Imago Dei - Guest post by Andrew Lodge

**This is in response to a question after a study of the Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Days 2 and 3.**

Good evening all,

There was a question last Lord's day regarding the verity of the image of God (Imago Dei) and how this has continued after the fall.

Genesis 1:26, 27 is the first place we see that Man is made in God's image,

   [26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
    [27] So God created man in his own image,
        in the image of God he created him;
        male and female he created them.
    [28] And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” [29] And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. [30] And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. [31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
   
(Genesis 1:26-31 ESV)

which has more implications than we will consider here. What did come up, is how this image endows humans with an innate value and worth especially after the fall. 

We see in Genesis 5:3 that the Author makes it known that Adam   

"begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth." 

Seth, as his brothers and sisters before them, was not brought into this world pure, that is, free from sin, and therefore did not mirror God's image as his parents had done before the fall.

This is not to say that man had lost all semblance of the Imago Dei, and therefore his innate worth, for we see that even after the fall, man is identified with bearing God's image:

    [5] And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
    [6] “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
        by man shall his blood be shed,
    for God made man in his own image.
    [7] And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”
   
(Genesis 9:5-7 ESV)

    [5] So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.
    How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! [6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. [7] For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, [8] but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. [11] Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? [12] Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
   
(James 3:5-12 ESV)

To be clear as this concludes, mankind is fallen into a miserable state, (Genesis 6:5; 8:21; Romans 3:10-18 - See Below) which has marred God's image in us. For we do not resemble Him, in that He has not sin in Him (Psalm 92:15, 2 Corinthians 5:21, &c. - See Below). Our sinfulness has terribly disfigured this resemblance and yet not completely removed it as we saw in Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9.

Mankind has worth, from the yet unborn child to the man on his deathbed. Therefore murder, as well as any other sin, is incredibly deplorable, for it is to destroy an image bearer of God. 

    [5] The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. [6] And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. [7] So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” [8] But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
(Genesis 6:5-8 ESV)

    [20] Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. [21] And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. [22] While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”
   
(Genesis 8:20-22 ESV)

    [9] What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, [10] as it is written:
    “None is righteous, no, not one;
        [11] no one understands;
        no one seeks for God.
    [12] All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
        no one does good,
        not even one.”
    [13] “Their throat is an open grave;
        they use their tongues to deceive.”
    “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
        [14] “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
    [15] “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
        [16] in their paths are ruin and misery,
    [17] and the way of peace they have not known.”
        [18] “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
    [19] Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. [20] For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
   
(Romans 3:9-20 ESV)

    [12] The righteous flourish like the palm tree
        and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
    [13] They are planted in the house of the LORD;
        they flourish in the courts of our God.
    [14] They still bear fruit in old age;
        they are ever full of sap and green,
    [15] to declare that the LORD is upright;
        he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(Psalm 92:12-15 ESV)

    [16] From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [18] All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. [20] Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
   
(2 Corinthians 5:16-21 ESV)

May a woman preach?

    Should women be preaching in church, or in para-church ministries?  This is the question I would like to attempt to answer today, using simply the Biblical texts that deal with this particular issue.  I will do my best to answer to the texts that people use to support their position and I will use the five rules of Hermeneutics: 1. Context 2. Context 3. Context 4. Narrative is not normative 5. A text cannot say what it never said.  In this post, I will attempt to show you that in no circumstance should a woman be preaching to men in any church or church related event such as a conference or para-church ministry.  One last thing I would like to mention is that I will not be looking at this from a worldly perspective.  I recently have talked to people who said that ‘If a woman has a gift for preaching, then she should be using it’.  This statement is pragmatism, and is a worldly perspective that is not found in the Bible.  The argument is flawed, and does not square with what the Bible says, therefore I will not be addressing it in this particular post.

   
        For this question I will look at two passages in depth, and refer to a few more in passing.  I will do my best to give the proper context for each of these texts, however you can always find a link to an online bible on the right of this page if you do not have one of your own.

