What is a Pastor? 1 Timothy 2:12-14, Part 3

What a Pastor Is Not: Why 1 Timothy 2 Rules Out Women as Pastors

What is a pastor? Well, we have been discussing this for a couple of weeks and this week on the rap report. We're gonna dive into the scriptures. Well, just a few scriptures to talk about why a woman is Not a pastor.

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Hey, remember that email address because it's gonna come in handy later in the show. Let us continue in our study of what is a pastor now? We have spent two weeks Looking at what a pastor is not specifically that a pastor is not a woman.

We dealt with emotional arguments. We dealt with biblical arguments and I offer to the audience here to say what would you like to hear? We want to make sure that we're covering everything you would like and today's episode is because a number of people Said they wanted me to dig in deeper into a couple of scriptures well one specifically but to dig in deep to deal with the issue of Matthew, sorry correction of first Timothy 2 12 to to 14 and.

So the issue here is that this is the passage people use to say that a woman cannot Teach or have instruction over a man. And so this is the one that is clearest on The role of a woman being a pastor teacher of men.

So can we dig into this was the request and if you have a request? Yes, we want to hear from you and for that purpose. We are bribing you. Yes. Let's not beat around the bush. I am offering you a free gift if you email us and as some have done or at least two have done.

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Hey, we'll do it. Just email us and we'll send it out to you. So with that let us dig into first Timothy Chapter 2 and I don't actually want to start with verse 12. Why well Context. Hello. We're gonna back up a bit and you say oh you're gonna back up to verse 9 where mentions the women and Starts with the whole instruction.

No, actually, I'm gonna start with verse 1. I'm gonna read this so we have some context and then we're gonna dig in a little deeper to verses 12. So if you have a copy of God's Word there with you if you wouldn't mind opening your copy of God's Word if you're driving.

Just listen along unless you want to pull over to the side of the road. Do not read your Bible while driving, please I know if you live in New Jersey, hey, that's just normal. Well, okay, they don't normally watch read the Bible.

They're usually watching TV. Yeah, I've seen it. I have seen it in Jersey people driving while watching YouTube videos. On their phone, so yeah, don't do that, please. So what we want to do today is read through this.

This is first Timothy chapter 2 starting in verse 1 first of all. Then I urge that Entreaties and prayers petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men for kings and for all who are under who are in authority so That we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

This is a good.

Acceptable and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and Come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Who gave himself as a ransom for all?

For that the testimony has been given at the proper time. For this is why I appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am telling the truth and not lying as teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. Therefore I want the men in every place to pray lifting up.

Holy hands without wrath and dissension. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with the proper clothing modestly and discreetly not with with braided hair and gold or pearls and costly garments, but rather by means of good works as is proper for women.

Making a claim of godliness a woman must quietly receive instruction with the entire with the with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man. But to remain quiet for it was Adam who was first created then Eve.

It was not Adam who was deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. But women Will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.

So I want to work through this larger passage so we even understand the context here as well. So he starts off by talking about the fact of prayer. He wants there. He wants people praying. He gives us four different ideas of prayers entreaties prayers Petitions Thanksgiving's and to be made on behalf of all men.

Kings. Which we don't have a king in America not too many Kings left. There is one over in England now.

After a.

Very long time of a woman Queen, but. Finally, there's a king there, but we don't have Kings. We have authorities though. We have presidents here in America. Prime ministers things like that in other places, but we have authorities.

But notice what says that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life. I guess that's a life. That's not on social media, right? The fact is is we as Christians should have a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

So this is where he's saying first of all, this is what he wants. He wants prayer. He doesn't say the first thing I want is discernment. Just notice that by the way, so so many people put this in when they deal with this topic.

It's an issue of discernment. Well, it is but he starts it off by saying we should be praying on behalf of authorities. Okay, that's where he's saying that his primary focus is in this so that's what's setting off that's the primary focus.

He talks about there being one media between God and man.

But.

