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spiritual gifts argument teaching gift leadership gift

Argument 5 preview: God gifts women with teaching and leadership, so they should be able to use those gifts fully

Mike says this argument challenged him the most. If the Holy Spirit gives women gifts of teaching and leadership, restricting those gifts contradicts God's purposes.

1 Peter 2:4-5 universal priesthood of believers 1 Peter 2:4-5 spiritual sacrifices

1 Peter 2:4-5 — all believers are a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices

Mike begins building the biblical case for universal priesthood from 1 Peter.

headship universal priesthood of believers complementarian correction

Correction for complementarians: the husband is NOT the priest of his home

Mike disagrees with many complementarians, including pastors he has respected, on this point.

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 1 Corinthians 12-14 1 Corinthians 14:3-4

Broader context of 1 Corinthians 11-14 confirms it is about gathered worship: Lord's Supper and spiritual gifts in church

Mike appeals to the wider literary context to confirm his reading.

soft complementarianism prophecy argument complementarian correction

Conclusion on prophecy: it pushes back against banning women from public speech but does not support removing all eldership restrictions

Mike gives his balanced conclusion on the prophecy argument.

spiritual gifts argument teaching gift leadership gift

Argument 5 introduced: The spiritual gifts argument — God gifts women with the same gifts as men

Mike introduces the fifth and final argument, which he considers the strongest of the day.

1 Corinthians 12:7 Philip Payne spiritual gifts argument 1 Corinthians 12:7

Philip Payne's two-part argument: complementarians either assume God never gives women certain gifts OR they wrongly restrict those gifts

Mike presents Philip Payne's formulation of the gifts argument.

Romans 12:6-8 spiritual gifts teaching gift leadership gift

Romans 12:6-8 — teaching and leading are listed as spiritual gifts alongside gifts women clearly have

Mike examines the gifts list in Romans 12 to determine whether women can have teaching and leadership gifts.

Ephesians 4:11-12 offices vs. gifts Ephesians 4:11-12 pastor-teacher

Ephesians 4:11-12 is about offices (apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds/teachers) not about gifts applicable to the question

Mike examines Ephesians 4 but determines it is about offices, not gifts.

1 Peter 4:10-11 spiritual gifts 1 Peter 4:10-11

1 Peter 4:10-11 — 'whoever speaks' includes all speaking gifts and all are meant to be used

Mike cites 1 Peter to show gifts are meant to be used, not kept dormant.

apostles spiritual gifts offices vs. gifts

Gifts do not seem gender-specific; leadership and teaching could be gifts women have

Mike's conclusion on the first part of the gifts argument.

Romans 12:6-8 spiritual gifts Romans 12:6-8

Romans 12:6-8 revisited — women were in every gift category except teaching/leading; it is arbitrary to exclude them from those two

Mike restates the argument from Romans 12 more explicitly.

spiritual gifts argument gifts expressed outside eldership

Egalitarian claim that women are 'kept from serving God according to their gifting' is wrong — most gifted teachers are not elders

Mike rebuts the claim that restricting eldership means restricting women's gifts.

Discovering Biblical Equality spiritual gifts argument Stanley Grenz

Stanley Grenz argues 'the integral relation between gifts and ministry' means the church must give place for the giftedness of all persons

Mike quotes another egalitarian scholar's version of the gifts argument.

eldership spiritual gifts argument

Summary of gifts argument: women likely have teaching/leadership gifts, no scripture limits those gifts by gender, but limitations are on who can be an elder specifically

Mike summarizes his conclusions from the gifts argument.

spiritual gifts argument eldership qualifications gender-based restriction

Why gifts do not translate to eldership: (1) one can teach and lead outside eldership; (2) the restriction is gender-based, not gift-based; (3) gifting alone cannot be sufficient for appointment

Mike gives three reasons why the gifts argument fails to establish women as elders.

eldership spiritual gifts argument women teaching

Video summary — Argument 5: Women can teach and lead but should find expression outside the role of elder

Summary of the gifts argument.

cessationism continuationism

Mike is not a cessationist — he believes prophecy still occurs today

Mike briefly states his position on the continuation of spiritual gifts.

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Sonship benefit #1: Being an heir — equal inheritance in the kingdom

Mike begins listing what Paul specifically says sonship status means.

Galatians 3:29 Galatians 3:29 heirship Abraham's offspring

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Slave/free distinctions continued: slaves encouraged to be obedient even after conversion

Mike demonstrates that the slave/free pair also retained functional differences.

1 Corinthians 7:21-22 1 Corinthians 7:21-22 slave/free distinctions slavery in the Bible

Mike Winger idea 2022-06-20

Ben Witherington III changed his position between 1981 and 2009 without building a bridge

Mike traces the evolution of an important egalitarian scholar's views.

Ben Witherington III Rite and Rights for Women What's in the Word

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Wife as precious vessel and co-heir -- equal inheritance in Christ

Mike explains the vessel analogy and spiritual equality.

Galatians 3:28 1 Peter 3:7 Galatians 3:28 1 Peter 3:7 equal inheritance in Christ

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Heart of complementarianism: equal value, different authority, mutual accountability

Mike summarizes the complementarian vision of marriage.

complementarianism equal value different roles

Mike Winger idea 2022-08-15

Ephesians 5:25-33 -- instructions to husbands: self-sacrificial love like Christ

Mike teaches through the husband's instructions.

Ephesians 5:25-33 self-sacrificial love Ephesians 5:25-33 sanctification in marriage

eldership priesthood pagan priestesses

Introduction to the priesthood topic: women were priests in other pagan cultures but forbidden in Israel under the Law.

Transitioning to the priesthood discussion

Genesis 2 complementarianism priesthood Genesis 2

Mike's conclusion: the male role of authority seems like the best explanation for why women couldn't be priests, consistent with a complementarian reading especially when adding the NT.

Mike's preferred explanation for the priesthood restriction

complementarianism priesthood divine command vs. example

The priesthood is the ONLY OT role restriction on women that is clearly by God's design rather than by example — consistent with the complementarian view.

Final distinction on the priesthood

spiritual gifts prophetess women apostles

Preview of NT topics: Were women apostles, elders, deacons, teachers? Do female prophets mean women can be elders? Does God's gifting of women mean no role restrictions?

Preview of upcoming content

kephale akatakalupto Philo

Philo uses akatakalupto coupled with kephale to refer to cloth coverings

Mike provides first-century textual evidence for cloth covering meaning.

Augustus Roman religious art pontifex maximus

Artwork evidence confirms religious head coverings: Augustus, sacrificial scenes, Roman coins

Mike presents visual evidence of religious head covering practices.

Craig Keener Richard Oster hair-up view refuted

Oster's religious context fully explains both male and female head covering issues in Corinth

Mike synthesizes the religious background evidence.

1 Corinthians 11:2 1 Corinthians 11:17 1 Corinthians 11:2 1 Corinthians 11:17 cultural synthesis

Synthesis of cultural evidence: Paul preserves gender-role meaning of coverings against both rich women and Roman ritual practices

Mike draws together all cultural background evidence.