In today’s culture and church, women play a predominant role.  It is often the wives/mothers who lead the family in prayer and devotion.  It is often the wives/mothers that encourage and/or demand church attendance.  And unfortunately, it is often the wives/mothers who take on the duties of teaching the Scriptures.  Meanwhile, numerous men cower to their spouses, either afraid to get into an argument, or too lazy and apathetic to care.  It ought not be so!  In the church, the MEN are command to take the lead.  The MEN are command to disciple their families and to teach the Scriptures.  But a failure on the part of many men, and the usurping of authority by many women, has led to great dysfunction within the church.  And because this has gone on so long unchallenged, it is a great controversy now days to take up the cause of proper male leadership in the church, and female submission to the leadership of men in all things Scripturally and Spiritually.

With that said, I have come across numerous women lately, posting on facebook discourses and exegesis’ of the Scriptures.  This has greatly disturbed me and caused me to start “simmering” on this issue.  When the Lord first started laying it on my heart, I was very apprehensive.  For I recognized the great trouble that lay before me if I chose to take up this cause.  I saw that the reflexive action of the church Body would be violent and aggressive.  The opposition would be great, and I may have to risk standing alone.  But I love the Truth.  I love the Lord.  And any distress against the Truth of Scriptures is an assault against Jesus Christ Himself.  We MUST worship in Spirit AND in TRUTH.  Otherwise we are rebelling against God and creating an idol in our thoughts that suits us.  Rather than worshiping God for who He is, and submitting to His authority over our worldview, we twist the Scriptures and make God to fit in our comfortable lives.  We cause Him to submit to what we WANT Him to be!  This is most grievous!

True Saints want truth.  In all it’s glory, no matter what that costs us.  We want to be inline with God, and we HATE every false way.  So I suspect that this will be rejected by most.  But I trust that TRUTH will stand on it’s own.  Those with ears to hear and hearts to serve Him will accept what is true and reject what is false.  It is the wise that receive correction (even though it is grievous at first), and the stubborn and self-serving that reject it.

I’d like to do this in 4 steps.  First, I’d like to carefully examine the direct teaching verses that we have on this subject (namely, 1stTimothy 2:11-15; 1^st Corinthians 14:34-35; and Titus 2:3-5).  Second, I’d like to look at some of the more indirect verses that touch on the subject.  Such as Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18, the instruction of Timothy in 2ndTimothy 3:15, the motherly wisdom from the Book of Proverbs, the praise Paul had for fellow laborers in Philippians 4, and the pouring out of the Spirit in Joel 2 (and quoted in Acts 2).  Thirdly, I’d like to examine the common arguments that I’ve run across in previous conversations (like the idea that the teaching in Timothy only applied to THAT church at THAT time).  And then finally, I’ll make my conclusion.

The verses in 1^st Timothy (along with 1^st Corinthians) seem to be the most direct and straight-forward teaching we have on this subject.  And as such, they appear to be the most controversial.  So let’s begin there.

1^st Timothy 2:9-14 “ In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;¹⁰ But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.¹¹ Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.¹² But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.¹³ For Adam was first formed, then Eve.¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

So the context of these verses is that Paul is instructing Timothy on holiness and conduct, specifically as it relates to within the church.  Timothy is a leader in the church.  His first instructions in regards to women in the church (which is not a “church” building, but a reference to the Body of Christ gathered together for purposes of instruction, teaching, edification, worship, etc.), is that they dress modestly.  His second instruction is that they learn in silence and submission.  This requires humility, meekness, gentleness and quietness of the women.  Which is an evidence of their holiness (1stPeter 3:4).  In addition to their quietness, Paul thirdly instructs Timothy that the women in the church are not permitted to teach.  Since this is in the context of church life, it applies to Spiritual and Scriptural matters.  The woman is forbidden from teaching, which would include instruction, application, expounding of the Word, exegesis of the Word, etc.  And Paul's fourth instruction is that the woman not usurp authority over man.  She cannot take a leadership role among the Body.  She is not permitted to have that authority.  And Paul even explains why (In my opinion, he did this to clarify that it is not a chauvinistic or superiority issue).  It is because Adam is first.  Implying headship and leadership.  In addition to that, it is because Eve was the one deceived, not Adam. 

