Book of 1 Timothy - Ch. 2, v. 12 | Part 2

All right, everybody small group today, but that is just fine. We're gonna jump into it pick up right where we left off last week and go from there. So first Timothy chapter 2 still in verse 12, we still have some ground to cover here and The main reason we're parking here for a little bit.

Testing Interpretations Against the Whole Counsel of Scripture

We talked about it Quite a bit last week. It'll take up the entirety of today's lesson and probably next week as well. Because I keep mentioning to you all that I want to look specifically at some Objections to the interpretation that we have been taking with this passage and holding it up against scripture and seeing.

You know whether or not they they hold water. How do we know that the interpretation we take is worth anything, you know, anybody anybody can have an interpretation. The question is is it the proper? Interpretation and so the only way you can ever The only way you can ever ascertain that is by holding it up against scripture seeing what is consistent what is consistent with the entire message of scripture and.

And go from there. So we still have quite a bit. I want to get into here not necessarily to Belabor the point too much on this verse or to hang out here for an unnecessary amount of time. But I do think it is important.

Because of kind of where we're at today and the various attacks that this passage receives I do think it's worth the the amount of time we have been taking and we'll take for a little bit longer. So with that being said, let's remind ourselves where we're at.

So in verse First Timothy chapter 2 I'll start in verse 11 again. Through verse 12 the Apostle Paul says let women excuse me. 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.

So you have a little bit of a refrain there? With regard to the way in which a woman is to learn scriptural truths and things of that sort but in parallel with her specific Specific behavior while doing so as well.

And so we've been talking about this quite a bit in verse 12 we Honed in a little bit on what Paul specifically has in mind with regard to teach at the very beginning of verse 12. And that's really where we left off last week is just the very first part of verse 12.

I suffered not a woman to teach we're asking the question. What does it mean to teach and as we went through we saw that. You can you can make an argument that Paul has a specific context in mind here.

Because of the fact that God's words are intrinsically authoritative. The explanation of those words the teaching of those words in and of itself is also authoritative now. Even that by itself doesn't automatically bar a woman from teaching or Explaining God's Word.

In fact, that's where we left off was. Are there appropriate contexts in which a woman can do that? We already answered the question. The answer is yes. We just need to look at scripture to see when what those are but where where Paul takes it further is specifically in the context of woman to man and That being the part that is inappropriate.

He ends up grounding his argument, of course in the creation order. We haven't even gotten to that yet. That's verses 13 and 14 as to why this has to be this particular way but for now again, we're just kind of honing in on teach what that means and and last week we concluded with the reality that of course the type of teaching that Paul has in mind is A specific part of the job description for a pastor because of its innate authoritative nature.

We're talking specifically about the the public assembly for for now Women may not teach in the way that a pastor is supposed to teach. And as we will get to here just a little bit it is also true in the household as well.

But we'll get to that in just a moment, so that's just brief review What I want to do and we kind of rushed through this at the very end of last week. But I told you all we would revisit it and slow down a little bit.

Women Teaching Children and the Authority of Christian Instruction

So That's what we're gonna do at this point. We're gonna pause our study of the text of verse 12 for just a moment and Consider a few of the other contexts throughout scripture in which Perhaps we see or will see that a woman is to teach without violating the command of 1st Timothy 2 12.

So let's go through this and if y 'all want to turn with me 1st to 2nd Timothy chapter 1 so just hop over one book and We already looked fast at what the contexts are at least a couple of them. But now I want to actually show you the scripture where we get that from where you know, we're not just making it up.

We have Passages that show us this is this is how this is to be done. This is in fact appropriate. So the first thing is we know that it is appropriate for women to teach in an authoritative way Children God's Word and of course everything pertaining to Christian living.

We learned that a number of areas, but one of the most amazing ones is right here 1st Timothy chapter 1. Look at verse 5 the Apostle Paul still talking to Timothy in a different letter now He says when I call to remembrance The unfamed faith that is in you talking to Timothy which dwelt first in my grandmother Lois and my mother Eunice and I am persuaded that in the also.

It's in a later verse in that same book he implies That of course his upbringing was largely His grandmother and mother were largely involved in his upbringing specifically a spiritual upbringing and teaching him the scriptures.

