Please have God's Word open in front of you this evening at 1 Timothy 2, and in particular verses 11 to 15. And we're going to begin this evening to look at these difficult verses in the Word of God. And it is my responsibility to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God, not the bits that I find easy. And I pray that the Lord would help us much over these coming weeks to consider what he has for us here, and the biblical role of women in the Church. I want to say from the outset that in dealing with these verses, as we consider them over these next few weeks, I want to consider them really as comprehensively as I can at this moment in time, and to draw in a number of different elements from the Word of God as a whole, to bring the whole counsel of the Scriptures to bear upon what Paul is saying here, And so that will take us to consider some of the prophetesses in the Old Testament, the five which are mentioned, the four virgins as well in Acts, which prophesied daughters of Philip, all of those things. And so I pray that the Lord would help us much. And it's a controversial topic about which some of you have very clear views. I hope this evening as we consider the Scriptures together, and as we do so over these next weeks, that we would do it in a manner that is humble, that is open to what the Lord would have to say to us here, and above all, with a willingness to submit to His Word. And so, if my attitude needs to change, or ours as a church needs to change, or as individuals if it needs to change, I pray that God would work in us to bring us in line with what He desires for us. And so, as I've said, we're going to consider many of these things tonight, really. I want to set an introduction before you to consider a number of the approaches and the issues which are brought to bear in these verses. And what I'll say is this. Many of you will feel after this message and probably after the next one, too, that I've not answered all of your questions. Well, I'd ask for you to wait and to be patient. and to wait until we've considered these verses as a whole together and worked through them, and certainly in that way to wait for the exposition to be completed. And so really this evening is an introduction which will lay out some of the dangers, some of the history concerning the controversy around these verses, and to set the scene for that which lay ahead. You know, when it comes to understanding the biblical teaching about the role of women in the church, there seems to be danger on every side. And I believe that our understanding of these verses really has direct consequences on our position on the Scriptures, how we view the Word of God, whether we view them as inerrant, infallible, or otherwise. I believe it impacts on how we view creation, God's purpose in creating man and woman, I believe it has impact on how we view the role of husband and wife in marriage, and certainly it impacts on how we view the church and the doctrine of the church. And one of the areas that has suffered most in recent times is that doctrine of the church. In other words, the understanding of believers as to the purpose of the local church, the function of the local church, the structure of the local church as God intended and as revealed in His Word. And never forget that when we approach these verses, we don't approach them in a vacuum. We approach them as part of Paul's letter to Timothy, which is all about this whole area of what does the local church look like? What are the issues that need to be addressed? What is its purpose? How should it be structured? How can it function to bring most glory to God? To be most effective in Gospel worship and witness? Never forget that key text in the letter which displays Paul's purpose in writing and encouraging Timothy in his ministry. 1 Timothy 3.15 so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." That's the context. That is how and why Paul is writing. And Timothy is to teach The church in Ephesus, how they are to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And so this epistle then is an instruction to a young pastor who has a responsibility before him that is incredibly difficult. It's a corrective epistle because of the errors that existed in the church. And so verses 9 to 15 deal with certain issues that have arisen there and in the local church. So let's begin by looking at some of the dangers that we can face in handling these verses. The first danger is this. The danger of controversy. It's fair to say that few issues have succeeded in bringing more division into the church, and even generally, than the role of women in the church. Entire denominations have either split or been created over the question of women's roles in the church, ordination and the like. It has also caused major dispute within local fellowships. I could give you a number of examples where this issue has caused great division. even caused one man to step down from his pastorate. And there has been a keeping away from the issue in many evangelical churches. I had an email from someone who listens regularly to the ministry here over the internet and to say how thankful she was that we were going to be brave enough to tackle these things when so many would rather just skirt over them and pretend that they're not there. The danger of controversy. There is also the danger of letting culture overrule Scripture. No matter how they are understood, God's instructions for women stand against the prevailing