What he then does is he talks about the fact that this mediator ransomed himself and now he gets into in verse 7. He gives a purpose statement for this. I was appointed a preacher and an apostle to the Gospels.

I'm sorry to the Gentiles. So what he's saying here is for this purpose. He Was appointed as a preacher.

Okay, and.

Which would be like a herald and an apostle. Hmm interesting. Now people say well, she's saying I'm telling the truth. I'm not lying. Okay, he is saying that but this is God writing this in Scripture as an instruction and Therefore the part that we have here.

We're gonna read that way. Why do I say that? Well, I'm very glad you asked that question. What I just did was give you a little indication of a rule of interpretation. Study of interpretation we call the study of harmonetics and Harmonics is the art and science of interpretation and one of the things we recognize when we do Interpretation is to recognize the fact that each type of genre each type of literature has their own rules.

First Timothy is an epistle. So its rules are instructional. It is one where we would build doctrine on it because it is meant to be instructional. It's not like Mark the Gospels or acts which are more of a historical narrative telling you what did happen not what should happen so this is what is proper for instruction and So he gets done talking about himself.

And he talks about the men. Now this becomes an interesting note because where he's saying the men this in the Greek Is what we'd call a definitive article. So earlier when he's saying You know that God desires all men to be saved.

He's not saying specifically men. He's saying He wants all people all human beings to be saved. That's a general term. But the fact that there's a definitive article means that here he's no longer referring to.

The.

Human race but Specifically a subset of the human race. The men and so therefore I want the men in every place to pray lifting up holy hands by the way. Notice that lifting of holy hands has nothing to do in this context.

And in fact in every context in the Bible, it has nothing to do with singing songs in church. Okay every time and I've looked at every passage of lifting up hands in the Bible. Every one of them refers to the act of prayer not singing.

Just a side note for you so if you try to use this as one pastor did with me to say this had to do with Raising hands during a church service when singing. That's not the context. There's nothing about that.

This is in every place pray lifting holy hands without rat without wrath or dissension. So what we should be praying. In such a way we're not asking for God's wrath to come down on people but but men what is Paul.

Saying to Timothy here is the men's role in church is to pray. Why he might he make that? Specifically for men well, I would say this men typically are the people who are more problem solvers. They're more action-oriented and therefore and that's stereotypical and I get that but in general and Paul's making a general instruction here in general.

Men are people who rush off to take care of something to fix something and we often do it. If we're gonna be honest in our own strength a lot of time what we're gonna do is we're gonna rush ahead. To try to do something on our own and then what do we do when we make a mess of it?

What do we do then we pray? Well, wouldn't it be wiser to pray beforehand? I'm just saying and I think the answer is yes. It would be and so what we look at here is the fact that this is The goal of us as Men that we should go to prayer first.

Why is that instruction. Because that's kind of goes against our nature. That's a struggle for us so he gets done with the men yes men have one line and The women are longer true. So what does he say about the women?

Well, he says likewise women what is likewise refer to does it refer to the prayer? Well, yes, it does refer to the general prayer that we see in verses 1 through 7. Well, really 1 through 6 right women also should Offer entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings on behalf of all all people right.

That.

Be doing it in in a way of For tranquility and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. So likewise that but now he's gonna speak to the women. So this is the separate from the men. I want them to adorn themselves.

So how does he describe this? Adorning. Well, they should adorn themselves with with modesty. He says this is and it's interesting the way he words it it's proper. It's a Proper manner. It's the it's the manner in which they do things.

Now the clothing here it's it's a symbol of the manner of their dress a manner of their behavior. A woman that is dressing to get attention for herself is not someone who is dressing for To glorify God but so that men would would notice them.

And.

The thing here is now the men have one thing prayer. The women have a couple things and the first one is the way they're there. They're clothing the proper clothing. The proper clothing should be with modesty.

It also describes it that it should be discreetly. Okay, in other words not for others, but for self to Cover yourself, but not to draw attention to yourself and So that's what you end up having here is this idea.

