Beth-El Baptist Church

09/03/06

Greg Tomlinson

Should women be biblical leaders over men?

The question of women being pastors, deacons, or other church leaders who teach men, whether young or old, is one that is fairly controversial. Much of the controversy centers around how to understand 1 Timothy 2:12 “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence”. The question before us is what did Paul mean by this verse.

1. What are some of the basic teachings about this verse?

Some people teach that according to this verse that a woman has no purpose in the church but to sit quietly and listen to what the men have to say.

Others use this verse to teach that a woman can function anywhere she wants to in the church except for the position of pastor, elder, deacon, or other teacher over men.

Others use this verse to teach that it only prohibits ungodly, ungifted, disruptive women from teaching, even in the pulpit as a pastor or elder.

The immediate context needs to be included in the evaluation.

1 Timothy 2:5-15

2. What was Paul’s view of women in general?

Romans 16:1-5

1 Corinthians 16:19

2 Timothy 4:19

Philippians 4:2-3

Paul held women with great regard. He referred to them as “servants” (diakonos), helpers, and as co-laborers in the gospel. He also viewed the team of “Aquila and Priscilla” as being leaders with a church in their home.

Acts 18:2-3, 18-19, 26-27

In this case, Luke is focusing on the teaching team of Aquila and Priscilla, who are sometimes referred to as Priscilla and Aquila. The fact that Priscilla is mentioned does not mean that she was a teacher or preacher, but that she and her husband, Aquila, were a team just like a pastor and his wife are often mentioned together.

3. What about the claim that Paul was just identifying disruptive women?

1 Timothy 2:9-11 compare 1 Corinthians 14:34-36

These verses identify women learning “in silence” and “at home”. According to the proponents of those that teach that Paul was referring to “disruptive” women only that should not teach point out that there is a difference between women there to learn and those that are there to teach, having already learned.

There is nothing in particular in these passages that indicate that there are two classes of women, or of men. Whether they are men or women, those who are disruptive need to learn to be under control and learn to listen or face discipline. Why would Paul limit teaching to disruptive women and not disruptive men as well?

While it is clear that Paul is indicating that some of the women were being disruptive, in that they were focusing on their outward appearance and not on their internal godliness, there is nothing in the text that indicates that the woman that is to ‘learn in silence’ (v11) is limited to those where were more interested in being noticed than those who were exhibiting godly character.

Paul is not talking about the VALUE of women in the church, but of their ROLE in the church. The role of women is rooted in history.

4. What is to be the relationship between men and women?

Genesis 2:18-22

Ephesians 5:22-24

Colossians 3:18

Women are to be the helpers of their husbands. They are to be in submission to their husbands as being their head, just as their husbands are to be in submission to Jesus.

5. Are there other verses that can help us understand?

Numbers 30:3-15

According to the law, the man (husband or father) had responsibility over the vows (to God) made by the women of his house. He had the right and responsibility to maintain them or to have them repealed. Either way, it was the man that held the responsible role. Her inability to keep her vow would result in the man being responsible for keeping them.

Isaiah 3:8-12

One of the difficulties in Israel that led to her destruction was that women were the leaders and they were not submissive to their husbands.

Judges 4:4-9 compare Genesis 3:1-9

Deborah the prophetess encouraged Barak to engage the enemy in battle. She properly submitted herself to him, but he refused to take leadership. He abdicated his Godly role as leader to Deborah. Just as Adam abdicated his role as responsible leader to Eve in the very beginning, Barak abdicated to Deborah.

Summary:

Paul proclaimed that women were not to have authority over men. What his words said, they mean. Paul was not addressing just disruptive women, for disruptive men should also not be leaders/teachers/pastors of a church. The issue is their role is to be teachers over other women and not over men. There is no harm though in talking with women about what is in the scriptures and even listening to them. Just as God created men to be purposeful in thought, God created women to be relational in thought. Both are needed in order to properly understand the scriptures.