attitudes of contemporary society. And if you just take them on face value to the postmodern year, the verses in 1 Timothy 2 here simply sound like gender discrimination. The very idea that women should be forbidden to teach men will cause an absolute scandal in the classroom or the marketplace. So why should things be different in the church? As one has said on this issue, perhaps more than any other, there is tremendous pressure to let the tale of culture wag the dog of biblical truth. The danger of letting culture dictate. There is also the danger of allowing church history to dictate how scripture should be applied. When questions arise about the role of women in ministry, many churches just say, well, we've never done it like that before. And it'd be fair to say that, sadly, the misunderstanding of this text has often seen legitimate spiritual gifts that women have to be marginalized and to marginalize the role of women in the church to the impoverishment of the church. We need mature, strong Christian ladies. We need that. Vital. but there is a danger of allowing tradition, church history, to dictate how Scripture should be applied. There is also the danger of allowing personal opinion to distort our understanding of the Scriptures. There have been many times that these verses have been dismissed purely because an individual doesn't like what is being said. Now we know, not just on this issue, that some truths in the Word of God are hard, and we don't always like what is said. Nevertheless, if we see the Word of God as the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, those which reveal the mind of God, the Holy Spirit, like them or not, they are to be believed and applied to daily life. And then there is also the danger of mishandling the text itself. What do these words actually mean? Silence, submission, teach, have authority, Each term calls that we define it carefully. And then there are further questions. What is the precise meaning of Eve's deception in verse 14? What could it possibly mean to say that she'll be saved in childbearing? What does it mean? So there is great danger in mishandling the text. You see, this passage defies just simplistic answers. And so in the face of these dangers and difficulties, the only way to proceed is to recognize that each of us brings prior assumptions to the passage. And so we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will correct those assumptions as necessary and to work through the passage carefully and considerably. But I want to go on by not only bringing to you the dangers in handling these things, but also to set the scene, as it were, on how these have become the focus of great controversy. and an immense amount of scholarship has been directed at these verses in recent years. It's clear really that no one in the liberal theological camp has any time for a traditional historic interpretation of the text. It'd be true to say that the majority of those in the evangelical tradition, if I can use that term, do subscribe to the historic position, but can't really explain what the position is. So they wrap themselves up into all manner of difficulties. There are also a substantial group of evangelicals in this day and age who have begun to reject the historic interpretation, preferring what is called the progressive interpretation, even as I mentioned earlier, arguing for full ordination of women and the like. Now, lay our cards on the table for myself, for the Church. We hold to the traditional position which takes the Scriptures to be authoritative, and that they are the divinely given order for the home, and here in 1 Timothy, for the Church. Now, that doesn't mean that we don't believe in the total equality of men and women as made in the image of God. Of course we do. But we believe that each have God-given roles which are complementary. And the historic position concerning the application of these verses has been the overwhelming majority view of the Church at large for most of the past 2,000 years. And the view in summary is that Women have vital roles to fulfill in life generally, in the home, in the work and in the church. And whilst there are many ways in which women are absolutely vital in the fellowship of believers, even to teach in appropriate settings, for example, teaching other women or children or on occasion alongside husbands in the home, the role of pastor, Elder, which embraces oversight, the leadership of the church, and the authoritative teaching and preaching is that for a man. It's very interesting too, as we'll come to see, that directly after these verses, Paul goes on to deal with qualifications for eldership, which is, again, not insignificant. That's a summary and detailed explanation, of course, will come in future weeks, so please be patient. Now, historically, a number of scholars really have said that 1969 was a key year when things changed regarding our understanding of these verses, when the revisionist view began to appear in literature, not only in the seminaries and in the colleges, but even beyond that in the wider field of Christian literature. And from that trickle then came a flood of articles which really paralleled what was taking place in the social climate in the 1960s and early 1970s. And so this progressive interpretation in the last 40 years has dramatically altered understanding that really had been held for the previous nearly 2,000 years. That said, as I mentioned earlier, it is not tradition that should direct