The Reformed Olive Press

                          Making sense of 1 Timothy 2:8-15: A Case for Women Eldership 1 Timothy 2:12 is the notorious one verse (just one) that places a restriction on women being Pastors. Never mind, the fact that the letter was only addressed to Ephesus. Furthermore, many critics have also used 1 Timothy 2:15 to guilt trip women into producing children. Because of these presuppositions, many Christians fail to read  the rest of the letter in its cultural context. They choose to read it through the lenses of the Puritans instead of the Greco-Roman culture.   In order to understand the context of 1 Timothy 2, we need to read 1 Timothy 1:3-10 and recognize that there were false teachers plaguing the church at that time. Other things to notice in 1 Timothy is that there are some dichotomies presented in the letter to help illuminate what is going on. Each time teaching is mentioned in 1 Timothy, it is between sound teaching versus false teaching. This dichotomy is also present between a

              The Senior/Lead Pastor Myth Disclaimer: This is not meant to shame anyone who has been a blessing to their church or to say they are in sin because they want to be a senior/lead pastor. God can make good things happen within broken systems. Nevertheless, being a senior/lead pastor has many consequences: burnout, financial problems, relational strain,etc. If you ever walk into a church today, one of your biggest questions would be who is the Pastor (referring to the one man who preaches every Sunday)? Today, the pastor office is a multi-functional role. You have the associate pastor, head of security pastor, missionary pastor, audio and video pastor, and parking lot pastor. This is just to name a few. My issue is not so much that there are multiple pastors. My issue is that the smaller, lower ranked pastors are reporting to the senior/lead pastor. Even if there is no title of senior/lead pastor for a church, the congregation should not be able to point to one person as th

 There has been many misunderstandings about the Armor of God especially in Sunday Schools. Many think that it is first introduced in Ephesians 6 as a Roman Soldier. However, I believe Paul alludes to various passages in the Book of Isaiah for its proper context. Christians are called to be like Phineas-the warrior priest in the Book of Numbers. See below. The Belt of Truth (Priestly Sash/Girdle)-equipping and disciplining the body for service. Secured and fastened to service. The Breast of Righteousness (The Ephod)-Interceding for others and carrying the burdens on their shoulders. Gospel of Peace (The Feet) - Making pathways to peace and victory towards/for the nations, putting enemies underfoot, illuminating places/declaring them as holy ground because you are a Temple of God. The Shield of Faith (Golden Censer)-The smoke represents the Glory of God shielding the High Priest. The Censer has a sweet fragrance/aroma. The Helmet of Salvation (Turban)-Holy to the Lord representative wit

                         “ Holy and Righteous” Are Not Exclusive Terms for Jesus The terms “ Holy and Righteous” are not exclusive terms for Jesus. The Bible never says that Jesus was born perfect.   It says Jesus was made perfect through suffering in sanctification.   Biblical Perfection is defined by one’s lifestyle. Every human being sins, but one’s life must be characterized by following God or following their own desires. The following people are considered perfect in the Bible, yet they have sinned in some shape or form: Noah, Abraham, Noah, King Hezekiah, and King Asa. Below, I will demonstrate how the words “ Holy and Righteous” are used for common everyday faithful Jews and not the modern definition of perfection (flawless). As a result, this will demonstrate that Jesus was just a faithful Jewish man (not God as the second person of the Trinity). He didn’t have some kind of supernatural perfectionism before the Cross.   Luke 1:35 English Standard Version 35 And the angel ans

    Does 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 teach partial cessationism? In 1 Corinthians 13:8 -13, we see prophecies, tongues, and knowledge passing away at the perfect. The perfect is the fulfillment of 70AD. This can be seen in the Greek word Teleioo, which means to end a process in completion. So why are these three particular spiritual gifts  named? What about the other gifts? My take is that these three spiritual gifts are the ones that are causing a commotion in the Corinthian church resulting in people splitting into factions (1 Corinthians 3:1-23, 12:4-31). Paul is not teaching a partial cessationism.  In his letter, Paul is basically saying don't get so preoccupied with these particular spiritual gifts. Eventually, they will be gone, but God's agape love will last forever within our church community. Therefore, make God's New Covenant Love your focus over these temporary gifts of the Old Covenant . 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 English Standard Version 8 Love never ends. As for p