It's the discreetly has the idea of to behave in a sensible manner with the implication of a thoughtful awareness of what's best and So you see two ways referring to the clothing modestly and discreetly.

And now Paul gives a second thing here where the their their hair not with braided hair or Gold or pearls or costly garments? So now it's it's again the way they they conduct themselves, but not about their clothing but now their hair and their garments how they their attire and so How are they not to so so he starts with how they should do it and how they should not do it.

So Paul gives four ways into which a woman should not adorn herself and two ways in which they should adorn themselves to profess Godliness and as we look at this, let's break it down. Why would women what does it mean to break the braiding of hair?

Like that's a problem. Well in a culture where women didn't show their hair. Because that was a sign of sensuality. That would be an issue. So that's why women would cover their heads and so to show their hair Was to draw attention to themselves to put gold on or pearls or costly garments is to get attention to themselves.

I remember being in my first church. We had a camera for his a resurrection Sunday, I think it's resurrection Sunday and we had some new some people that were new to the church a woman wanted to be in choir and The choir director or one of the pastors recognized that this woman always seemed to want to get attention she would try to sing louder than everybody else and He'd try to tell her to keep with everyone else and he had noticed and so what happened was is that?

They came in early for practice and she had a very as she explained later Expensive dress, but it was one that made her stand out. And this is before we had choir robes. He this was actually the reason we got choir robes, but He knew she was she was trying to draw attention to self in in even leading up to this.

So, you know what? He did. This was just classic. He said to me says can we set up a mic it now for Presbyterians? You won't understand this but in Baptist churches, you have a big bapter pit Baptismal with a room or two rooms on the side for the men and women to change after baptism, and so he said can you set up a Mic in one of the baptismal changing rooms and I said sure.

So he got the choir together and had them go in there and said they're there they're to practice. But what he didn't tell him but he told me is they weren't coming out of there. So they thought they were gonna stay there until it was time to sing and what happened was when it came time to sing he had them stand up right there around the microphone that was there and sing but not be seen and This woman was outraged and said to the pastor.

I Bought this dress specifically for today. So people could see you know, how I was dressed and it cost me a lot of money and He turned to her and said and that's the very reason we're hidden away in here.

Because you aren't up there. So people see you you're up here. So people see Christ. Needless to say they left the church. Okay, but what why because she was there so she could be seen and And that's the difference as we look at this.

How should a woman not adorn herself? Well with braided hair, which in other words in a way that is is Drawing attention to herself with gold with pearls with costly attire. So Those are ways of adorning herself to draw attention to herself.

How should she then adorn herself with modesty and and self-control or modesty and and discreet discreetly? Right in a manner that that brings. That is making a car a claim of godliness a woman who is making such a cane should be doing this.

Or she should be adorned with it says says they're good works and so all of that to get to now to verse 11 the where we start to deal with the what is the issue that to address here and so as we come here and Look at this.

It's an area where now We're starting to the get to the instruction that many people have issue with and I understand that so let's deal with it now. So we have here is a woman must remain must quietly receive instruction.

With the entire entire submissiveness now the receive instruction is an imperative in the Greek.

And.

It's interesting To note that verse 11 deals with the woman learning. Well, we're verse 12 deals with the woman teaching. Both sides of the issue are covered the learning and the teaching both passively and active roles and They are voluntarily to submit to quietness.

Now you say well, how can you. How can someone teach quietly. Well. Should we're gonna deal with this. But should a woman be teaching. Well, we could teach other women. Yes. We've already addressed that but Here's the thing that I want us to see in this it says that the woman must receive instruction with entire submissiveness.

Now.

Let me give the argument that many people are gonna make when it comes to this. They will argue That what we saw in the first few verses there before verse 11 you have women braiding their hair. Well, is that cultural that was more of a cultural thing?

Maybe than it is today, but not the gold and the pearls and the expensive attire as much. You see those things people say well see that's just all cultural and Paul is giving issue to a cultural instruction.

