As the world continues to spiral slowly out of control, it also affects the church. The absolute authority of God's Word is being diminished for equity and equality in all things. The church is adopting society's evolving standards and social agendas to attract more people. It allows women to hold pastoral roles so they don't hurt anyone's feelings and appear as misogynistic, racist bigots. Compromise is becoming the key to fulfilling the Great Commission. (See Hegelian Dialectic)
Throughout church history, Theologians have used the rules of Hermeneutics, a process used for thousands of years to determine such things as contracts, legal matters, authorship, and, specifically, to translate and exegete (interpret) the Scriptures correctly. Without using these rules, the Bible is open to personal suppositional interpretation (i.e., heresy) using narcigesis, eisegesis, and even psychogesis, which are various ways to make it mean what a person wants it to say rather than what it says. Words can only mean what the original author intended them to mean in their grammatical and historical context. A text taken out of context is a pretext for a proof text to twist God's word into a pretzel.
It is a fact that women in the church are under-appreciated and under-utilized in all categories. Many gifted and anointed women could do better at preaching and teaching than many men. However, it isn't gifting or anointing that is the issue, but God's divine order and calling. We cannot come to His Word with a social agenda and make it fit our wants. Instead, we must change and adapt to what it says.
God created an authority structure for His people to abide by authority and balance in the universe, the family (Genesis 1-2,3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-21), and in the church (1 Timothy 2:11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:8-9). God made Adam first and then Eve to be his helper.
The New Testament teaches there is a difference between the roles of men and women. In the Old Testament, every Priest was a male because they were ordained by God to hold the important office of ministering the sacrifices. From Genesis to Revelation, the office of Pastor/Shepherd/Elder was held by a man. This is the authoritative order of creation (1 Timothy 2:11-14).
Being a Pastor/Shepherd/Elder is to be in the place of authority. Allowing women to hold those positions contradicts the biblical command. Women played important roles in the Bible, such as Phoebe in the church at Cenchrea (Romans 16:1). Women supported the Apostles in many areas and were great helpers in the church (Act 2:17; 18:24; 21:8).
The differences between roles are based on God's choice of creation and have nothing to do with one's spiritual gifts. The Scriptural directives concerning these roles don't fall into the category of things we can agree to disagree on. God chose to make men and women different, and they have different responsibilities as they work together to serve Him. Even though it was Eve who the devil deceived, she was not held responsible. As the head of humanity, Adam was held accountable for sin entering the DNA of the human race, and as a result, everyone dies (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Under the Old Covenant, only a Jew received an inheritance in Israel. Gentiles and enslaved people did not receive any inheritance. Under the New Covenant, men and women in Christ equally receive an inheritance (Galatians 3:28-29). Both men and women are co-equal members of the household of God and joint heirs of the blessings in Christ. All Born-Again Christians are meant to be subject to each other (1 Peter 5:5).
The New Testament church is patterned after the Old Testament synagogue (Nehemiah 8:4,8). Preaching and teaching from the pulpit in a church is an authoritative act. The New Covenant presents an authority structure unique to the church, the body of Christ.
The book of Timothy discusses this structure as it addresses a plurality of groups in general (women, overseers, and deacons). Prayer is discussed for a tranquil life and God's desire to save everyone (1 Timothy 2:1-6). Men (Gk: 'andras') are implored to pray (1 Timothy 2:6-8). Instructions are given to women, and not just an individual "woman" (Gk: 'gune") as the word refers to a woman of any age, whether a virgin, married, or a widow, about adornment, submission, teaching, and leadership authority (1 Timothy 2:12). Women and childbearing are also discussed (1 Timothy 2:15). More instructions are then given about the requirements for men to be overseers and deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13).
Women are to learn in entire submissiveness because of the created order and that Eve was deceived first (1 Timothy 2:9-14). The Greek word for "teach" is 'didasko' which means teach for learning (1 Timothy 4:11, 6:2; 2 Timothy 2:2). In context, it refers to teaching sound doctrine. The Greek word 'heterodidaskaleo' is used twice in the New Testament when referring to teaching heretical doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3,6:3).
It is important to note that throughout the first three chapters, the plural is used when describing those who teach error (heresy) and not the singular, except for two named individuals, Hymenaeus and Alexander. The discussion is exclusively about teaching men.
The word "quiet" is the Greek word "hesuchia" and is used only four times in the New Testament. It means to be still in serene and quiet, peaceful meekness, not causing a disturbance. It does not mean absolute silence (Gk: 'sigao') (1 Timothy 2:12).
The best way to examine a Bible verse is in its context and to look for a statement in the book that declares the purpose of what is written. The issue of authority regarding the role of men and women is meant to be in the context of "the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15 ESV). The question of whether a woman can be a teaching Pastor/Shepherd is not a culturally based opinion of the first century or misogynistic chauvinism of the 21st, but instead of church doctrine.
In the church, God assigned different roles that were not geographic or time specific to men and women. As previously stated, this results from how humanity was created and sin entered the world. It has nothing to do with a person's intellect or educational status. If that were true, most of Jesus' disciples would be disqualified (1 Timothy 2:13–14).
Just as God, the Father, is the head of Jesus, God, the Son, in the plan of redemption, a man is the head of a woman (1 Corinthians 11:3,10). Even though Jesus is equal to the Father and possesses the fullness of the Godhead as 100% fully God and 100% fully man, He still humbled Himself under the authority of the Father. Both men and women are equally instructed by God to humble themselves according to His will and to consider each other more highly than themselves (Romans 12:3).
The Bible says that women are not to serve in any role which involves the authoritative spiritual teaching of men, such as a Pastor/Shepherd/Elder (1 Timothy 2:12-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1:6-9). Jesus hand-picked 12 men to be His Apostles (Matthew 10:2). Church leaders are described as the "husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive" (1 Timothy 3:2-4 ESV). The violation of God's command that women are not to instruct men in the Scriptures or hold improper authority over men is a behavioral sin like any other. It is not a doctrinal issue.
Women are encouraged to function in the edifying and exhorting gift of prophecy, proclaim the Gospel to the lost, and teach and lead other women and children (Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Peter 3:15; Titus 2:3-5). The only exclusion is that they are forbidden to teach "over the man" (1 Timothy 2:12).
Many women of faith are spoken of in Scripture, but none held authoritative positions in a Synagogue or church. Sadly, the truth is that women in the church are often underappreciated, underused, and undervalued because men have failed time and time again in their authoritative roles in both the church and in their households. However, that does not change the order that God laid out when He created the first man, Adam, as the head of mankind and then created Eve, the first woman (1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 5:12). Just as Jesus is the head of the church, the husband is the head of the wife, and men are to be the authoritative teaching Pastor/Shepherd/Elder in the church (Ephesians 5:23).
The Bible gives no command regarding women as Pastors/Shepherds/Elders. However, they are commanded to be "dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things" (1 Timothy 3:11).
God's grace saves every person who becomes Born-Again according to His promises, and it does not matter if a person is a Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, or female because salvation is a free gift offered to all.
"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. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." (Galatians 3:28-29 ESV).
