A Key Text: 1 Timothy 2:11-15

The subject of roles in the church often provokes conflict and discontent. Our modern Western world values equality and fairness. While the Bible affirms the equal inherent worth of men and women, it does not indicate that this equality means they must have the same roles in the home or in the church. In this article, I will outline the main points of the debate and offer a general conclusion.

The most relevant and clear text on this matter is what Paul says:

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”
(1 Timothy 2:11–15)

The Relevance of the Context

This passage is especially important for several reasons:

Paul speaks with apostolic authority.
This is not the opinion of a random teacher. When Paul speaks, he does so with revelation and inspiration. He knew this himself—saying in 1 Corinthians 7:25 that he gives his judgment “as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.” We must not understand “judgment” in the casual sense of mere opinion, as if it could be right or wrong. Rather, it is a reasoned judgment based on divine knowledge (see Robertson’s Word Pictures in loc.). The use of “I” does not limit the scope of application—in fact, the opposite is true: Paul’s “I” adds authority and certainty. This is not the whim of a sexist man in a patriarchal culture, but the authoritative judgment of an apostle.
Paul’s purpose in 1 Timothy is to instruct about church leadership.
He explicitly states that he is writing so Timothy will know how to organize the church in Paul’s absence: “I am writing these things to you so that… you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”
(1 Timothy 3:14–15)
Other New Testament situations may be ambiguous, but this one is not.
Paul’s reasoning is not cultural or local.
The reasons he gives are universal and historical. He refers to creation and the fall, not to temporary or cultural concerns. If disorder were the problem, why would he restrict only women? Surely there were disorderly men as well. The universality of his reasoning calls for a universal application.

The Clarity of the Content

The text clearly teaches that women are not to teach or exercise authority over men. Many have sought to escape this meaning, but none of the proposed reinterpretations hold up under sound hermeneutics.

Some argue that “woman” should be read as “wife.”
But the text does not say “her husband”; it says “a man.” The best translation is simply woman.
Some suggest Paul only forbids false teaching.
They speculate that uneducated women were spreading error due to lack of training. But this makes little sense, for the same restriction would then apply to uneducated men.
Some try to alter “nor” to “and,” arguing that Paul only forbids the combined office of teaching and authority (like an elder or overseer). Yet in Greek, the word is clearly nor—separating two distinct prohibitions:
A woman should not teach a man.
A woman should not exercise authority over a man.
Some claim the verb should mean “to usurp authority.”
It is true that in later Greek literature the term can mean that, but in New Testament-era Greek the broader sense is “to exercise authority.” Even if we took it as “to usurp,” the command would still make little sense if it applied only to women. Why would Paul tell only women not to exercise illegitimate or abusive authority? Surely that applies equally to men.
Others dismiss the passage because some details are difficult.
But the existence of difficult parts should not cause us to doubt what is clear.

The Consistency of the New Testament

What we find in 1 Timothy 2 is fully consistent with the rest of the New Testament. There are no clear examples of women teaching in official church gatherings, nor of women holding authoritative offices over men.

Old Testament examples like Deborah, Ruth, and Esther are admirable and important, but not examples of church leadership or teaching in a church setting.
Jesus’ ministry also fits this pattern. The women in His ministry (Mary, Martha, and others) played vital and honorable roles, often serving more faithfully than men—but not as teachers or leaders over men.
In Acts, the examples align with Paul’s instruction. Priscilla taught Apollos together with her husband, privately, not in a public church teaching role. Philip’s daughters prophesied, but the context is not specified—and beyond mentioning their existence, Scripture gives no further detail (though Eusebius, citing Papias, says they were noble examples whom people sought for counsel).
Women in Paul’s letters—Phoebe, Junia, Euodia, Syntyche, and others—are commended for their valuable service and deserve honor and respect. But none of their roles contradict what Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2.

Other passages also affirm male leadership:
1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Corinthians 14 regarding order in worship, and Ephesians 5 and 1 Peter 3 regarding the home. The qualifications for elders/overseers in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 specify that they must be “the husband of one wife,” clearly assuming male leaders.

As for Galatians 3:28, it speaks of salvation and spiritual inheritance in Christ, not the erasure of all social distinctions. It means that anyone—Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female—can be united with Christ and share in His promise. Yet slaves remained slaves (in the moral, not the abusive modern sense), and masters remained masters—each now called to act with Christian love and integrity. The same applies to men and women regarding their roles.