He was very well versed in the Old Testament scriptures even at the time that Paul first met him and so that carried over Beautifully into his own ministry. But what we have here is a narrative that gives us that little inside.

That little bit of insight into the fact that mothers and even grandmothers play a significant role in The spiritual nourishment the spiritual upbringing the spiritual teaching of the next generation.

So that's really cool. Dad just for a second. The other night when we were at your we were doing your The 50th anniversary party and you gave your you were given your little talk at the end a little speech at the end the toast and You mentioned how?

You use the analogy of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. As an analogy with Virginia joy in you because dad's grandfather was a reprobate. So that left his grandmother is really the pillar of the truth in the home.

To the next generation, which was Nana. My papa Fred Mitchell was an incredibly godly man later in life. So when dad was younger Papa wasn't so much the best spiritual leader of the house the way that he would have been later when he started growing and Sitting here in brother Otis's class.

So he had Virginia in Nana joy kind of carrying the torch and then you have dad and of course that works as an analogy. But in this story you have pretty much an apples-to-apples. Comparison you had the grandmother of Eunice or I can't remember which was which you had Eunice then Lois.

I think Lois was the mother and then Timothy and why was that? Well is because Timothy's dad was a Greek and we don't know he may have been saved at some point. We're not told what we do know is that he was a Greek and that because of that Timothy relied on his mother and grandmother to teach him the scriptures because they were Jewish.

And so anyway, that's a really neat. It's a neat story. It's a neat story that we have here. But the principle that we learn from it is that women are to teach in an authoritative way children in this context.

Because they need it. They need that type of spiritual nourishment from their mothers as well as their fathers, even though it doesn't. The mother doesn't replace the father's spiritual headship. She's a part of it.

She is an extension of the father's authority. And so she is to do that so we so we know that we know that it's appropriate for women to teach authoritatively to children. We also know that it's appropriate for older women to teach Younger women God's Word and everything pertaining to Christian life.

Older Women Teaching Younger Women in Titus

If you want to look at Titus with me for a second. Of course, we looked at this in detail when we studied verse by verse through Titus before we started first Timothy but in Titus chapter 2 Starting at verse 3.

It says this the aged Women likewise that they be that they be in behavior as becometh holiness not false accusers not given to much wine. Teachers of good things you see the the phrase they're teachers of good things that they may teach and then Paul qualifies.

Specifically what he wants them doing what sphere he wants them focusing their teaching within. That they may teach the young women to be sober to love their husbands to love their children to be discreet Chased keepers at home good obedient to their own husbands that the Word of God may not be blasphemed.

Now when you look at that very last phrase there that puts an incredible amount of responsibility on these older women. To not only do the job but to do the job well so that the Word of God itself may not be blasphemed.

So this is you know. Unfortunately in our modern day in our modern culture the aged as Paul puts it here our seniors old people, which is not which should not be taken as a you know, a Bad phrase in by any means not if you're thinking biblically because that phrase is used in the Old Testament in a positive Connotation our culture has made our seniors but you know has led them to believe that you know, their job is somehow kind of done at the time that.

Their kids are out of the house and maybe certainly when they reach retirement age and then they just kind of separate themselves. And I'm talking generally, of course. Generally speaking they separate themselves.

Maybe they go off they start spending their retirement. Whatever it may be when biblically speaking the job is not done until we enter the grave. Okay, we have very very important callings in every phase of life.

We can minister maybe in different ways, but all the way to the very end this of course why Paul talks about finishing. Well finishing the race. Well, he didn't mean at 70. He meant at the end of our life when we meet the Lord for the first time and so think about the importance.

Of course, this is older women in the same passage. We're also there's also the older men teaching younger men to. Think about the importance of doing that job and doing it. Well, if it's not done, well the Word of God can be blasphemed.

That's how important it is. We can't lose sight of these things our culture has the church has at large. But it doesn't mean we have to so we now know scripturally speaking. It is appropriate for women to teach authoritatively to children and even younger women.

The Virtuous Woman’s Instruction Through Godly Conduct

Without violating the command not to teach in 1st Timothy 2 12. What about beyond that though? We also know that it's appropriate for godly women. And this is interesting to speak in a way That is consistent with godly behavior in just in doing that alone.

