Should Women Speak, Teach, or Preach in the Church?

In the book of 1 Timothy, we read that as a church leader, Paul teaches Timothy to not allow women to speak, nor teach, nor usurp authority over a man at all.

The first question we might ask ourselves is “Why should I listen to the book of Timothy?” Here is what the apostle Paul says of Timothy in 1 Corinthians.

For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. ~1 Corinthians 4:17 KJV

Timothy’s instruction came from the Apostle Paul who is a master builder in Christ. Therefore, Timothy was being taught to hold fast to the doctrine that came from Paul in order to teach Christians how to be Christian. Paul instructs,

[1] Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. [2] Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. ~1 Corinthians 11:1-2 KJV

Paul also instructed the Christians that the foundation that he built is Christ. Others must be careful what they build upon his foundation. In other words, Paul’s foundation ought to be the foundation for any and all Christian preachers and Timothy carries this on.

[10] According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. [11] For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ~1 Corinthians 3:10-11 KJV

Paul also instructs the Corinthians,

[34] Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. [35] And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. [36] What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? [37] If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. [38] But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. ~1 Corinthians 14:34-38 KJV

Paul reinforces the doctrine of Christ to Timothy,

[11] Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. [12] But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. [13] For Adam was first formed, then Eve. [14] And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. ~1 Timothy 2:11-14 KJV

So, we see that Paul points to who was formed first and then from whom the original sin began to explain the reason that women must be silent.

Let’s look at Eve’s main problems.

1. She was talked out of believing God’s word, which means she compromised.1Genesis 3:3-4 KJV [3] “… But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’” [4] And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die:…”

2. She was tempted by the idea of exaltation. 2 Genesis 3:5-6 KJV [5] “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” [6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Through her actions, she disabled the man.

Ladies, this cannot happen.  This is how the devil was able to get to the man.  Certainly men have other avenues of temptation, but the fact that this is how sin began speaks volumes.

Paul, an apostle, spoke the words of the Lord.  Furthermore, as a master builder who built the foundation of Christ, his commands about women in the church were the commandments of the Lord.  Many people have a problem with this even though Jesus is the Word of God and the Word of God is the Holy Bible, but the facts are there.  

It is difficult for many of today’s Christian women to accept the biblical instruction regarding quiet submission in church because most of today’s churches allow women to speak in church, to teach in church, or even to pastor churches.

So why does it still matter?

As we know, the Bible is the Word of God that is the same, yesterday, today, and forever; the word of God endures forever. The New Testament teachings were not meant to be modified to a new model of church or Christian because the apostle Paul laid the foundation, which is Christ.

Now to explain Eve’s transgression that has affected women unto this day, nearly every woman can agree that the top two things that the female gender tends to do is to compromise such as with men, opportunities, or selling themselves and to desire self-exaltation such as with beauty or the super-woman mentality.

This automatically may be offensive, but we must adhere to what the Lord commands us to avoid. Plus, we all know that women process life uniquely from men.

To prove this, just think about how the world targets women through advertising, exploitation, or think about many of the mainstream songs that women sing.

If a woman begins speaking, teaching, or pastoring a church, the idea is that she becomes deceived because she gives in to compromises and self-exaltation. We no longer have to guess if this would be true because the evidence is clear not only in the world but in the body of Christ; loud, lax, worldly, or clamorous female pastors; church gatherings with fashion shows and fancy dinners among women; and women leading men as church teachers—or in group situations where they should not—are some of the examples. Although they mean well, they have defiled the church because they have ignored or do not understand God’s model.

Through the master builder Paul, and his mentored, Christian son Timothy, here is what the Lord commands:

Women are not allowed to speak in church and if they have a question about something in church, ask their husband at home.

Women are not allowed to teach in church.

Women are not allowed to hold positions of authority over a man in church

If any women go against these teachings originally taught by Paul, they are not believing God’s word, because they are convinced otherwise. This brings us back to the original temptation of Eve in the garden; compromise.

At this point, many might be thinking that we do not adhere to this because “we are no longer under the curse or the law.” However, weren’t Paul, Timothy, and the congregations they taught, “born again” too? Of course, so let us not compromise. This command still remains in full effect.

The Lord’s desire is for us to be empowered through the safety of rejecting these temptations in the church.  This protects us from the woman’s ultimate weaknesses seen through Eve, it protects the position of the man because God saw that the woman is the man’s weakness, and it helps to protect the holiness of the church.

So as you can see, most of us have been taught by the last couple generations of churches that we no longer have a law and that these things don’t matter, but they are simply not telling you the whole story.  You ought to be upset about that because those preachers are misleading their flock by their disobedience.  I reiterate what Paul said after he told them that these were the commandments of the Lord.

But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. ~1 Corinthians 14:38 KJV

Further reading:

Read about what Jesus has against the church of Thyatira beginning at Revelation 2:18.

Read about what Christian women can do.