Conclusions from 1 Timothy 2

Men and women have distinct roles within the Church of Christ.
Yet in value and importance, we are entirely equal before God.

Applications

There is no prohibition against women teaching other women. If fact, it is mandated. (Titus 2:3ff)
There is no prohibition against women teaching children and youth.
1 Timothy 2 addresses church roles, not business or politics.
1 Timothy 2 addresses roles within the church among believers, it does not prohibit evangelism or foreign missions.
1 Timothy 2 does no prohibit public functions in Sunday church meetings if they do not involve teaching or authority of adult, male heads of household.
- Serving the Lord’s Supper (although the Communion Meditation would usually involve teaching or instruction in some sense)
- Collecting the offering
- Announcements, coordination of programs and events
- Leading singing
- Public prayer
- Scripture reading
- Testimonies
It is valid to maintain a distinction between spiritual authority over people (prohibited by the Bible) and administrative roles over programs and events (not prohibited)
The office of elder-pastor-overseer is biblically restricted to qualified men. Teaching roles such as in adult Sunday Schools and Home Bible Studies would have a similar restriction.
The office of deacon does not have teaching or spiritual authority components in the Bible. Rather, it is directed to administration of resources and programs. Thus, the women would not be prohibited from becoming deacons on the basis of 1 Timothy 2. However, I do have a word of caution…
- In Acts 6, the Apostles asked for male candidates, and the seven proposed were men.
- There are no clear examples of women being deacons in the Bible. Romans 16:1 is the best possibility, but the Greek is not conclusive. Some egalitarian proponents (like Ben Witherington III – a very respectable scholar whose content I generally appreciate very much) have tended to exaggerate the case, making Phoebe not just a deacon but possibly a pastor. There is NOTHING in the text to warrant such a speculative conclusion. The Greek could be translated as deaconess or servant. There isn’t enough context to be dogmatic either way.
- The Greek term sometimes indicates this office, but is often used to mean servant in a more general sense. It can be used to describe anyone… apostles, missionaries, evangelists, and other messengers. Anyone who performs any service to the church or the saints is a diakonos in a sense. See, for example: Paul y Apollos (1 Cor 3:5), Timothy (1 Tim 4:6), and Epaphras (Col 1:7).
- 1 Timothy 3 does not mention deaconesses, although some translators may have that idea in English. 1 Timothy 3:11 says, “The women in like manner. (ASV)” It could mean the female deacons or it could refer to the wives of the elders and deacons. If it refers to female deacons, it seems to me, that it is unusually short and truncated.
- My conclusion is that the Bible is ambiguous on this matter. Let each church do serious study seeking to be faithful to the Word (not to appease cultural norms). However, if the church decides to have female deacons, they must be careful not to cross the lines established in 1 Timothy 2:12.

Frequently Asked Questions

What about Galatians 3:27–29?
It doesn’t apply to this matter. Paul is speaking about salvation as an inheritance. At that moment, he needed to clarify something in response to the teachings of the Judaizers. Under the Law of Moses (with a few exceptions), a person could receive an inheritance only if they were free (not a slave), male (not female), and Jewish (not Gentile). In that context, Paul explains that salvation is not limited by origin, race, gender, or social condition.
However, equality in salvation does not imply equality of roles within the home or within the church (1 Tim. 2:12; 1 Pet. 3:1–7).

But weren’t there women in leadership in the Old Testament?
Examples such as Deborah, the judge, are not relevant to the Church. First, her position was not a spiritual leadership role. In addition, we should look for instructions in the New Testament when it comes to the Church—just as we look to the New Testament for guidance on salvation, qualifications for church leadership, membership, and so on.

What can we conclude about the women in Jesus’ ministry?
Women in Jesus’s life clearly played important roles, yet we see no examples of them holding official leadership positions. Jesus formally appointed only twelve disciples, preparing them for apostleship afterward. Thus, the only leadership role directly appointed by Jesus was given to men.
Certainly, women served in significant and honorable ways, and no one should diminish the importance of what they did. They offer a strong example of humble service for all believers. We should not think of Christian leadership hierarchically. Leaders are not a superior class of Christians. Pastoral leadership is just one role among many. The modern clergy-laity distinction is unbiblical. The superstar attributions to many church leaders is completely misguided. Church leadership is about humble service to the Lord and His flock. Whether service is expressed through leadership or hospitality or teaching or feeding the poor doesn’t really matter as long as you are doing what God had called you to do.