Well, he may if you want to use the braiding of hair as cultural. But it's not really because the overall instruction is true. Whatever culture that the woman shouldn't be coming to the the worship of God gathering together to draw attention to her.

Self.

That is still true everywhere and. So because of that I don't see that that's enough of an argument that this is just cultural. Now what you end up having in and this is true in a Jewish setting. You would typically have the men and the women worshiping separately.

You'd have The men that would be led by a rabbi. He would he would teach you'd have the women who would often be led by a rabbi or or you might have a woman that's instructing other women, but. They're separated and so the way that people will say is well here when in the in this situation the men and women are coming together and the problem the reason they should be quiet is because the women were used to being all chatty and The men were not used to that so Paul's just giving an instruction just for that cultural time that they should just quiet down.

And and just be submissive to the men's style of teaching which is instructional and not have all this back and forth. Here's a problem with that argument and and is that everything I said. Is that true.

Did they have men and women that were worshiping separately? Yes, could it be the women were more chatty that very well could be. Is it the fact that they started to worship together after Christ? Yes.

Is that what Paul's talking about? No. Wait a minute. Andrew just said all those other things are true. Yes, they're true in what what did I say in a Jewish? Context. But Timothy's not dealing with the Jewish context.

That's why Paul earlier said he is an apostle to who the Gentiles. This is a Gentile context. And what we don't see is that in the Gentile context that the women worshiped separately and had that issue.

So I.

Don't think that really fits to say this is just about a cultural issue. But so why must they be why should they be quiet then now now some people will say that this is that women should be absolutely silent in church, but this is a quietness a Rest.

Yes, it could mean silence and Undisturbed life. You see it's not just that they shouldn't speak. But it's more about well, what's the point? What the end of this verse says with entire submissiveness.

Did we not see this already that we should be praying how that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life. If you're gonna say that in verse. In this verse verse 11 quiet must mean they cannot speak at all.

Are you going to hold to that in verse 2 to say that every Christian should have an absolutely quiet life? We shouldn't speak at all. Should we go be like the monks who don't speak? Take a vow of silence.

If you're not gonna make that argument if you're gonna say that we should be praying out loud. Speaking out loud. Then we that means that we're either we're in sin of not having a quiet life or it has more to do with our.

Attitude our.

Character, so a woman must be quiet. Not meaning not to speak at all, but she must be submissive. She must receive the instruction submissively. Quietly in other words the idea of that you shouldn't be speaking back or you have someone who is to to argue against something at every claim and so.

That is because a lot of people miss verse 11. Now we get into verse 12. But I do not allow woman to teach or have exercise or exercise over a man. But to remain quiet. Paul's instruction to here is that a woman cannot teach men.

Now it says but to remain quiet. Does this mean as some argue that a woman cannot speak in church?

I.

Again, the context matters. I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise Authority over a man but to remain quiet. In what capacity. They remain quiet in the teaching capacity. So verse 11 is saying an overall attitude of quietness of submissiveness.

Verse 12 is talking about teaching and exercising authority. They shouldn't do that, but they should remain quiet. They should not be giving the instruction. Now in here what we end up seeing many people will argue that what we see here is.

That Adam.

Sorry, sorry the woman I was reading ahead in verse 13 That what we see is the woman here is being told not to teach or exercise authority because of Paul's own personal views. Because it says but I do not allow woman.

So what people are saying is because it says I this is just Paul's views. It's not God's view. This is not God saying a woman can't teach or or give instruction or have authority over men. It's just you know, he's just saying is it's his personal view it's his personal view for women that they they shouldn't do this and therefore this is not some sort of thing that Is instructional today?

It's only Paul's personal view now this is the argument that many make and What we end up seeing here is that this is something that as as we see This is not something that's just Paul's opinion now, how do I make that claim.

I make that claim very simply because what you see here is You see The case of This being written in Scripture by the Holy Spirit in a context That is instructional or in a style of literature that is instructional.

