Paul’s Instructions Concerning Public Worship (Part 3)

Paul’s Instructions Concerning Public Worship (Part 3)

Introduction:

Review:

As it was in the two previous lessons, Paul is instructing Timothy concerning public worship and the conduct of believing men and women when they gather for worship.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 NLT
11 Women should learn quietly and submissively. 12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.   Let them listen quietly. 13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

  • 1 Timothy 2:11–15 is widely considered one of the most fiercely debated passages in the New Testament.

Disagreements over 1 Timothy 2:11–15 and related passages have contributed to church splits, denominational divisions, congregational departures, and the formation of new denominations.

  • Interpretations of this passage generally divide into two primary theological views: Complementarian and Egalitarian.
      1. The Complementarian View (Timeless Order)
        Complementarians view the passage as a permanent, universal structure for church leadership, restricting senior governing and teaching roles to qualified men.
      1. The Egalitarian View (Cultural and Local Context)
        Egalitarians view the instruction as a temporary directive addressing a specific crisis in first-century Ephesus.

 

Examine the Scriptures

1 Timothy 2:11-15 NLT 

11 Women should learn quietly and submissively.  

The verse begins with:

“Women should learn” 

  • “Women should learn”. Christian women are not spiritually inferior students. They are disciples of Christ who are to be instructed in God’s Word. 

God’s Word is for males and females alike.

2 Peter 3:18 NLT
18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Joshua 1:8 NLT
8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

Psalm 119:105 NLT
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:11 NLT
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

Proverbs 3:1-2 NLT
3:1 My child, never forget the things I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
2 If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

2 Timothy 2:15 NLT
15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Matthew 4:4 NLT
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

  • All believers, men and women alike, need to have good Biblical teaching.

The verse goes on to say: Women should learn quietly and submissively. 

  • Here Paul is stressing the importance of Godly conduct for the Christian women.

Repeat a passage used in our last lesson:

1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. 4 You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 

The word translated “quietly” does not necessarily mean complete silence. It carries the idea of being peaceable, orderly, or not disruptive. 

Women should not attempt to usurp the authority of the pastors or elders.

1 Corinthians 14:40 NLT (referring to worship)
40 But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

Women should not be disruptive in worship services.

  • Women should learn quietly and submissively.

A similar passage:

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NLT
34 Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. 35 If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings. 

12 I do not let women teach men or have authority over them.   

The setting here is men and women gathering for public worship.

  • Men and women have equal worth before God, but God assigned different responsibilities concerning authoritative teaching and church governance.
  • Men and women have different roles in the church as well as different roles in a marriage. 

Here is where I will apply the: 

Complementarian interpretation:
Paul establishes a continuing distinction between men and women in the governing and authoritative teaching office of the church. Women may exercise many important teaching and ministry roles, but the office carrying authoritative teaching/governing responsibility over men is reserved for qualified men. 

Let them listen quietly. 

Note:

  • The New Testament gives clear evidence that women had significant ministry and leadership roles in the early church, but they should not usurp the authority of the pastors or elders. 

 13 For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived, and sin was the result.  

Here is where theologians use the “creation order” argument.

How would you explain “creation order”?

  • Creation order is a theological term referring to the way God established relationships, responsibilities, and roles when He created humanity, particularly the relationship between man and woman.

When theologians talk about “creation order,” especially in discussions of 1 Timothy 2:11–15, they are referring to the fact that God created Adam first and Eve second, as described in Genesis 2.

Paul explicitly appeals to this order:

“For Adam was formed first, then Eve.” — 1 Timothy 2:13

Note:
The important point is that “first” does not automatically mean “better” or “more valuable.”
Genesis actually presents both Adam and Eve as created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).
When complementarian theologians speak of creation order, they generally mean that God established a particular relationship or pattern of responsibility between the man and the woman from creation itself, before sin entered the world.

They therefore understand “creation order” as establishing a continuing distinction in responsibility and authority, particularly concerning the governing/authoritative teaching office of the church.

  • Complementarians argue that Paul’s restriction is not cultural. By citing the order of creation (Adam formed first, then Eve) and the dynamic of the “Fall” (Eve being deceived), Paul grounds his instruction in the enduring, overarching created order rather than temporary local customs.

 15 But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.

This is one of the most difficult statements in the Pastoral Epistles.

  • The precise meaning of verse 15 is not clear.

Almost every source I used explained the first part of this verse differently.  I’m not about to pick one of these explanations.  I’ll let it up to you to figure out what this first part of the verse is saying

We know what the verse is not saying:

Paul is not saying that a woman earns salvation by having children, because that would conflict with Paul’s broader teaching about salvation by grace through faith.

We do know something it is saying: 

  • Women are to continue to live in faith, love, holiness, and modesty.