Be not many masters

James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

James warns aspiring teachers to not undertake that calling lightly. The teacher is a sinner like his students (v. 2) and will incur a stricter judgment (v. 1).

The Pulpit & Pen Christian Discernment Archives on Facebook often posts clips from vile and heretical “sermons,” in order illustrate the dung and mire into which so-called preaching in the United States has sunk. For example, on Monday August 24 they posted a link to an article about a United Methodist impastor in Alabama, detailing how the Bible is full or errors, historical inaccuracies, and contradictions. “Pastor” Gilbert said, “…The Bible is full of contradictions, and that’s to be expected…” going on to compare the Bible to Aesop’s Fables. This reveals the debased level of garbage that enters the American ear from American pulpits.

This is a disgusting display of multiplying words without knowledge, a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. However, Bible-believing preachers ought not be lifted up with pride, but rather mourn. We ought to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and also consider our own selves, lest we be deceived. While believing the word itself, we may be preaching self-indulgence, self-satisfaction, and just plain self. Bible-believing preachers often appropriate the culture, accentuate the comedy, and appeal to the crowd rather than following the simple biblical directive, “Preach the word.”

2 Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

• Preach the word with confidence – because it is inspired (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
• Preach the word with diligence – because with must answer to God (2 Timothy 4:1, 5).
• Preach the word with influence – because unsettled times come (2 Timothy 3:11; 4:3-4).
• Preach the word with incentive – because a crown awaits (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

The Apostle Junia?

I recently reviewed the book A Baptist Reflection of The Bible & Women in Ministry and Leadership. About the same time, I had a Facebook acquaintance argue that the plain reading of Romans 16:7 is that Junia (and Andronicus) were apostles.[i] This friend did not make much of a defense of his position, simply restating several times that “of note among the apostles” meant they were apostles.[ii]

Romans 16:7 (Greek and English).

• 1894 TR: ἀσπάσασθε Ἀνδρόνικον καὶ Ἰουνίαν τοὺς συγγενεῖς μου καὶ συναιχμαλώτους μου οἵτινές εἰσιν ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις οἳ καὶ πρὸ ἐμοῦ γεγόνασιν ἐν Χριστῷ
• UBS: ἀσπάσασθε Ἀνδρόνικον καὶ Ἰουνιᾶν τοὺς συγγενεῖς μου καὶ συναιχμαλώτους μου, οἵτινές εἰσιν ἐπίσημοι ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, οἳ καὶ πρὸ ἐμοῦ γέγοναν ἐν Χριστῷ.

• KJV: Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellowprisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.
• RSV: Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners; they are men of note among the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

The issue in Greek (TR vs. CT) is Ἰουνίαν (accusative, singular, feminine) vs. Ἰουνιᾶν (accusative, singular, masculine).

Paul is addressing [You (all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints)] directing them (among all the other greetings) to salute Andronicus and Junia. He describes these two as “my kinsmen” (apparently related in the flesh), “my fellowprisoners” (having suffered persecution for the faith),[iii] “of note among the apostles” (two who are notable to the apostles), and “in Christ before me” (having been in the faith longer than Paul).[iv] The relative clause describes two people, Andronicus and Junia. Who are they and what are they? They are “of note.” Of note where? Of note “among the apostles.” Neither this sentence nor this clause means that Andronicus and Junia are apostles.

Neither the grammar nor the definitions of the words prove that Junia was an apostle. A plain reading of the Bible shows that Paul did not write, “Andronicus and Junia are notable apostles.” Instead, he was inspired to write that they “are of note among the apostles.” The expression is not the one which would have been used if they had been apostles. What the expression “of note among the apostles” means is that were well-known to the apostles. It is also worth considering that the word “apostles” is masculine plural (ἀποστόλοις, dative masculine, plural), grammar not fitting with Junia being part of the group.[v]

 

Brief information on the name.

In the Greek text, a difference of accent distinguishes between this person being a man or woman – Ἰουνίαν (accusative, singular, feminine, Junia) vs. Ἰουνιᾶν (accusative, singular, masculine, Junias).[vi] So, as we have it in the King James Bible, this is the name of a woman. The name itself is rare in Greek – the masculine form being even rarer than the feminine form.[vii] Some translations have (apparently) opted to remove the “difficulty” by changing Junia (feminine) to Junias (masculine).[viii]

Considering “of note” and “among.”

