In writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul laid a strong foundation for himself and his teachings by first saying, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me (to be a good minister of the gospel), for that He counted me faithful (to teach the truth fearlessly and faithfully), putting me into the ministry (for that express purpose)” (I Timothy 1:12).
Again, in chapter 2, Paul reiterates, “Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not, a teacher of the Gentiles (all nations) in faith and verity’, or in faith AND TRUTH! (verse 7, I Timothy 1).
After laying that strong and sure foundation, Paul then instructs his fellow minister Timothy, “Let the woman LEARN IN SILENCE with all subjection (to this apostolic instruction). But I (God’s duly ordained apostle and preacher of the truth of God) suffer NOT (that is, ALLOW NOT) a woman to teach , nor to usurp (unlawfully usurp) authority over the man, but to be IN SILENCE (and be a learner, NOT a teacher). For Adam was first formed (to serve in the role of teacher, leader, instructor), then Eve” (I Timothy 2:11-13).
This passage, of course, would not forbid a woman from teaching in public school, or teaching scuba diving, or how to fly an airplane, or any other such thing. Satan, in his clever arguments, would have us believe this verse would forbid a woman from teaching anything at all at anytime to anyone, and that, of course, is not the case. Nor would it forbid a woman like Priscilla to assist her husband in teaching a man IF “they took him UNTO THEM” apart from the assembly where God strictly forbids a woman from teaching. (See Acts 18:26 and I Timothy 3:14-15).
Many unwittingly attempt to make the apostle Paul contradict himself by quoting from Paul’s letter to the Galatians in order to support them in their refusal to obey this apostle’s teaching in I Timothy. They do this by quoting OUT OF CONTEXT Galatians 3:28, where we read: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond (slave) nor free, THERE IS NEITHER MALE NOR FEMALE, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
In this passage Paul is saying absolutely nothing about a woman’s place in the assembly. He is plainly speaking of the promise of salvation, though. Notice that the very next verse in Galatians 3 says: “And if you be Christ’s then are you Abraham’s seed (descendants – hence, spiritually redeemed), and heirs according to the promise (of eternal life)” (Galatians 3:29). Yes, as regards salvation – that’s the context – there truly is neither bond nor free, black or white, male or female: Christ died for all! In that sense, there is neither male nor female, but in reality these differences do remain. I remain a man following my conversion, and a female convert remains a female following her conversion.
Going back to the Timothy text we first considered, let us see what is the context there. Notice that three verses after Paul said he forbid women to teach in the assembly of believers, thereby usurping authority not given them by Jesus Christ the Head of the church of God, Paul then says, “This is a TRUE saying, If a MAN desires the office of a bishop (elder, pastor, spiritual overseer), HE desires a good work…” (I Timothy 3:1).
Yes, this office is open to a man – but denied a woman. Was Paul then a woman hater, as some claim? Of course not! It was Paul who exhorted the brethren to love their wives to the same supreme degree that Christ loved the church! Paul was merely showing himself to be a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, that’s all.
In the 14th chapter of I Corinthians Paul is inspired of God to deal with the issue of how God’s people are to conduct themselves IN THE ASSEMBLY of the believers. Beginning with verse 26 of that chapter, Paul says: “How is it then, brethren? WHEN YOU COME TOGETHER (yes, IN ASSEMBLY), every one of you has a psalm (a song), has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation, let all things be done unto edifying.”
And, as we continue with this passage, we will see how Paul reiterates time and again that he is dealing with the issue of just how the brethren are to conduct themselves IN THE CHURCH, or while assembled together, whether it be in a building or in an open field.
Notice that verse 28 speaks of keeping silence “IN THE CHURCH.” And then in verse 33 Paul says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as IN ALL CHURCHES (assemblies, gatherings) of the saints.”
No, God is not the author of confusion. We only become confused when we follow the practices of men and women, who refuse to be guided by the plain, clear teaching of God’s inspired apostles and prophets! Some feel safe, perhaps, in following such especially when they discover that they have a wide following and interpret these scriptures in a manner some find acceptable to human reasoning. But, never forget that God warns us to “lean not to your own understanding” (See Proverbs 3:5-6).
It is in the 34th verse of this passage we then read Paul’s plain, clear, easy-to-understand statement: “Let your women keep silence IN THE CHURCHES, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are COMMANDED (by God) to be under obedience, as also says the law. And if they will learn anything (if they have a question), let them ask their husbands at home, FOR IT IS A SHAME FOR WOMEN TO SPEAK IN THE CHURCH (as they are then blatantly disobeying God’s command)” (I Corinthians 14:35).
In order to prevent women from gradually, in time, abandoning this commandment, the apostle Paul further stipulated that if the woman merely wanted to ask a question in the assembly she was to hold her peace until out of the assembly and at home, then to ask her husband – presupposing, of course, that he was a believer as believers were forbidden to marry unbelievers. Paul well knew Satan’s ingenious devices. He knew that if women were permitted to speak out in assemblies by asking questions that, in time, other women would speak out and attempt to answer those questions and thereby begin teaching in these assemblies. The wisdom given Paul by God was indeed far reaching!
I am well aware of the false argument men and women have employed in order to change the meaning of this text and the similar text in I Timothy 2. They claim that since synagogues in that day were built in such a fashion that the men and women were separated by a high wall or partition of some sort, that obnoxious, loud-mouthed women who didn’t possess the mental powers to understand as readily as their smarter husbands had developed the bad habit of hollering and screaming questions to their “smart” husbands thereby disrupting the service, and that Paul gave this counsel in order to stop this unseemly practice. Whoever is susceptible to believing that argument simply does not hold women’s mental powers in very high regard and forget that we are talking about conditions in Christian assemblies – not Jewish synagogues! And for the first hundred years or more such meetings took place in private homes. Church buildings, as such, did not exist at that time. Therefore, the men and women would have had only a few feet, if that, separating them one from another.
