The social movements of every age seem to be used by God to force Christians
to re-examine (and clarify) their understanding of what the Scriptures teach.
Painful as they may be, every such re-examination results ultimately in
stronger and clearer statements on the subjects in question than the Church
has ever had before. This is certainly the case in the matter of the woman's
role in the Church. The secular Women's Liberation movement is forcing church
leaders everywhere to distinguish carefully between attitudes toward women
derived from customs and traditions of the past (often strongly macho-dominated)
and what the Bible actually teaches and what the early Church actually did.
In the scope of this brief article it is not possible to answer all the
questions which are being raised today. But we would like to examine the
specific question being asked by many Christians today: Should a woman teach
the Scriptures, and especially, should she teach men or when men are present?
We can say at once that the New Testament clearly indicates that both men
and women receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit without distinction in regard
to sex. Included among these is the gift of teaching, and other related
gifts, such as prophesying (basically, preaching), exhortation, and the
word of wisdom and of knowledge. Women prophets are referred to both in
the Old and New Testaments and older women are instructed by the apostle
Paul to teach the younger women. A somewhat oblique reference in 1 Corinthians
11:4-5 suggests that both men and women were free to pray or prophesy in
the open meeting of the Church, though the woman must do it in such a way
as to indicate that she recognizes the headship role of her husband. If
she does so, there seems to be no objection to the fact that men would be
present in the congregation, or any limitation placed on her for that reason.
From the viewpoint of spiritual gifts it seems clear that "in Christ
there is neither male nor female" and God expects every woman to have
a ministry as much as he expects every male to have one.
Though the ministry of women in the New Testament churches is not prominent
in the record, nevertheless there are certain references which indicate
they were frequently and widely used in various capacities. Almost all commentators
agree that Priscilla and her husband Aquila were side-by-side companions
of the apostle Paul in his work both in Corinth and in Ephesus, and that
of the two, Priscilla was the more gifted and capable teacher, since her
name is most often listed first. They were, together, the instructors of
the mighty Apollos in his early preaching efforts. Here is a clear-cut case
of a knowledgeable woman being used in the teaching of a man with no hint
of an objection from Paul. Further, in Paul's letter to the church in Philippi
he urges an unnamed fellow-worker (probably Epaphroditus) to "help
these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel."
In the letter to the Romans he mentions other women who labored with him
"in the Lord."
Perhaps no question would ever have arisen about the propriety of women's
ministry were it not for two passages from Paul's hand which seem to lay
severe restriction upon them. In 1 Corinthians 14 he says, "As in all
the congregations of the saints, women should remain silent in the churches.
They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.
If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands
at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."
Again, in 1 Timothy 2 he says, "A woman should learn in quietness and
full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over
a man; she must be silent." Taken by themselves, apart from their contexts,
these two passages do seem to prohibit any kind of teaching ministry for
women, especially in any public way within the church.
But let us look at some guidelines of interpretation which will help us
in understanding just what the apostle means.
1. Nothing in the above quoted passages can be taken in such a way as to
contradict what the apostle himself permitted or referred to with approval
in the practice of the church. He surely did not teach one thing and practice
another. If, in 1 Corinthians 11 he speaks with approval of a woman praying
or prophesying in public, as he does, then surely, in 1 Corinthians 14 he
does not contradict himself by forbidding women even to open their mouths
in any circumstance in the public meeting of the church. We must, therefore,
read the prohibition of chapter 14 as applying to something other than the
ministry of women permitted in chapter 11.
2. We must note that the immediate context of both passages quoted above
has to do with the problem of disorder and even some degree of defiance
in the actions of the women involved. In both passages, though widely separated
as to recipients and locality, the word submission appears. In Corinth the
problem was one of so conducting the meeting that edification of all present
would be central. Therefore tongues were to be controlled and limited, and
so was the exercise of prophesying.
Furthermore, they were to remember that "God is not a God of disorder
but of peace," and then follows the warning against women speaking
in the church. It is clear from this that the apostle was not concerned
about women who properly exercised their gifts in prophesying or in praying,
but was greatly concerned about women who disrupted the meetings with questions
and comments, and perhaps even challenged the teaching of apostolic doctrine
with contrary views. This is what he prohibited, as verse 27 makes crystal
clear: "If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let
him acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command."
He then closes the whole section with the admonition, "But everything
should be done in a fitting and orderly way."
The word to Timothy (who was probably living at Ephesus) is similar in character.
The general context in which these words about women appear is concerned
with regulating the behavior of Christians at meetings, as 3:14 makes clear:
"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions
so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves
in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation of the truth." In line with this purpose, Paul tells the
men how to pray (without anger or disputing) and the women how to adorn
themselves (not with fine clothing but with good works) and from this he
moves to the words of prohibition against a woman teaching or having authority
over a man. These words cannot be taken as an absolute (no woman should
ever teach a man) for if that were true Paul should have rebuked Priscilla
for having a part in instructing Apollos. The words "have authority
over" provide us the key to understanding this passage. Women should
not be permitted the role of authoritative definers of doctrine within the
church. They must not be permitted to do this, even though they may mean
well, for the role of authoritative interpreters is given by the Holy Spirit
to the apostles and elders, who, in the New Testament, were invariably men.
This is supported by Paul's references to Adam and Eve which follows.
From this we are warranted in drawing certain conclusions to guide our conduct
today.
1. Women certainly can teach. They are given the gift of teaching as freely
as it is given to men, and they must exercise those gifts.
2. Women can teach within the context of church meetings. They are certainly
free to teach children and other women without question, but are free to
teach men as well if what they are teaching is not a challenge to the understanding
of doctrine held by the elders of the church. Many godly and instructed
women know far more about the Scriptures then many men and it would be both
absurd and unscriptural to forbid such men to learn from such women.
3. Even the elders should recognize the often unique and godly insights
of gifted women teachers and should seek their input in arriving at an understanding
of the Scriptures. It is, however, the duty of elders to make the final
decision of what is to be taught. No woman may participate in this.
It is my hope that this brief survey will help many in understanding the
difficulties involved in answering the question with which we began. I,
personally, thank God for the gifted woman teachers,among us at PBC and
rejoice that we have little or no problem with the question of proper authority
in this matter.
Related Paper: The Role of Women in Worship in the
Old Testament, by Dr. Bruce Waltke