Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
I Timothy 2:11-12
Does this mean a woman shouldn’t be allowed to preach in the church?
In this blog post, Peter Akerele my brother in Christ sheds more light on this portion of the scripture and answers my above question.
Peter Akerele:
This doesn’t say a woman should not teach in church.
As the writer Paul himself made mention of women who were apostles of his own caliber even before him in the faith.
Romans 16:7 KJV
Salute *Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.*
These two women were apostles and going by the definition of an apostle.
1. Someone who has seen Christ (means they were around during the time of Jesus)
2. Someone who manifests in all dimension the gift of the spirit
So Paul won’t say a woman shouldn’t preach in church when, women apostles were part of the people who trained him, and learned under their tutelage.
Also Priscilla and Aquila, trained Apollo who went to the Corinthians church.
Romans 16:3,5 KJV
Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: [5] *Likewise greet the church that is in their house*. Salute my well beloved Epaenetus, who is the first fruit of Achaia unto Christ.
So they were Pastors of churches.
From my own studies, women are usually used to raise male apostles. as seen from scriptures and also contemporary christianity.
Katherine kuhlman, Maria woodworth etter, are women whose ministries have raised more outstanding male apostles compared to many ministries headed by men.
So if God wanted women to be silent in the church He won’t have given them so much bestowment of graces in the apostolic just to be quiet.
*Having said that, now to the verses that follow 1 Timothy 2:11-12
The next verses give the clue to the answer
1 Timothy 2:13-14 KJV
1 Timothy 2:13-14 KJV
For Adam was first formed, then Eve. [14] And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
The question here is about headship.
This matter began from the Corinthians’ church who were very high in spirit and spirit giftings, that a man could be preaching and prophecy will break forth and a woman could start to prophecy for the next 2 hours. They were authentic prophetic words and after she finishes another woman would begin.
As naturally and from my own observation women are more prophetic in nature than men. So this became an issue in the Corinthians’ church that was now beginning to spread to other churches.
So Paul in trying to correct it referred to Eden where the man was the head and not the woman and the woman was first deceived.
Question is why did he refer back to Eden?
Eden was the heaven to earth portal at that time, as God came there in the cool of the day to fellowship with man. And in that fellowship man was the head.
No human service or fellowship can be up to the one that was in Eden until Jesus comes.
So Paul was trying to tell us that no matter how high in spirit in a service, it cannot be as high as the one in Eden and a man should be the head of it. So before a woman will begin to say thus saith the Lord under prophetic utterances the man should have permitted it.
I will give illustrations to answer this base on some church Setting:
1. If a man is ministering so high in spirit and then a prophecy breaks forth from the congregation both men and women. From that verse a man can speak without even being told he has to speak, but for a woman she as to be told to no matter how prophetic the message is.
If she begins to speak the man can quiet her.
2. If a man is absent and then, there is a word from the Lord, a woman can speak.
3. 1 Timothy 2:12 KJV
But I suffer not a woman to teach, *nor to usurp authority over the man*, but to be in silence.
Women generally want to be in authority, and do it whatever way they can.
1 Timothy 2:14 KJV
And Adam was not deceived, *but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.*
So a woman can be deceived easily as much as they can easily pick up prophetic utterances. As Eve was in a surrounding of the Highest possible spiritual atmosphere on earth but was deceived.
Now it gets interesting………
Does it mean a woman’s prophecy are not as potent as a man’s? No!.
Foursquare gospel church was founded by a woman, a very strong Prophet indeed.
4. If a woman is called to Ministry before she got married to a man who isn’t called to Ministry. She must accept that the man becomes the director of her head in that ministry even if the man only knows John 3:16.
Scenario:
If the woman has a crusade invitation to Brazil tomorrow at 5pm and the husband is already aware. If the husband now tells her 4:59pm not to go again.
No matter how well she as prayed and knows that God has sent her, the instruction from the man not to go is superior. If she still goes she does it in transgression.
That’s why if you check most women in ministry hardly want to get married so as not to be in subjection to certain laws, if they do they get married late.
And also want to be double sure that the man won’t wake up one day and be like
5. If the woman wasn’t called to Ministry before marriage and received the call while in marriage. That call is no call until the husband approves of it even if it take 20 years for him to.
6. If both of them are in ministry and the woman seems to have more flow of the anointing or spirit of God. If the man asks her not to minister again, no matter how annointed, the man’s authority is superior.
In wrapping up,
1 Timothy 2:12 KJV
But I suffer not a woman to teach, *nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.*
Authority is the question mark here.
If the woman can get the authority from the man without usurping the man, or violence etc. The woman can teach in the church, the woman can teach to other women and men also, as long as the male leaders in the church have given her the authority to do so.
If she is the owner of the church, she has nobody to meet for authority or clearance, so she is free to teach.
While Paul made the statement so explicitly is because women are always present in the church than men and easily connect to the spirit and hence are quick to talk.
If all conditions are met she can minister to both men who gave her the authority and women. Should the man fall under the holy ghost from his seat, it doesn’t concern her because she has taken permission.