I’m having a hard time understanding why so many are questioning the role of women in the church. According to 1 Timothy 2:12, they are not to teach or exercise authority over men. What is so difficult about this?
In the name of chauvinism, in the name of culture, and a host of other false gods, some question this passage. Why not make the atonement cultural while you’re at it? Jesus only died on the cross because He was trying to make a cultural point about sacrifice to the Jews by using their concept of a lamb. Since we don’t see the need to offer lambs for sin anymore, Jesus death would not have been necessary in our day. He could have shown the nature of sacrifice by giving millions to the poor and being a street sweeper.
No! Please pay attention to the context here! Paul is giving specific instructions to the church. Preceding this passage is the section on what prayer should look like. After the passage there are qualifications for leaders in the church. So this book sinks or sails as a whole. Either the whole thing was cultural, only intended for this church, or it is standard rule for the body of Christ. If you chose the former, than we are permitted church leaders who don’t meet the qualifications in this book.
If this isn’t enough to satisfy, look at the specifics of the verses! The reasons are not cultural - they are based on creation and susceptibility to deception. If Genesis 1-3 didn’t happen, fine, this can be cultural, but in my Book, it happened. How can you contest the apostle’s logic? Adam was first by created order, and first by perception of truth.
This is not to say that women don’t have a place in the church, and that they are a bunch of pliable Christians! What it does mean is that God has a place for men in the church, and he has a place for women. We are not to usurp each other’s role. For a woman to try to usurp a man’s role, is like a man trying to usurp Christ’s role. This has happened before; it is called Roman Catholicism. The pope usurps Christ’s role in the Church.
There is always the issue of Deborah that will be brought up. This is a bad argument. It is never wise to impose shadow over reality. The Judges were characterized by a time when Israel was very disorganized, and God used some strange characters. In our time, we have more light and a clearer view of God’s desires, and we are to live by them, not by something people in a darker time did. This would be like trying to force everyone to exchange their rubber tires for rounded stones. That may have worked dandily back then, but technology has increased the efficiency. In the same sense the New Covenant has increased our understanding of who God is, and it would be foolish to usurp a command given in the New Covenant by an example in the old. This would be like discarding Christ’s command against divorce because the Israelites were allowed to do it in the old covenant. Or in an opposite sense, returning to the dietary laws at the expense of Acts 10.
This is one of the most literal passages in Scripture. If we can’t handle it accurately, what business do we have in things like eschatology? Please brothers and sisters, don’t take offense at this. I love the Word of God and am distressed when I see it improperly handled.
