#2 Threats to Patriarchy

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

A biblical view of men and women is that of complementarianism--men and women created equal in God’s own image but having different roles. Egalitarianism (e•gal•i•tar•i•an•ism), on the other hand, is the view that men and women have been gifted equally so that no role is limited to one sex. It is maintaining, relating to, or based on a belief that men and women are, in principle, equal in all aspects and should enjoy equal social, political, and leadership rights and opportunities. This is classified as “Christian feminism.”

Complementarian response is built upon a thoroughly biblical vision of male headship. This means men lead their families and churches by mirroring God (the Father) and Jesus (the head of the Bride--the Church). Scripture portrays God as the loving, sacrificial, protective Patriarch of His people.

Many men today are living according to an egalitarian belief based on the fact that role equality is considered to be extremely reasonable. But, research has shown many conservative and evangelical households to be among the “guiltiest” when it comes to giving way to externally applied pressure regarding egalitarianism and family harmony, relational happiness, and emotional health. In other words, men of our generation tend to default to female leadership to keep peace.

Christian men are known to maintain headship in the sphere of ideas, but their day-to-day decisions are based on a process of negotiation, mutual submission, and consensus. That’s what our biblical patriarch (forefathers) would have called “feminism.”

Embracing biblical patriarchy protects the doctrines of God from departing from what is right. To reject male headship leads to a redefinition of the Fatherhood of God and His divine sovereignty. This is just another way of promoting the view that God is impotent and limited in knowledge. Rearranging the order of God has been Satan’s goal and objective from the beginning. Converting our homes into “Christian Egalitarians” is one of his main tools and man’s worst enemy.

It is not wise to confuse “Christian Feminism” with equality regarding the inherent worth and dignity of being children of God. Spiritually, we are all created equal; but in the realm of leadership roles assigned to us by the Living God, we are called to function differently. God has asked men not to be conformed to the ideologies of the world, nor the fashionable trends of this age.

Christian men need to rid their thinking of feministic influence. They need to fill their minds with the design of God--embracing the masculine mind that has been embedded in them by the Father. If a man walks according to the worldly fables of man, he will become emasculated. If he walks according the teachings of God, he will find his fulfillment as a man.

Commit yourself this day to be a man who does not conform to the “traditions of man.” But be transformed in your masculinity by the doctrines and ways of God. Go now and practice the true characteristics of manhood by standing firm in the immovable things of God.

Next article: True Biblical Manhood

The Principled Patriarch: Threats to Patriarchy. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.  

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#1 The Principled Patriarch: The Introduction

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

Patriarchs are light unto a dark world. Their lives are to be living examples of traditional biblical values that teach others to glorify God, the Father. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor can a leader who functions in his God-given abilities. He is a light to all citizens who need to find their way.

The world around us is lost and is in need of true dynamic leaders to show them the way. Patriarchs train patriarchs. This training starts on the home front. The whole goal and purpose of leading the home is for the community--training the next generation to be “lights unto the world.” People are designed by God to follow--each seeking to find a leader to believe in and follow. If the biblical patriarch had the mentality of “being fruitful and multiplying the earth,” we would change a dark world within several generations. But since the average male has the mind-set of “taking care of himself,” we fall short of God’s purpose of biblical manhood.

Our role as men should spill over into the communities we serve. All of the ways and actions we appropriate within our homes should be the very manner we manage within the community and work world.

If a man desires a position of leadership within the church, community, or nation, he desires a good thing. A man who lives with his wife in an understanding way, has his children under control, and manages his household with a servant-style leadership is well prepared and qualified to lead in society. The home is the starting place and training ground for public leadership. Many men today have this backwards--accepting leadership positions outside the home before their homes are a biblical model of proof of their ability to lead.

Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 that women are not to be teaching or having authority over men. Why? Adam was formed first, then Eve. Those who were created first are given the command to “lead” those who were given the mandate to “follow” in church, community, and home. Therefore, if a woman desires a leadership position, it must be under the headship of her husband--or if not married, her father. The point being is what works for the leadership of the home is the same standard of leadership God uses in society.

A man cannot be trusted as a qualified leader (light unto the world) in the community unless he has proven his leadership within the home. The family is like a training institution for the man’s leadership. When he has passed the test of having his household in order, he will be a prime example of being a light unto the world. When a man attempts to lead in the community without having his family in order, he is sure to have a “trainwreck.”

The wisdom of this kind of direction and counsel has rarely been questioned until equalitarianism became the norm for family, church, and then community. Once a godly patriarch disregards the societal pressures of Christian feminism, he will be able to embrace the Truth of God’s order of male leadership.

