Paul said it, but Jesus didn't say it. Does that mean we don't have to obey it
Hey smart Christians, there are some passages that are controversial. And because they're controversial, those that disagree with them or don't like them
would like to find a way out. One of the passages that we're speaking of
has to do with Paul in 1 Timothy, telling women not to preach or to teach or have authority over
men. Now a couple of things come up. One, they'll say that this was just only happening in that
particular church. However, Paul was not addressing a church. So that's a problem. We'll come to that
in a second. And then one of the things that comes up and you see it more and more is that
Paul was making the statement, but not Jesus. Well, we've got a problem with that. We have
a huge problem with that. If you're going to say that, yes, Paul said it, but Jesus didn't
So therefore we don't have to listen to it because if that's the case, then there are a lot of
doctrines. There are a lot of things that we talk about that Jesus just did not say that Paul brings
up, that Peter brings up, that James brings up, that John brings up. What are you going to do now
Now, the thing is, though, people are going to say, well, wait a second, when Paul makes a statement on some things, we take those things, but it's when he makes a statement that I say it
And in particular, one passage, I say it, but not the Lord. Let's go to the first passage
that causes some problems. This is 1 Timothy 2.12, but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise
authority over a man, but to remain quiet. And it's this part where it says, I do not allow
Paul is saying, I don't allow, not I allow a woman. So is this saying that this is Paul saying
no, this is me. I don't want you doing so. He's just giving a suggestion that it's just for them
or it's only Paul's kind of admonition, but it's not something that is authoritative
Well, there's a problem with that. We'll come back to it in just a second with that, not being authoritative. Then if we go to 1 Corinthians 7.12, notice what he says. He says
but to the rest, I say not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever
and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. So here's another issue. It's a
controversial topic. And so the question is when he makes a statement that I say, not the Lord
I, not the Lord, does that mean that it was just Paul's own assessment, Paul's own words
but they don't care the same way? Well, a couple of things. One, Peter makes a statement who is
also an apostle who walked with Jesus. Notice what he says in 2 Peter 3.16. He says, as also
in all his letters, speaking about Paul, Peter is speaking about Paul and notice what he says
speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to understand or difficult
to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort as they do also the rest of scripture
to their own destruction. So notice that Peter is equating what Paul has stated
even though the people either can't understand it or don't like it, which we see sometimes here
Peter equates what Paul says as scripture. So that has to include what he says in 1 Corinthians
7.12, as well as what he says in 1 Timothy 2.12. Now think about this, go back to what he says
I, but I say, not the Lord. Remember, this is the very same Paul who is moved by the holy
spirit. Remember the scriptures that we have, the revelation that we have, even the revelation that hadn't been put, that pen had been put to paper yet
these revelation, these men speaking, including Paul, including Peter, they are, as the Bible
says, moved by the spirit. Now this is Peter making a statement. Peter says that no prophecy
or no revelation of scripture, even what's being written now is a matter of one's own interpretation
for no prophecy ever was made. Now he makes this distinction between what's being written now
as well as what's been written now, what hasn't written with what has always been
or what was given in the past for no prophecy or no revelation was ever made by an act of human will
but men moved by the holy spirit spoke from God. So when Paul is speaking in this case
as a scripture, he's speaking because he's being moved by God. So we have to take what he's saying
as being authoritative. Remember all scripture is inspired. So what Paul says, that includes the all
scriptures. It's inspired. It is God breathed, breathed out by who? By God. This is literally
the work of the holy spirit through the pen of Paul, through the pen of Peter, through the pen of
John and so forth. So when Paul makes his statement, Paul wants this to be understood. As a matter of
fact, something we need to understand about some of these letters, these letters, especially the
ones that are addressed to the churches are addressed for the church, but are also wanting
to be moved around, at least from the ones that we see from Paul. For example, in Colossians 4.15
he says, greet the brethren. Now this is a letter to the church in Colossae. Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also in Nympha and the church that is in her house
When this letter is read among you. So in other words, take this letter, read it amongst the
people, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans and you, for your part, read my letter
that is coming from Laodicea. So here we see an example where Paul is including in his instructions
to take this letter and to read it and then pass along. Sometimes he would say that to the people
we would believe he said to the people that are taking, he would give to them by hand. And that person is taking that with the instructions. So that letter might be read there
but it also may be heard of someplace else. That's kind of how scripture was
And so what Paul was making a statement for, that's for everyone. Same thing with Peter. Now
when it comes to what he's telling Timothy, the letters that are given to Timothy are not
were not initially written for him to give to the church. Now we obviously as a church
we have that as our guidance, especially for someone who's in ministry, as Paul is training
Timothy and having Timothy train other people. He said, I do not allow, I do not allow a woman
to teach or to usurp authority over men. So here are these pastoral epistles where he's telling
Timothy, these are the rules. And if you notice after first Timothy two comes first Timothy three
So immediately after him making that statement, he gives the qualifications of a pastor or the
elders and then the deacons. That's why this flows the way it does. So when Paul says, I
I do not allow, or I say not the Lord, he's not saying that God is not on par with what he's
saying, that God is not for what he's saying. All he's simply saying is that I say this
not the Lord, because the Lord didn't cover that. As a matter of fact, the bulk of what we have
in the New Testament, a lot of what we have, I should say nothing. I wouldn't say the bulk, but a lot of what we have concerning our living, especially concerning the church
the Lord didn't speak on those things. He didn't speak on those things, but then we've got Paul
that would speak on those things. Then we've got Peter speaking on, on those things. We've got
James and John, Jude. So we've got people who are still moved by the Holy spirit, which is God
speaking, whereas God in flesh, Jesus did not speak on those things
So we cannot come back and, and differentiate between what the Lord is doing
in Peter, Paul, James, and John from what he was doing previously to the cross. This is still a
a continuous work that he's doing. There is continuity between what's happening in the
gospels, what's happening in the acts, what's happening in the epistles, the letters and so
forth. So when Paul makes a statement, all he's simply saying is that the Lord just did not say
it verbally out of his mouth during his earthly ministry. That's all we take that as. Not that
he's saying something different or in opposition to what Jesus said. Amen