I have been following with God for about 14 years now, and a Christian for about 12. I read the bible and believe in sin, and I actively pursue a sin-free life, even if it conflicts with my feelings, beliefs, and desires. In this vein, I came to understand through New Testament bible study that women should not be preachers, because they cannot teach or be ‘over’ men, who comprise 50% of the church. Even though I felt called to pursue a degree in divinity and theology–and I had signs from God sanctioning this–I laid that down because of my interpretation that women could not teach men biblical theology>it was strictly a one-way street of men /priests/preachers teaching women.
I spent a lot of time reading my bible, reading commentary, and listening to other scholars on the subject. Finally, I stumbled upon a conservative, young, intelligent pastor online whom I respect and who has a huge following on Youtube. He has spent literally months of his life (maybe even years) reading about and contemplating this issue, and he has studied all the arguments for and against women preachers/priests/elders. He came to the conclusion based upon all the data that women should not be biblical preachers or teachers of men in a church setting; that women could not be pastors.
The main passage in scripture that ensnares people, lay and scholar alike, is a sentence contained in a letter written from the Apostle Paul to his apprentice, Timothy:
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.For Adam was formed first,then Eve;and Adam was not deceived, butthe woman was deceived and became a transgressor.~1 Timothy 2: 12-14
To put my newfound understanding of this contentious issue in context, let me say that I am studying to become a Christian counselor, ordained by God in this ministry. I practice nouthetic counseling which is 100% scripturally based. Because of this, if I were not allowed to biblically teach men, I would also not be allowed to counsel men, or even couples, such as in marriage counseling. When God told me to include Christian counseling in my repertoire of healing, He did not specify to me to keep it only with women. Indeed, I have expanded my healing practice recently to also include men and children, and He blessed this. So, as I began to ponder the issue of how to reconcile counseling men while not being able to teach men biblically, I was confused as to why my Lord would tell me to take on counseling, and give me a gift for it, yet bind me in it.
So I prayed about it, asking for clarity. And He gave it to me.
He led me to look into the very sentence at the heart of the debate and one word leapt out to me: I. ‘I do not permit’. It was just Paul’s opinion all along!
Paul was a great proponent of the early church, he shaped the teachings of Jesus for practical application, and most of the New Testament are his words. Undoubtedly, he was anointed by God for this purpose. But he was also a man. He was a Pharisee, and he had a rap sheet as a mercenary to early Christ followers. I will go so far as to say he was a male chauvinist because he speaks about women as less-than men. I checked most every translation, and they all confirm the word ‘I’.
I agree women are the weaker vessel, I agree that women should be mild-mannered, and that the man is the head of the family. I believe in most everything Paul says about women in the bible. But what people don’t seem to be able to see is that this part about women ‘not teaching or exercising authority in church or over a man’ is Paul’s opinion: He says, “I do not allow”, he does not say “Christ does not allow”, or the “Lord does not allow”! This is Paul’s opinion to Timothy as Timothy went forth planting his church! He wasn’t even writing to a city or town, as with most of his letters that we quote, such as to the Corinthians. If he were writing to a group of people, he likely would have included a qualifier to make it clearer, as he does in his letter to the Corinthians.
Indeed, in the book of Corinthians, when Paul gives his opinion, he qualifies it with “I, not the Lord” or “not I, but the Lord” to make it clear it is his opinion. Paul was very generous with his opinions and this if fine, but we should not always interpret it as holy scripture or law. To know when to do so takes discernment, meditation, and prayer.
To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. ~1 Corinthians 7:12
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ~1 Corinthians 7:10
But I say this as a concession,not as a commandment.ForI wish that all men were [single] even as I myself.~1 Corinthians 7:6-7
I find it so mind-boggling that a scholar with real clout and merit can search so hard to find a truth about something, and still not see it. But God can simply show us one little letter that was there the whole time to make His truth known. Seek, and ye shall find.
I am not sure why bible scholars cannot see this simple truth in that Paul is sharing an opinion here and it is not gospel truth. But most of them are men and men do struggle with pride, so by the transitive property, I think their pride simply gets in the way of this truth. Once we are freed from the false doctrine that women cannot be preachers or teachers of the Word over men, Genesis 1 comes into its full fruition:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. ~Genesis 1:27
There is complete equality in God’s eyes, and Jesus exemplified this as well. There are many documented cases of women being in his inner-most circle and ministry. A woman is created to be a helper to man:
And the LORD God said, “It isnot good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ~Genesis 2:18
Comparable to him. The Hebrew phrase often translated as “comparable to him” is“ezer kenegdo”(עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ). This phrase is used to describe the creation of Eve as a helper suitable for Adam.
- “Ezer”(עֵזֶר) means “helper” or “support.”
- “Kenegdo”(כְּנֶגְדּוֹ) comes from the root word “neged” (נֶגֶד), which means “opposite” or “corresponding to.” It implies equality and suitability.
Together, “ezer kenegdo” conveys the idea of a helper who is equal and complementary to the other.
If a woman is equal to her husband, why would she be less-than-equal to other men?
I do agree with the Apostle Paul that because of men’s pride issues, they are best suited to male priests/preachers/elders because females over them in church or ministry might present a stumbling block to them. But not because of women’s lack of anointing or ability, because of men’s lack of humility. Jesus said something similar when asked about the legality of divorce, “Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses gave you divorce, but from the beginning it was not so“. ~Matthew 19:8
Paul further supports his opinion about the subjugation of women by going back to the Garden and actually shaming Eve for her part in the Fall. This is so wrong to me. Does anyone else agree? God Himself dealt with Eve, doled out her/women’s punishment, and went on to forgive her. Who does Paul think he is to play the shame game? He himself was a forgiven murderer. Women are no more likely to be tempted than men. Eve was tempted first, but Adam was tempted also. God punished them both. God did not specify that one or the other was MORE to blame, as Paul intimates.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ~James 1:14
When Paul throws Eve under the bus, he is interpreting scripture based on his own fallibility. Perhaps he had past issues dealing with women or in relationship to women, and it colored his judgment and discernment. Paul was not perfect as Christ was. I think sometimes we forget that because we tend to quote Paul more than we quote Christ!
These verses also support that women are not below men, either in life or in church:
But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” ~Acts 10:15
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ~Galatians 3:28
I am so glad to receive this teaching from God. I hope you can receive it too.
❤
