1: Now
the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter
times
some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing
spirits and doctrines of devils 2: Speaking lies in hypocrisy having their
conscience seared with a hot iron 3: Forbidding to marry and commanding
to abstain from food which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of
them who believe and know the truth Romans 14:1-4 4: For
every creation of God is good and no thing to be refused if it be received with
thanksgiving 5: For it is cleansed by the Word of God and prayer 6:
If you put the brothers and sisters in remembrance of these things you shall be
a good diakonos[1]
servant, minister, pastor, deacon of Jesus Christ nourished up in
the words of faith and of good teaching to which you have attained 7:
But reject profane and graōdēs[2] foolish
myths
and exercise yourselves rather to godliness 8: For bodily exercise
profits little but godliness is profitable to all things [so] hold fast [to
the] promises [for the] life that now is Exodus 15:26, Matthew 22:36-40, 2
Peter 1:2-11, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, Romans 8:28 and [also for that which]
shall be 1 John 3:2 9: This is a faithful saying and worthy
of all acceptance 10: For because of this we both labor and suffer
reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior of all people especially
of those who believe[3] 11:
These things declare and teach 12: Let none despise your youth but be an
example to the faithful in word in lifestyle in agapē The kind of
love that only comes from God in spirit in faith in purity 13:
Till I come give attendance to reading to consolation comfort,
encouragement to teaching 14: Neglect not the gifts [that are] in you
which were given forth [to] you by prophecy with the laying on of hands [by the]
elders 15: Meditate[4] Psalm
1:1-2 upon these things give yourself wholly to them that your profiting
may appear to all 16: Take heed to yourself 2 Peter 3:17, and to the doctrine continue in them[5]
for in doing this you shall both save yourself and them that hear you
[1] Timothy is called a diakonos, which is usually translated as
deacon in English. The word, diakonos,
is translated alternatively (depending on which translation one reads) as
either minister or servant. But, as we see in this passage, the word is also
used in reference to Timothy’s calling and work as pastor and teacher. Much
controversy surrounds the function of a diakonos, most especially who
can be one and if women are excluded
from the office. But the controversy could be ended in a moment by consistently
translating the word, diakonos, as "Servant of God,"
**
We do not know if Timothy ever served as a deacon in the modern
sense of the word. We also do not know if the seven chosen to oversee the daily
administrations to widows [in the Book of Acts], were actually called deacons, or
functioned as the office is understood in many churches today. The word has
evolved to mean different things in different denominations and fellowships.
But one thing is certain, deacons often wield great power in churches. They
frequently compose the board of directors or hold some other position of
authority. In many churches, the pastor answers to the deacons, and to cross
them, means his days as pastor of that church may be numbered. If he cannot be
brought to heel, he is likely to be voted out of the pastorship.
This example may
seem extreme but it is not rare, and is an obvious abuse of the calling. This
type of thing occurs because many are appointed as deacons based on how much
money or influence they have, rather than whether or not they been called into
the ministry. The woman, Phoebe, was also called diakonos [Servant of
God], in Romans 16:1, which means that she, like Timothy, could also have been
serving as either pastor, teacher, or deacon—or a combination of the three. But
not surprisingly, in most cases, gender-biased translators simply call her,
servant.
It is through the Greek words Dia and Konos, that we
derive the English word, deacon.
** KONOS is the Greek word for cone. KONOS
uses the inverted cone to symbolize God at the top of all creation and
all knowledge. https://konos.com/why-konos/?v=47e5dceea252
So, we see that a diakonos is more than a mere
servant but specifically, a servant of God. And this word is used
in the New Testament, without regard for whether the servant of God is
female or male.
Dia: means through, on account of, because
of: Original Word: διά Part of Speech: Preposition
Transliteration: Phonetic Spelling: (dee-ah') Short Definition: through, on account of: Definition: (a) gen: through, throughout, by the instrumentality of, (b) acc: through, on account of, by reason of, for the sake of, because of. http://biblehub.com/greek/1223.htm
Transliteration: Phonetic Spelling: (dee-ah') Short Definition: through, on account of: Definition: (a) gen: through, throughout, by the instrumentality of, (b) acc: through, on account of, by reason of, for the sake of, because of. http://biblehub.com/greek/1223.htm
[2] The
Greek word, graōdēs [Strong's
G1126], frequently translated as “old wives’ or “old women’s” tales, occurs only once in the New Testament,
and is more likely to be incorrectly translated than not. As we
look from one Bible version to another, the translations go from bad to worse.
