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The pope, Luther, Augustine, Paul, an angel from heaven--these should not be masters, judges, or arbiters but only witnesses, disciples, and confessors of Scripture.
Martin Luther, “Lectures on Galatians - 1535, chs. 1-4″ in Luther’s Works, vol. 26, 58.
Why Are Bad Things Bad?
The Bible is the foundation for answering all of life's questions!
Have you ever asked yourself why some things are wrong, and others are not? For example:
Why is murder wrong?
Why is sexual immorality wrong?
Why is stealing wrong?
Why is lying wrong?
Why is hatred wrong?
Why is divorce wrong?
Why is idolatry wrong?
Why is favoritism wrong?
Why is sinning wrong?
Why are other religions wrong?
If someone were to ask you any one of those questions, what would you say?…
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There is only one authority, and that is the crucified and risen One. Only that authority authorizes all subsequent authorities, scriptural or otherwise. Paul, Peter, Mary Magdalene, Luther, and one's own pastor are all normed by that very Christ.
Timothy J. Wengert, Reading the Bible with Martin Luther: An Introductory Guide, 11.
It kind of makes me sick that you don't think women can be pastors. I'm actually in college and I am minoring in Christian ministry. I'm a female too. Are you saying that the strong steel voice I heard calling to be in a leading ministry position was not in fact my Lord and Savior calling me?? What about the other woman that are called to be pastors?? Is that not God either?
God has revealed His will for us in Scripture. As Christians we should be submitting to God’s authority and that includes what He has revealed in Scripture. Women should definitely be involved in ministry and in big ways, even in leadership roles. It is only the specific role of “pastor” the Bible reserves for men.
From “50 Crucial Questions About Manhood and Womanhood” starting at 15 or 16 and going to question 26 there is a lot of answers to common questions dealing with this topic. If you would like to read those questions this link should take you to them. John Piper also answers your question directly in question 35.
As for the voice you hear calling you, it is always good to test the spirits against Scripture to be sure what you are feeling matches with what God has revealed His will to be. There are many opportunities for women in ministry and the church definitely needs women to help in spreading the kingdom. I am glad to hear that you feel led to ministry and hope that you continue to peruse that call.
The scriptural argument for a complementarian way of relationships will remain the stronger argument over an argument for an egalitarian view unless the Scriptures are changed. We do not have the authority to change Scripture so we should be submitting ourselves to the strongest testimony of them. Loving your neighbor is far from merely cultural just as loving your wife like Christ loves the church is.
Saying that you can't base Scriptures authority on its own witness is like saying I can't say that I am white.
If "God has laid something on your heart" that goes against God's Word then God is not the one that put that desire on your heart.
As Christians, we struggle with biblical texts, and our very commitment to the struggle is the sign of our faithfulness to this book...Even as we keep brooding over particular passages, though, we find that this book which sometimes so frustrates us or angers us or mystifies us is shaping the way we see the world and live our lives and ever again reintroducing us to the God in whom we believe. In a lifetime of reading the Bible, in trying to understand it, we find that we are enabled to live more fully as Christians. That’s what it means to take the Bible seriously: to struggle over a lifetime of reading or preaching, to try to see the relation of parts to whole, to admit what we cannot understand, to recognize all the different ways the genres of the Bible can mean and teach. If you’re doing that, don’t let anyone tell you that when they take one passage out of context and insist on its literal meaning, they’re being more faithful to the Bible than you are. On the other hand, if you’re not living with your Bible, reading it every day, worrying out the passages that anger or mystify you, preaching, if you’re a preacher, on texts that make you deeply uncomfortable, making it clear that your preaching starts with the text and not with what you wanted to say anyway–if you’re not doing these things, then maybe you ought to start.
"Struggling with Scripture" by William C. Placher, Professor of Religion at Wabash College