• Of note – (εἰσιν ἐπίσημοι) well-regarded, prominent, important, well-known, deserving distinction. 
• Among (ἐν) – meaning can be situated in, surrounded by, with, a part of, in contact with

• Inclusive use – “among” means a part of the body of the apostles
• Exclusive use – “among” is comparative to but not included in the body of the apostles

An example of exclusive use is found in Euripides’ Hippolytus (line 103), where the goddess Aphrodite is “prominent among mortals,” – although she is not a mortal. Exclusive use of “among” is not odd or unusual.

ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις (exclusive or inclusive)

• 2 Peter 2:1 among the people ἐν τῷ λαῷ (exclusive and inclusive)
• 1 Peter 2:12 among the Gentiles ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν (exclusive, they vs. you)
• Acts 15:22 among the brethren ἐν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς (inclusive)
• Matthew 2:6 among the princes ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν (uncertain)
• Mark 5:3 among the tombs ἐν τοῖς μνήμασιν (exclusive)

Some history.

According to various sources, the early church writers thought Junia was a woman (as well as later writers).[ix] See, for example, Origen (ad Romanos), Ambrosiaster (ad Romanos), Jerome (Liber interpretationis hebraicorum nominum), Theodoret of Cyrrhus (ad Romanos), Theophylact of Ohrid (ad Romanos), Peter Abelard (ad Romanos), and Peter Lombard (ad Romanos).[x]

Final thoughts.

The debate about Junia/Junias and the apostleship is, in my opinion, a demonstration of just how far feminists are willing to stretch to Bible to make it say what they want it to say. There are some difficulties with this passage. It should be interpreted in the light of clear passages, and not made to walk on all fours. Our King James English translation can be trusted in both identifying Junia as a woman, and in not addressing her (or Andronicus) as an apostle.

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[i] He was only arguing about Junia because he wanted to prove there was a female apostle. Whatever is true of Junia in this verse is also true of Andronicus. Andronicus were probably husband and wife, or brother and sister. Paul considered them kinsmen according to the flesh.

[ii] In a past writing on the apostles, I included “Andronicus and Junia” in a list of other possible apostles – not because I think they were, but because I was listing all the possibilities that different students consider on the subject.
[iii] Philemon 1:23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus; (cf. Colossians 1:7; 4:10-12).
[iv] Early disciples, before Paul was converted. Likely they were converted elsewhere and then later moved to Rome.
[v] In the case of the masculine use for “kinsmen,” it would be used whether this was two men, or a man and a woman – that is, the plural form used to include both male and female persons is nevertheless grammatically masculine. That is in a different part of the structure of the sentence, though, from the use of “apostles.”
[vi] That is, in the Romans 16:7 passage, the name Junia is in the accusative case.
[vii] See Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, New York, NY: Doubleday, 1993, pp. 737-738.
[viii] For example, see ASV, DRA, NASB1995, RSV, RV.
[ix] There is more involved in the appeal to the church fathers than some (on either side) have suggested. For example, the evidence of Origen comes from the Latin translation by Rufinus. The manuscripts of Rufinus are not consistent, where some give the name as Junias and some Junia. Epiphanius believed Junias was male and the bishop of Apameia (Index Discipulorum from Epiphanius of Salamis). I am not saying that the name is masculine; I think Junia was a woman. However, those who appeal to the church fathers need to admit that there is no universal agreement among the church fathers about this verse. One interpretation of Origen on the phrase in Romans 16:7 was that Andronicus and Junia might have been among the 70 disciples (Luke 10:1) sent out by Jesus, then at the least implying he thought this was a man. Commenting on 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, Origen wrote, “When Mary the prophetess spoke, she was the leader of some women; for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church, and I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to have authority over a man. And also from other passages I will support this thesis, since the point has been made certain concerning the fact that a woman is not to be directing the man by means of discourse.” This tends to suggest that Origen thought Junias was a man, and those manuscripts are accurate representations of what he wrote.
[x] In many cases, it is not necessarily that they commented, but simply that they used the feminine form of the name in their writings/commentary. Of these, it appears that John Chrysostom thought Junia was both a woman an apostle (In epistulam ad Romanos). Some editor at Wikipedia (which loves to promote leftist liberalism) has misrepresented the writings of Bernadette Brooten to claim that all early patristics thought Junia was an apostle. According to the editor, Brooten “points to additional early Christian commentators, all of whom gave no indication of doubt that the epistle referred to Junia and that she was a woman and an apostle.” This is not correct. The accurate fact in the article is that Brooten points to Chrysostom believing Junia was a woman and an apostle. The most that can be derived from the other writers is that they took the name as feminine. B writes, “John Chrysostom was no alone in the ancient church in taking the name as feminine…In fact to the best of my knowledge, no commentator on the text until Aegidius of Rome (1245-1316) took the name to be masculine.” (“Junia … Outstanding among the Apostles” (Romans 16:7), Bernadette Brooten, Women Priests: A Catholic Commentary on the Vatican Declaration, Arlene and Leonard Swidler, editors. Paulist Press: Ramsey, NJ: 1977, p. 141).

