Can Women Teach Men?

 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 1 Tim 2:11–12 NIV

1 Tim 2:11-15 The subordination of women in this passage is situational, not an eternal law.

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer
or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 1 Tim 1:3–4 NIV

There were certain people, men and women, who were teaching pagan doctrines. The dominant pagan religion in Ephesus was dominated by the goddess Artemis. A pagan form of feminism was infiltrating the Christian church. Women were dominant in Artemis worship and some women were trying to dominate after their Christian conversion.

Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.

But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.

They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently. 1 Tim 1:4–7 NLT

It is clear here that not all the instructions in 1 Timothy are meant for all the Christians in Ephesus, and certainly not for all Christians or all women at all times.

One aspect of Gnostic teaching was the invention of fables about Adam and Eve. Some of these can be found in 2nd century documents, but the ideas were already widespread in the later New Testament period.

A common feature of these stories is that Eve is idealised and often appears before Adam.

For Adam was created first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and fell into sin. 1 Tim 2:13-14

The point of these verses is to refute the false teachings of the early Gnostics.

 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 1 Tim 2:11–12 NIV

The domineering woman (or perhaps some domineering women) who was not to teach but to learn humbly was most likely one of the false teachers who spread Gnostic fables.

Incidentally, the word PERMISSION is a translation of EPITREPEO, a Greek word that always refers to situational instructions.

Women as Pastors or Elders

 Many Christians dogmatically teach that there were no woman pastors in the New Testament. They also claim that the New Testament forbids the ordination of women to the office of pastor.

Such dogmatic teachings require strong biblical evidence. However, it is very difficult to find unambiguous evidence to support this belief.

In Ephesians chapter 4, we find the one and only text which is considered the basis of the Five Fold Ministry.

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Eph 4:11–13 NIV

There is no mention here of any qualifications or requirements for a person to be a pastor. Nor is there any hint of what the leadership position of pastor involves or how pastors relate to Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists or Teacher.

The office of pastor in churches since the Reformation is based on the office of priest in the Roman Catholic Church of that time, but this is not in any way derived from Biblical teaching or practice,

Protestant theologians typically teach that a pastor is the presiding elder in a congregation, but this is not based on any biblical text. It is pure speculation. The bible simply does not give us any definition or description of the authority or leadership position of a pastor.

Not one minister, preacher or leader in the NT is referred to as a pastor. Not one.

So how can church leaders dogmatically declare that a woman cannot be a pastor?

Conservative bible teachers commonly equate the office of pastor with a senior eldership position. There is also uncertainty about the meaning and role of elders. There are two Greek words which seem to be interchangeable.

EPISCOPOS, which is translated as overseer or bishop.
An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 1 Tim 3:2 NASB95

Does this mean an overseer must be married? Then Paul and Jesus would not qualify.

Does it also mean that an overseer must be a man? An important source of information on this question is the teaching of John Chrysostom, the eminent Patriarch of Constantinople around 400 AD. He was certainly no feminist, but his understanding of the NT Greek text was unsurpassed. His mother tongue was Greek, which had changed little since the time of Paul.

John Chrysostom asserted that 1 Tim 3,2 did not imply an overseer could not be a woman.

In 1 Timothy chapter one, dealing with qualifications for ordained leadership, women are only referred to as wives of overseers of deacons in conservative translations.

Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 1 Tim 3:11 NKJV

Actually, this is not what the NT Greek text says at all. Some modern translations are literally accurate.

In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 1 Tim 3:11 NIV

This can either refer to wives of ordained ministers or to women who are themselves ordained ministers of the gospel. There is nothing in the text to exclude women from ordained preaching ministry.

PRESBYTEROS, which is translated as elder.
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 1 Tim 5:17 NIV

The Greek words for older men or older women can also mean male or female ordained leaders, so the Greek NT text cannot be used to exclude women from ordained eldership.

Don't Let Religious Details Distract You

The bible is full of history, life stories, prophecies, laws and commandments, teachings about God and humans. It is a library with so many details.

Some people study the bible and get lost in the details, but Jesus and the apostles had to repeatedly remind people then, and us today, that the details must not distract us.

The main thing must be the main thing.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

God created a perfect world but the first man and woman rejected God and ruined his creation. We have all gone wrong and we need forgiveness, God sent is Son to take God’s punishment on Himself, so God could justly punish evil but have mercy on us all.

The bible experts who saw Jesus face to face simply refused to believe.

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,
yet you refuse to come to me to have life. Jn 5:39–40 NIV

We can be so full of detailed knowledge, that we are blind to the most important things.

Paul planted the Christian faith in the important pagan city of Ephesus. It was difficult because Ephesus was dominated by a pagan cult. People worshipped the goddess Artemis. Many believed that the goddess Artemis came down from heaven and created women before men.

After Ephesian pagans were converted, they continued to be fascinated with myths and legends, some pagan and perhaps also some of Jewish origin.

Paul had left Timothy in charge of the church in Ephesus. He wrote two letters to Timothy with instructions about how to deal with theological confusion and wrong teachings. He wrote that believers must not get sidetracked with speculative theories or detailed stories.

Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.

The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith. 1 Tim 1:4–5 NLT

God is love.

Many doctrinal obsessions can distract us from the love of God.

Paul also wrote to the church in Rome.

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarrelling over disputable matters.
One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Rom 14:1–3 NIV

Christians argue about the Sabbath, or whether we should eat pork. Some Christians are so busy debating or judging other Christians, that Christian love becomes nothing more than a neglected doctrine.