It is instructive in kind of a unique special way. Look at Proverbs with me for a second. The virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Proverbs 31 26 here King Lemuel who is the one writing this particular chapter of Proverbs in verse 26 say it talking about the virtuous woman says She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Another way you could translate that last clause. There is. On her tongue is the teaching of kindness. So what this tells us here is this isn't necessarily a Didactic type of teaching where you're in front of a chalkboard and you're lecturing and you're going through.

You know going through bullet points or something like that what it's talking about is that in the behavior itself in the way that a person presents itself in this case a Woman a virtuous woman of God her very behavior when done correctly is itself instructive.

It itself teaches those around those around her what godliness is to look like and. So there is a kind of a unique form of teaching here. It's not again It's not in the same what in the excuse me. It's not the same type of teaching that is in view in 1st Timothy chapter 2, but it is a form of teaching.

So It's not Paul's prohibition in chapter 2 verse 12 is Not exhaustive to the point that it Forbids women to teach children to teach younger women or to even allow their behavior in the way They talk to also be instructive in a special way.

She opened up her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law or the teaching of kindness. And I feel like this is pretty a pretty good parallel to all of the passages We see throughout the Proverbs that is instructing children to never stray from the law of their mother and so there is absolutely kind of this air of instructive behavior and This teaching behavior that is always present in the godly woman.

And so we need to keep that in mind as well. But what about a level deeper than that? You know these make sense to us. They they they're consistent so far the consistency between these passages and What we have in 1st Timothy chapter 2 they fit together.

Perfectly, but it there is another level to it. Does this prohibition being that women cannot teach men in any context whatsoever? Well, I'll just leave it at that in any context whatsoever. This is the point where?

We look at some scriptures that are often used to try to undermine Paul's argument in 1st Timothy chapter 2. They are scriptures that are very fascinating that are worth considering. The question is do they somehow contradict other scriptures?

Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos in Acts 18

So at this point we have a few interesting biblical narratives that show us that it is possible. Okay, it is possible for a woman to be in a place of instructing with another man present. But here's the key in the scriptures lay this out for us in a second the key is that When that happens it is from a position of submission it's from a position of subjection to Her husband or perhaps her pastor depending on the scenario.

I'll get married a second there. No, it doesn't bother me at all. You all could turn with me to X chapter 18, I just feel bad for it. She's really struggling there. X chapter 18 this is of course a very well-known passage within this particular conversation and it is I'm gonna use a term that I don't typically like but it is appropriate in some context.

It is often weaponized quote-unquote by feminists by egalitarian theologians to essentially try to show that what Paul is saying in first Timothy 2 doesn't actually mean what he's saying and Again, they jump through hoops, but it we do need to look at this and we need to consider some of the implications here.

So in Acts chapter 18 verse 26. Well just for a little context you can go up to verse 24 talking about Apollos and a certain Jew named Apollos born at Alexandria an eloquent man in Mighty in the scriptures came to Ephesus.

So what we know is we're dealing with a guy who was already formidable as a teacher as a theologian. He's mighty in the scriptures. He knows the the scriptures well, which of course at this particular time in history would have been only the Old Testament.

That was the Christian Bible in the first century even part of the second century was the Old Testament in Greek. That's how we know they are Christian scriptures. At this point after the cross the cross changed a lot of things go ahead.

Yannick. Oh, it's acts 18 and I'm starting to verse 24. Just a little bit of context. The main verse is 26 though. So Apollos is mighty in the scriptures. He's a mighty mighty theologian in verse 25. It says this man was instructed in the way of the Lord and being fervent in the spirit.

He spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord knowing only the baptism of John so. Super fascinating point in history here church history because we have to remember is every age or to use to use the other term dispensation.

That there are overlaps in them all the time. This is true of the Covenants as well. Often there's an overlap in the Covenants. It's not like a clean break and so you have one ending as the other has already begun and In this particular case here you have Jesus already ascended to the right hand of power.

The Church Age has begun in full force. The birth of the church has already taken place at Pentecost and yet you still have some Christians in this case Apollos who only knew of the baptism of John the Baptist and who were Not did not yet have the full picture of what the gospel really was.