Spell and Sherwin

In June of this year, Pastor Tony Spell of Life Tabernacle Church in Central, Louisiana was arrested, charged with 2nd-degree battery, posted bond, and then went home. It was reported that Pastor Spell is supposed to be back in court on September 15. It will be interesting to see what is the outcome. Many Christians have sided with Pastor Spell, but it is unclear that all that he has claimed can be established.

If you choose to, you can watch the video of the altercation between Pastor Tony Spell and the Sherwin man who lives across the road from the church. Pastor Spell runs across the street, looks angry. The Sherwin man has probably shouted something at him. Sherwin has a phone in his hands, but he does not have a weapon. The reports indicate the Sherwin family and Pastor Tony Spell have been involved in an ongoing feud. As the pastor comes close, Sherwin hits at or tries to hit Pastor Spell. Spell quickly takes him down and is striking him repeatedly. It is obvious from the video that within seconds Sherwin is subdued and then there is no threat. If one existed, it is over. It is not continuing. After that point Pastor Spell is not protecting (and the video shows no one there for him to protect); he is not neutralizing; he is not stopping a threat. He is just pounding on Sherwin. This appears to be angry retaliation or revenge. That distinction must be recognized. Pastor Spell even adds a kick to the head in conclusion. I do not know all the facts, and I have an initial tendency to root for the guy who is older and a preacher. Strength and protection are good traits. However, strength must be tempered with wisdom and know when how to stop.

The protection of others is a biblically justified response. Revenge is not. The neutralizing of a threat can be justified biblically. Continuing to inflict unnecessary harm to a subdued foe cannot. I think what is seen in the video goes beyond what is biblically justified. Perhaps more facts will come out in court.

Free Speech in the Real World

“If you’re in the real world, you have to live the consequences of what you say. Online, you don’t. You can separate your opinions from your fate. (That’s a good way of thinking about it.) So there’s nothing really that keeps you on track. There’s no responsibility commensurate with our right to free speech. And I think that probably enables the psychopaths, because people can get away with saying anything. You might say, that’s okay because people have a right to free speech. But if you’re actually dealing with a person who is right there in front of you, no one can get away with just saying anything. There are all sorts of explicit and implicit rules governing the conversation. All of that is lifted in the virtual space, and I’m afraid that enables people who are psychopathic and narcissistic. It probably also tilts people who use those platforms toward narcissism and psychopathy.”

Jordan Peterson on “Travis Interviews the World”

The Wheat and Tares

Another of the many hymns of John Newton, related to the parable of the wheat and tares. The hymn is Long Meter and might be sung with Long Meter tunes such as Old Hundred and Windham. 

Olney Hymns, Hymn LXXXVI. [Book I, pages106-107]

The wheat and tares. [Matthew] Chap. xiii. 37—42.

1. Tho’ in the outward church below
The wheat and tares together grow;
Jesus ere long will weed the crop,
And pluck the tares, in anger, up.

2. Will it relieve their horrors there,
To recollect their stations here?
How much they heard, how much they knew,
How long amongst the wheat they grew!

