QUES. 33.-Will the unbeliever be punished for his sins or for rejecting Christ?
ANS.-Eph. 5:6 answers your question. After enumerating, in verse 5, some of the sins of men he says, in verse 6, "Let no man, deceive you with vain words :for because of these things (the sins mentioned) cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." "The children of disobedience" are of course the rejectors of Christ; by rejecting Him they seal all their sins upon themselves, and the wrath of God comes upon them because of those sins.
QUES. 24.-Has the exhortation of 1 Tim. 2 :12 to do only with the ministry of the Word, cr does it cover more ? Would it permit women to start the hymns in the singing at meetings of the assembly or for the gospel, and lead on in loud tones ? If such leadership is not permissible some of the sisters with us need to subdue their praises.
ANS.-The passage in 1 Tim. 2 :12 mentions two things:Teaching and Authority, both of which he denies to the woman among the people of God. The first has to do with the public ministry of the word of God; the other with the government of His people. In both cases the woman is "to be in silence." As to "subduing her praises," she belongs to the assembly and is a worshiper of course, as truly as any of the men, but she is not to dominate, and "loud tones" dominating the rest are offensive in all, especially in women. Wherever, in any assembly of God, the woman leads and dominates there is something wrong. In a matter of starting a hymn we need carefully to distinguish between a desire to lead or only a desire to help in difficulty. Even then it might, perhaps, be better to let the men feel the shame of their inability to start a hymn, for if they loved God's praises and sang them at home they would not be so backward at the meetings, even though they had no musical talent. Where things are right, and the assembly in a good state, leaders in singing among the men will soon develop, for they will feel the need of it. Singing in the home should be cultivated. It is far more important than many think, for it not only develops the voice for public use, but it promotes a cheerful spirit and happy intercourse in the family.
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