What the Bible Says About Women and the Church “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:11-14 “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 This is why any ministry headed by a woman unless it’s a woman’s or children’s ministry is to be rejected as heretical on the grounds of fundamental disobedience. It’s not about misogyny, but about obedience… You cant cancel Scripture with Scripture, any teachings that explains away, over or around what is written in plain language are the doctrines of demons because not only are they a lot smarter than we are and therefore masters in twisting the Word of God, but also because it defies what is clearly written in plain language. The rejection of fundamental Biblical interpretation in these last days is a witness of the prophesied universal apostasy of the church in general prior to the revealing of the coming Antichrist described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” We are clearly living in the days of the falling away because fundamentally sound Bible doctrine is being compromised and eroded away (2 Timothy 4:3-4) at an unprecedented rate jeopardizing not only the souls that make up the body of Christ (Matthew 24:24), but also the essential understanding of God’s Word (Galatians 1:6-9, Romans 1:21-22) opening the door wide for the enemy to infiltrate and pervert the church through the doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1-3) expounded by emissaries of Satan disguised as angels of light. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2 Peter 2:1-3, Matthew 7:15, Jude 1:11, Titus 1:15-16) Distorting the Word of God to accommodate bias has very serious and real consequences. (Matthew 5:19-20, 7:21-23) Can a woman be a pastor, teacher or preacher? There is perhaps no more hotly debated issue in the church today than the issue of women serving as pastors, preachers and teachers. As a result, it is very important to not see this issue as men versus women. There are women who believe women should not serve as pastors and that the Bible places restrictions on the ministry of women, and there are men who believe women can serve as preachers and that there are no restrictions on women in ministry. This is not an issue of chauvinism or discrimination. It is an issue of biblical interpretation, understanding and obedience. The Word of God proclaims: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” 1 Timothy 2:11-12 In the church, God assigns different roles to men and women. This is a result of the way mankind was created and the way in which sin entered the world: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:13-14. God, through the apostle Paul, restricts women from serving in roles of teaching and/or having spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors over men, which definitely includes preaching to them, teaching them publicly, and exercising spiritual authority over them. There are many objections to this view of women in pastoral ministry. A common one is that Paul restricts women from teaching because in the first century, women were typically uneducated. However, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 nowhere mentions educational status. Furthermore, if education were a qualification for ministry, then the majority of Jesus’ disciples would not have been qualified. A second common objection is that Paul only restricted the women of Ephesus from teaching men (1 Timothy was written to Timothy, the pastor of the church in Ephesus). Ephesus was known for its temple to Diana, and women were the authorities in that branch of paganism—therefore, the theory goes, Paul was only reacting against the female-led customs of the Ephesian idolaters, and the church needed to be different. However, the book of 1 Timothy nowhere mentions Diana, nor does Paul mention the standard practice of Diana worshipers as a reason for the restrictions in 1 Timothy 2:11-12. A third objection is that Paul is only referring to husbands and wives, not men and women in general. The Greek words for “woman” and “man” in 1 Timothy 2 could refer to husbands and wives; however, the basic meaning of the words is broader than that. Further, the same Greek words are used in verses 8–10. Are only husbands to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (verse 8)? Are only wives to dress modestly, have good deeds, and worship God (verses 9–10)? Of course not. Verses 8–10 clearly refer to all men and women, not just husbands and wives. There is nothing in the context that would indicate a narrowing to husbands and wives in verses 11–14. Yet another objection to this interpretation of women in pastoral ministry is in relation to women who held positions of leadership in the Bible, specifically Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah in the Old Testament. In the case of the prophetess Deborah, who also held a dual judicial and political position as Judge of Israel, the before mentioned restrictions written by Paul do not apply and this fact is made obvious by Paul’s reference to the law in 1 Corinthians 14:43: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.” For this reason it is unheard of that women serve as rabbi’s in the assembly of a synagogue, of which the church is also because the church is the congregation of Israel. (Romans 9-11) As for Miriam and Huldah whom were both prophetesses of the Lord, the same restrictions of God’s Law applies because these are the ordinances and statutes that God has commanded His people to be governed by and obey. It is true that these women were chosen by God for special service to Him and that they stand as models of faith, courage, and, yes, leadership. However, the authority of women in the Old Testament is not relevant to the issue of pastors in the church because God’s Law does not contradict itself. Similar arguments are made using Priscilla and Phoebe in the New Testament. In Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquila are presented as faithful ministers for Christ. Priscilla’s name is mentioned first, perhaps indicating that she was more prominent in ministry than her husband. Did Priscilla and her husband teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to Apollos? Yes, in their home they “expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.” Acts 18:26. Does the Bible ever say that Priscilla pastored a church or taught publicly or became the spiritual leader of a congregation of saints? No. As far as we know, Priscilla was not involved in ministry activity in contradiction to 1 Timothy 2:11-14. In Romans 16:1, Phoebe is called a “servant” in the church and is highly commended by Paul. But, as with Priscilla, there is nothing in Scripture to indicate that Phoebe was a pastor or a teacher of men in the church. “Apt to teach” is given as a qualification for deacons, but not for servants (1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:6-9. The structure of 1 Timothy 2:11-14 makes the reason why women cannot be pastors perfectly clear. Verse 13 begins with “for,” giving the “cause” of Paul’s statement in verses 11–12. Why should women not teach or have authority over men? Because “For Adam was first formed, then Eve”. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (verses 13–14). God created Adam first and then created Eve to be a “helper” for Adam. The order of creation has universal application in the family (Ephesians 5:22-23 and in the church. The fact that Eve was deceived is also given in 1 Timothy 2:14 as a reason for women not serving as pastors or having spiritual authority over men. This does not mean that women are gullible or that they are all more easily deceived than men. If all women are more easily deceived, why would they be allowed to teach children (who are easily deceived) and other women (who are supposedly more easily deceived)? The text simply says that women are not to teach men or have spiritual authority over men because Eve was deceived. God has chosen to give men the primary teaching authority in the church. Many women excel in gifts of hospitality, mercy, teaching, evangelism, and helps. Much of the ministry of the local church depends on women. Women in the church are not restricted from public praying or prophesying (1 Corinthians 11:5, only from having spiritual teaching authority over men. The Bible nowhere restricts women from exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). Women, just as much as men, are called to minister to others, to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and to proclaim the gospel to the lost (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 1 Peter 3:15). God has ordained that only men are to serve in positions of spiritual teaching authority in the church. This is not because men are necessarily better teachers or because women are inferior or less intelligent (which is not the case). It is simply the way God designed the church to function. Men are to set the example in spiritual leadership—in their lives and through their words. Women are to take a less authoritative role. Women are encouraged to teach other women (Titus 2:3-5). The Bible also does not restrict women from teaching children. The only activity women are restricted from is teaching or having spiritual authority over men. This precludes women from serving as pastors to men. This does not make women less important, by any means, but rather gives them a ministry focus more in agreement with God’s plan and His gifting of them.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:25:29 +0000
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