Now let’s look at the second most direct Scripture on this issue. 

1^st Corinthians 14:34-35 “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.³⁵ 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.”

Again the context here is church life and the instruction of Godly living within the church (as it is with most – if not all -  of Paul’s writings).  Paul has been covering several different issues of conduct, and he now provides instructions for women within the church.  Once again he begins with their silence and submission (immediately tying this together with his thoughts in Timothy).  He then goes on to say that if the women desire to learn (showing a hunger and zeal for instruction and Scripture), they should seek instruction from their husbands when they return home.  He even goes so far to say that it is a shame for a woman to speak in church.

So we see from these two Scriptures, that women within the context of church life, are to be quiet, meek, gentle and humble.  They are to submit themselves to the leading and instruction of the men in the church.  The example that comes to my mind is Christ and the Body.  Christ representing the husband, the church Body representing the role of the wife.  In that context, Christ is the Teacher and Authority.  He instructs, we obey.  We dare not instruct Him!  We dare not presume to teach Him!  When in the context of instruction and teaching, we humbly remain silent and submit our understanding to His guidance.  So it is with the man/woman relationship within the church.  She is to be submissive to his leading and guidance in all things Scriptural and in all matters of faith.  To her husband, her Pastor, and her appointed teachers.  She is NEVER to be in a teaching role herself.  It is forbidden clearly in these Scriptures!

What about the verses that seem to imply otherwise?  These would be what I call the “cursory” verses, as they do not include clear and direct instructions, but people draw implications from them.  Within these Scriptures, I find two main verses used as counter-arguments, and then several less convincing Scriptures.  We will examine them all.

Titus 2:3-5 “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”

Here we see an example where women are commanded to teach, so are we in contradiction to the previously examined Scriptures?  God is not the author of confusion, He does not lie, He does not change, and He does not make mistakes.  So with that as a foundation, we know that these Scriptures do NOT contradict each other.  Just a plain and straight-forward examination makes this pretty clear.

Just because the word “teach” is used, does not imply the same KIND of teaching  from the previous Scriptures.  In those, the context was Spiritual and Scriptural instruction.  But there are other forms of teaching.  We teach our children to speak and walk.  We teach each other vocations and skills.  We instruct in languages and mathematics.  And in this particular case, the context clearly shows that this is teaching other women Godly conduct and behavior.  It starts by saying that they be in BEHAVIOUR as becometh holiness.  The elder women are to instruct in conduct, showing younger sisters how to behave in a Godly manor.  To not lie, not be drunkards, to love their families, to be chaste, etc.  But nowhere does this verse instruct women to teach Spiritual and Scriptural things.  It does not negate the commands in the previously discussed verses.

Acts 18:26 “And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.”

We find here a man that had been partially instructed in the ways of God.  He knew of John the Baptist, but not of Jesus.  So the husband and wife duo of Aquila and Priscilla pulled him aside to more fully explain the Gospel.  The first thing we must point out is that it does not say that Priscilla (the wife) TAUGHT Apollos (the man being instructed).  We cannot assume that into the Scriptures.  It says that THEY took him in and expounded.  If one were to assume that Priscilla is teaching, one could just as easily assume that she did NOT teach, because they were a proper Christian team, understanding submission and leadership.  Assumptions aside, what we do know is that Priscilla was with her husband. There is no justification here to overrule the doctrinal statements made in Timothy and Corinthians in favor of an assumption that Priscilla “taught” the Scriptures.

Now onto some lesser quoted Scriptures that may or may not add credence to this issue.  In 2^nd Timothy 3:15, Paul mentions that Timothy has known the Scriptures since he was a youth. “ And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”  The assumption being that his mother and grandmother (mentioned in chapter 1 of 2ndTimothy) are the ones that instructed him.  That is just an assumption.  We can not build doctrine off of an assumption.  It is just as reasonable to assume that his mother and grandmother read the Scriptures to Timothy and passed along what they had learned from their male teachers and “pastors.”  There is no indication that they “taught” (in the exegetical, application, sense of the word).  But even if they did (since it is a reasonable assumption to make), they did so PRIOR to the commands God gave through Paul in 1^st Corinthians 14 and 1^st Timothy 2.  For they would have been instructing Timothy as a child, long before Paul wrote his letters.

