How Should Modern Christian Women Understand Verses Like 1 Timothy 2:12?

"I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet." ~ 1 Timothy 2:12

Scotty Smith explains the meaning of 1 Timothy 2:12

The following is a transcript of the video above featuring Scotty Smith giving a modern context for 1 Timothy 2:12:

How Should Modern Women Understand 1 Timothy 2:12

Currently, the theme of women in ministry is a very important one among believers in the body of Christ. We sometimes read passages in the New Testament, that was seemed to be saying, "Women shut up and learn at home." The passage in first Timothy, where Paul is calling women to remain silent, taken out of context can basically seem to confirm a real prejudice that the apostle Paul himself had a lot of issues about women. But really when we take the whole Bible, the entire narrative, we begin to realize that every verse has a context that must be understood. For instance, the same apostle that wrote first Timothy two also wrote first Corinthians 11 when he said, "Women are only supposed to prophesied with their heads covered." Well, where do women prophesied but in the church? Where do women prophesize, or hold forth, their understanding of the word of the Lord for the moment, except in the community of men and women together. That's just a good example of how we need to see the whole scripture in a larger context.

Really, it can be best understood going back to Genesis one and two, where, when we read the origin of creation, God creates male and female in his own image. And Adam and Eve were both commissioned to live as complimentary stewards of God's world. They were vice regions together of God's creation. In the unfolding of God's story, we see that a man and a woman are equal, but different, very much like life within the Trinity. We don't think of Father, Son and Holy Spirit competing for who gets to do what. We see this glorious revelation of God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Likewise in humanity, men and women are given an equality of status, but diversity of function, but a part of that diversity does not mean that a woman should remain silent at all times.

Apparently what was going on in first Timothy two, and also later in first Corinthians 14 was there were some women acting out in an unruly fashion. And so, Paul is responding to very specific situations in certain churches saying, "We've got to reel some of these enthusiastic ladies in" because clearly in other parts of scripture, I mean, even in the old Testament, there were a women prophetesses. There was a woman judge, Deborah, there are many wonderful ministries for women. So we need to read the whole Bible, look at the difficult passages in the larger context and accept the fact that we're called to be servants of Jesus, however he has called and gifted us to serve.

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