Women's Role

The role of women in the assembly can be seen in 1 Tim 2:11-15 . . .

1Ti 2:11 Let a woman learn in quietness with all subjection.

There is a contrast being made here . . .In mixed company (males and females) women are to learn, not to teach (from an authoritative position) They are to be in subjection, not domination.

The Gr word here for "quietness" (silence; KJV) here is . . .

ησυχία; hēsuchia

Thayer Definition:

1) quietness

1a) description of the life of one who stays at home doing his own

work, and does not officiously meddle with the affairs of others

2) silence

Part of Speech: noun feminine

It does not mean absolute silence, or the woman would not be able to fulfill Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; “singing one to another and unto God”

The quietness in view here is that of due acceptance of authoritative roles God has established, specifically here respect for God's rule of prohibiting women from taking over the public worship, and the quiet acceptance of their womanly role as childbearers and mothers of the human race.

Normally in such things as the singing or giving the "amen" women do not violate this passage by their participation in such things. Yet they could violate it if they do so in a forceful or demanding manner. The thrust is that of demeanor (1 Pet 3:1-4). . .

1Pe 3:1 In like manner, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; 1Pe 3:2 beholding your chaste behavior coupled with fear. 1Pe 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; 1Pe 3:4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

1Ti 2:12 But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness.

The Gr word for "teach" here is . . .

διδάσκω; didaskō

Thayer Definition:

1) to teach

1a) to hold discourse with others in order to instruct them, deliver didactic discourses

1b) to be a teacher

1c) to discharge the office of a teacher, conduct one’s self as a teacher

2) to teach one

2a) to impart instruction

2b) instill doctrine into one

2c) the thing taught or enjoined

2d) to explain or expound a thing

2f) to teach one something

Part of Speech: verb

Contextually it would mean to deliver didactic discourses This kind of teaching a woman is not to do in an assembly with men. This is an authoritative roll as would be done by an evangelist, like Titus . . .

Tit 2:15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Yet women do teach in the assembly by. . .

Eph 5:19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

Col 3:16 . . . teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs . . .

Yet this type of teaching is not authoritative over a man.

Women can teach or lead in an assembly where no men are present (Acts 16:13)

Women can teach other women (Tit 2:2-5)

Women can teach men in conjunction with her husband privately as Priscilla did, with her husband concerning Apollos (Acts 18:26)

This is not merely dealing with a local situation such as only at Ephesus, or Corinth, ect but for all the churches. Look at the beginning of 1 Cor, this statement is made . . .

1Co 1:2 unto the church of God which is at Corinth, even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours:

Paul taught the same thing in every church . . .

1Co 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who shall put you in remembrance of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.

Thus these are universal statements that apply to all. This was God's plan from the beginning

1Ti 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve; 1Ti 2:14 and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled hath fallen into transgression:

The reason for these regulations go back to creation, man, being first created was thereby also given the pre-eminence. This does not make man any better nor woman any less, just as Christ is no less than the Father, nor a child in view of its parents, these are just God's authoritative chains so to speak, designed to compliment each other and ultimately bring the glory to God. Eve’s first transgression was that she took the leadership role which was not hers, she should have taken her subordinate God given position (1 Cor 11:3).

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Adam was not beguiled, he was well aware of the sin which he was committing, he followed her lead. So what we see here is a role reversal of that which God intended. Thus Adam was more to blame than Eve, he should have stepped in, and took the authoritative position.

1Ti 2:15 but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.

The word “childbearing” here is the Gr word "teknogonias," which includes the raising of the children, not just childbirth. This is not talking about salvation from sin, but rather . . .The woman is saved from the error of exercising authority as a man, over man by accepting and performing her God given role of subordination and rearing the family, which is to be overseen by the authority of the husband (1 Tim 3:4, 12; Jos 24:15)

If this is talking about salvation from sin, then only women who bear and raise children are the only women that can be saved.That would be out of the context, it would make God a respecter of persons and would oppose other passages of Scripture (Jn 3:16; Gal 3:28).

“if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.”

Note the change in pronouns. All Christians, man and woman are to walk in these. These are essential elements of the Christian life.

To twist this section of scripture or others like it such as 1 Cor 14:33-34 and attempt to make it say something which it clearly does not, one does to their own destruction (2 Pet 3:16).

Another way that many have attempted to do away with this and like passages is to assert that they are not inspired of God, again, they do so to their own demise (Luke 9:26), there is good evidence that these and other similar passages are authentic and what we are seeing in our day is nothing more than an attempt to make the gospel conform to an ever changing society, let us rather teach society to conform to the gospel (Rom 12:2), all one has to do is go back 100 years or so and see what the various religious bodies were believing and teaching concerning this matter, and for the most part it was exactly what the bible states, God's word was once for all time delivered in the 1st century (Jude 3), and it is just as binding as the day it was miraculously revealed and confirmed and will be that standard which will determine whether one enters into heaven or hell (John 12:48; Rom 2:16; Rev 20:12), let us therefore give the more diligence to make our calling and election sure (2 Pet 1:10) and obey God rather than men (Acts 4:19; 5:29).