Gender and Ministry Pt. 3

As we continue in this series about gender and ministry, or gender and the church, we are going to take our focus from the Old Testament to the New Testament. As a quick reminder, the Old Testament basis for gender is that men and women are both made in the Image of God. They are of equal worth, but God made men and women to serve in complementary, yet different roles.

Throughout the New Testament, there are several passages that relate to men and women working together. Passages like Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 3:18-19, and 1 Peter 3:1-7 all address how men and women are to interact inside marriage. But what about when it comes to gender and ministry?

For this topic, there are two main passages that address this. The first comes in 1 Corinthians 14 and the second comes from 1 Timothy 2 and 3. 1 Corinthians 14 is an important passage in this discussion, but it comes in the midst of a larger scale discussion of order during worship, something that the Corinthian Church was apparently lacking. Rather than examining all of these details, which lead to a similar conclusion as the 1 Timothy passage; we are going to focus on 1 Timothy 2-3.

It is helpful to break down the conclusion of 1 Timothy 2 in three sections. From verses 8-10, Paul addresses how men and women behave during and around worship. verses 11-12 discuss how men and women relate, while in verses 13-15, Paul uses Adam and Eve as the reason for this principle.

What is the principle? Paul says it simply in verses 11 and 12. “A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.” Paul is keeping this argument simple. There is authority that comes with preaching the word of God to the gathered Church. The authority that comes with preaching the word of God is reserved for men. In total transparency, there can be much more discussion about what is meant by teaching. That discussion is necessary and is important and will take place partially in our Cornerstone Equipping Class this summer.

Paul then provides the reasoning for this principle. He cites Adam and Eve from Genesis 3. In Genesis 3, Eve is deceived and sins by eating from the tree. On the other hand, Adam sins by allowing this to happen and by not taking his God-given role as a leader.

Paul and the other apostles took this to heart. They saw God’s design for men and women throughout the Old Testament and how men were expected to lead. They applied this within the Church which is what we see in 1 Timothy 3, which we’ll look at next week.

Is this to say that women are not important? Far from it! Remember, going back to Genesis, men and women are both made in the Image of God and are given equal value in God’s eyes, although their role, or function, is different. There are many women in scripture who are clearly seen ministering in important ways. For instance, Phoebe is said to be a diakonos (the word that we translate as deacon), while Priscilla helps to correct Apollos.

It is important that we do not take Paul’s words out of context, or use them to limit women. Women are critical to the ministry of the Church.

Make sure you join us next week as we discuss how this important and culturally relevant topic is handled at Cornerstone, specifically looking at 1 Timothy 3! In full transparency, there are lots of discussions surrounding the 1 Timothy 2-3 passage. In fact, there are full books written on this one passage! For a more detailed analysis of this passage and the viewpoints surrounding it, please reach out and Pastor Daniel would be happy to send you a longer analysis of this passage.

Blessings,

Pastor Daniel