Apostle Paul was not anti women. The way most people see Paul and his teachings have made them to conclude that He probably had issues with women. Some churches have built doctrines and practices on certain scriptures that were not interpreted properly. Let’s examine some of those scriptures together.
1Tim2: 11 Women should learn quietly and submissively.
12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.
14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.
15 But women will be saved through childbearing,t assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.
Just as I explained yesterday, the new testament rendition of the word ‘women’ or ‘men’ made no distinction on marital status. The Gk word ‘gyne’ and ‘aner’ were simply translated as woman and man, no distinction was made as to whether Paul was talking about married women and men or singles except in some bible translations like A.S. Worrel translation and Weymouth bible. However, words like this must be understood in the light of the discussion or narrative for proper understanding. Obviously, Paul was deferring to Husband-wife not male-female issue. You can understand it better if you can replace women with wife and men with husband. There’s another place where Paul said the same thing.
1Cor14: 34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says.
35 If they have any questions, they should ask their HUSBANDS at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.
36 Or do you think God’s word originated with you Corinthians? Are you the only ones to whom it was given?
What Paul said here is similar to what he said in 1Tim2:12-15. And you can clearly see that it is a Husband-wife proposition not Male-Female proposition. For instance, vs34 is not talking about all women. It couldn’t be, because the next verse says, if they have any questions, they should ask their husbands. ALL WOMEN DON’T HAVE HUSBANDS. Single ladies are excluded here. The Adam and Eve mentioned in 1Tim2:14-15 shows that reference was to husband and wife relationship.
In the two scriptures cited so far, Paul was talking about:
1- Husband and wife
2- Learning something and asking questions.
That leaves us with a major question, was Paul anti- women? Was he really against women preaching or talking in church as it seems? If Paul was against women preaching/ teaching, Paul would be contradicting himself because Priscilla and her husband taught Apollos the scriptures. It doesn’t matter whether she taught one person or a crowd. She preached and Paul acknowledged her as a ministry companion in Romans16:1-3.
IN THE DAYS OF PAUL
The only Plausible reason Paul advised wives to keep silent was because women in that day had little or no education. For Paul to have told women to learn from their husbands at home implied that the men were better informed or educated than women. Things have changed today, some women are better informed than their husbands in the things of God. As Kenneth E. Hagin said, if all wives would depend on their husbands for scriptural knowledge, many women would be fed with spiritual junks from half-baked men.
LET’S DIG DEEPER INTO SCRIPTURES
1Cor11:5 But EVERY WOMAN that prayeth or prophesieth….
Paul was talking about women prophesying and praying. Partly, prophecy is a phase of preaching. The promise of the Spirit is for both men and women.
Acts2:16 No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
When the Holy Ghost came, He came on men and women and He enabled them to preach/ prophesy. On the day of Pentecost, women received the Holy Ghost as well because we were told that they were in the upper room. Hallelujah!!!Acts1:13,14.
Going further, the house hold of Cornelius that received the Holy Ghost in Acts10:44-46 must have included women.
THEY DIDN’T KEEP SILENT
Those who stand on Paul’s injunction that women should keep silent may have skipped certain portions of the bible. In Luke1:39-42, when the Spirit of God came on Mary and Elizabeth, they spoke out loud. Another New Testament example is Anna the prophetess.
Luke2:36 And there was one Anna, a *prophetess*, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;
37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
As a prophetess in the temple, the possibility of preaching and speaking forth the word of God is high. She wouldn’t have just been prophesying all through. She must have been a preacher as well because all prophets in the bible preached. Hers wouldn’t have been an exception.
Those who believe women should keep silent in churches allow women to teach Sunday school classes either for adult or in children classes and even in house fellowship meetings. You must understand that a church is not the big cathedral but anywhere two or three are gathered in Christ’s name. If they allow women teach in house fellowships or children church, it is the same as preaching to a large congregation of adult.
WHAT ABOUT OLD TESTAMENT
Have you heard about Prophetess Huldah? (2Ch34:22). She didn’t just prophesy but she was a prophetess meaning she stood in the office of a prophetess. You cannot be in that office and not preach….preaching and teaching is common to anyone with a ministry gift.
THE GREAT COMPANY
Psalms68:11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
The word ‘company’ in this psalm is feminine in the original text. We could replace it ‘women’. God speaking through David foresaw a time when women would not be silent but shall become proclaimers/preachers of goodnews.
CONCLUSION
Apostle Paul wouldn’t contradict himself or other scriptures that support women preaching/ teaching. His injunction on women keeping silent was to restore order to those churches over which her superintend. It is not a rule for all times.