Proverbs 1:8 “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:” and Proverbs 6:20 “My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”  Again, in these verses we see no indication that the “law” of the mother was Scriptural instruction and exegesis.  It is more likely an indication of conduct, morals, and ethics.

Proverbs 31:1 “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.”  I would hearken back to two of my previous points.  One, “taught” here does not necessarily imply teaching in the Scriptures and Spiritual matters.  As a matter of fact, the Proverb goes on to show us what she taught.  She taught conduct and behavior.  A perfectly acceptable thing for a woman to teach her children and other women.  My second point would be the time that this was written.  It again precedes Paul’s letters to Corinth and Timothy and is therefore prior to God’s command for women to not teach and to remain silent in the church.

Phil. 4:3 "And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.”  These women mentioned here “labored” with Paul in the Gospel.  Does this mean “teach?”  Of course not.  There are many different ways one can “labor” in the Gospel.  Through prayer, hospitality, comfort, support, etc.  To assume that teaching of the Scriptures is implied here is erroneous.

Joel 2:28 (Acts 2:17 also quotes this verse) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:"

A simple understanding of the word “prophecy” should clear this up.  It simply means to “speak by inspiration.”  Never are we told that the Holy Spirit will not use women to utter a word.  But this again has nothing to do with teaching.  A woman can certainly speak the Words of God, and when moved by the Holy Spirit, speak them in a ministerial way.  But it does not invalidate the clear Biblical instructions we have on the issue of “teaching.”

In several places we’ve looked at, we have historical narratives informing us of things that have been done (Aquila and Priscilla; Timothy’s instruction as a child, etc.).  We also have indications of women instructing in conduct, behavior and morality.  We also have the Spirit moving upon women and using them to speak His Word.  But the only places where we have DOCTRINE (that is clear instructions on how the church is to behave), we find that women are instructed to remain silent in the church and are not permitted to teach.  This is very clear in the Scriptures.  So why is it denied?  The obvious answer is that desire has trumped truth, but let’s look at some common arguments used to try to justify women teachers.

The most common one that I’ve heard is that Priscilla taught, therefore women are justified in teaching the Scriptures.  There are a few things faulty with that argument.  One, we’ve already looked at those Scriptures and it does not say that Priscilla taught.  That is an assumption that people read into the Scriptures.  It mentions her with her husband and uses the phrase “they.”  We could just as easily assume that she was in submission to his leadership and was just there for support.

But my second point, and this is something that is very important and often overlooked, is the difference between historical narrative and doctrinal instructions.  Some of the Scriptures are written from a historical narrative point of view.  They are simply explaining to us events that occurred in history.  It would not be wise to build doctrine on Scriptures like that.  Paul’s letters on the other hand (like Corinthians and Timothy) are set forth as instruction guides for faith.  They are TEACHINGS on specific subjects.  To confuse this, would be like looking back at America’s history and saying that slavery is justified because we did it before, while ignoring the specific TEACHING that we have on the subject in the 13^th amendment to the Constitution where slavery is specifically forbidden!  So even if we could prove that Priscilla taught (which we can’t), we couldn’t build doctrine on that historical account while ignoring the doctrinal statements we have in Timothy and Corinthians!

And finally, even if Priscilla were teaching Apollos, this occurred PRIOR to Paul’s letters!  Her historical account took place BEFORE God instructed us on proper church order.  She would not have been in violation of the command, but women today certainly are!

The second, and perhaps equally as referenced, argument is that the verses in Timothy and Corinthians were written ONLY for that specific time and ONLY for that specific people.  That is just bad hermeneutics and is a VERY dangerous road to go down.  ALL Scripture is given to ALL of us for DOCTRINE (2^nd Timothy 3:16).  God does not change nor repent.  What He commands for one church, He commands for all.  And besides that, there is nothing within the context of those verses to suggest that they were written only for a certain time and/or people.  That is something that is read back into the text in order to justify current behavior! 

