As you read it, please note that I sought to say only what Scripture says and not go beyond that by getting into my opinions. I wanted to avoid putting any unnecessary restrictions on women, but only that which is imposed by Scripture. In a few instances I gave some clarification, which I hope you will find useful.
Mighty Women of God in History
In the church, God has used many women powerfully over the last two centuries, who were undeniably gifted. The list includes names like Aimee Semple McPherson, Maria Woodworth-Etter, Alice Belle Garrigus, Marie Burgess, Kathryn Kuhlman, Catherine Booth, Amy Carmichael, Alice Reynolds Flower, and Mae Eleanore Frey. In fact, I personally attended an outstanding Bible School founded by a woman named Christine Gibson. She was a woman of faith who walked intimately with the Lord Jesus. He used her to establish a school of the prophets that later grew to become a Bible school that would send forth men and women to bring the light of the gospel to dark places all over the world. I sat under some excellent female teachers while I was there in Bible school, and I am thankful for their ministry to me.
So my purpose here is not to question whether God gifts women for ministry or whether God calls women into ministry. The question is whether women in ministry should have positions of authority over men and whether they should teach men.
I am approaching this topic prayerfully and sincerely with an open mind. However, I should first state what is not going to be my primary basis for determining the heart of God on this matter. It’s not going to be my experience. While our experiences do color our beliefs and understanding of God, they can be misleading. My own personal experience does not always represent God’s way. It is not going to be based on my opinion, since my opinion is subjective and limited to my perspective. My understanding of God’s heart on the matter is also not going to be based on culture, since cultures vary from one people group to another throughout the world. While there is room for cultural differences in the church, our distinctive cultural practices must always be based on the Word of God. The Word of God is the only objective source we can turn to, so while I will take into account my personal experiences, as well as history and various cultural practices, this study attempts to find out what the Bible says about the topic.
Paul’s Instructions for Church Order
One of the first passages that comes to mind is the apostle Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, in which he wrote: “Women should listen and learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was the woman, not Adam, who was deceived by Satan, and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing and by continuing to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.” 1 Tim 2:11-15. New Living Translation
First of all, before going any deeper into what these individual verses mean, it’s important to note the wider context. Immediately following this short section is Paul’s guidance to Timothy on selection of those who would exercise authority as church elders. He wrote: “It is a true saying that if someone wants to be an elder, he desires an honorable responsibility. For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, peace loving, and not one who loves money. He must manage his own family well, with children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” 1 Tim 3:1-5 New Living Translation
Paul stated that women should listen and learn quietly and submissively. The words listen, learn, quietly, and submissively connote a receiving of instruction rather than a place of giving it. This is pretty straightforward and easy to understand. The question is whether Paul intended this as a matter of church order or for the home. I think in light of the wider context mentioned earlier, it’s clearly about church order.
The next verse clarifies further that this was Paul’s intent. When he stated, “I do not let women teach men or have authority over them,” he was not talking primarily about proper order the home, but about church order. While Paul exhorted husbands to love their wives and wives to submit to their husbands, he was not there in the home with them disallowing anything. Yet here he states that he does not let women teach men or have authority over them. It’s evident from this that he was referring to church order, in which the instruction of men was not allowed to come from the women. And those in authority were not to be women. There is really no other way to understand this passage plainly than in this manner.
In fact, later in the passage he explicitly states his reason for writing this to Timothy, “I am writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you soon, so that if I can’t come for a while, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and support of the truth.” (1 Tim 4:14-15) New Living Translation. When Paul states “so that” in verse 15, it is to give a reason for his writing this epistle. So there can be no doubt that Paul wrote this so that people will know how to conduct themselves in the household of God. Then for those who would question the wisdom in Paul’s instructions for church order, he explained that Adam was made first and then Eve. This is just as it appears – a clear and direct reference to the order in which God created man and woman. Man was created first. He does not assign a greater value to the man, but simply states the order in which God created man and woman.
I observe that Paul prefaced his comments about Adam and Eve by using the Greek word “gar”, meaning “for”. The NIV translates the passage like this: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Tim 2:13). From a grammatical perspective, the relationship between that word and the context immediately surrounding it is a “cause” or “reason” relationship. In other words, in referring to Adam being created first, Paul is giving a reason or cause for his preceding direction about not allowing women to teach or have authority over men.
Then I observe in the text a continuity relationship between these initial comments about Adam being first in order of creation before Eve and the phrase that follows it regarding which of the two was deceived. He states, “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the women was deceived and became a sinner” (2 Tim 2:14, NIV). The continuity between this phrase and the preceding one leads me to believe that it is also part of his reason for not allowing women to teach or have authority over men.
