Let us turn once again to that
chapter that we've been considering over recent weeks in Paul's first
epistle to Timothy. First Timothy chapter 2 and we
are looking at those distinctive roles of the men and women in
the church as we have them set before us at verse 8 and the
following verses I'll read again from verse 8 through to verse
12 as Paul writes to this young man giving him some direction
with regards to how he is to conduct himself in the churches
which is of course the very body of the Lord Jesus Christ how
things are to be attended to as Timothy fulfills that ministry
that he had received from the Lord it's a pastoral epistle
and he says here at verse 8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere
lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting in like manner
also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness
and sobriety not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly
array but which becometh women professing godliness with good
works Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
But I suffer not of woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence." So he's speaking of these distinctive
roles between the sexes, between the men on the one hand, the
women on the other. And I have already remarked when
we looked at verse 8 that what we have there in the noun men
I will therefore that men it's not the word that is used previously
in verses 1 and 4 where he does again speak of the men in those
previous verses it's the word that we know as mankind it refers
to all of the human race, men and women. But here, in verse
8, it's really generic. It speaks of the man distinct
from the woman. And then he goes on, of course,
from verse 9 following to speak specifically of the women. But
in verse 8, as he speaks of the men, he also uses, as I said
last time, the definite article. I will therefore that the men
pray everywhere lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. And so we have the man's responsibility
when it comes certainly to the matter of prayers in the assemblings
of the sites, in the gatherings of the people of God. and then he goes on to speak
more particularly of the women and last time we were looking
in particular at those words in verses 9 and 10 In like manner also that women
adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety,
not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array, but
which becometh women professing godliness with good works." He speaks first of all with regards
to the women of external things, he's speaking of the of the public
worship of God and how the women should adorn themselves and he
tells them quite plainly that there should be that shamefacedness
and that sobriety they're not to be preoccupied with their
dress because Christian women are to be more concerned with good deeds and I think last time
we read that similar passage that we find in Peter there in
1st Peter chapter 3 and what he says there at verse 3 following concerning the women whose adorning
he says, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the air
and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel but let
it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the
sight of God of great price. And then he goes on to speak
of the women of old time, the women in the Old Testament who
were trusting in God and make specific mention of Sarah who
obeyed Abram, calling him Lord, whose daughter she are, as long
as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." So, the
women are not just to be concerned with that that is outward, they're
not to trouble themselves with regards to their apparel, they're
to be more concerned to do good works. He'll go on in chapter
5 to speak of the honorable widows, and the good deeds that those
women are performing, but he also, as we see there from Peter,
speaks of that that is inward. that meekness of spirits, that
inwardly submission. So we were mentioning these matters
last time in verses 8 and 9, and now I want us to come to
consider what he goes on to say in verses 11 and 12. So the subject
really is the silence of the women, that's what he is speaking
of. In these verses, verse 11, lets 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. And so, I want us to consider
the particular role of the women and the reason for that role
that is being commanded here in the Word of God. And what
do we read here in verse 12 quite specifically with regards to
any teaching, any authoritative act in the church? He says, I
suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the
man, but to be in silence. How are we to reconcile what
he is saying here when we consider other things that we read also
in the Scriptures? For example, if we turn over
to Titus, in Titus chapter 2, and Titus is another pastoral
epistle similar to the epistles to Timothy, and he says there
in Titus 2, Verse 3, The age women likewise that they be in
behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given
to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the
young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their
children. And then if we go back into the
Old Testament, and there in the book of Proverbs, In Proverbs
chapter 31 we have the words of King Lemuel and it says, the
prophecy that his mother taught him. And then she goes on to
speak of the son of Uwu, the prophecy that his mother taught
him. And those women referred to in
Titus who were also teaching, how do we reconcile that with
what we're told then in this twelfth verse. The woman is not
to teach or to usurp authority over the man. Well, there's no
great difficulty of course because here he's dealing with the matter
of what takes place in the church But in those other passages we
can say he's dealing with that that might take place in private
or in the family circle. So that's no problem. There's no contradiction in the
Word of God. That's why we have to always
take account of what the old writers call the analogy of faith
and see everything in the context of the whole of the Word of God.