What if God gave me teaching or leadership giftings?
If God did that and you are living a life faithful to God, there are many ways you can use those giftings in the service of the Lord and His church. Leadership gifts can be used in many church programs and activities without violating 1 Timothy 2:12. Some ideas were already listed above. Don’t fall into the lie that if it isn’t official church leadership it is somehow second-class. Many, many faithful Christians – men and women – serve in crucial ways from outside official leadership. Likewise, many Christians teach without being teachers at church. Although you might do official teaching in women’s groups, youth programs, or children’s services, again I would caution against the perspective that those are better than informal discipleship. I keep hoping that Christian men and women will stop seeing official teaching and leadership as positions to be achieved as you might climb the career ladder. Instead, the imagery of a body, with every part dependent on the functioning of the rest with Christ as the head (Ephesians 4:15) and the least visible parts highly cherished and honored (see 1 Corinthians 12:22-25). The worldly, hierarchical viewpoint has so pervaded the church that it is hard to see past it sometimes. Eschew attention and power-seeking. Use your gifts humbly in biblical ways to honor Christ.

What should we understand about the prominent women in the New Testament Church?
We find several examples in Acts of women who played important roles in the Church—Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9), Lydia (Acts 16:14), Priscilla (Acts 18:26), and others.
There is nothing in Scripture that forbids women from serving the Church or assisting its ministers in meaningful ways. Yet we never see a clear biblical example of women exercising public teaching or authority over men. Here we must apply the hermeneutical principle of interpreting less clear passages in light of those that are clear.

Lydia believed in the Lord and may have hosted the local church in her home. Her role in the church is not described; the emphasis is on her faithfulness and hospitality.
Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos privately as a couple. She did not attempt to correct or teach him during a church meeting or in front of others but, along with her husband, took him aside to explain the way of God more accurately. There is no problem with a wise woman discussing biblical and spiritual matters outside the church assembly, sharing her understanding and insight.
Philip’s daughters prophesied, but we are not told under what circumstances—whether within or outside the assembly, to believers or unbelievers, to men or women. It would be mistaken to assume that, because they were prophetesses, they served as “pastors” or taught during church gatherings.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul—while discussing church meetings—asks women to remain silent; yet in 1 Corinthians 11, in a different context, he acknowledges that women do prophesy. The reasonable conclusion is that women could prophesy in certain settings but not in others.
The biblical teaching is not that women have nothing important to contribute, but that there are limits in two specific functions within the gathered church: teaching adult men and exercising authority over adult men.

What about Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4?
They worked alongside Paul and Clement in the cause of the gospel. Beyond that, we know little about them—their situation, their specific work, or their responsibilities. Drawing doctrinal conclusions based on assumptions would be risky without more evidence.
Still, even within the framework of 1 Timothy 2, there are many areas of ministry and missions where women can serve effectively and be key workers for the kingdom of God.

Could 1 Timothy 2:12 be cultural—written for a specific congregation in a particular situation?
Besides the fact that there is no evidence of cultural problems unique to Ephesus (I am very familiar with the claims of problems specific to Ephesus; I just haven’t found any good evidence for it – instead, I’ve seen commentaries citing other commentaries), we have good reasons to understand this passage as applying universally to the Church.
Even if such circumstances had existed, the context still supports a universal application.
Verse 8 says, “in every place,” and when Paul begins speaking about women, he says, “likewise,” meaning “in the same way”—and in context, this must also refer to “in every place.”
Paul states that he wrote these instructions to show how the Church should function—not just how “the church in Ephesus” should function (1 Tim. 3:15). Specifically, he was writing to instruct Timothy, who was sent to help several churches.
Verse 13 roots the teaching in creation itself—something historical and universal, not cultural.
Verse 14 further confirms this by referring to the Fall, again an historical event, not a cultural one.

Your goal shouldn’t be to find excuses or loopholes. It should be to be faithful to the Lord’s will as expressed in His Word.

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