Republished December 20, 2006 (first published November 30, 2003) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org; for instructions about subscribing and unsubscribing or changing addresses, see the information paragraph at the end of the article) -

I received the following e-mail recently from a pastor:

“You are way off base with your theology on women preachers. Just because a women preaches does not mean she is exerting authority over men. You don’t have to be a pastor to preach the word or hold the office of a prophet. It is clear that women did prophecy and pray openly in the church both in the old and new Testaments. You know that.

“Perhaps if the men in many of our Baptist churches got on their knees and prayed a little more or got out to witness in their communities a little. God would not have to use women as much as He does. Do you yourself allow women any voice at all in the church? If you do, then you are guilty of a double standard because of your stand. Why don’t you send them all home and let the men do all of the teaching and all of the praying and all of the testimony if you really believe what you preach? The women can always ask the men what it is the preacher said and ask questions. Sorry my brother, but double talk don’t cut it with God!”

REPLY FROM BROTHER CLOUD

First of all I have a couple of verses that I would like to quote to you:

“He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Proverbs 18:13

“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” Job 38:2

These verses describe precisely what you are doing in your e-mail to me. You are speaking out of ignorance, ignorance not only of the Scripture but ignorance of what I teach on this subject. You would do well, my friend, to inform yourself before you speak out.

As for what I preach about the woman’s service to Christ, I do not teach that they cannot do anything or that they are nothing in the work of God. Far from it. I do believe that there are restrictions upon the woman’s ministry just as there are restrictions upon the man’s, and that is because the Bible plainly says so. If you want to ignore the Bible, you are welcome to do so, but ever since God saved me I have desired to obey it. Even men have scriptural restrictions on their ministries. Not all men, for example, can be pastors or deacons. God has high standards for those offices and has therefore restricted them only to certain men. Likewise, God has certain restrictions on the woman’s ministry.

As for the women leaders in the Old Testament, I have replied to that in the article “Women Leaders in the Bible.” See the Way of Life web site, the section on “Women” in the End Times Apostasy Database -- http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/fbns/fbns150.html

The following is what I teach about woman. This is a sermon I preached most recently in Korea last month. 

WOMEN IN THE WORK OF GOD

Introduction:

There are two errors among Christians in regard to the woman’s ministry: (1) Some teach that women can do anything. That is not Scriptural. (2) Others teach that women can do almost nothing. That also is not Scriptural.

Godly women have a large role in the work of God. Though they have some limitations and there are some restrictions upon their work, they should not be despised by the churches. The Bible often mentions women in an honorable manner.

THE LIMITATION TO THE WOMAN’S MINISTRY

1 TIMOTHY 2:11-15

 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.

 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved.

1. The woman is to have a humble, teachable spirit and is not to try to push herself into leadership positions (v. 11). Compare 1 Pet. 3:4.

2. There are two simple restrictions on the woman’s ministry

(“But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” 1 Tim. 2:12).

First, she is not allowed to usurp authority over the man.

Obviously, then, she can never hold a position such as pastor. In contrast to this biblical restriction we have churches today, such as the Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, Korea, pastored by David Yonggi Cho, which have many woman pastors.

It is also true that God’s standards for pastors and deacons do not fit a woman, in that one of the qualifications is that the officeholder be “the husband of one wife” (1 Tim. 3:2, 12). Also God has qualifications for the wives of pastors and deacons (1 Tim. 3:11), and it is obvious that He is therefore not talking about women pastors or deacons, because women don’t have wives!

Second, she is not allowed to teach men.

This does not mean that a woman can never talk to a man about the Lord. I do not believe it is wrong for a woman to give her testimony and to share Christ with men in a casual setting. Not long ago I received an e-mail from a woman who wanted to talk to her father-in-law about the Lord and she wanted to know if I thought that would be appropriate. I told her that she should definitely talk to her father-in-law about Christ.

The women who arrived first at Christ’s empty tomb were told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen (Matt. 28:7-8). This does not mean we can ignore plain restrictions in other passages, such as 1 Timothy 2:12, but it does tell us that women can testify to men under certain conditions.