There's no jarring notes. In those other passages that
we've referred to then, we say that that is teaching in private
teaching in the family. And then we can consider also
the matter of Timothy himself. We know from what we're told
when we're introduced to Timothy there in Acts 16 that his father
was a Greek, a Gentile, We don't know whether he was a believer
or not. He was certainly a gentile. His mother was a Jewess. But we know that he was certainly
instructed by his mother and his grandmother, young Timothy.
We have that statement in the opening chapter of the second
epistle. there in chapter 1 and verse 5 he says to Timothy when
I call to remembrance the unfaith faith that is in thee which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice and I am
persuaded that in thee also so he had a godly mother, he had
a godly grandmother and they clearly were those who would
often times instruct him because he goes on, doesn't he, later
in that second epistle in chapter 3 at verse 15. From a child thou hast known
the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
which is in Christ Jesus. Who was it who was teaching him
holy scriptures? He was learning these things
at his mother's knee. He was being taught these things
also by his grandmother Lois. And so when we come to the injunction
that we have here in verse 12, we're to think in terms, surely,
of public worship. We're to think of those services
that will be conducted in the congregation when they come together
to worship God. I suffer not a woman to teach,
nor to usurp authority over the man, he says, but to be in silence."
Now that doesn't mean, that doesn't mean of course that the women
will not take place in the corporate worship of the assembly. Doesn't
mean that they're not going to show forth and sing the praises
of God. Doesn't mean that they're not
to audibly say their Amen. at the end of public prayer.
Why, we're told, are we not in the Psalms? Psalm 106, let all
the people say Amen. All the people of God will say
their Amen. Praise ye the Lord, says the
Psalmist. But the women, whilst they are
actively involved in that sense, and not always silent, but praising
God and uttering their amens, but they're not to exert any
authority in the congregation. Now, when we turn to the first letter
to the Corinthians, and I read in the 14th chapter, and I'm
sure you're aware, In that church there was much controversy, there
was much disorder, there were false teachers who'd come in,
there were those who were very much opposed to Paul, and Paul
is trying to address a whole variety of matters. Now we read
there in the 14th chapter, but remember how previously in the
first parts of chapter 11, He certainly deals with the position
of the women in the church. We may have read that passage,
really. He deals with the whole question of headship in the first
16 verses of that 11th chapter. And the headship of the man,
and the business of the head covering for the woman, which
is a sign of the recognition in the assembly of that headship
of the man. But what does he say there in
1 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 5? 1 Corinthians 11 verse 5 may create
some sort of a problem in our mind because it says, This every
woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth
her head. Speaking of the necessity of
the head covering, it's a sign of the submission of the woman,
and yet he speaks of that woman praying or prophesying in the
church. Now, we need to interpret and
to understand what that means, but it certainly cannot in any
sense contradict What we're reading tonight here in these two verses
in the second chapter of 1st Timothy. 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. But
in that very letter that is addressing to the Corinthians, we have that
statement there in chapter 11 verse 5, but remember the words
that we were reading earlier in chapter 14. And verses 34
and 35, in the very same letter to that church, he says, 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. And if they will learn anything,
let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women
to speak in the church. Now, Dr. Gill, when he comes to deal with
that fifth verse then in 1 Corinthians, he says it's referring simply
to the women joining in worship. As they join in worship they're
hearing the prophesying, which he says is equivalent to the
preaching. They're hearing the preaching and they're also hearing
the prayers, and they're ascending to the prayers with their amens. That's how Dr. Gill explains
it. But, in many ways, that's a satisfactory
explanation, but some might challenge that. And I would say that there's
a sense in which we can maybe say that what we have in that
fifth verse, 1 Corinthians 11.5, is an exception to the rule at
that time. And there's an explanation. We
have to remember, we always have to remember this when we're coming
to interpret the New Testament, and certainly when we read through
the Acts of the Apostles, that we have a situation that is in
transition. The temple was still standing.