And so that brings us to verse 26, which is our key verse here and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. He had the zeal he had the fervor. He was ready to expand the kingdom of God. But look at what it says next.

Whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard they took him in unto them and expounded it to him the way of God more perfectly. So number one Apollos still needed Some expounding he needed the word expounded to him even more.

He needed that Enlightenment the the New Testament was to bring for everybody. Priscilla and Aquila were both Apostles of the Apostle Paul and so they were they were well-versed in everything that Jesus had told Paul At the very beginning of his ministry as well as of course all the teachings of the other Apostles too.

So they were able to bring in Apollos and together instruct him in the ways of God now a lot again. This is this in and of itself is kind of telling of the days that we live in this particular verse. With very little information in it.

What does it say whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard they took him into them and expounded unto him the way of God more? Perfectly. You know, this is a very nice picture of two Mature Christians discipling a man who needed a little bit of discipling in the privacy of their home.

So this wasn't anything public. This wasn't anything, you know, they weren't rebuking Apollos. They weren't correcting him in public. They weren't admonishing him. They brought him in as a brother and they expanded these things together upon him that verse is taken to degrees.

So far by again a lot of left-leaning theologians and feminist theologians things like that that it is. It's funny to a degree. It's also sad to another degree because I feel like it actually takes away from some of what makes this verse Particularly special.

What we have going on here is exactly what I said a second ago. You have a godly couple together in the home. So this is under the headship of the husband Aquila. Expounding the the the scriptures to Apollos in that way one there's a meme that I've seen before that makes me laugh every time I see it and It someone you know used AI to generate this thing and it's it's Apollos Priscilla and Aquila in the first century and you have Priscilla sitting very high and mighty up on the sofa with a with Apollos on the ground is looking up.

You know to her in just awe with Aquila walking in with a platter of cookies saying honey. How's your teaching on the atonement going? And that is like the point of it is making fun of the way that feminists and egalitarians try to create this Special narrative of this verse proving that women should be teaching men and have authority over men all the time you see where they where they get that and.

Of course the the meme is ridiculous because you don't have Aquila sitting in a passive position of Well of passivity while while Priscilla's doing all the teaching that's not what it says at all. You have them together both of which under the headship of Aquila.

Expounding the the scriptures to to Apollos and it's done in a god-honoring way in a godly way. This can happen to this very day where a pastor and his wife or even an older couple in the church Together are discipling people in the church.

There's absolutely nothing here that contradicts the prohibition of 1st Timothy 2 12. Which is having to do with the authoritative teaching and exercising authority over the men in a public setting. With regard to Christian teaching Mimi.

Did you have a thought a second ago? Okay well Yeah, and I would in here's the thing Mimi so you're right so obviously there's the context of fellowship. I would take it even a little deeper than that and say that this was very intentional discipleship.

So in a fellowship kind of in a fellowship context, you know. We're all together and the conversations flowing questions come up, but we're talking Bible together. That's great in fact we're about to look at another passage if you want to turn to Colossians where it kind of.

The idea of fellowship comes into comes into play with regard to just the general instruct instructing of one another admonishing of one another as Christians. In the case of Priscilla and Aquila, I would say it was even more than that.

It was them actively saying he needs some help in whatever the areas were. Let's bring him in. To the privacy of our home. We're not going to make an example out of him. This is a great man who's gonna do great things in God's name.

But he needs just a little bit of refinement. Let's bring in or bring him into our home. Let's disciple him together. Even in that context it can be done appropriately. Now can people kind of euphemistically throw out the word discipleship and then do it in a way that violates things.

Of course, so you have a woman that says well, I'm discipling all of these men. No, that doesn't work. So you don't get to you know, you don't get to misuse the terms here. But when it's done appropriately it's.

It's appropriate when it's done appropriately it is God honoring and that was the case here without violating the prohibition. Yes, ma 'am. Sure. Right. Yeah, sure. Right, right. Mm-hmm. Well, and of course we see examples of this.

Answering Questions Without Violating Biblical Boundaries

In many cases so you could I mean we could come up with hypotheticals here you could have a godly woman that maybe is sharing her testimony with a Group a mixed group and at the end of the the testimony, you know people want to get to know her.

