1Ti 2:3-7
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
Notice how he says, “(I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;)”
Now, there are three additional passages of scripture where the apostle Paul affirms and or re-affirms this truth to his audience.
Rom 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
2Co 11:31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
Gal 1:20 Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not.
Point number ONE: The scriptures teach that Paul is not a liar as pertains to scripture. Are all men liars… yes… have all men lied yes. Nevertheless, what we’re dealing with in context is Paul’s apostleship and the letters/scriptures he was inspired by God to write. Meaning, there are no lies being told within these letters/writings of Paul. So when you read, 1Co 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. My rhetorical question is this… was Paul lying when he said this?
Keep in mind, he didn’t make himself an apostle. God the Father and Jesus Christ choose and made Paul an apostle to the gentiles. Which brings me to my next point.
Point number TWO: The scriptures teach that Paul was made an apostle by Jesus Christ and God the Father; to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
Gal:1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)
As it pertains to him being the Apostle of the gentiles look at Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
See also: Acts 9:15
Point number THREE: All scripture is inspired by God and not the writers themselves.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Therefore, “I suffer not a woman to speak” is inspired by God… not Paul.
In connection with the previous points. With genuineness and sincerity I would like for those who read this article to answer YES or NO to these three questions, before or after you read this article.
- Did Paul tell a lie in any of his epistles?
- Did God the Father and Jesus Christ make Paul an Apostle to the gentiles?
- Were the epistles Paul wrote inspired by God?
Now… I could ask you a bunch of relevant questions regarding this topic but these questions deal with the heart of the issue.
No woman was ever chosen by God to write scripture, and this is confirmed by 2 Pe 1:21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Does this make God a male chauvinist? You have to answer that question in the integrity of your own heart. Mind you, this was well Before Paul was born.
Jesus chose 12 men to be the apostles of the twelve tribes; was Jesus sexist? Was Jesus a male chauvinist? God forbid. And where is the women in all of scripture who opened the book and taught the congregation at any time? Where is she? Now, for those of you who believe we’re in the New Covenant (in which case we’re not), what did Peter ( in Acts 1:15-26) stand up in the midst of the disciples and say? in which case, the women and Mary… Jesus’ mother was there) Peter said, (this is me paraphrasing) hey, in order to fulfill scripture, we have to give Judas apostleship to someone else. Now, there were about 120 men and women gathered in the upper room and Peter was talking to all of them… Why did they only signal out Justus and Matthias? Were they’all sexist? Or was it just Peter?
Lastly, shout to Phebe, Priscilla, Tabitha, Mary, Martha, Deborah, The elect lady and her children, Sarah, Ruth, Esther and so many more amazing women of God throughout scripture.
We’re going to look at the following scriptures.
1 Cor 14:34 – 37
1Co 11:14
1Ti 2:12-15
Gen 3:1-6
1 Cor 14:34 – 37
34 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.
36 What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Before we start… the scriptures are unbiased when it comes to using that word shame. Look at: 1Co 11:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
1Ti 2:12-15
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
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.
15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
And this is consistent with other scriptures…
2 Cor 2:11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
But notice how Paul goes back to Genesis in order to demonstrate why women should learn in silence with all subjection and not usurp authority over the man. In which case, him saying this has nothing to do with “women who were being chatty in the church” or because of that fact that people worshiped female goddesses and so forth; or, any other reason someone would love to insert within the context to fit their narrative. Paul clearly states why this is the case for women. It’s because of what Eve did.
Gen 3:1-6
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Keep in mind, the scriptures teach that Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. And was the outcome?
Look at what God told Eve… Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And herein lies the issue. A woman’s desire is to her husband but he will rule over her.
Concerning women Paul said, “They are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” The Lord gave the commandment for the woman to be under obedience to the man when Adam and Eve sinned. Again, “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and HE SHALL RULE OVER THEE.”
This commandment was given for Eve to be under obedience to her husband, because Eve listened to the serpent’s temptation and disobeyed the Lord. That, in turn, led her to tempt her own husband to sin. Both Adam and Eve sinned, but the Bible tells us that Eve actually believed what the serpent was saying; whereas, Adam also sinned, but knew it was wrong all along.
The part about the woman then being silent, is clearly understood in all of these passages as the natural result of her being under obedience to her husband. If she is obeying that command, in truth; then she is going to naturally defer to her husband concerning the word of God and teaching it within the Church.
As it is written, What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?
In closing, this has nothing to do with women being inferior to men. Nor more than Christ being obedient and Subjected to the Father makes him inferior within the Godhead. The only context for a women teaching is found in:
Titus 2:3-5 – 3 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.
Lastly, Phil 4:3 – And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. My prayer is that women allow God to use them as he sees fit. There are a million ways to bring glory to the Father and spread the gospel without being a Teacher/Pastor.