The temple was not destroyed, until nearly 40 years after the
crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It
was in AD 70 when the Roman general Titus laid siege to Jerusalem
and Jerusalem fell and the temple was virtually razed to the ground,
destroyed. And that really marked the passing
of all that was associated with the worship of God in the Old
Testament. Now, there are certain things in the Acts. We see, for
example, in Acts chapter 3, in the beginning of that chapter,
how the disciples were still observing the Jewish hours of
prayer. There, in the opening verse of
that chapter, we're told, now, Peter and John went up together
into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. So they're observing the Old
Testament hour of prayer there. Later on, in that 16th chapter,
I already referred to the first time that we have mention of
Timothy, and what are we told there in Acts 16.3? Paul circumcised
Timothy. Obviously he had not been circumcised.
His mother was a Jewess, but his father was a Greek, a Gentile.
What does Paul do? He circumcises him. In chapter
18 of Acts, and verse 18, we have Paul taking a vow and shawning
his head. These are practices from the
Old Testament. Now, as I said, it's a transitional
period, so We can say, well, those things may have happened
then, but after the destruction of the temple, they should not
be occurring. We know, and Paul makes it so
clear, with regards to circumcision, that it has no part in the salvation
of the people of God. It is not something that is required
of the Gentiles. And we see that so clearly, of
course, in the epistle to the Galatians, because it was such
an issue in those churches. In chapter 5, stand fast, therefore,
he says, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, be
not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I, Paul,
say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every
man that he is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole
law." Always dealing there with the whole matter of the legalists
who were requiring that these Gentile Christians were to observe
the various ceremonies from the Old Testament. The fact that
he had circumcised Timothy. there in Acts 16. Well, as I
said, that was during that transitional period. But he clearly refers
to all of those Old Testament practices as weak and beggarly
elements. How Paul is constantly using
very strong language with regards to these matters in In Galatians chapter 4 for example, and verse 9, it says, Now after
that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye
again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire
again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months,
and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labour in vain. Paul is so clear. And we can
also say, when we think of the period when these apostles are
exercising their ministry, when the temple is still standing
there in Jerusalem, it was a very different day. The church itself
was being formed and fashioned upon the very foundation of the
apostles. with Jesus Christ himself the
chief corner stone. And it may be that certain things
were permitted, but only for a season. And are we to think
that maybe there at Corinthian, when he makes that statement
in 1 Corinthians 11 5, that there were these women who had a gift
of prophecy, who were allowed to exercise that prophetic gift
in the church. We're certainly aware that that
church was a greatly gifted church. It was a disorderly church in
so many ways, but there were remarkable gifts. You only have
to read those chapters, chapter 12, chapter 14, to see
what gifts were in that church. In 1 Corinthians, the very first
chapter, he says to the church, he come behind in no gifts. And so there were doubtless certain
women who were very gifted. Now, again, turning to the Acts
in chapter 21, and verses 8 and 9, we read of Philip. Remember
Philip, he was one of the first deacons in Acts chapter 6. It's
Philip who is there. Is it Acts 8, speaking to the
Ethiopian eunuch, explaining to him Isaiah 53, preaching the
Lord Jesus Christ to him, baptizing the eunuch? Well, we read of
Philip again in Acts 21, and there in verses 8 and 9. And what do we learn? Well, we
read of the man having four daughters. The same had four daughters,
it says, which did prophesy. They prophesied. Interesting,
Gill understands the prophesying in 1 Corinthians to refer to
preaching. You see, there were all sorts
of irregularities in those days. I would say with regards to those
daughters of Philip that they wouldn't exercise that ministry
in the assembling of the Lord's people. But maybe what was happening
was that that sort of thing was taking place in the church at
Corinth. And this is why the Apostle writes
as he does in that portion that we read. What does he say? the language there in verse 33
he tells them plainly that God is not the author of confusion
but of peace as in all the churches of the saints he is rebuking
them again at the end of the chapter let all things he says
be done decently and in order and so again I remind you of those words that
we read that's why I read that particular portion really verse
34 of that chapter 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 and if they will
learn anything let them ask their husbands at home for it is a
shame for women to speak in the church and on another occasion
where he's dealing with some disorder in their observance
of the Lord's Supper, at the end of that 11th chapter, he
says right at the end, the rest will I set in order when I come.