belief, it is the word of God. And the Scriptures must be central to any conclusions that we come to. And our concern above all as a church is that we must allow the Bible to define what we do. To allow the text to define what we do. Because if it doesn't, then that vacuum will be filled very quickly with other agendas. We must never determine our theology just by polling dead or even living theologians. Rather, we must always go to the Word of God itself. So what does Paul mean in these verses? Well, the text says in verses 11-12, Let a woman learn in silence with all submission, and I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man but to be in silence. Let me give you a number of ways in which this has been interpreted. Firstly, there are those who just argue Paul is wrong. He's got it wrong. None who claim to be evangelical really assume this position until 1975 when a professor called Paul Jewett mentioned that Paul's teaching was in error. And really what Paul was doing was echoing the rabbinical misinterpretation of the second creation account in Genesis 2. He basically said that Paul was echoing that which was taking place in wider Judaism at that time. And Dr. Jewett quite simply believes that Paul was wrong. Now unsurprisingly, it came hand in hand with also a view on the authority of the Scriptures, with a number of men vocally in attacking the Bible's authority, inerrancy, infallibility. And so really it was a picking and choosing from the Scriptures, and that's common. but it has never been an evangelical position. And so Jewett's writings cause widespread debate and his position caused a stir even in his own academic institution. So that's the first. Some simply argue Paul's got it wrong. And so we don't need to consider these verses anymore. Second approach is this. They say that Paul was quite simply dealing with the excesses in Ephesian religion. which was really a stronghold of feminist supremacy. Some argue that Ephesus stood apart as a stronghold of feminine supremacy in religion. In other words, this feminine movement in ancient Ephesus showed itself in the temples of religion and so women held the places of prominence And therefore, when Paul was writing this letter to Timothy, prohibits women teaching and exercising authority, it was aimed at the excesses of Ephesian culture. So he wasn't dealing with the normal teaching and exercise of authority, but he was dealing specifically with the situation in Ephesus. Now, there is one difficulty in this position, and that is this. Feminist Ephesus never existed. One leading historian on the city of Ephesus, in a clear essay and critique of the position, if you want to read it, it's called A Foreign World, Ephesus in the First Century, explains that Ephesus was a conventional Roman provincial city. It had no women magistrates and its pagan cult hierarchy was dominated by men. And so the argument of this position is really based on a historical myth. The third position is this. It says that Paul was only addressing those women who were actively seeking to domineer or to control in the church. Now this position focuses on dealing with an interpretation of the Greek word which is translated to have authority and it gives it a specifically negative meaning. So in other words, when Paul writes, he is speaking to those women who want to dominate in the church, who want to control and have control over men and seek to establish themselves. So they say Paul is not arguing or prohibiting for women from teaching altogether or exercising authority altogether over men as long as it is not done in a controlling or negative way. Now the problem with that view is that the translation of the Greek as specifically negative is really difficult to argue and sustain. Though the word could mean to dominate in some context, it cannot mean it in this text. And the reason is this, that the word or, so when it says teach, or to have authority in Greek language requires that both words be positive or both words be negative. So, if both were to be negative, then the phrase should be something along the lines of, I do not permit a woman to teach error, or to domineer over a man. But the problem is, every other use of the Greek word to teach in the New Testament, and as many uses in 1 and 2 Timothy, is always used positively. So it's difficult to sustain the argument which is there. The other position that some take is this. They say that Paul is just giving a personal opinion. Some say that Paul uses the phrase here, I do not permit. And so because of that, they say that he's just expressing a personal opinion about a temporary arrangement. So he's not speaking as an apostle. He's just venturing an opinion. The problem with this is that Paul often uses this type of expression to give universal and authoritative instruction. For example, Romans 12.1, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And when you look at the Greek behind that, it is the similar structure to that which we have here in 1 Timothy 2. And if you come back to 1 Timothy 2, Another problem in taking that view is really to say that Paul's instruction is temporary for the Ephesians really ignores the context. Because, as you see in the very next verses, he immediately rests his prohibition against women teaching and exercising authority on the unchanging order of creation. Therefore, this, as in other places, must be seen as universal and enduring. Another argument is this. It says that Paul is only speaking to wives. Another group argue that the references to woman and women in the passage only refer to wives because of the way the passage parallels what Peter writes in 1 Peter 3. Let me read those verses to you. It says, Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel. Rather, let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, As Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters you are, if you do good, and are not afraid with any terror. Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honour to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered. And so the argument is this, that this teaching that Paul brings in 1 Timothy is an echo of what Peter says and so it is purely domestic and it relates only to the home. Well, I think really the difficulty is that the passages are in fact very distinct. And as you look at them alongside each other, they're a very different direction. And even those who strongly argue for women teaching, preaching, and eldership, rarely use that argument because they deem it so weak. So, that's another stand that some take. And then finally, also, some say that Paul's statement in Galatians 3.28 overrules these verses in 1 Timothy. So, in Galatians 3.28, this is what we read. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Now, that is a very wonderful statement. And it speaks directly of the believer's spiritual status in the Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer Every male or female who is in Christ fully inherits the Abrahamic promises by grace apart from works. It is a statement of our wonderful spiritual equality, quorum Deo, before the face of God, whatever our status in life, if we are the Lord's. But, that standing does not do away with the God-given gender distinctions which stand. Yet, that is what those who argue this position would seek to explain. And they argue that this verse in Galatians is a breakthrough text, and all other texts must bow in submission before it. Now, if you turn with me to Galatians 3.28, which we just read together, I want to explain to you why there is difficulty in sustaining that position. So turn with me, if you will, to Galatians 3.28. You see, the text in Galatians 3.28 does say that we are all one in Christ Jesus. But in what sense are we one in Christ Jesus? Well, as with all scriptures, friends, we must always take it in its context. It is very easy to pull verses out of context to prove position. And so, what does this text really mean? What context does it come to us in? Well, if you go back a little bit in the passage, you'll find that he's talking about salvation. So, for example, if you go back to Galatians 3 and verse 13, you will see there it speaks very clearly that Christ has redeemed us. And he speaks there of the lovely truth that Christ has redeemed us, and he talks a little about redemption. Or, if you look again at Galatians 3, and you look at verse 22, the Scriptures concluded everybody under sin, and then the promise by faith of Jesus Christ is given to them that believe. It's another way to look at salvation. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And then at the end of verse 24, we are justified by faith. That is, we're made right with God through our faith. In verse 26, we're all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus. We've all been baptized into Christ. We've put on Christ. And so the equality and the oneness that Paul speaks of is that we are all one in the sense of salvation. Paul is not directly speaking of the role of a woman or a man. We are one in Christ. And the point is quite simply this. Everyone can come to Christ. It doesn't matter if you're a Jew or a Gentile. It doesn't matter if you're a bond slave or a freeman. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman. You can all receive eternal life in Christ. That's a wonderful thing. You're here this night and there is nothing that disqualifies you in your status from receiving salvation. We are all sons of God. We are all the seed of Abram. That is, we are connected to Abram, the father of those who have faith. It goes on in chapter 4 to speak of how we are all heirs. In verse 6 of chapter 4, of how we are all sons as it were. How we all possess the Holy Spirit. And so the whole passage before and after is talking about the wonderful reality of salvation in Christ, which is available to all people, to Jew, to Gentile, to bond, to free, male or female. And by the way, ask yourself, why was Galatians written? It was written in order to reiterate the truth of the Gospel. To restate the power of the Gospel. Why? Because it was under attack from the Judaizers. And so Paul's purpose in writing the letter to the Galatians is not to address the role of men and women in the church. At that point, he's addressing the imbalance and the error of the Judaizers as they have undermined the Gospel. And so it's not saying that when you become a Christian, all that is rubbed out. I mean, do we preach that when a Jew becomes a Christian that he ceases to become a Jew? If that's the case, why do we call such brothers and sisters messianic Jews? They still retain something of their distinctiveness. If you're a slave and you become a Christian, does that mean then that you are no longer a slave? Well, of course it does in a spiritual sense. You've been set at liberty. But in your physical status, the reality is you're still a slave. Or if you're a free man, you become a Christian. You're no longer a free man. Well, of