Questions & Answers
WOMEN
QUESTION: Why the Bible says that the women should keep quiet in the church? In 1 Timothy 2.12 Apostle Paul warned women not to teach over men. Jesus never chose a woman amongst his disciples. Does it mean that it is evil for women to preach or hold leadership in our churches today?
ANSWER: In the particular culture to which Paul was ministering, such as in the church of Corinth, there was a lot of disorder taking place in the church services. Men and women were segregated in their seating in church – all the males on one side and all the females on the other side. The difficulty in this arrangement was that when a woman had a question about what was being preached in church, she would ask her question by shouting to her husband who was sitting across the room from her, and this would cause great disturbance in the church services. So Paul instructed that a woman should “keep silence in the churches”.
Also, as the early Christians were learning how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and in other areas of ministry, they did not always get everything right. In 1Timothy 2, Paul exhorted both the men and women to cultivate humility in their lives. The men were to be gentle and prayerful, not given to anger and wrath – and the women likewise were to be gracious and submissive to the authority of Christ, not trying to push their own position or usurp authority over the men.
Another point of consideration is the differences in culture and customs throughout different times. During the first few centuries of the early Church, women did not participate in religious services. In various areas, women didn’t participate in public singing, reading Scriptures, or reciting prayers. Usually, a section was set aside for women where they would sit and learn silently. The objection to the participation of women in religious services and in teaching the Gospel was not based on the teaching of Jesus. Most of this practice was carried over from Jewish customs and similar customs of that time-period. Jesus never discriminated against women, and He even broke away from the Jewish ways to minister to women at various times.
Circumstances compelled Paul to discourage women from preaching and reading in public because the customs were different. Even today similar customs exists in various civilizations. However, we are to base our lives on the Word of God and not on customs. Regardless of customs and times, women have the same amount of faith as men – and they can exercise it with the same results because they are Believers. Galatians 3.26-29 instructs that there is neither male nor female as preferred in the sight of God, but we are all one in Christ Jesus!
One translation better clarifies Paul’s counsel in 1Timothy 2.12: “I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else.” Everyone was to be obedient and submissive to Christ.
Unlike the culture surrounding Jesus’ ministry, which still regarded females as inferior to males, Jesus honoured women and even permitted them to be His followers. In Acts chapter 1.13-15, in the upper room, Mary the mother of Jesus and the women who had followed Him were among the 120 disciples which received the infilling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said – “I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” (Philippians 4.3) Some of these women who laboured with Paul in the gospel are listed in Romans 16:
God calls both men and women to preach and to hold leadership positions in the church.
QUESTION: Why the Bible says that the women should keep quiet in the church? In 1 Timothy 2.12 Apostle Paul warned women not to teach over men. Jesus never chose a woman amongst his disciples. Does it mean that it is evil for women to preach or hold leadership in our churches today?
ANSWER: In the particular culture to which Paul was ministering, such as in the church of Corinth, there was a lot of disorder taking place in the church services. Men and women were segregated in their seating in church – all the males on one side and all the females on the other side. The difficulty in this arrangement was that when a woman had a question about what was being preached in church, she would ask her question by shouting to her husband who was sitting across the room from her, and this would cause great disturbance in the church services. So Paul instructed that a woman should “keep silence in the churches”.
Also, as the early Christians were learning how to operate in the gifts of the Spirit and in other areas of ministry, they did not always get everything right. In 1Timothy 2, Paul exhorted both the men and women to cultivate humility in their lives. The men were to be gentle and prayerful, not given to anger and wrath – and the women likewise were to be gracious and submissive to the authority of Christ, not trying to push their own position or usurp authority over the men.
Another point of consideration is the differences in culture and customs throughout different times. During the first few centuries of the early Church, women did not participate in religious services. In various areas, women didn’t participate in public singing, reading Scriptures, or reciting prayers. Usually, a section was set aside for women where they would sit and learn silently. The objection to the participation of women in religious services and in teaching the Gospel was not based on the teaching of Jesus. Most of this practice was carried over from Jewish customs and similar customs of that time-period. Jesus never discriminated against women, and He even broke away from the Jewish ways to minister to women at various times.
Circumstances compelled Paul to discourage women from preaching and reading in public because the customs were different. Even today similar customs exists in various civilizations. However, we are to base our lives on the Word of God and not on customs. Regardless of customs and times, women have the same amount of faith as men – and they can exercise it with the same results because they are Believers. Galatians 3.26-29 instructs that there is neither male nor female as preferred in the sight of God, but we are all one in Christ Jesus!
One translation better clarifies Paul’s counsel in 1Timothy 2.12: “I don’t let women take over and tell the men what to do. They should study to be quiet and obedient along with everyone else.” Everyone was to be obedient and submissive to Christ.
Unlike the culture surrounding Jesus’ ministry, which still regarded females as inferior to males, Jesus honoured women and even permitted them to be His followers. In Acts chapter 1.13-15, in the upper room, Mary the mother of Jesus and the women who had followed Him were among the 120 disciples which received the infilling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said – “I urge you also, true companion, help these women who laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.” (Philippians 4.3) Some of these women who laboured with Paul in the gospel are listed in Romans 16:
- Aquila and Priscilla were a husband and wife team who preached the gospel and were fellow workers with Paul and laboured diligently with him in ministry.
- Andronicus and Junia, another husband and wife team who were fellow prisoners with Paul and “who were of note among the apostles…” (Romans 16.7)
- Tryphena and Tryphosa were twin sisters who preached the gospel and laboured together in the church (Romans 16.12)
God calls both men and women to preach and to hold leadership positions in the church.