Men, who hide behind the “light of women” or the spiritual leadership of women, resist the light of God’s ordained order. This results in the confusion and the emasculation of men. Men, who function as true lights of the world, live and operate by the life and light of God, the Father. God will only shine His light through His order of creation. He will not bypass His own order to please His creation.

In our society today, women open their own doors, defend themselves, and demand to be treated equally. Who is to blame for this? It is that of man! The need of a man to practice male manners is more critical today than any other time in history. Because women are so accustomed to caring for themselves, men have habitually taken the backseat to being gentlemen.

One would think that the women of today’s culture would have learned to demand their rights to be treated fairly due to men not treating them fairly. Well, this is simply not true. Women who function in independence do so because of their observations of men not treating their authority figures with all dignity. Men who do not show courtesy and manners to their authorities are modeling a lifestyle of disrespect and independence. Men bear the responsibility of showing their followers honor by honoring others. When a man honors his “up-line” first, he will then find it relatively easy to honor his “down-line.” How can we expect women to honor us, if we ourselves do not honor our authorities?

Honor looks like respect, courtesy, and manners. When a man honors authority, he will offer his services by allowing leaders to go first, helping them carry their load, serving them, and doing what he can to make their job easier. This is what most men expect from their women. If the patriarch is not doing like-minded service for their leaders, how can they expect their women to do differently? God may require women to service their disobedient male leaders, but it certainly is not the ideal way. Respect, courtesy, and submission require modeling such a role. Leaders, who expect honor without personally practicing honor, border on abuse of authority. Christ Himself didn’t even demand such honor. He modeled it first and then requested honor and respect from His body.

Man needs to show his respect for authority by demonstrating honor/manners to the woman who is called to serve him. This is accomplished through opening car doors, serving her needs first, or simply treating her as a “weaker vessel.” When a man shows common courtesy to a woman, he is demonstrating how Christ honors the Church.

Being a gentleman is the most perfect way of honoring God. When a man is respecting the guidelines of society, church, and God, he is revealing the order of God. A man, who is interested in honoring God, is recognizing the ordained roles God has assigned to His earthly structure. Men should care for all women in the same way they are commanded to care for their wives. Women should respect all men in the same way they are mandated to respect their husbands. This certainly does not mean that men or women should act out their marital roles with individuals outside their home. It does mean they should show the same kind of honor and respect to all. Although, it should be noted that women should maintain God’s “chain of command” even within society. In like manner, men should treat all women with the same dignity they tend to show their wives. A word of caution to men: do not allow your willingness to be a gentleman breed a familiarity of passion or attachment (intimacy) that belongs to your wife--or if not married, to Christ Himself.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY

Due to the need for men to understand the basic functions of biblical manhood, this study has been written to give each patriarch the outline needed to fulfill it. Men need to get back to the traditional principles of patriarchy. Our women, children, communities, and nations need a few good men--husbands, fathers, and leaders who are willing to lead according to the divine Word of Truth.

We are in the middle of a cultural battle that wages war against the male and female genders-- boys becoming emasculated and girls becoming masculated. Whatever happened to the patriarchs of our day? Why are women asserting more male dominance than our males? Why do men default to women in leading their families, homes, and communities? These are just a few of the questions that will be answered in The Principled Patriarch.  

This study is not for “interested onlookers!” This study is for the serious at heart--men who seek to find God’s solutions to man’s historical problems. This study is designed for small groups or individual private study. The Principled Patriarch is guaranteed to challenge and refresh the souls of all men of intent. 

Next article: Threats to Patriarchy

The Principled Patriarch: The Introduction. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

#24 You Are a Victor!

by Dr. Stephen R. Phinney

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24-25). 

You are a victor in Christ Jesus! Don’t ever forget this. The enemy will do all he can to have you consider this to be just another study series. God has done a mighty work in your heart and life. You are blameless in Christ and you should embrace this Truth with a great deal of joy. Give God all the glory, majesty, dominion over your life, and authority to rule you each day. When you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free (John 8:32). 

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:23-24). 

It is my daily prayer that God will give you His peace each day. I ask the Lord to sanctify you in every area of your life. I hope your spirit, soul, and body will be made complete and without blame until Jesus comes to greet us in His Second Coming. God is faithful in calling you to daily repentance and godly living. He will bring all of your struggles with temptation to pass. This is a promise and commitment to you by the one and only living God. 

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21).