course, you could argue spiritually, you become a slave of Christ as it were. But of course, in physical position and standing, you're still a free man. Whatever you are, you are. So you become a Christian Jew or a Christian Gentile. You're a Christian free man or a Christian bum man. You're a Christian man or a Christian woman. Friend, you don't stop being a man or a woman when you become a Christian. These distinctions are maintained. You see, the passage in Galatians 3 is talking about the spiritual life which is available through the grace of God in Jesus Christ. And so, we must be careful when we come to these verses that we look at them openly and rightly and in their context. There is no question, no question at all, that there is spiritual equality in the New Testament. All of the commands of the New Testament, all of the spiritual promises of the New Testament, all of the blessings of the New Testament, all the accountability of the New Testament spiritually in terms of how we live and what God will do in response to, it is enjoined upon men and women. It is not isolated upon men only, but to men and women. So we all have the same spiritual resources. We have the same spiritual promises. We have the same spiritual responsibilities. We haven't got time to go through all the New Testament and explain all that to you. Everything you read in there is for men and women. Never is that distinction sorted out in terms of spiritual responsibility or blessing or capacity. Spiritual equality is never in question. But what is brought to bear in the verses that we have in Timothy is the role of men and women, which may well be different. So this evening, really, you see there are lots of positions, lots of different approaches to these verses, many creative ways in which different groups come to these verses. But I would suggest to you that none really deal fully with the text in its context. So what does Paul mean in these verses? Well, that's what our consideration is going to be over these next couple of weeks, to come to the Word of God and above and beyond maybe the preconceptions that we have to consider the Word in its fullness. And really what we need to do is this, take a step back. In this chapter, Paul's desire was that when the church in Ephesus met together corporately, Their prayers, their conduct, their meeting together would promote the Gospel and that divine desire in 1 Timothy 2.4, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And as seen in the verses that follow, both for men and women, the way we pray, the way we conduct ourselves, has everything to do with the cause of the Gospel. And we see that Paul addresses those men who had been leading the church in prayer whilst they had been acting so arrogantly and contentiously and argumentatively. And he has addressed women who were imitating the coiffures and the lavish styles of the worldly city with all of its immorality. And so with that in mind, he then comes to verses 11-15. Having mentioned how women were to prepare and carry themselves in public worship. Paul goes on to address the issues of respect and authority in the life of the local church. And as one has said, it must be noted, these instructions have nothing directly to say about teaching and authority in the marketplace, or the academy, or the public square. It addresses order in the local church. Neither do these distinctives allow any man within the church by virtue of his gender to exercise authority over women in the church. Do not misunderstand. This is not an argument just to say, well, just because you're a man, you're suited to leadership. You know, there are men who should go nowhere near a pulpit or leadership. That is not in question either. Rather, It is to understand the biblical balance and roles. So we need to consider these things. It is not about equality. Equality has been established from the beginning. Genesis 1.27 God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him. Male and female He created them. And so it continues in Christ as we saw in Galatians. Spiritual equality. That is never in question. But it's about being part of the household of faith. And friend, we know that in households, there are roles for the members of that household. And here, Paul is addressing those roles. Something, God willing, we will explore next time. You know, we're going to stand to sing our final hymn in a moment. And I was thinking, well, what hymn could you choose to close such a message? Well, I was thinking and looking through, and I came on this lovely hymn, 363. Come, let us join our friends above. And if you look at that hymn just for a moment, you'll see that it speaks of the wonderful reality that we are a part of that glorious church. Those who have gone before us and are now in glory, and those of us who remain one family. We dwell in Him. One church above, beneath. Alright? So the family of God. In a family we know that there is a head. The head is Christ. One army of the living God to His command we bow. He is the Captain. And therefore, we must be willing to take His orders as to how we are structured together. Our precious Saviour. The Lord Jesus, head of this household, captain of His army, He has the right to order us the way that He will and has revealed in His Word. And I pray that as we consider these things together, that we would be willing to submit to His instruction and to His orders. 363. Let's stand together as we close. Come, let us join our friends above. 363.