“A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.”
Here we come to the most difficult passage for me in 1 Timothy. I have seventeen pages of commentary notes printed out from my Logos software. I have watched Mike Winger’s eleven-hour YouTube video (you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/GvLqRpGCayA?si=ayh8WW0YeczFLxfU. I prepared in advance by writing about the egalitarian versus complementarian views. In other words, I have procrastinated a little! I know that whatever I write, someone will not like what I say. But my goal is not to please people, but to be faithful to God’s Word. What does the Bible say? Not what do I think it says, or what do I want it to say. And if I am not sure, I look at other passages for clarification. That is what I will do here.
The first thing we read is “A woman is to learn quietly with full submission.” I am pleased to read that Paul is encouraging women to learn! This is not the emphasis of the verse, but women were not excluded from the process of learning. We are to love the Lord with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength. To love Him with all our minds means we must learn about Him!
But what does it mean to learn quietly with full submission? One view says that this was written to address a particular situation that was occurring in Ephesus-certain women were causing disruptions during the worship meetings, usurping, or even undermining the male leaders’ teachings. Therefore, this is a cultural rule that does not apply today. The other extreme says that women are not allowed to speak at all in church. I do not think it is the second, and while the first view may be partially accurate, perhaps there were disruptive women, I do not think that this is a cultural mandate. I do not take the later commands of Paul as only appropriate for his time or place, so I must do the same for this one.
Let’s look at the word ‘quietly’ that Paul uses here. The NIV reads this way. “A woman should learn in quietness…” It has to do with an attitude, not a position of silence. Peter describes it this way in 1 Peter 3:4: “…the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” Dwayne Litfin writes in his commentary, “The word hēsychia, translated ‘quietness’ in 1 Timothy 2:11 and ‘silent’ in verse 12, does not mean complete silence or no talking. It is clearly used elsewhere (Acts 22:2; 2 Thess. 3:12) to mean ‘settled down, undisturbed, not unruly.’ A different word (sigaō) means to be silent, to say nothing. (cf. Luke 18:39; I Cor. 14:34).”
I am reflecting on this as I write. What is my attitude as I learn this information? As I learn anything about my Savior? Am I learning with a gentle and quiet spirit? I want to have a humble heart, ready to receive. I want to be gentle and winsome, not haughty and proud. I am reminded of one of my favorite passages, 1 Peter 3:14-16. “But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated, but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and reverence, keeping a clear conscience, so that when you are accused, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.” It is good to be reminded in a world where there is so much stridency and ugliness in our conversations, that we are called to be different.
Paul goes on to say, “I do not allow a woman to teach or have authority over a man; instead she is to remain quiet.” Some egalitarians have argued that this is Paul’s prohibition, not God’s. But if we believe that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God, and I do, Paul reminds us many times that he is writing with the authority of an apostle. Is Paul saying that women are not allowed to teach at all, and that they must never talk? I don’t think so. We can use other writings of Paul to see this. And the same Greek word for quietness is used for the word silent, which I have already described.
If we look at this passage in the larger context of the letter, and considering other Scripture, we see that Paul does not mean that women are never to teach. They are not to be put in leadership positions over the church where they serve as pastors and teachers. As Paul continues his letter and gives his qualifications for overseers of the church, this is clearly a position reserved for men. But there are times when Paul does allow women to teach, which is how we know that verse 12 is in relation to women in leadership positions. In Titus 2:3-4, Paul tells the older women that they are to teach the younger women. We know that Timothy was taught by his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15). In Acts 18:24-28, we read about Priscilla and Aquila pulling Apollos into their home and instructing him more fully about Jesus. Here are three examples of women teaching. But notice that none of them were leading a church.
Finally, we are given the reason. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.” This isn’t the end of the chapter, but I think verse 15 is going to need a whole post of its own! Paul starts with Creation and finishes with the Fall. Egalitarians start with the Fall and say that it is only because of the Fall that women can’t be equal with men, can’t hold the same roles, etc. Jesus came to restore all things; therefore He has restored equality. This is simplified but explains the view in a nutshell.
Complementarians start with Creation. “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” We believe that the differences came at Creation. They were not a result of the Fall. Mark Bailey puts it this way in Nelson’s New Testament Survey. “First, from Creation it was God’s intention that the male should lead the female. God made Adam first then he made a suitable companion for him in Eve. God made Eve for Adam; He did not make Adam for Eve. God created Adam and Eve equal in that they needed and complemented one another, but God entrusted Adam with leadership responsibility over his wife. Eve was not responsible to God for Adam in the same sense Adam was responsible for Eve.”
In today’s culture, we are obsessed with equality. And as we strive for equality, we have tried to erase any God-given differences between the sexes. There is chaos at every level. And yet we read these verses in Genesis:
“So God created man in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female.” (1:27)
“Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into nostrils, and the man became a living being.The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed.” (2:7-8)
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.’” (2:18)
“Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.” (2:22)
There is an order in creation, and Paul appeals to this order in support of his argument. Next, we read about the Fall.
“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (3:6)
“So the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What have you done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’” (3:13)
Eve was deceived first by the serpent. Notice that Adam was right there with her. But she took the leadership position and ate the fruit first, then handed it to her husband. He was fully aware of what she was doing and made no attempt to stop her. She stepped out of her God-given role and was punished for it. “He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children with painful effort. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you” (3:16).
Women have been trying to rule ever since. I am going to end this post with a lengthy quote from Andreas J. Köstenberger from his 1-2 Timothy & Titus commentary. It sums up perfectly and succinctly what happened at the Fall.
“Negatively, Paul was concerned that people in the church avoid the scenario that had precipitated the fall where Satan deceived the woman. The role reversal had been complete: rather than God being in authority over the man, who was in authority over the woman, who were in authority over the animal world including the serpent, the pattern prevailing at the fall was the exact opposite: the serpent tempted and deceived the woman, who exerted leadership over the man, and both rebelled against God and transgressed his command. Both positively and negatively therefore, Paul directs that the man, not the woman function in roles of ultimate leadership and responsibility for the church.”
Grace be with you!
Abundant Joy 