Question:
Could somebody explain to me the verse 1Tim 2:12 "I do not permit women to teach...". Does this mean that women should not go to the pulpit to preach?

Choices:
As per verse 1Tim 2:12

 

Erona,

I don't take it means women shouldn't preach.

Here are some scriptures that may help your question!

May the Holy Spirit continue to guide you while your read God's Word!

AUTHORITY
Gen 3:16
16 To the woman he said,

"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you."
NIV

1 Cor 11:3
3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
NIV

Eph 5:22-24
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
NIV


LAW (We, as Christians, have been set free from the law, which is understood to be the Jewish law or Old Covenant. What is talked about here must then be the law of the society in which they lived.)
1 Cor 14:33-34
As in all the congregations of the saints, 34 women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
NIV

WOMEN TEACHING
Titus 2:3-5
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
NIV

WOMEN PROPHESYING
Acts 2:17
17 "'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
NIV

HOSTED A CHURCH IN HER HOME
Col 4:15
15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
NIV

GIVEN HONOR ALONG WITH HER HUSBAND
1 Cor 16:19
19 The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house.
NIV

NO DIFFERENCE IN GOD
Gal 3:26-28
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
NIV


May the Lord supply you with wisdom, courage and joy while seeking more of Him!!!!!!

John Trevino

Erona,

I believe the Scripture clearly indicates that a woman should not teach from the pulpit. According to many historians and Bible scholars, there were problems in the early church with women speaking out from lack of understanding, thus disrupting the teaching of the word. The verse should be read in its entirety to make sense:

1 Timothy 2:12
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

Another verse which illustrates that a woman shouldn't preach is:

1 Corinthians 14:35
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.

If a woman can't speak in the church, how can she preach? Of course, the argument can be made that in this day where men and women have equal access to education, these verses are moot, but I believe that the Word of God is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago.

www.upllighthouse.com

God Bless You, Erona,

Once we begin to pick apart the scriptures, saying this doen't apply for today, and that is not relevant either, we begin to change the infalable nature of the Word altogether. This is a dangerous thing to do.

While times and life styles change with the ages, God's truth and wisdom do not.

Applying 1 Timothy to todays culture teaches that a woman should not teach in a situation where she is not under the headship of male leadership.

Step back and look at our society today, Erona. Men world wide have abdicated their role of leadership in the family and society in general. They have allowed themselves to become feminized to the point that women no longer feel secure under their leadership. Feminism is taken a horrible toll on our land and as men have adorned themselves ear rings and pink shirts and homo sexual behavior, the sins of ourland have multiplied horrendously.

This line of thinking can be carried too far, perhaps as there are other factors at work. Generally speaking, though, as men have given up their headship role, women have filled the void. As a result, the impact on our society is self-evident.

We wade into dangerous waters when we begin to question the wisdom of Paul's teachings. Feeling that our society no longer needs such teaching is short sighted, void of the wisdom given Paul at the time.

Gods Blessings to you, Erona.

Jose,
I go to a baptist church and our Pastor gave those scriptures to say that although he did not like that rule andd command personally, but it teaches that women must not preach in the church. He said women are just as educated and able but God's ways are above our ways and human understanding and we must obey in faith and trust Him. I feel the same way. I don't like that commmand either but that does not matter.

Erona,

Just the nature of a man carries authority and I do believe God has given him a rightful place in authority and leadership. I am the furthest from being a women's libber, however, I also believe the scripture when studied in its context and with an emphasis on its original language does not exclude women from a leadership role. Historical and archaeological evidence bear out the fact that women were in places of leadership more than we typically think.

If this is something you are really interested in and would like another viewpoint, I would recommend a tape series titled "The Ministry of Women in the Early Church and Synagogue" by Dwight A. Pryor. He critiques every scripture in the NT that refers to women's roles.

Personally, I much prefer to have a man in a leadership position, but neither should a man fill a position simply because he is a man. If God has anointed, called and given a qualified woman a "mandate" so to speak to be in a particular role, she should be allowed to minister in a way that she has been called, including teaching. Rather than a "position", I think of it more as a role of a servant or ministry.

God bless you all as the Lord leads you into whatever area of ministry He has for you.

Chelki

Psalm 133 – "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

[This message was edited by Chelki on February 21, 2003 at 04:16 PM.]

Erona,
In 1 Corinthians 14:34, when this text was written women were unknowledgable about the scpriptures. When something was being taught the women would asks their husbands from across the meeting to explain the teachings. This was causing conflict and disruption. That's why the text says "if they have any questions to ask, let them ask at home, for it is improper for women to speak at church meetings".