WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP IN THE BIBLE

Does the bible restrict women from having leadership roles?

What does 1 Timothy 2 v 11-15 mean:

¹¹ Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. ¹² And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

There are two polarized views over the topic. Egalitarianism and Complementarianism

The topic of women in ministry is one of the most hotly debated subjects in biblical scholarship in our era. I will be examining both women’s and men’s roles. The amount of scholarly work and argument that goes into this issue is absolutely mind blowing.

 The View According To Egalitarian Scholars

This is the view (in simple terms) that says God created Men and Women to be of equal value and gave them dominion over all of creation. Both were made to rule equally over everything God created. Egalitarians go on to say there is no role distinction between Man and Woman. The roles between Husband and Wife are interchangeable and there is nothing in the bible that says a Man was given leadership, Headship or Authority over a woman. They both have equal status. This also applies in the Job arena as it does in ministry. Within the Egalitarian camp there are divisions. Some are hard Egalitarians and others are soft.  Others are in between. More like a spectrum.

The View According To Complementarian Scholars

This is the view that says God created Man and Woman to be equal in value and dignity. He gave them dominion over all of creation. They were to rule equally over everything God created but He also designed Man and Woman to function in different roles.  Husbands are to lead in the home with the support of their wives. The same applies in church. Church governance and leadership shall fall under Men. The term complementarian is derived from the point of view that male and female were designed to complement one another in the purposes and roles for which they were created. Even the anatomies of man and woman demonstrate this fact. Complementarians believe that Adam was created first then Eve followed as a way of reflecting that a husband shall be the Head or Leader of His wife in everything. This does not denote superiority or dominance of man over woman, but it reflects his authority over his wife. As is the case with the Egalitarian camp, the Complementarian camp also divides into soft and hard Complementarians and others in between to form a broad spectrum.

Men and women were designed to complement each other

The God Of Purpose

God is the most purposeful being in the universe. Have you realized that the bible is written by male authors only. There must be a reason for this. OT priests were only male. So, when we get to NT restrictions that say women cannot be Elders God must have a good reason for designing it that way. Having said that, I must issue some disclaimers.

       I.            I believe a complete barring of women from positions of authority is wrong and unbiblical, but I also think that a complete denial that there are role distinctions between men and women which is promoted by many Egalitarians is equally wrong and unbiblical.

     II.            Genesis one tells us of the relationship between humans and creation and that both Adam and Eve have equal dominion over creation.

  III.            Genesis two tells us of the relationship between man and woman and that by design, man has authority over woman through the order of creation, Adam is created first and then he names the animals and names Eve.

  IV.            God created Eve to be Adam’s helper. She is not a doormat nor a sex slave nor a baby breeding machine nor should she be micromanaged in a marriage setting

    V.            She came out of Adam’s side which denotes equality in value with him.

  VI.            She should not be limited in the type of education she obtains whether religious or otherwise nor in her choice of career

VII.            Only regarding the home and Church is a woman restricted from teaching and having authority over a man. Everywhere else she is free to teach, exercise authority over and lead men.

Jesus was counter cultural. He restored dignity to women at a time when they were not valued by a patriarchal society.

What 1 Timothy 2 : 11-14 really means

1 Timothy 2 v 12-14Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first then Eve¹⁴ and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." 

Let a woman learn. If you stop there, you’ll realize that as early as the 2^nd temple period women were treated with dignity in Christianity compared to other religious traditions.  For a woman to learn was an extremely privileged thing in those days. And a woman who learned as much as she could about how she could serve, worship and praise God was a beautiful thing to behold. It is when Paul says:  “with all submissiveness, …that we may live a peaceful and quiet life”; that things begin to get heated. Quietness does not mean a literal silence in all situations. But it means not speaking in an annoying, intrusive, domineering and disrespectful fashion.

Quiet is not saying a woman shouldn’t open her mouth in a mixed group of men and women or in church, Paul is referring to a fitting quietness that respects the call on the men as the leaders in the church. It reflects her submission to the God appointed leadership of men.

For Adam was formed first then Eve. The first born in Hebrew culture automatically assumes a leadership role. This is the principle of Primogeniture: This term means a first born has preeminence over everyone else who comes after him and he would get a double share of the inheritance (Deuteronomy 21 v 17). This automatically connotes authority in Jewish tradition. We can deduce from that verse that the leadership and headship of man over woman stems from God’s design. God could have created both Adam and Eve from the ground at the same time. But He didn’t. He could have got Adam to name Eve and then Eve to name Adam, but He didn’t. Eve was created out of Adam and then Adam had to name her. This shows that God deliberately planned and designed it that way.

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Adam allowed Eve to oust him from his leadership position. The shrewd serpent created doubt and confusion between husband and wife. He got Eve to do two things; doubt Adam’s integrity and got her to act on his (the serpent’s) word instead of her husband’s. Adam failed to protect his wife, and both caused humanity to fall. When woman took the lead, everything collapsed. God’s order is that men should lead in the home and in Church.

