Women's Roles: The Message of 1 Timothy 2

A key passage about church leadership is 1 Timothy 2:11-12: “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.”(1)

This passage is speaking specifically about church leadership and teaching.

Women aren't prohibited from teaching or having authority over men in secular situations such as business or education. Nor does this command prohibit women from sharing Bible truths or sharing the gospel in conversations with men as Priscilla did in Acts 18:24-26.(2)

The original Greek lists teaching and authority separately, but teaching in the church typically involves both.

If we trust God's purposes, we'll seek to honor this command, but we may not agree on the specific details. For example, most complementarians approve of a woman and a man team-teaching mixed groups (e.g., a marriage class). Some allow a woman to teach men in rare situations at the request of her pastor and under his authority. Complementarian churches will not agree on all of the details, but approving women pastors or elders clearly violates this command.

Women are fully capable to teach and lead men, but God has good, loving, and purposeful reasons for prohibiting us from doing so in the church.

The real question is this: Will we trust Him?

 

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There are more details to fill in on the subject of silence in the church, and we'll be addressing those next Friday…and rest assured, I will be explaining in future posts why I'm comfortable writing Christian devotions that both men and women read.

 

See Seeking Scripture in Addressing Role Differences in the Church and Let's Step Up to the Plate (both my husband and I share in this devotion).

Notes: 

(1) Quietness: The word “quietness” (hēsychia) used in both 1 Timothy 2:11 and 12 (also in 1 Peter 3:3-4) is a reflection of a submissive, respectful attitude. It does not mean that once a woman enters the church building, she must be silent. Nor does it mean she can't talk to men in the church. It means that in formal church services or meetings, she must not be contentious or challenge the male leadership. It doesn't mean she can't read Scripture or sing. This will be further explained when we discuss 1 Corinthians 14.

(2) Other Examples: Women are free to appropriately share their insights and testimonies in small groups, Bible studies, and Sunday School classes, even though men are present. And they are free to share the gospel and discuss biblical truths in private conversations with men (1 Peter 3:15). Priscilla and her husband helped correct Apollos' misunderstandings and brought him to full faith in Christ (Acts 18:24-26).

To read the rest of the series:

Part 1: Think God Needs "Updating"? Think Again!

Part 2: Women in Church Leadership: Complementarian or Egalitarian? 

Part 3: When Leadership in the Church is Misused   

Part 4:  My Response to Male Leadership in the Church 

Part 5:  Egalitarians Actually Hold a Low View of Women and Scripture. Answering a reader's questions from Part 4.

Part 6: Examining a False Claim Regarding Female Leadership

Part 7: Women's Roles: The Message of 1 Timothy 2

 

 

BLN