3. Oh! this will aggravate their case!
They perish’d under means of grace;
To them the word of life and faith,
Became an instrument of death.

4. We seem alike when thus we meet,
Strangers might think we all are wheat;
But to the Lord’s all–searching eyes,
Each heart appears without disguise.

5. The tares are spar’d for various ends,
Some, for the sake of praying friends;
Others, the Lord, against their will,
Employs his counsels to fulfill.
 
6. But tho’ they grow so tall and strong,
His plan will not require them long;
In harvest, when he saves his own,
The tares shall into hell be thrown.

Newton requested to following inscribed on his tombstone, which was done:

Once an infidel and libertine,
A servant of slaves in Africa,
Was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Preserved, restored, pardoned,
And appointed to preach the faith
He had long labored to destroy.

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Note: See “Poor Old John” for a description of an attack on this John Newton hymn.

Sing unto the Lord

The truths of God and the God of truth behind our songs are what makes them worth singing!!

Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.

Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.

Isaiah 12:2-5

Profession of Faith and Regenerate Church Membership

Baptist Faith and Practice – Survey Question – Regenerate Church Membership.

If your Baptist Church requires a profession of faith to be received as a member: (1) Would your church receive the following profession? (2) Why or why not? Please give any biblical reasoning for your answer.

I don’t know when I was saved. I was raised in a Christian home and I don’t remember ever not believing in Jesus Christ. However, I believe in the work of regeneration by the Spirit. I think that the work of the Spirit on my heart was evident by when I was about 14 or 15 years old. That’s when I can remember having independent affections for God – having a desire to read my Bible and pray, for example. I didn’t have a conversion experience particularly. I professed faith and was baptized when I was eight years old, but if the new covenant birth is a change of heart, for me that happened at about 14 or 15 years old.

RULES/REQUESTS.

1. JUST GIVE YOUR ANSWER AND REASONING. DON’T DEBATE WITH OTHER COMMENTERS.

2. IF YOU’RE NOT BAPTIST, YOU MIGHT HAVE AN INTERESTING REPLY – BUT THIS IS A SURVEY OF BAPTIST PRACTICE. PROCEED ACCORDINGLY.

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Note: Awhile back I posted the above survey on Facebook. The background source is as follows.

3:28 “I was saved – I don’t know when. I don’t remember ever disbelieving in Christ. I was raised in a Christian home and I’m very grateful for that. But I believe in the work of regeneration by the spirit. And the only (and I put a lot of work into Piper and therefore back into Edwards and ultimately Augustine and Paul and Jesus). I did my dissertation on Paul’s positive religious affections. So, I think that the work of the spirit on my heart was evident by about 14 or 15. That’s when I remember having independent affections for God, wanting to read my Bible in halting ways, wanting to pray. Uh, I don’t – I didn’t have a conversion experience really. I mean, I professed faith and was baptized at eight. But if the new covenant is a change of heart – Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36 – that happened at about 14 or 15 for me.” Mark Ward testimony on Room For Nuance podcast. This is not a comment on whether or not Mark Ward is converted. However, it recognizes that most churches with whom I have been associated would not receive that sort of profession of faith. Most who commented on Facebook also agreed.

Deacons

From a liberal magazine, re Deacons. This is not posted as an analysis or endorsement of the following material, but more as a matter of saving it for review.

“Deacons and the go-between God,” Ed Kaneen. The Baptist Ministers’ Journal, October 2012, Volume 316, journal of The Baptist Ministers’ Fellowship (of Wales?), 18-24.