Maybe she's a missionary. Maybe she's a you know, think about ladies like Elizabeth Elliot or something like that. She has a story to tell but she also is theologically. You know theologically robust and in her Her understanding the scriptures and everything like that.

And so, you know people come up to her after her talk. They start asking questions. So you have to ask okay to what degree can I can I answer the question but but doing so You know in it in a like think about the sanctification process mixed in with this as well.

Someone like Elizabeth Elliot knows when lines are going to be crossed. You can hear that in her own Talks. I mean she was women today Christian women today very much dislike Elizabeth Elliot because she was very strong on Submitting to the husband obeying the husband being under the authority of the husband.

She taught that very clean-cut dry on the nose all throughout her her life. And so she was as far from a feminist as it can get but she was a very well-rounded Christian woman who understood the scriptures.

So again, you find yourself in a situation where maybe you're in a mixed crowd and now they're asking you questions. Maybe it's a Bible question. Well the that's where sanctification will come into play and you understand where lines are crossed when they're not and I would say that Answering a direct question that was asked is not necessarily crossing a line but to your point could align be crossed where you take you you you say huh, I think I'll use this as an opportunity and you begin to Teach a lecture on systematic theology.

Well, maybe a line is crossed at that point. And so you can't be. Yeah, you can't be. I'm trying to what's the word I'm looking for you can't be dry With the scriptures you can't you know, you can't treat them like they are Dead they're they're living in their active and so what happens is we receive these principles that are to be and in the principles are always given in the context of the norm of the generalities because that's the only way you can teach anything if you if you try to go through every single bit of nuance and Every single hypothetical you would never get anywhere.

Teachers can't do that. The scriptures don't do that. So the scriptures are delivered in a way that are applied to the norm into the the general the general. And then we are held responsible to ensure that if we find ourselves in a fringe Context or an exceptional context that we don't we don't cross any lines that we shouldn't.

That we don't mishandle God's Word that we don't abuse it that we don't take it as an opportunity to To disobey in the name of it being an exceptional case or anything like that. And so There you go. You know.

You can you can certainly you can certainly answer questions without a line being crossed and that brings us to this passage here in Colossians 316 actually take a look at this with me because it just it follows up nicely with With what Mimi's bringing to the table here Mimi I've heard my mom share the gospel and scripture and and Biblical principles with people my entire life and it is never and I and I said, yeah Am I biased because she's my mom sure but I'm not biased in the sense that you know Felial ties don't don't allow you to be okay with certain things being disobeyed.

I can tell you She has never crossed a line In all the context that I've seen certainly and I think dad would affirm. It's a hundred percent. Anytime I've ever seen her share the gospel answer a Bible question or share scripture it has always been done from the context of knowing her knowing her place which is essentially underneath the spiritual headship of her husband and What she says is an extension of what he would say and when you understand that it helps a lot.

You don't have to come up with a rigid. Oh, I have to we can't talk anymore until Till I go get pop-pop, you don't really have to treat it that rigidly if you understand what's happening. What's happening is you are not and by the way You can take it the other way to in both case in marriage.

Neither are just this autonomous Singularity of a person that is divorced of all other people. You are one flesh and so in the in the context of the woman because that's what we're talking about here if you understand that what you teach that what You teach what you answer the way you present all of these things is an extension of pop-pop.

Which is by virtue an extension of Jesus Christ, then it really helps with knowing What's appropriate what's not without feeling like everything's just blurred, you know, that sort of thing. So that brings us to this verse here Colossians chapter 3 verse 16.

It says let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly talking to the church the whole church in all wisdom. Teaching and Admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

So what this is is this is essentially the Apostle Paul making clear There is an appropriate context across the board men and women alike and even according to age groups as well older women young women.

Old men young men in which you should be teaching and admonishing one another. Now this verse does not undermine what we get later in 1st Timothy 2 12. So obviously we know that the admonishing and the teaching are done in appropriate spheres we've already covered what those are children younger women and You know, we looked at the virtuous woman of Proverbs.

We looked at the example of discipleship in the home Priscilla and Aquila so That you know Paul is just wrapping all of that into one nice tight Phrase here. But the point is the verse in 1st Timothy 2 12 is not Exhaustive to the degree that women are never to teach anything ever and that's really the thing I'm trying to say.