So right out of the gate because of the type of literature. We know that this is an instructional passage. We know that all scripture as Paul's gonna say later in this book is God breathe. So God has written this down God has has said this is What Paul is to write and these are instructions for the church?

So this is not Paul writing this because if if Paul is doing this he's doing this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and We know when it comes to the inspiration of Holy Spirit that it is God working through People to write exactly as he intends them to write.

So when we see that is this something? Where we have men Can write their own personal things? Well, yes, we just saw that above where Paul says I'm saying the truth. I'm not lying. That's that's his own personal thing.

But he's not lying. Well, that's that's also of being Because of the context here its instructional genre and therefore this is something that God is instructing to the church. That's the reason God has Paul writing this and God is writing through him.

And so this instruction isn't is clearly instruction. But he's not this is not to be able to say that it's only Paul's opinion and not God's. Because What you're gonna see next is that Paul is going to give a reason and This reason is really going to be helpful for us to understand whether or not this is just a cultural issue or a Biblical issue that comes from God as a doctrine and we're gonna get to that reason right after this quick announcement.

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So we thank my pillow for helping to sponsor this podcast. Okay. Well now as we come back to this we're adverse. We're adverse 12 and It says but I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

And.

He gives a reason a purpose clause now. Is this the first purpose clause that we saw in in this chapter as we've looked at? No, because we saw it in verse 7. He gave some instruction and he says for this reason I was appointed as a preacher and Apostle to the Gentiles.

So you have him give a purpose clause there the purpose clause tells you the reason for this instruction. So the reason that he that he says a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man. Is is this based in culture as the liberals would say?

Well, that's not the reason that we're given here. By the inspirational Holy Spirit. We have two reasons. It says for Adam who was formed first. Was for for Adam who was first created and then Eve. So what you have here Is the fact that when you look at the creation order?

God chose a federal headship. He created Adam and then Eve. Now, why did he do that? I don't know. Why did he decide that there be this federal headship? I don't know. I can only tell you that that's what we see in Scripture.

What we see in Scripture is That there is a headship that God has ordained in this way it's something that I Can't say oh, this is the way it's you know. This is cultural because I want it to be cultural.

No, what he's saying here is this is based in creation. Now once you realize that I hope you then immediately realize well if it's based in creation. Then it's not something that we can say is Personal or cultural?

No, we can't. Because he's saying back from the creation of Adam and Eve. He's saying that God purposely created Adam first and because God created Adam first He has the responsibility in the church to teach and exercise authority over men.

This is the idea of a male headship. Now you and I may not like that. That's okay. The problem is we don't get to set the rules. We have to follow the instruction. We don't get to make the instruction.

Our culture doesn't get to make the instruction. We follow the instruction. And so what we have here is the fact that we are to follow the instructions that are provided for us and so the instructions that we have here are the fact that God ordained.

That men should be in this role because he created Adam before Eve. This goes all the way back to the sixth day of creation. Therefore it cannot be a cultural issue. That's the thing that I want us to see it can't be cultural because it goes back to creation.

But you know, he gives a second reason. He gives a second reason. First one is based in the creation order something that occurred 6 ,000 years ago, and he has a second reason. You wanna know what that reason is?

We're gonna get to that right after this break.

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Okay. So as we come back, we're looking at the first argument that Paul is re giving the reason why he does not allow a woman to.

To teach.

Or exercise authority over a man. The first reason was as we said based in the creation order. His second reason. We now look at and again, this is based in something 6 ,000 years ago. Culturally or time-wise.

We're closer to Paul than Paul is to creation. He's 4 ,000 years from creation 2 ,000 from us and you say. But the culture was more similar. That could be I mean because a lot has changed in the last hundred years.

However.

He bases this first in creation order. His second reason is the sin order. Look at what he says for was not Adam who? Was deceived but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. So where he says Adam was formed first and because of that reason.

The man should be teaching and having authority over men. He says the woman was deceived first and Therefore the woman should not be teaching or exercising authority over men. Now there are some people who say well that that's the reason for this instruction is because women are so easily deceived.