What 1 Timothy 2:12 means that the woman cannot teach with authority; this is the context. Examples are teaching from the pulpit, teaching Sunday School classes, teaching at Bible conferences to mixed crowds of men and women, teaching at Bible colleges. When a woman stands before a mixed crowd that includes men and opens the Bible and preaches or teaches, she is taking authority. There is no more authoritative thing in the world than to teach or preach the Bible. God’s Word forbids a woman to do that.

3. God tells us the reason for these limitations (“For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Tim. 2:13-14).

First, the order of creation requires these limitations (v. 13). The woman was created after the man to be his helpmeet and not his head.

Second, the nature of the woman requires these limitations (v. 14). The woman was not created to lead but to serve and she was given the equipment to do the latter and not former. As a result of this, she is more easily deceived.

4. God tells us the woman’s greatest area of influence (“Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.” 1 Tim. 2:15).

In this verse Paul encourages the women not to be discouraged because of the fall but to know that they have a very important role in the world and in the church.

It is possible that this is a faint allusion to God’s promise to Eve that her seed would bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15), the prophecy of Christ’s coming as man’s Saviour. It is a great encouragement to godly women to remember that though the woman was the first sinner, the woman is also the instrument that God used to bring the Saviour into the world so that sinners would be redeemed. 

What this verse does not teach:

The verse is not teaching that women achieve eternal salvation in this manner. Salvation is not by faith and charity and sobriety. That would be a works salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith without works (Eph. 2:8-9).

It does not promise escape from the pain of childbirth. Godly women usually suffer as much as others in child­bearing.

It does not promise that a godly woman will never die in childbirth. Many godly women have died while bearing children.

Salvation is used here not in the sense of eternal salvation but in the sense of fruitfulness and purpose in this world. The main teaching of this verse is that the woman’s primary sphere of blessing in this world is the home and her work of bearing and training children. She shall “be saved” through the instrumentality of bringing up children and guiding the home, through the faithful performance of her duties as a wife and mother. “She shall be saved from the arts of impostors, and from the luxury and vice of the age, if, instead of wandering about, she remains at home, cultivates modesty, is subject to her husband, and engages carefully in the training of her children” (Wetstein).

The pronoun “they” refers either to women in general, to the woman and her husband, or to her children.

Women will be fruitful in this world if they continue faithfully in the things of God.

If she and her husband continue in the faith in a godly manner they together will raise godly children.

Likewise, if the children continue in faith in a godly manner, they will be the woman’s “salvation” (Prov. 22:6).

We see an example of this in Timothy’s mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15). Because of their faith in Christ and godliness and because they taught Timothy the Word of God, Timothy went on to serve Christ and God’s blessing was upon all of them as a result.

This is an encouragement to all women. Even single women and women who have no children can teach and influence children, by their relationship to children as aunts, cousins, in laws, etc., by Sunday School and Bible clubs and other children’s ministries.

1 CORINTHIANS 14:34-35

 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.

This is referring to teaching and prophesying. That is the context. The woman is not allowed to speak out in the church services in the sense of teaching or preaching. She is strictly forbidden to teach men or to usurp authority over men (1 Tim. 2:12). I do not believe it is appropriate for a woman to lead in public prayer in a mixed congregation. 1 Tim. 2:8 says it is the men who should lead in prayer. I do not believe that it is appropriate for a woman to lead the singing in a mixed congregation or choir. She simply should not be put into any position whereby she is exercising authority over men.

This is also forbids women to speak out and disturb the meetings with their questions and comments. Recently I heard from a pastor who was troubled about two women in his church who have the habit of speaking out during the teaching and thereby disturbing the service. This is forbidden in 1 Corinthians 14.

This does not mean, though, that a woman can never say anything in church. She can sing and testify in due order. A woman can testify about what God has done in her life without getting into a teaching mode, but she must be very careful that she limits herself to a proper capacity. If there is an open question and answer time, I believe women can participate, but she is not to blurt out questions in a disorderly fashion in other contexts. What Paul is warning about in the context of 1 Corinthians 14 is disorderliness and the exercise of ministry gifts.