    The first text I would like to look at with you is 1 Corinthians xiv. 26-40:

[26] What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. [27] If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. [28] But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. [29] Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. [30] If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. [31] For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, [32] and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. [33] For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.
    As in all the churches of the saints, [34] the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. [35] If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
    [36] Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? [37] If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. [38] If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. [39] So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. [40] But all things should be done decently and in order.
   
(1 Corinthians 14:26-40)

What we are seeing here is Paul addressing the disorder that he had seen in the Corinthian church.  If you have time, read the entire book of 1 Corinthians, and you will see that Paul is responding to questions from the Corinthian believers as well as rebuking them for the things that they were doing incorrectly.  In this passage in particular we see in verses 34-35 that Paul is speaking to submission by the women to their husbands.  He qualifies this at the beginning in verse 33 by saying that this is in all the churches of the saints, not just this one church but all churches.  Now, it is very important that we don’t look at this passage in isolation, we must look at the context of the entire letter and even of the entire Bible.  In light of that lets look a few chapters back in 1 Corinthians xi:

Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
   
(1 Corinthians 11:2-16)


I wanted to show you this passage, not because I want to discuss head coverings, but because I want you to see that Paul is allowing women to pray and prophesy in the church.  Now, you may think that this passage clashes with the previous one, and that we have two different and contradictory commands.  However, this is not the case, because the passage in chapter xiv is speaking specifically to disorder in the church, and it is likely that there were problems in this particular area when it came to women in this church.  Paul tells us in xiv. 33 that our God is not a God of confusion, immediately before talking about women, this shows us that it is better for a woman not to speak at all than to speak confusion, something that would not be for the building up of the brethren.  At this point I’m sure you are all very confused because I just allowed for women to speak in church, to edify and build up the body.  I believe that this is necessary before I go to the next passage here, to show that there is a place for everyone in the church, both men and women. 

   
       Continuing on now, I will show you from 1 Timothy ii. that the specific gift of preaching and having the authority over the church is not for women.  

[2:1] First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2] for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3] This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
    [8] I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; [9] likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, [10] but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. [11] Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. [12] I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. [13] For Adam was formed first, then Eve; [14] and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. [15] Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.
   
(1 Timothy 2)

As you can see from this passage, Paul is giving responsibility to both the men and the women in verses 8-11, and then in verse 12 he tells us explicitly that a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man.  He then goes on to give the reason why this is the case by going back to creation, and the order in which mankind was created, with Adam first, then Eve.  The context of this passage, you can see here, is very clear.  This command is reinforced as you read the rest of 1 Timothy, with the qualifications of the elders in the next chapter, explicitly stating that an Elder is to be a man, and not a woman.

   
       As we can see, from both the passages in 1 Corinthians, as well as in 1 Timothy.  Women are not to be lesser in the church, they are not second class by any means, but they are not permitted to preach and exercise authority over a man.  In fact, there are many other passages that tell of the responsibilities of women in the church, for example Titus ii. 1-8:

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
   
(Titus 2:1-8)

Here we have the command to teach what accords with sound doctrine, and the women are given specific instructions, as well as the men.  The idea is, that women are to be teaching other women with sound doctrine.  This is a wonderful responsibility on both sides.  It does not change the fact, however, that Paul is clear in forbidding women to have authority over a man, in the church context.  Now, there is one thing that I didn’t deal with today, that I hope to soon, that is, I will talk about what the qualifications are for preachers.  This is because, just as women are not to preach, there are many (if not most) men who are not qualified to be preachers either.  God is very concerned that the ones who are delivering His Holy Word are qualified and obeying His Word.  That, however, is a topic for a different day. 

  
     I hope that I have shown you that Scripture is clear on this subject, and that it is not a matter of men being better then women.  That this is simply a matter of the order that God has created in His Kingdom, the order that will benefit us most.  I pray that you are edified by this, and that it will incite you to do your own study of the Sacred Scripture to see and hear what God has spoken to us through the prophets and apostles. May the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord be with you.