In the King James Version, the word is translated as “old wives” fables. It is
the same in the NIV. The translation becomes even more despicable in the NASB,
where elderly women are so disrespected by the translators—not in the Greek
written by Paul—that “old women” are portrayed as “fit” for worldly fables (or,
as the NIV correctly calls them—"godless myths” [“profane” fables in the
KJV]). Really? Aged women deserve to
believe in (are “fit” for) profane, godless, myths? That is what the the NIV
and NASB translations say. Though misogynistic Bible translators demonstrate
contempt for women, it is certain the apostle did not. No doubt, he had many
elderly women in his congregations, of whom he had instructed believers to
treat as mothers. To insult them, as
gender-biased-Bible-translators do, would not only have been repugnant to the
apostle, but would also have been rebellion against God, who commands his
people to honor both mother and father and to treat all people with
respect, most especially the elderly. But such is the prevalence of translator prejudice against women, that
the misogynistic translation of this verse survives and continues to be
accepted in most of our English Bibles to this day. Surprisingly, the ESV, which claims to be a
complementarian (patriarchal) version, follows the lead of the RSV. The ESV
comes close to translating the word “graōdēs”
correctly. It does not associate the word directly with women, but it does so,
indirectly. Expositors have traditionally associated graōdēs with women—although
for no good reason. The biased association is capricious at best. Both the RSV
the ESV render the word graōdēs
as “silly.” The word “silly” cannot be applied to profane and godless myths. These
are certainly not silly but rather detestable and dangerous. The word “silly,”
can apply to clowns. And, in some instances, the word can correctly apply to
playful, childish, interactions between adults and between children and adults.
The word, silly, is never used
in regards to the actions of [or of interactions between] men but is spuriously
used to describe behavior and ideas of post-adolescent girls and adult women. Using such words, loads the
language against women and girls and perpetuates gender-bias in the human
psyche. In 1 Timothy 4:7, the word “gullible” is associated with women,
but the word is not found nor even suggested, in the Greek Majority Text.
Never-the-less, the NET translates the word, graōdēs,
as “gullible. It reads: "But reject those myths **fit only for the godless
and gullible…." There is one other place in the New Testament where the
word “silly” is mistranslated in associatation with women. In this case, the
mistranslation is also caused by anti-woman bias. Traditionally, women and men
have quietly accepted misogyny coming from pulpits, Sunday School teachers,
Christian resource materials, Bible translators, and lexicons, but, thankfully,
passive acquiescence in that regard, is changing.
**No one,
is “fit” for profane and godless myths.
[3] Jesus died to become the Savior of the
world, but the whole world is not saved. He is the Savior especially of them that believe, because only by coming to Christ
through faith in his atoning death and resurrection, can Eternal Life be
attained Romans 10:9-13.
[4] Biblical meditation bears no similarity
to eastern style (transcendental) meditation, where mantras are used to clear
minds of all thought, in order to hear the voice of God. Biblical meditation is exactly the opposite.
Psalm 1:1-2 instructs us to fill our
minds with the written Word of God, the Bible, so that we will not confuse the
voice of God with the voices of strangers, so that we can recognize HIS voice
when we hear it.
[5] There are two schools of thought on
whether or not one can lose salvation. The one hold’s to “Eternal Security” (Once
Saved Always Saved), and the other hold’s to, “If Ye Continue.” Concerning the
first, the two phrases they are best known by, cannot be found in scripture, neither
in English nor in Hebrew or Greek. However, Bible assurance for Believers is
strong, as seen in 1 John 1:8-9 and 5: 11-13. Concerning the second, the phrase
quoted above is found more than once in scripture, as are multiple other strong
warnings Hebrews6:4-6, 10:26-29,
James 1:12-16 .
Woman this is WAR! examines Bible
commentary and translation practices which have historically been androcentric
(male centered) and even misogynistic (anti-woman).
These have adversely effected
understanding of the scriptures, relations between women and men, the happiness
of men and women, and, in general, has hindered the work of the gospel, by
forbidding women to preach, pastor, or serve as elders or deacons. The book
chronicles the early history of the women's rights movements, as well as the
role of church leadership in aggressively suppressing both women's rights and
the historical record of Christian initiatives within the movements.
Through the complementarian
movement, many of the same arguments used to support the institution of
slavery, are still used today in suppressing the rights of Christian women.
This book documents identical arguments used by Christian leaders against both
movements and is an unparalleled resource for all who desire an in-depth study
of gender equality from a historical and Christian perspective.
This book traces history of
women’s rights, much further than usual, to the very first feminists…who
were Christians—godly women, who brought the issue of women's rights to the
forefront as they struggled to alleviate the suffering of others, and found
they were hindered in doing so for no other reason than the fact of their sex.
This work, provides valuable historical insight into Christian initiatives in
the movements for women’s rights, that are rarely included in Christian
literature.
