We are teaching through the Pastoral Epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus). Today, on June 14, we are handling one of the more controversial passages in the NT and the Pastoral Epistles. The links provided below are intended to supplement the study of those who hear today’s message.
We are doing this as part of our series on “Church Matters” at Hillside. Our thesis is that church matters matter to God and so they should matter to us. 1 Timothy 3:14-15 tells us that there is a wrong way and a right way to do church, in God’s sight. Consequently, the Holy Spirit tells us through the pen of the Apostle Paul that He writes so that Timothy (the recipient of Paul’s letter) will know how to conduct himself (and teach or show others how to conduct themselves) in the household of God, the Church of the living God, the foundation and buttress of the truth (1 Timothy 3:14-15).
Paul begins with a discussion of doctrine and its importance. We find this discussion in 1 Timothy 1:3, jumping to this topic immediately after the letter’s greeting. In discussing the importance of doctrine first, God sets our priorities in order—which is the purpose for this Epistle to the Church at Ephesus. Timothy was based in Ephesus at the time doing a church reset. We also discussed how important doctrine is because it determines practice. We looked to Jesus’ discussion of doctrine in John 4, with the woman at the well. From doctrine, we went to 1 Timothy 2, with a discussion of proper practice within the worship services and moving into chapter 3, the right kinds of people to lead the church in teaching and spiritual leadership (1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6ff). It is in the midst of this discourse that one encounters that verse that confounds so many, 1 Timothy 2:12.
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. (1 Timothy 2:12)
This verse is part of a larger discourse (1 Timothy 2:11-15). As a man, it’s always difficult to teach this passage because of the variety of effects it has upon women who hear. It’s never easy to explain. With this in mind, I thought to add two resources written by women on this sensitive subject.
The first is by Mary Kassian. Mary Kassian is an author, speaker, and professor of women’s studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, KY. She has written quite a few books, studies, and appeared in videos including but not limited to: Girls Gone Wise, The Right Kind of Strong, as well as the article we are linking to at the Desiring God website. Her article is entitled, “Women Teaching Men—How Far is Too Far.” You can find it here. Kassian asks and answers questions relating to a practical and biblical working out of how far is too far. She takes a sane, serious, and careful approach to the topic.
The second article is more of a technical, exegetical study of the passage by Ann L. Bowman. Ann L. Bowman, a seminary professor and writer, looks at the flow of the passage, the grammatical structures, and does a verse by verse lexical-syntactical analysis to understand and provide answers to the tough questions people wrestle through as they confront 1 Timothy 2:11-15). Her article was published in Bibliotheca Sacra, the well-respected theological journal of Dallas Theological Seminary. You can find her article here and download it in pdf form.
What I appreciate about these two writers is their serious and biblical approach. There are many unserious discussions these days, relating to these topics. Neither Kassian nor Bowman appeal to emotion, as so many do. They do not attempt to discredit the passage with a “hath God really said approach,” ala Genesis 3. They provide a straightforward and serious discussion of the meaning of the text and its implications for women in ministry. I hope you will give these articles a read, particularly given the era in which we live. They also provide us with a good witness as both women are good Bereans who search the Scripture to see if these things are true. In so doing, they set an example worthy of our emulation.