The Word of the Lord says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk therein” (Ephesians 2:10).
God has work for His Christians to do. God’s expectation of Christians being involved in the work is evident in the Scriptures (Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:58; etc.). God wants all his people to be involved. This is our purpose.
But we also understand that these “works” were “prepared beforehand”. These works were “prepared in advance”. God’s vision for the church in eternity has been a heavy theme of the Ephesian letter. The group who chooses to be “in Christ” is blessed by God by his eternal decree (Ephesians 1:4, 5, 11). God has determined before time began to bless mankind in Christ (Acts 2:23). Just as God had determined to bless mankind in Christ, God had also determined what those blessed people are to do as they live “in Christ”. This is why the Bible says the works are also “prepared beforehand” (Romans 9:23-24).
So it is interesting to me that so many individuals can claim that God’s plan for gender roles in worship can be altered because of “changing customs”. 1 Timothy 2:9-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-37 limit what Christian women can do in the public worship assembly of the church. The Bible tells us this limitation is based upon the first sin of Eve in the garden and therefore transcends cultural changes.
God’s plan for good works carried out by his people does not change. God’s plan for the work and worship of the church was planned in eternity. This is why Christians are admonished to “hold to the traditions” (2 Thessalonians 2:15) and to “contend for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). If we are going to hold to God’s unchanging hand, we must also hold to God’s unchanging doctrine.
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