He felt there was a necessity that he should go and be amongst
them so that he might address these various irregularities. and so going back to that statement
that we have in 1st Corinthians 11 and verse 5 every woman that
prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoreth her
head we can say that there there was a period that was transitional
during the days of apostolic ministry and there were obviously
irregularities that had arisen in that church. But those words
that we just referred to again in that 14th chapter of that
epistle and what we have here to Timothy, these are the clear
instructions and commandments of God through the Apostle. 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." Well, so much as it were for the role
of the women. But what is the reason? What
are the reasons for this? Let me remind you that Paul here
is not just expressing his own opinion. It's amazing what some people
say, but I've heard professed Christians and people who attend
evangelical churches, when it comes to such matters as this,
simply say, oh well that's Paul's opinion. That's Paul's opinion. It is not Paul's opinion. What
we have here is the revelation of the Divine Mind. Remember what I said with regards
to the opening words there in verse 8, as Paul begins to deal
with this matter of the distinctive roles of the men and the women.
He says, I will. I will. Now, it is a very strong
verb. Two words are to be found in
the New Testament, which are normally translated, I will. There's a weaker word, which
in a sense has the idea of expressing a wish, a desire, and there is
this other word which is a much stronger verb, which really is indicating a set purpose, something
very definite. Such so much a stronger verb,
really. It is a revelation of the Divine
Might. And remember what we read there
in 1 Corinthians 14.34, at the end of the verse, "...as also
saith the law." As Paul is dealing with the same
matter as we have in our text tonight, "...as also saith the
law." And then in verse 37 of that chapter, "...if any man
think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I write unto you are the commandments
of the Lord." It's not just Paul's opinion. It is the commandment
of the Lord. It's the Word of God. It's what
God was pleased to give through his servant Paul. And we go back,
of course, to the very beginning, the creation
of man and woman, the account of the fall in Genesis chapter
3. And what does the Lord God say to Eve there in Genesis 3.16? Thy desire shall be to thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee. There is the basic principle
right at the beginning. There are reasons then. There's
that order that we have in creation, And we see it here, in verse
13. Adam was not deceived, but the
woman being deceived was in the transgression. Previously that
Adam was first formed, then Eve. So it's not just a matter of
the fall, the history of the fall, and what was the consequences. The woman usurps the place of
the man and takes the lead. Eve was first in the transgression.
But then it's made plain that God had established an order
in the very beginning, in the manner of creation. Adam was
first formed, then Eve. And so there are reasons. I want
to go on, God willing, to conclude this little series of sermons
or addresses in this second chapter. By next time, looking more closely
at the at those verses at the end. And
then of course it finishes with that remarkable statement in
verse 15, notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing
if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. But what we have here in the
text that we're considering tonight, verses 11 and 12, we have the
plain teaching of Holy Scripture. It's on the same level as those
words at the end of 1 Corinthians 14 and when we see those other
anomalous verses we have to reconcile those things to what God has
set forth to be His clear will with regards to order in the
churches of Jesus Christ. And I close with those words
of John, in 1 John 5, verse 3. This is the love of God, that
we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous. May the Lord be pleased to bless
His Word. Now, before we pray, let us turn
to our second phrase in the hymn 600 and nine, and the tune is
lovely, 477. Lord, we fain would walk in love,
but alas, how slow we move. Pride, that haughty monster pride,
often makes us start aside. The hymn, 609.