1 Timothy 2:11,12 - In quietness and full submission

2:11,12

For an in depth look at this see the link in yesterday’s post. What I write here will be much shorter. Let’s first look at the meaning. Society in those days was very much male dominated, much so than today’s Western societies. The gospel brought tremendous freedom and worth to women. Luke’s gospel, especially, brings out this side of things. It is possible that some women were abusing this liberty. The instruction was specifically aimed at women, but we should all learn in “quietness and full submission” to leadership. There are some grounds for translating “woman” in v11 and 12 as “wife”, though woman seems the best translation. When given freedom a human reaction can be to abuse that freedom. Women were not allowed to teach or have authority over men. Now the key issue here is this. Is Paul giving an instruction that applied just to the situation he was writing to, or is it meant to be an instruction for all churches in all ages? I said a little more about this matter yesterday and I think it is hard to make a decision on this. One could say the instruction is clear, and so it applies for all time. Or one could say that such an injunction does not fit with the tenor of the whole of Scripture, and so was just an instruction for its time.

I tend to favour the latter and am quite happy with women teaching. However, it is very wise to be aware of the differences between men and women. Men will tend to be more authoritative in their teaching (in some cases), than women, and for a church to function properly I believe it is essential for men to exercise Godly authority in a Christlike manner. However, men and women should work together. It is generally unwise for a man to counsel a woman alone, or a woman to counsel a man alone.

We should also note Paul’s respect for the cultural situation. The gospel does turn things upside down, but this does not mean we ignore the cultural realities of the situation we operate in.