If we use that kind of logic when reading the Scriptures, we can then begin to pick and choose what we want to be true and to reject what we dislike.  You don’t like Jesus saying you must be born again?  That’s ok.  It was only meant for Nicodemus.  You don’t like that faith comes by hearing?  That’s ok.  That was only for the first century Ephesians.  Not comfortable with Bishops being the husbands of one wife?  That was just an olden day tradition!  Marry as many wives as you want.  It’s utter madness!  Jesus Christ (who is the Word become flesh) is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  His standards and teachings apply to us all throughout all time.

Another argument is that it only applies to Pastoral roles and authority over men.  Surely women can teach the Word to other women and children.  And they can expound and exegete the Scriptures as long as they are not in the pulpit.  But there is no Biblical justification for this argument.  The direct and clear verses we have on this subject say that in the setting of church (not the building, but the Body coming together for Spiritual and Scriptural instructions), the woman is to remain silent and she is not permitted to teach.  Period.  Not just men, but teach altogether.  There are no restricting guidelines or qualifiers.  The only Scriptures we have, where women are told to teach, are in regards to holiness, character, and conduct.  Not Scriptures or spiritual matters.  For this is NOT just a man/woman role issue (although it is that).  Paul’s reasoning for women not being teachers is that Eve was deceived!  It is that deception, not her role, that prevents her from teaching.  So this would apply to ALL forms of Scriptural and Spiritual teaching.  Whether that is with men, children, or other women.  She is not permitted.

It should also be mentioned that some people say, “Well, she’s not permitted to teach in the church,” thereby excusing teaching anywhere outside the pulpit.  But we all know that ‘church’ does not refer to a building or a pulpit.  It simply refers to the Body.  So if she is not permitted to teach in the church, it would mean that she is not permitted to teach within the Body.

So here is my conclusion.  The only direct, doctrinal statements we have on this issue, command that women be silent in church, that they abstain from teaching, and that they not take an authoritative role.  We have historical accounts of women helping to labor in the Word, but we see nowhere where they specifically take on a Scriptural teaching role.  Even in places where we ASSUME that that occurred (Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Priscilla, etc.), these are merely assumptions, not doctrinal statements.  In addition, these events occurred PRIOR to God issuing His commands through Paul’s letters to Timothy and Corinth.  The clear and straight-forward DOCTRINE that we have, supersede historical narratives, examples that occurred prior to the command, and assumptions that we draw out from the Scriptures.

Women can certainly teach other women Godly conduct and character (Titus 2:4-5).  They can certainly “Labour in the Gospel,” which can include all sorts of ministerial attributes.  Praying, hospitality, comfort, support, etc. (Phil. 4:3).  They can certainly instruct their children in proper behavior and conduct (Pro. 1:8, Pro. 6:20, Pro. 31).  They can even speak the Word of God (prophecy…Acts 2 and Joel 2), as in reading and proclaiming the Scriptures in the ears of others.  These are all proper and Biblical things.  But what a woman cannot do, is to TEACH the Scriptures.

She is not permitted to exegete and expound upon the Word of God.  For it was Eve that was deceived.  The woman is not allowed to pick up the Scriptures and explain to others what they mean (teaching).  She can certainly read the Bible to her children, or share her testimony with others.  She can certainly (and in fact is commanded), live a holy and righteous life as an example to other women.  She can share what her husband or Pastor has taught her.  But when she begins to “explain” the Scriptures to others, to teach application, or to stand in a pulpit and proclaim herself as “Pastor,” “Elder,” or “Bishop,” she has crossed the line and stepped into rebellion.  She is ignoring God’s prescribed order of things and determining to take things into her own hands (witchcraft…1stSamuel 15:23).  This is most wicked, rebellious, and destructive.

And weak-willed men who allow this to persist are to be held accountable as well.  A failure of a father or elder to lead is no excuse for a woman to step into sin.  Two wrongs don’t make a right.

So to summarize:

1.  Women can teach other women Godly conduct and behavior.

2.   Women can teach their children Godly conduct and morals.
  They can teach them about life and education.

3.   Women can share their testimonies and glorify what the Lord has done for them.

4.   Women can read the Word (prophecy) to others.

5.   Women can pass on the knowledge their husbands and Pastors have shared with them.

BUT what they cannot do is teach (expound, exegete, apply, etc.) the Word of God, OR to take an authoritative position over men.  Anyone who rejects this should carefully consider 1^st Samuel 15:23.

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.”