In the next verse, verse 36, Paul asks, “What? came the Word of God out from you? (Are you my teacher, or am I your teacher?) or came it unto you only? (Do you think you have a corner on the truth?) If any man think himself to be a prophet (one of God’s anointed ministers of the Word), or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you ARE THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD (not Paul’s private opinion, or the misguided thought processes of a woman-hater). But if any man (or (woman) be ignorant after hearing this plain, clear, easy-to-understand-and-accept teaching of a God-inspired apostle), let him be ignorant” (verses 37 and 38).
Paul wasn’t about to try to force-feed these carnal believers at Corinth. If they wanted to reject God’s command and do things their own way, following the crowd and comparing themselves with each other and other assemblies that did things similarly, then Paul would follow his Lord’s example and let the blind lead the blind. I follow that same example.
So what if Deborah judged Israel? So what if the first person to see the resurrected Christ was a woman? What does that prove or disprove? That does not change the meaning of these plain and clear passages of scripture written long after these events had occurred! So what if Philip had four virgin daughters who prophesied! They did so in Philip’s house, not in the assembly!
After giving his apostolic teaching to Timothy that he was not to permit a woman to teach in the assembly, but to be a learner while in that setting, and immediately after giving the qualifications of an elder as being the husband of one wife, Paul then solemnly warned: “Now the Spirit speaks expressly (quite clearly and emphatically), that in the latter times (now in our own 21st Century, as well as the preceding couple of centuries) some shall depart from the faith (the one body of beliefs and practices taught by the apostles), giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (I Timothy 4:1).
Of course the Christian Scientist does not think he has been seduced by the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy. The Mormon does not think he has been seduced by the teachings of Joseph Smith. And those who permit women to teach and preach in the assemblies of believers do not think they have been seduced. That is why they can read, “But I suffer not a woman to teach…” and then continue to permit a woman to teach, even lead, as well as supervise and oversee an assembly of believers, even sometimes urging them to do so. Satan’s blinding power is truly awesome. Never forget that.
Paul went on in this same letter to tell Timothy, “These things I write unto you…that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God (in the assembly of God’s people)” (I Timothy 3:14-15). Yes, it was in the assembly that the woman could not teach. But husband and wife teams, like Priscilla and Aquila could “take unto them” – apart from the assembly – a brother or sister and more carefully instruct that one in God’s Word. But I assure you of this, in the full light of God’s Word, Priscilla kept silent in the assembly. Aquila would have lovingly reproved her had she momentarily forgotten how we are to behave ourselves in the house of God.
A little bit further in Paul’s letter to Timothy he says, “If you put the brethren in remembrance of these things, you shall be a good minister (or steward) of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine, whereunto you have attained” (I Timothy 4:6).
But cite these scriptures in some meetings today and you will be quickly labeled a woman-hater, a troublemaker, or some other slanderous term. I know how Paul would react, though. The above quoted verses give me Paul’s reaction.
For thousands of years God stipulated that the ONLY persons who could perform the priestly office had to be able to trace their ancestry directly to Aaron, brother of Moses. They also could not have ANY bodily disfigurement. They could not be clubfooted, have a flat nose, or “any blemish” physically. (Read Leviticus 21:17-24). Any who dared attempt to enter the priestly office without meeting these rigid requirements were to be stoned to death by personal order of Almighty God! Not only could women not teach, but neither could the vast majority of men! It mattered not how holy someone was, or how greatly they longed to serve God in the priestly office. God said, “Kill them if they try to enter this office without meeting my rigid requirements!” Think on that for a moment if you feel inclined to do things YOUR way.
“These things (I suffer not a woman to teach, etc.) command and teach” (I Timothy 4:11). And “take heed unto yourself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them (don’t abandon this God-inspired instruction somewhere down the line, not even in later centuries), for in doing this you shall both save yourself and them that hear you” (I Timothy 4:16). One jeopardizes the spiritual welfare of their hearers when they depart from doing things God’s way!
Of course I know that all cannot hear, all cannot receive what Paul and Timothy, as well as all God’s apostles taught and commanded. Of these Paul then said, “If any man (or woman) teach otherwise, and consent not to WHOLESOME WORDS, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to (true) godliness, He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words (trying to reword the apostles, making them say something they never intended to say), whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men (and women) of corrupt minds (so corrupted by clever seducing spirits), and destitute of the truth (hence, paying no heed to this apostle’s writings), supposing that gain (of a large following) is godliness (thinking success and a large following proves that God IS in their disobedient ministries), FROM SUCH WITHDRAW YOURSELF” (I Timothy 6:3-5).
Again, I WARN you of Satan’s clever devices. He will seek energetically to get the reader to reject what he, or she, has just read, bringing to the reader’s mind ARGUMENTS OF MEN – not scripture – and hoping that these thoughts will override what you have just read. With some, I fear, he might well succeed, causing them to take comfort in the fact that they have literally thousands who agree with them. The arena of the mind will be the battlefield. The opposing forces therein will be man’s clever arguments versus the Word of God.
It is the scriptures alone that will judge us all in that last great day – not men’s distorted, though admittedly clever arguments! Therefore, I urge you to let the scriptures be your guide and authority even though you may find yourself at odds with close relatives and dear friends. And God bless you and help you to understand.
Christ’s Aged Servant (Galatians 1:10-12)
Donald Wiley