Then I observe within verse 14 a contrast relationship. In other words, he states who was and was not deceived, setting the two in stark contrast to one another. The one to be deceived by Satan was the woman, not the man. Why did the inspired apostle contrast Adam and Eve this way in this context? In doing so he showed that Eve’s ability to be deceived by Satan led her to become the first sinner, and that Adam did not have this weakness.
Next I observe a repetition of the terms men and women in this passage. Paul initially referred to women and men saying he did not allow women to teach men or have authority over them. Then he repeated these terms when referring to the first man and the first woman. Why did he use this recurrence of the same terms here? He did so because the comments about Adam and Eve related to men and women in the church. He used this historical precedent dating all the way back to the Garden of Eden -- not as a value judgment of one gender being better than the other -- but rather as his reason for not allowing women to teach men. This inherent weakness of the woman to be deceived and then to lead man into sin was Paul’s premise for not allowing women to teach men or have authority over them.
In fact, in the broader context, Paul warns of false teachers when he states, “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons.” (1 Tim 4:1) Finally, Paul states “But women will be saved through childbearing and by continuing to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.” We should observe that Paul is setting up a contrast in the use of the Greek word “de” that we translate “but”. The lifestyle depicted here by the apostle is in contrast to one of teaching and having authority over men. The acts of childbearing, walking in faith, love, holiness, and modesty are quite contrary to being in a place of leadership over men.
So for me, a simple reading of these verses leads me to see clearly that Paul’s intent was for men to be the ones teaching women and not the women teaching men. This is not a difficult passage with symbolism or vagueness. It’s written very plainly and there is no mistaking what was meant by it. So the only thing one can do is to either accept this as the divine order or to find reasons to reject it as such.
I mentioned earlier that Paul’s larger context dealt with direction for church oversight. After stating his direction for women in the church, he moved right into stating that it is honorable for any man who desires to be an elder (3:1). Before we assume that the term “man” here is gender neutral, he makes it clear that an elder must be faithful to his wife. This literally refers to being a one-wife-man. Is this qualification one that a woman can meet? Could it simply be referring to the quality of faithfulness to one’s spouse? I don’t think it is, if we consider that Paul goes on next to state, “He must manage his own family well.” This makes it very clear that his direction for elders is not gender neutral. There are plenty of passages in the Word that clearly lay out God’s plan for man to be the head of the household. Since this qualification for an elder includes managing one’s own household well, it stands to reason that only men can meet it. Paul himself asks the question, “For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” (3:5).
Must Women Remain Silent in Church?
As I have already mentioned, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.” (1Ti 2:11-13)
He also wrote to the Corinthians, “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.” (1Co 14:34)
So does this mean that women are not allowed to say anything in church? Paul’s prohibition of women speaking in church and requirement that they remain silent must be interpreted in light of what he wrote to the same Corinthian church with these words:
“But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.” (1Co 11:5).
So Paul allowed that as long as a woman is properly attired, she is permitted to pray and prophesy in the church.
The Latter Day Outpouring
In fact the prophecy of Joel foretold that when God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost, both the sons and the daughters, male and female, would prophesy. “It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joe 2:28-29). And on the day of Pentecost, Peter affirmed that the baptism with the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. He quotes the prophecy saying, “but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel…” (Act 2:16)
On that day, the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit on men and women alike and they all spoke in tongues. This is one of the distinctive marks of Pentecost. We know that the evangelist Philip, who lived in Caesarea, had four unmarried daughters prophesying. (Acts 21:9). We know that prophecy is one of the many gifts God has given to both men and women in the church. Prophecy is always a matter of speaking to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. There is no prohibition from Paul against this, no law against it. It’s different from teaching doctrine or breaking apart the Word of God in a manner meant to instruct men on the meaning of Scripture.
I don’t think this means that God does not call and gift women as teachers either. However, the teaching they do should not be to men, if we are to take Paul’s injunction plainly as he states it. So that leaves every other opportunity open to women to teach that does not involve teaching men or having authority over them.
Preaching
One distinction that should be made is between teaching and preaching. In our modern culture, these words are used almost interchangeably. The similarities between these are that they both involve a gift of speaking for God from the Scriptures. However, they have different meanings and serve different purposes.
One of the Greek words used for teaching is didasko, which means “to give instruction” (Matt. 4:23; 9:35; Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 4:17; 1 Tim 2:12; 4:11). Another word is paideuo, which also means “to instruct and train”. Then there’s katecheo, which means “to teach” (1 Cor. 14:19). All of these convey the sense of explaining to others the meaning of something or showing them how to do something.