The Lord’s covenant (promise) with you comes through the seal of the blood of the eternal covenant of Jesus Christ. Because of this seal, He has equipped and empowered you to accomplish His will in your life. When you rest in the reality that God does this work through you, through the Holy Spirit who resides in you, He will be well pleased with all the efforts you apply in the Spirit. This promise, written in blood, will “seal the deal” in all of your warfare activities. We may be sheep, but He is the Lion of Judah!

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

I trust that you will dedicate all of your efforts to the One who is able to do for you more than you could ask or even think about asking. Your resources are limitless in Christ Jesus. Never fall into the trap of thinking that God does not care about the small and insignificant things in your life. He not only cares about the small things, He reveals to us that those of us who are faithful in the small things, He will entrust much to us (Luke 16:10).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit” (Phil. 4:23).

It is my prayer that God’s grace (unmerited favor) would be poured out on your spirit for daily living. As Satan tries to condemn you with feelings of guilt and condemnation, know that God’s grace is never going to change--no matter what you choose to do in walking after the flesh. Condemnation may be one of the major tools the enemy uses to keep you from walking in your victory, but God’s grace is what sustains you to face the lie and walk in what is true about you.

"Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it" (Col. 4:17).

God is not just interested in setting you free from the deeds of your flesh. He wants you to step into the ministry that He has called you to fulfill. It doesn’t mean you have to quit your “job,” but it certainly means He wants to use your “job” to accomplish His mission for you and those around you. Consider praying about how God would want you to spread the Word of the Gospel in your daily living. It could mean going into full-time ministry, discipling one-on-one (men with men; women with women), teaching Sunday school class, giving your testimony publicly, helping with a ministry you have come to love, or simply ministering to your family. Whatever it is, He wants you to fulfill it.

If you need help in locating your calling, get with an experienced discipler (biblical counselor) to aid you in discovering how you can give the life of Christ away in your daily living. This element of healing is critical for your ongoing growth as a believer.

“Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way so that nothing is lacking for them. Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:13-14). 

One of the easiest and most beneficial ways of reaching out to others in need is helping other ministry leaders accomplish the work to which God has called them. Find out what their pressing needs are and then give time, effort, money, material possessions, skills, or whatever you have to offer. This way the people and ministries you believe in can be fruitful and multiply the works of God. You and I must engage in good deeds to meet the pressing needs of God’s ministry.

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all!” (2 Thess. 3:16).

As God allows circumstances to flood your world, cling to the peace that will surpass all of your understanding. You will find that this kind of peace will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). He has already promised that He will be with you through it all (Heb.13:5). Therefore, press on to the mark of excellence. Don’t look behind; just fix your eyes on Jesus and He will direct you in all of your plans (Heb. 12:1-2).

“Guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’--which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you” (1 Tim. 6:20-21).

God wants you to put up a shield (guard) around the persons, places, and things He has entrusted to you. Remember, your shield is faith and faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26). Apply what you have learned and do not slip back into worldly discussions and arguments that are falsely called “knowledge.” These friends or strangers claim to be wise in their own eyes, but their debating and wrangling of words have caused them to go astray from the faith. Avoid such men!

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth” (2 Tim. 4:17).

Jesus Christ has a mission to stand with and strengthen you in all your ways. He wants you to proclaim all of what He has shown you to others. This is how He accomplishes His divine will for mankind. He wants all men to hear and experience the freedom you have been given. You were rescued; now go help others be rescued!

“Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say” (Philemon 1:21).

Take great confidence in what God has done for you. Your obedience to complete this and other studies of the Lord are for a divine purpose. Many of you will accomplish far more than what I have as a servant of the Lord. One of the greatest privileges of being a minister is watching others embrace Truth and carry it far beyond the measurement that initially was given to me (the teacher).

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

It is my hope that we have been able to cover a multitude of your sins with the grace of Jesus Christ. I trust that this series has brought you into a more dynamic relationship with Christ. This study does not offer a lifetime guarantee from insults, persecutions, difficulties, and/or distress. Christ Himself doesn’t even offer that. In fact, He warns us of suffering as He has suffered (1 Peter 2:19; 5:9; Acts 9:16; Romans 8:17). God is more interested in what we do with our sufferings. If we embrace the Truth that all things work together for the good (Romans 8:28), we will not consider it strange when the enemy brings temptations and attacks our way.

Most stories of victory are birthed from pain, struggle, and perseverance. Your story is probably no different. I hope your story is His story in the making.

This is the conclusion of our series, Faithful Father: Restoring Hearts of Children to the Father. Thank you for going through this study. I pray that your walk with the Groom is rich, free, and full. Please feel free to contact me for special counsel or if you have any questions. I will attempt to answer them personally--Stephen Phinney!

You Are a Victor. Copyright © 2013 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author’s name intact.

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.