1st Timothy 2:12. “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
AUTHORITY. There is an order to follow that has often been misunderstood. People think one is of lesser importance until reaching adulthood. Or one is greater or lesser because of age or gender – And the value of a person depends upon the work they render.
Can you imagine a society totally made up totally of doctors? There would be no farmers, teachers, or building contractors. Everyone would be the same, but some things needed are missing – There is no one providing food and shelter; no one to do the heavy lifting.
Nothing would be accomplished in a society where all are the same. An organization would produce nothing, and all would be to blame – Because one wanted to do the same things as each and every other – And it wouldn’t be long until chaos erupts with each blaming one another.
It is the same in church life, where authority is not based on skill. The Holy Spirit planned in the past a practice that is relevant still. When a church comes together as one, certain gifts He gave each to use. And as the Divine Organizer, the use of those is His to choose.
Speaking gifts; He gave to males to exhort, comfort, and teach. Serving gifts; He gave to others, the multitudes to reach. When all the gifts God gave are working in the gathered company – There is evidence able to be seen by all; we are all under authority.
The males of the church are called to do just what God intends. The females, equal in every way to their own work, must attend. Things the sisters are to do, the brothers must leave alone. The work the brothers do is theirs; God’s way is to each his own.
Silence is a way to learn, and from learning we then apply – The principles of our life for God, and where I my own work must ply.
Democratic principles used in governments are not for use in homes. Authority practiced in assembly life; God will use in ages to come.
“Father and Lord God of the churches: give us the grace to live and act with grace under the principles of Thy authority. I know Thou art Lord, but also my Father. I see no conflict when the roles You gave to each one are fulfilled in the order and place of Thy choosing. I praise Thee that divine authority works perfectly. It is our willfulness that creates difficulties. Teach us to submit thankfully, I pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
There are testimonies of a number of women in the New Testament. There were those who ministered to our Lord Jesus Christ [Lu. 8:1-3] when He was involved in His public ministry. Dorcas [Acts 9:36] served the whole community by doing good without asking for returns. Lydia was a businesswoman who [Acts 16:14] demonstrated hospitality toward those who preached the Gospel. Priscilla, with her husband [Acts 18:1-3], opened their home to the assembly and used their scriptural knowledge to assist a gifted man named Apollos. Women of Berea and Thessalonica [Acts 17:4,12] understood the Gospel message clearly. There were eight women in Romans 16 who are worthy of mention in the divine record as those who were involved in the work of the Lord. Phoebe [Rom.16:1] served the saints in Cenchrea, in ways that are an example to us all to meet the needs of others. There is nothing in the scripture that demeans women in any way. Men were first formed by God, and that implies the original place of rank that they are given. The female was dependent on the man, not to act independently but in coordination with divine order, so there would be no conflicts that would lead to chaos and even disaster.
When Eve acted independently, the fall of mankind happened. The result still continues, and the boundaries are still being ignored. Eve was deceived and beguiled. She stepped out of her place and overturned the divine order God had established. She took authority to which she did not have the right. Adam was not deceived as was Eve. He knew the consequences of his act. Therefore, his guilt was greater because he was conscious of what he was doing. He knowingly renounced his authority, and for her sake, took the leadership in this case that has passed death for sin upon all mankind. Now in the assembly, God has restored the fact of headship. Male and female acceptance of scriptural order is needed for proper public testimony.