES ADULTEROUS WOMEN?
1 Timothy 2:11 – Women are not to teach men in the church but are to submit and defer to male leadership (read 12, 13, 14).
1 Timothy 2:12 – I DO NOT PERMIT. Paul sell-consciously writes with the authoriy of an apostle (1 Thess 4:1; 2 Thess 3:6), rather than simply offering an opinion. This statement is given in the context of Paul’s apostolic instructions to the church for the ordering of church practice when the church is assembled together. In that context, two things are prohibited: (1) Women are not
Continue reading UNDERSTANDING WHY WOMEN SHOULD BE SILENT IN THE MEETING PLACE. BREAKING DOWN 1 TIMOTHY 2:11
Wisdom, the opposite of ignorance, is a gift from God. It is a gift that He gladly gives to those who ask for it in all earnestness and faith (James 1:5). Real wisdom and knowledge are spiritual in nature, having to do with the inborn cunning of our common sense or the learned themes of education. “Fear of the LORD is the beginning of Continue reading IS IGNORANCE, AT ITS CORE, A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM?
Learning new things can be hard work. Are you reading a hard book? Are you prepared for the challenge as well as the fun of learning? Do you attack your work in the same way a top athlete trains and practices? Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were in an interesting “school.” They had been taken from their homes in Jerusalem to be trained to serve in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court. They were to be educated for three years and served the royal food. But the four young Israelites refused the rich food and wine, choosing Continue reading HOW TO TACKLE A TOUGH ASSIGNMENT