Should women be allowed to preach, teach, lead worship or even talk at church? There are two passages in the new testament that some find difficult to understand and often I believe are misapplied. Lets take a look at them.
“The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.
If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. (1 Co 14:34–35).
and the other one
“A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. (1 Ti 2:11–12).
What Paul didn’t mean.
Do these passages really mean that it was morally wrong for a female to EVER speak in church? No.
We can be certain that women were not only allowed to speak in church but encouraged to do so! Paul instructed “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good (Tt 2:3).
Do these passages really mean then that it is morally wrong for a female to ever be in any authority over any male? No.
Women, positively and successfully, served as judges clearly demonstrating authority over men. “She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.” (Jdg 4:5).
Do these passages mean that it is morally wrong for a female to tell a male what to do? No.
In 2 Kings 22:14 Hulah directed men in the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem. This was not rebuked or talked about in any negative way.
Do these passages really mean that it is morally wrong for a female to teach the word of God to an audience that includes males? No.
Women served as prophets Hulah, Deborah are specifically named but Joel makes it clear that in the future New Testament church prophesying is not limited to males “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.” (Joe 2:28). In this context, that word means to proclaim the word of God.
Do these passages really mean that it is morally wrong for a female to lead worship to an audience that includes males? No.
The second worship leader of a large group of people mentioned in the bible (first being Moses) was a woman. “Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them:
“Sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea!”
(Ex 15:20–21)
True this example is old testament but we are talking about moral truths and those do not change. God does not change and moral good aligns with His character. The point is that whatever Paul is meaning by this passage he is not talking about some NEW moral law we should apply to women in the church.
So then what did Paul mean?
Paul’s comments in 1 Cor 14 and 1 Tim 2 must be taken in the context of the passage. In both cases, he was instructing strict ORDER in churches that were under attack by local culture and were obviously suffering from an extreme disorder. In light of all the passages above plus examples from the New Testament church (Romans 16:1, Acts 18:26, Luke 8:1-3, john 20:14), it was obviously not a blanket prohibition against all females at all times in all situations.
In addition, he wasn’t referring to ALL females in the church he was specifically referring to married women. The word gune in the greek is specific for a married woman. And the ‘speaking’ he was referring to wasn’t general either. It was specific to the usurping of the husband’s authority. “be submissive as the law says” What law is Paul referencing? There is no law about speaking in church or at the temple. The law was for a wife to be subject to her husband. And he didn’t forbid the questioning but encouraged them to place back the order of family and have them ask their husbands. So we can easily conclude that there were women in the church belittling or bringing disrespect to there husbands by questioning the pastor or the teaching. I will admit the passage was sharp but it was not just sharp on this subject there were two other commands to men to be silent rather than cause disorder in the church.
Married women are to be submissive and respectful to their husbands, children to their parents and husbands to Christ. This Christian model was modeled by Jesus himself as he submitted to the Father (Mt 26:39,42 John 6:38). So if we conclude that a person under proper submission cannot teach or lead then that would apply to all of us.
What about today?
Men should lead. They were created by God to lead their families and instructed by the Holy Spirit to lead the church. The temple priests were men, the 12 apostles were men, and it seems to be clear that all the pastors of the New Testament church were men. We are instructed to strive to be good respectful leaders in their church. This is not about the value of women or the value of the gifts present in women but simple order. God is orderly and that makes it morally good. If there is disorder in church caused by speaking in tongues or multiple prophecies or women who are being disrespectful of their husbands and questioning the pastor on teachings during church then that IS morally wrong because it causes disorder and confusion. And where there are no restrictions we should not add them. The instruction from the Holy Spirit in Paul’s letter is to Pastors to keep order in the church for the benefit of all. The implication is that married women questioning and being argumentative without going through the God established leadership within their family should not be tolerated by the Pastor. The Pastor should then reinforce the family structure. Just as Pastors should not tolerate men not loving and giving themselves up for their wives: “Men love your wives, wives respect your husbands.”
We should honor the gifts and talents of one another and serve the Lord in unity remembering “there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Ga 3:28). In this context, it is clear that if a married women is in proper relationship with their husband there is nothing to prevent them from serving in the church body. The New Testament gives us a beautiful example of this with Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18. In addition unmarried women are throughout the new testament serving. In Luke 10:38-42 we see them interacting with Jesus and serving, in which he supported Mary in her interacting with him over Martha who was busy serving in the kitchen. In Rm 16:1, Paul commends Phoebe who was serving as a deacon. Let’s check our pride and tradition and serve together with order and unity.