“In a landmark publication in 1990,⁴ John N. Collins surveyed diakonos in ancient sources outside the Bible. He discovered people described by this term doing such varied work as ambassadors, pagan priests, Lotharios, and even contract killers! While the term could also be used to describe servants and those who ‘wait on tables’, these ideas did not form the core semantic field. Rather, Collins proposed such ideas as ‘go-between’, ‘representative’, and ‘agent’, and suggested that this was true of the New Testament also. The significance of this change should not be underestimated: as Collins puts it, ‘a redefinition of the Greek words is inevitably going to work towards a reassessment of the deacon and his office’ (Diakonia: re-interpreting the ancient sources. New York: OUP, 1990, p. 41).” (Page 19)

‘go-between’ is an appropriate gloss for the New Testament ‘deacon’, and can contribute to a theological understanding of the modern diaconate. (Page 23)

Apart from the gospels,⁶ the term diakonos only occurs in the Pauline literature, where we find nine individuals so named.⁷ Only in two passages are deacons referred to in a corporate sense (Philippians 1:1 and 1 Timothy 3:8, 12), where they probably represent distinct groups of church leaders. This has led to a tendency, found also in Fiddes’ work, to draw a distinction between the former examples, where diakonos is a description of the ministry of some New Testament figures, and the latter two examples, where diakonos is probably the title of an ecclesial office. (Page 23)

4. John N. Collins, Diakonia: re-interpreting the ancient sources. New York: OUP, 1990.

6. The gospels occasionally use the term, primarily in one saying (Mark 10:43 and pars), but we do not have space to pursue this here. [Note: “pars” or “pars.” is an abbreviation for “parallel passages” in academic and biblical contexts. rlv]

7. Rulers (Rom 13:4); Christ (Rom 15:8; Gal 2:17); Phoebe (Rom 16:1); Paul (1 Cor 3:5; 2 Cor 3:6; 6:4; 11:23; Eph 3:7; Col 1:23, 25); Apollos (1 Cor 3:5); Timothy (2 Cor 3:6, 6:4; 1 Tim 4:6); false apostles (2 Cor 11:15, 23); Tychichus (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7); Epaphras (Col 1:7). Note that twice these ‘individuals’ are groups: rulers and false apostles.

This is important for Fiddes, also, who says, ‘They [deacons] gave service in two directions—to the community and also to the episkopos [overseer = elder/minister] whom they assisted’ (A Leading Question: The Structure and Authority of Leadership in the Local Church. Didcot: Baptist Publications. 1983, p. 32). p. 25

The Baptist Ministers’ Journal, October 2012 volume 316, journal of The Baptist Ministers’ Fellowship (of Wales?)

Poor Old John

Back in September of last year, I mentioned a sad state of affairs. Leftists, liberals, and lost unbelievers asked for the keys to shape note singing, and some shape-note singing leaders gladly handed them over. In that context, I noted the “Prodigal Misgendering” of John Newton’s hymn text about “The Prodigal Son.” The prodigal son and his father are male (in the Bible both in Greek and English, Matthew 13:37-42; and in John Newton’s hymn, Olney Hymns). Nevertheless, persons who regularly complain about people misgendering others are fine with misgendering the prodigal son and his father. What is good for the goose was not good for the gander!

A fellow singer pointed out to me another song in which John Newton’s words have been attacked, altered, and adulterated. This time God is “misgendered” – changing the pronouns from “he” and “his” to “she” and “her.” The second stanza of the song is not original to Newton, but has been attached to his hymn at least as early as 1868. Curiously, while the arranger changes the gender from masculine to feminine in reference to God – he then changes when speaking of humans in the second stanza and rather chooses to use neutral terms so as not signify one gender or another. The reference to “Hell” is also removed.

The texts are presented below for comparison. In the left column is the sixth stanza of the hymn “The Wheat and Tares” by John Newton (Olney Hymns, Book I, Hymn 86), and the additional stanza (possibly by L. Hartsough).[i] The hymn as corrupted and used with the tune Wheat or Tare (Song No. 233) in the 2024 shape-note songbook The Valley Pocket Harmonist is shown in the right column (as arranged by Joshua Rush Barnett, 2020). I use strikethrough (left column) for removals from the original and yellow highlight (right column) for changes or additions.

There is an agenda to being pushed. The Valley Pocket Harmonist is helping push it.

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[i] The first stanza is by John Newton, but the second stanza was added to Newton’s hymn – possibly first in The Revivalist by Joseph Hillman and L. Hartsough (1868). L. Hartsough was the music editor of The Revivalist and the arranger of “The Wheat and Tares” on page 67. The song in The Valley Pocket Harmonist also has a chorus: For soon the reaping time will come, And angels shout the harvest home. See also The Wheat and the Tares.