On the other hand, “preaching” has a different connotation. One of the Greek words is euangelizo, from which we get our English word, “evangelism”. This verb is almost always used of “the good news” about Jesus, the Son of God, as proclaimed in the gospel. It means, “to bring, or declare, good or glad tidings” (Acts 13:32; Rom. 10:15; Heb. 4:2). Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words states that in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), the verb euangelizo is used of any message given to cheer the hearers (e.g., 1 Sam. 31:9; 2 Sam. 1:20).
Another Greek word is kerusso, meaning “to be a herald,” or, in general “to proclaim”. Some examples given by Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words are Matt. 3:1; Mark 1:45; Luke 4:18; 12:3; Acts 10:37; Rom. 2:21; and Rev. 5:2. Other variations of these words include proeuangelizomai and prokerusso.
So preaching is more proclaiming and declaring the good news, while teaching is giving instruction and training. While I could not find a single example in Scripture of a woman preaching the gospel, Paul’s direction about women teaching men does not refer to women preaching, in other words proclaiming the gospel. The closest example I can find would be the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well. She went into her town and testified to the people of the man who “told her everything she ever did”. The Scripture tells us “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39).
Therefore, while I can find no Biblical references to women preachers, there is no reason to believe that women should not preach the gospel. Many have in modern times resulting in many coming to Christ.
Legalism
Is this teaching about women not being allowed to teach men or have authority over them a type of legalism? In order for it to be legalism, it would need to be a rule set up that defines the criteria by which one can be saved. That’s the true meaning of legalism, if we look at Scripture. In the Bible, a legalistic person was always someone who thought there was something a person had to do in order to truly be saved. In some instances it was circumcision (Gal. 6:12-15). But Paul made it clear that Jesus plus anything equaled nothing at all. Those who depend on anything in addition to Jesus for their salvation either have never known the Lord or have fallen from grace and have nothing at all.
No Male or Female
To the Galatians, Paul declares, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). Does this mean that there is no difference between the male and female gender? No, there’s still order, or else everything we’ve just studied about Paul’s epistle to Timothy must be thrown out.
In the context of his epistle to the Galatians, Paul was not talking about church order or the roles of men and women, but rather their equal standing before God in Christ with respect to salvation. He was emphasizing that it is through faith that we are sons of God, no matter what our race, gender, financial status or occupation (Gal. 2:28). The key in determining whether one is an heir of Abraham is whether the person belongs to Christ (Gal. 3:29). So by no means is Paul saying this to mean that there is not a proper order for men and women to function in their God-given roles.
The Godly Women in Timothy’s Life
We find in Paul’s second epistle to Timothy that godly women played a key role in Timothy’s life. Paul wrote to him, “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Tim 1:5). Do you see the repetition here? A sincere faith first lived in Timothy’s grandmother. That same sincere faith also lived in his mother and also in Timothy himself. Why did Paul use this repetition here? I believe he was showing the spiritual imprint these women left on this young man of God.
There can be no doubt that these women influenced Timothy from his days of childhood through their own personal faith in Jesus. This is important to point out, because Timothy became who he was in Christ as a direct result of the ministry of these women. It shows the great value of child bearing and godly parenting. The faith of his mother and grandmother was reproduced in him. Timothy went on to be an elder and to pastor the flock of Christ. In fact, he was eventually martyred for his faith, as so many faithful ministers have been throughout the centuries. Women had a very profound impact on his life, and indirectly through him they had an impact on those to whom he ministered as an elder.
New Testament Women in Service to Our Lord
There are many examples in the New Testament of women in ministry. First of all there is Mary Magdalene and the other women whom the Lord appeared to after His resurrection, telling them to bring word to the apostles that He was risen. Likewise, the Samaritan woman made public proclamation of Christ as a witness (Jn 4:29).
Another example is when Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God more accurately to Apollos.
“Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (Act 18:24-26)
And in Paul’s letter to the Romans he wrote: “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus…” (Rom 16:3). He referred to Priscilla as a fellow worker in the same sense as Aquila was. In fact he mentioned her name first.
In his epistle to the Romans, Paul also wrote: “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.” (Rom 16:7). Junias, who was a woman, was an apostle.
There were also two women named Euodia and Syntyche, who shared in the gospel cause with Paul. In his epistle to the Philippians, Paul wrote: “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” (Php 4:2-3)
To sum it up, I would like to share an excerpt from John Bunyan’s book, The Pilgrim’s Progress:
“For as death and the curse came into the world by a woman, so also did life and health: 'God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.' I will say again, that when the Saviour was come, women rejoiced in Him before either man or angel. I read not that man ever gave unto Christ so much as one penny; but the women followed Him, and ministered to Him of their substance. 'Twas a woman that washed His feet with tears, and a woman that anointed His body to the burial. They were women that wept when He was going to the cross, and women that followed Him from the cross; and that sat over against the sepulchre when He was buried. They were women that were first with Him at His resurrection-morn, and women that brought tidings first to His disciples that He was risen from the dead. Women, therefore, are highly favored, and show by these things that they are sharers with us in the grace of life."