WAS PAUL EXPRESSING AN OPINION WITHOUT AUTHORITY?

^{12 "}And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence."

 No, he wasn’t expressing an opinion. Paul was an apostle with God given authority in his office. His rulings had heavenly backing. Paul didn’t have limited jurisdiction, which no longer applies to us today; this is apostolic authority, and it is also transcendent. It is not time bound or regional. All churches around the globe are affected by this ruling. What scriptural support do we have for this? I always like to apply the principle LET THE BIBLE INTERPRET THE BIBLE

Where else does Paul use the first-person pronoun to give instructions to the church?

ü 1 Timothy 2 v 8  I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; Is this still applicable today? Yes. Was Paul just expressing an opinion? No this is an instruction that applies even today.

ü  1 Timothy 2 v 10 "Likewise I want women to adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness. Likewise, this verse is still very relevant today as it was then.

ü  1 Corinthians 7 v 10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. What does this verse mean? In this instance, Paul uses the first-person pronoun "I" to relay a commandment that originates from "the Lord, “Paul is a mere vessel of the Lord giving instructions. But as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, his instructions are backed by divine authority.

ü  Romans 16 v 17  Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. Does this verse apply only to Paul’s contemporary audience? I will let you answer that one.

ü Lastly, when God brought animals to Adam for naming, did Adam need to get approval from God for the names?  No. Whatever he named them, that is what they were called henceforth. Adam had divine authority to name them as he saw fit.

What about the use of the word ‘authentein’ which means authority in Greek? What effects did it have on how the verse was interpreted?

Authentein has been interpreted in many ways by bible scholars and everyone is trying to prove their definition is accurate, relevant and reliable. What makes it difficult to find consensus is that the word is used only once in the Greek text. And in almost all the definitions, it appears to carry a negative or domineering connotation. Below are some of the definitions ascribed to authentein  by the most influential of Egalitarian scholars:

v Philip Payne - To assume authority: I am not permitting a woman to teach and assume authority over a man

v Linda Belleville - Get one’s way/ to dominate– I do not permit a woman to teach a man in a dominating way

v Wilshire - To incite violence: I do not permit a woman to teach or to initiate violence over a man

Unfortunately, it is difficult to know which one is correct.

The use of Authentein presents one main problem. The term appears only once. It is what is called a Hapax Legomenon – A word that is used only once in the bible. If the word was used 9 to 12 times you can see how it’s used – if one context is unclear another one clears it up.

Here is an important principle to learn about the bible. Whenever the scriptures go back in time to the beginning that means the ruling transcends time, place and culture.  Notice what verse 13 says:

 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. ¹³ For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

Implication is that because Adam was created first, he automatically, by God’s design, has authority over his wife.

What were the qualifications to be an apostle and how did Paul become one, yet he was not one of the disciples? Where does Paul derive his authority from?

1)  An Apostle had to be a physical eyewitness of the resurrected Christ  Acts 1 v 21-22 Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

1 Corinthians 9 v 1 Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?

1 Corinthians 15 v 7-8 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. ⁸ Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

2)  An Apostle had to be personally appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ Luke 6 v 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

Galatians 1 v 1 Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead),

3)  An Apostle’s work had to be accompanied by miracles, signs and wonders on a regular basis - Acts 2 v 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

2 Corinthians 12 v 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.

4)  An Apostle received direct revelation from God that had not been revealed on earth before.  (Not illumination of a verse from the scriptures) – In our modern era, the canon is closed therefore no fresh revelation that hasn’t been divulged before can be received by anyone

Galatians 1 v 11-12 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. ¹² For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus.

Ephesians 3 v 3-5  how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.

Conclusion

The Complementarian view does not depend on 1 Timothy 2 v 11-14 for its strength and sustenance. That means in my view the Complementarian view is firmly established even if you removed I Timothy 2 from the bible. However, that verse fully and clearly supports Complementarian views. Women are to fully participate in Christian education, this is a big issue in 1 Timothy 2 and ought to be reiterated. When Paul uses the personal pronoun “I” he is not expressing an opinion as I demonstrated with many examples. The Egalitarian argument which says Paul was expressing an opinion is not supported by scripture.  When he says “I do not permit a woman” he is making a ruling as an Apostle appointed by Jesus Christ and he consistently uses that expression in all the churches that he has influence over. It is transcendent in terms of time, place and culture. In other words, it is not limited by time, place nor culture. It applied then as it does now. The scripture is also not about some problem in Ephesus, it is not about a bunch of female false teachers or a false creation narrative that Paul is fighting as stated by many Egalitarian scholars, it is not about a hyper feminist teaching nor anything to do with the cult of Artemus. It is not about wives and husbands it is about men and women as viewed from the local church governance perspective. It is not about all social settings, it is about church leadership.  Not just the title Elder but the function of an Elder. The things that an Elder does that nobody else does. She cannot have authority over men and teach them in Church. Having said that, a woman can be the boss, teach men in business, in government institutions, at a university et cetera it is only in the home and in a church context that she cannot assume leadership or teach a man.