THE BLESSING OF THE WOMAN’S MINISTRY

Though there are restrictions upon the woman’s ministry in the Word of God, there are also many encouragements for the woman to serve the Lord. Women are very valuable in this world and in the service of Christ.

“...if women have mastered men for evil, they have also mastered them for good -- we gladly make declaration that some of the fairest and most fragrant flowers that grow in the garden of God and some of the sweetest and most luscious fruit that ripens in God’s spiritual orchards are there because of woman’s faith, woman’s love, woman’s prayer, woman’s virtue, woman’s tears, woman’s devotion to Christ” (R.G. Lee, Payday Someday).

Consider some of the ways that God has used women:

• It was a woman who brought Jesus into the world.
• Many women assisted Jesus during His earthly ministry (Lk. 8:2-3).
• It was a woman who anointed Jesus for His burial prior to His death (Mat. 26:6-13).
• It was mostly women who stood at the cross (Mat. 27:55-56).
• It was women who observed Jesus’ burial and who came to anoint Jesus after He was dead (Lk. 23:55-56).
• It was women who first came to the empty tomb and first believed the resurrection (Mat. 28:1-6).
• It was women who first reported the resurrection to the apostles (Mat. 28:7-8).
• Women were waiting with the men in the upper room for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14).
• Women are very, very important in church work, too (Romans 16:1-5). Many of the first Christians were women (Acts 17:4, 12), such as Lydia the first convert of Philippi (Acts 16:14).
• Women can teach other women (Titus 2:3-5).
• Women can teach children. Women such as Lois and Eunice trained up young workers for the Lord (2 Tim. 1:5).
• Women can witness and bring sinners to Christ.
• Women are crucial in the work of building strong spiritual homes so that the church is thereby strengthened in the Lord.

Consider three Bible examples of this:

Lydia is an example of the blessing of a godly woman to the work of God (Acts 16:12-15, 40). She was the first convert in Philippi. She then influenced her entire household to trust Christ. After she was saved she begged Paul and Silas to stay as guests in her home. The Bible says “she constrained” them. This means she was a very persuasive woman! The church at Philippi started in Lydia’s home. In Acts 16:40, when Paul and Silas were loosed from jail they came first to Lydia’s home and there they “comforted the brethren.” It is obvious that this is where the church was accustomed to meet. This godly businesswoman was a very important member of the early churches.

Phebe is another example (Rom. 16:1-2). She was a servant of one church, the church at Cenchrea, which was near Corinth. This teaches us the importance of church membership and the importance of faithfulness to the church. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ, but we serve Him in this world through the church. Those who despise the church today despise the work of God. Phebe was doing the work of the Lord. She was on business pertaining to Paul and to her church. Many believe that she was carrying the Epistle of Romans. Paul instructed the believers to treat her with respect and to give her whatever assistance she needed.

Priscilla is another example. She worked with her husband in starting churches (Romans 16:3-5). She assisted her husband in instructing Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). In some passages Paul mentions Priscilla first, before her husband (Acts 18:18; Rom. 16:3). This might mean that she was the more zealous Christian of the two, or it could mean that her husband spent more of his time with the tent business while she spent most of her time in the spiritual ministry, or it could mean that Paul was closer to her. Whatever the exact reason, it is a fact that Paul honored her and valued her as a servant of the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Questions for the women:

• Are you saved like Phebe? Before you can serve Christ, you must be born into God’s family (Phebe was called “our sister.”) Are you sure you have been born again? If you are saved, your life will be changed (2 Cor. 5:17).
• Are you faithful to the church like Phebe?
• Are you serving God zealously like Phebe?
• Are you in fellowship with your husband like Priscilla?

Questions for the men:

• Are you saved like Aquilla, who was “in Christ Jesus”?
• Are you serving God together with your wife like Aquilla?
• Is the church important to you like it was with Aquilla?