Old Testament Women of Faith
We would not do this study justice if we did not note the mighty women of God in the Old Testament. Among them were Deborah and Esther. If we read these passages, there can be no doubt that God used these women in prominent positions of influence. To be the judge of all Israel or the queen is obviously a place of great influence. Does this somehow mean that God’s order for the church is for women to be in leadership over men after all? I don’t think so. All Old Testament Scripture must be read in the light of the New Testament revelation with Paul’s inspired direction to Timothy being the greatest specific revelation we have to date on the matter. Therefore, I view the Old Testament examples of women in leadership not as normative, but rather as extraordinary circumstances that required an unusual approach by God.
The days of the judges were among such times. The nation at that time was caught in a relentless cycle of sin, oppression, repentance and deliverance and the judges God raised up were part of His plan to deliver His people. Deborah’s function was one of prophetess (Judges 4:1). She was primarily holding court under a palm tree, deciding disputes, when an extraordinary situation required an unusual approach. She had a prophetic word from the Lord for Barak to go and conquer Israel’s enemy, Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army. It was only when Barak refused to go on this mission without her that she agreed to do so (Judges 4:8,9). However, she was quick to point out to him that the honor would go to her, not him, in that God would hand over Sisera to a woman. If this were normative, there would be no need for her to mention it.
If we look at the situation with Esther, once again the nation of Israel was facing annihilation from their enemies. Evil Haman had a plot to rid the earth of the Jews and God had raised up Esther for such as time as this. She was chosen as King Xerxes' wife and it was through that intimate relationship that she rescued her people from peril.
But neither of these was by any means a model for New Testament church leadership. They need to be seen for what they are – remarkable, true stories of faith and victory where women were used in quite unusual ways by the Lord in central roles of great importance.
Even today there are such instances all over the world where God still chooses to do things this way. Women are among the vessels he uses mightily to bring salvation and deliverance to people throughout the earth. As we know, in certain closed countries, there are women pastors who at great risk to their lives are leading underground church movements that are growing astronomically. Is this God’s norm that we should seek to model our churches after when there are qualified men who desire to be elders? I don’t believe so. I believe that once a group of believers has been established through the proclamation of the gospel, as long as there are such qualified men, they should be the first choice to manage the household of God. If qualified men do not exist in a particular area, then it would seem appropriate that one of the primary prayer and ministry goals of any woman stepping into that void should be to raise up such male leadership to do so.
Divine Order
The fact is that many women are quite capable and in some cases may actually be able to do a better job of teaching or leading than some men. Does that mean that because they can do so that they should do so? I don’t believe it does. God’s ways are higher than our ways. We may be capable of gossiping, but this doesn’t mean we should. The same could be said for anything outside the boundaries of our loving Heavenly Father.
It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, as discussed earlier. Adam and Eve were capable of eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but God had placed that off limits by telling them not to eat of it. From the earthly human perspective, the fruit of that tree “was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). There was not a single reason to believe that this should be off limits, except that the Lord God had said so. Ultimately, it was Eve who ate of it first and gave some to her husband, and sin was the result (1 Tim 2:14). We are told that this happened because of deception.
There are many things that we as men and women can do but must not do, because the Lord has revealed His higher way. “My ways are not your ways,” says the Lord. “My ways are higher than your ways.” And in one of the proverbs it says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
Conclusion
There are some conclusions we can draw from all this. When we take into account history, all of our personal experiences, and the various cultural practices of women in the Church, we ultimately need to subject them all to the Word of God. In this study, we learned that first, God anoints, calls, and gifts women to serve in His house in many wonderful ways. These include bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble, prophesying, proclaiming the gospel, healing, miracles, and exhortation. None of these should be prohibited. In fact, there should be great freedom in the church for women to function in the gifts God has given them.
Second, the Lord does gift women in the area of teaching. Some of the ways they can exercise their gift without teaching men is to instruct and train other women and their own children. Third, the latter day outpouring of the Holy Spirit is for men and women, children and adults. Fourth, the basis for the believer’s salvation is irrespective of gender. Fifth, Paul’s restriction of women teaching men or exercising authority over them was not a basis for salvation, so it cannot be considered legalism. Sixth, there are examples of Old Testament women with unusual leadership roles, as well as modern day examples in the 19th and 20th centuries. But these are not meant to be a model for New Testament church leadership or a reason for women to teach men.
Finally, but most importantly, it’s not God’s plan for women to be in authority over men or to teach men. While this may not be the way that seems right to man, it’s God’s higher, divine order that leads to life. Those who follow it, no matter what their personal opinion about it, will be blessed if they do.