You know, you have to you have to take the full the full scriptural testimony. Not just a part of it. And so you have these examples here. You also have just to go to Yannick's question from last week.

Prophecy, Philip’s Daughters, and Exceptional Biblical Cases

You have very interesting Edge cases like in the first century Phillips daughters prophesying you had prophetesses in the Old Testament and in the early part of the new a Lot of people like to make a big deal about that.

I love what Calvin said about those particular things in other theologians share the same sentiment. I just really love the way Calvin puts things. I should have put a quote in here from it. But basically he was like look I'm gonna paraphrase it.

He's like look God can use whomever he wants in whatever way he wants to because the lawgiver gets to decide when he when he Can change things up and so when you have Phillips daughters as an example Prophesying which literally was revelation.

Now. It was not written revelation. We don't have what they said that tells us something. What that means is in the moment God used them as his mouthpiece to share something that that local Assembly needed that we don't have because we don't need it.

They needed it. We don't but he used Phillips daughters Who by the way were under the submission of their father wearing head coverings? They were chased they like they were qualified for the position of prophetess.

It's not just any woman. So you have to take all that into account as well. What Calvin was saying is God can do that when he wants to and he did it in the first century. Because essentially of that phasing out of the Old Covenant into the new you had things you had very strange things happening.

To to use the phrase that dad uses authenticate everything same with the Old Testament prophetess as well. That is not a one-for-one Office comparison pastor and prophetess. They're not the same thing at all.

They are qualitatively different offices. The in the in the case of a prophet or prophetess. They once more are the mouthpiece of the Spirit himself. So as they are speaking and by the way, you have people that are affirming that this is legitimate prophecy.

If they got it wrong, they got stoned. Okay, so this was a very serious thing. This wasn't flippant. This was not the the quasi or faux Prophecy that we have today which people get to say whatever they want with impunity.

It wasn't that at all all of that was happening For a very specific purpose that ended rather quickly by the end of the first century the office of pastor and elder. Which if you think about it is really interesting when the reason why you have the prohibition in first Timothy 112 and why someone like Phillips daughters wouldn't Would not violate that is because prophecy.

Just to rephrase this to rephrase something I've already said prophecy was again by God's choosing of Any vessel that he saw fit to speak through in that moment so he can do that. Preaching on the other hand being being a pastor preaching in teaching authoritatively.

Preaching involves a peculiar type of preparation a particular type of. There's this there's the this term exegesis. It refers to pulling out of the text of the Word of God so that when you expound upon it You're actually expounding God's Word not your own opinions.

So pastoral teaching requires preparation exegesis proper interpretation it. It requires a certain delivery a certain form of delivery. We have Old Testament examples of what it is to be a rhetorical Craftsman with regard to the art of preaching you have the so that you have the delivery of it you also have the fortitude that it takes to teach tough passages and To take you know tough questions to take the the controversies.

To take the contention to take the dissensions to take the wolves that are trying to to hurt the sheep. The false teachers and all these types of things that is very different from the role of being a prophetess in the case of Philip's daughters and This is why it is Exclusive to the male to men why.

Because it is it comports best with the male nature. Remember the foundational piece to this entire passage that we're in it is God's good design. For men and women based upon their nature that he gave them.

Go ahead dad. Right. It is it's irrelevant. Right right right. I Alluded to that last week as well. Sure, well in. So first of all, I'll say this I agree with you completely that this is totally irrelevant.

Like the the reason why we're talking about it isn't because we need to figure this out. It's basically Yannick to just be prepared for some of the objections that you were mentioned in last week. Like well, God can talk through Balaam's donkey so he can use women to be pastors.

That's the argument. That's the kind of arguments we hear and it's just like mind-blowing. This is another one. Well Philip's daughters were prophetesses. So therefore women should be pastors like that.

It's like the leap across the game at Grand Canyon to your point dad. It is completely irrelevant. Because the office of prophet doesn't even exist anymore even for men. And if that wasn't enough, I'll you know.

People like to make a big deal about prophets these days is you have to remember that even Philip's daughters were underneath the What's the word I'm looking for they were underneath the Framework that's not the word I'm looking for though the instruction or the grid of Deuteronomy 18.