Why Women Are Biblically Forbidden

to Preach
There is a difference in roles of men and women. Always has been and always
will be.

There is an equality in our relationship to God.

Galatians 3:28-29

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s,
then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

1 Peter 3:7

Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the
weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be
hindered.

Yet there is a difference in roles God ordained for men and women.

Two Reasons For Different Roles Are Given In 1 Timothy 2:8-15

13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

1. The First Reason Given: The

Order Of Creation.

Paul does not go into detail, but enough is given to show that we must
consider what is revealed in the first three chapters of Genesis. Male and
female relationships are some of the greatest influences in human society
and they are based on Creation. This is one of the reasons we must
understand the Creation\Evolution controversy. If Evolution is true, we
eliminate the foundation of everything the Bible reveals including the
relationship men and women have with each other.

From the Creation account in Genesis, we know:

a. Both male and female are made in the image of God.

b. Both male and female have dominion over the earth

Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over
 all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So God created
man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He
created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the
air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

In Genesis, Creation is described two times. In chapter one, there is a

general account of the creation of everything. In Chapter two, there is
more specific account of creation of men and women. The Holy Spirit
revealed because of what happened at Creation, there is a difference in
the roles of men and women today.

A. In The Creation Account, The Male Is Central In The Narrative

There is evidence of male headship from the fact that the male is
the center and the subject of the entire narrative. All the action
and events revolve around the man. He is the subject; all else is
brought into the story in relation to him. He is the "star" of the
story, he occupies center stage.

Everything else, including the woman, has a supporting role.

1. The male is the first to be created (2:7). (firstborn)

2. The garden is prepared for him, and he is placed within it (2:8).
3. The male, not the female, is given the name borne by the human race as a whole: "Man"
(1:26-27, 5:2).
4. God speaks to the male (2:16); he is the first to receive divine revelation and instruction.
(Just as a CEO or General uses a "chain of command")
5. The animals are brought for naming to the male, not the female (2:19-20).
6. The woman is made from the man, not the man from the woman (2:22).
7. The woman is also made for the man and brought to him. the man was not made for the
woman (2:18, 22).
8. It is the man who speaks and makes a theological comment upon the woman’s creation,
not vice versa (2:23).
9. It is the male who names the female, not the woman naming the man (2:23).

The whole narrative in Genesis 2 is the story of how God created the man
and provided in every way for his well-being. The man is the central
character through the entire account of the creation of mankind.

When God created the human race, He placed the man squarely in the
center of His creative work. The other activities recorded in Genesis 2 are
all relative to the man’s existence, nature, and needs. This includes the
creation of the woman. All of this strongly implies that the man is the one
to take the lead in the commands given by God to subdue the earth.

B. The Male Was Created First

The creation order implies male headship. It was not an accident nor was
it random chance.
The Holy Spirit revealed that the order of creation of the man and woman
was on purpose and it demonstrates the headship of the male.

Feminist Argument: Animals were created

before man, but they are not the head of
man, therefore, man is not the head of
woman.

1 Timothy 2:12-13

And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in
silence.
For Adam was formed first, then Eve.

C. The Woman Was Created From The Man

The fact that the woman was created from the man implies male
headship. Man is the source of the woman; the woman is derived from the
man.

Genesis 2:22

Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He
brought her to the man.

The female’s being derived from the male does not necessarily, in and of
itself, confer headship upon the male. We would not know that this is an
indicator of male headship except for the revelation of the Spirit in 1
Corinthians 11:3-8. In His decision to bring woman into existence out of
the man, God established an appropriate and everlasting symbol of his
intention for man to exercise headship over the woman and for the woman
to exist in a relationship of dependence upon the man.

Feminist Argument: Man is from the dust

of the ground. Dirt is not the head of man,
therefore, man is not the head of woman.

1 Corinthians 11:3-9

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man,
and the head of Christ is God.

7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God;
but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor
was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.

The New Testament commentary is the decisive factor in this argument.

We know it is a valid argument because the inspired Apostle Paul himself
uses it. When feminists reject it, they are arguing against Paul, and
ultimately against the Holy Spirit who inspired him.
C. The Woman Was Created for the Man

Male headship is implied in the fact that the woman was created for the
man. Not only was she created from him; she was also created for him.
Though the man was created first, he was not intended to exist alone for
very long. God declared,

Feminist Argument: God is called man’s helper 16x. (Same word, "ezer" is used).
Man is not the head of God, therefore, man is not the head of woman.

Genesis 2:18

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper
suitable for him." (NASB)

The woman was brought into existence for the express purpose of meeting
the needs of the already-existing male, and to enable him to lead a
fulfilled life. The woman was created for the man; the man was not
created for the woman. This is an indication of the roles of the male being
the leader and the woman being the helper for the male.

This is confirmed 1 Corinthians 11:9 and is given as a proof of male

headship

1 Corinthians 11:3

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the
head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:9

For indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.

This New Testament commentary on Genesis 2:18 cannot be ignored or

explained away.

That God describes the woman as a helper suitable for or corresponding to

the man does reflect the ontological equality between the sexes, but in no
way does it require functional equality.

"Ontology" - The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being.

It shows that in her essential being, woman, unlike the animals, is on an

equal plane with man; but it does not negate the role of subordination
established by God when he created the woman for the man, i.e., for the
sake of the man or as a helper for the man.

D. Eve Was Deceived

Does the fact that Satan chose Eve for this first temptation imply that
women as such are spiritually weaker than men? Do they have some
kind of inherent weakness that makes them more vulnerable to
temptation and sin, as some think 1 Peter 3:7 is suggesting? (being the
weaker vessel)

Why Did Satan Choose Eve?

The question of why Satan chose Eve as the object of his temptation is
made all the more relevant by Paul’s remark that "it was not Adam
who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into
transgression" (1 Tim. 2:14) This text does mean something.

Does it mean that Eve was chosen because Satan considered her more
deceivable, more vulnerable than Adam? Was Eve the "weaker vessel" -
emotionally or intellectually?

The Bible does not reveal Satan’s motive for beginning with Eve. It just
records the fact that Eve was the first to be tempted and deceived,
and the first to sin. We are not told whether it was part of a
deliberate strategy of Satan, or if his choice was just random. But the
fact that we do not know for sure why Satan chose Eve does not
negate the force of 1 Timothy 2:14, which says that Eve’s being the
one who was deceived does have something to do with women’s being
prohibited from teaching men and having authority over men in the
New Testament church.

The really significant point is that (according to 1 Timothy 2:14) it is

not the transgression itself but the deception that is being held against
Eve. The fact that Eve was deceived by the Devil is in some way
related to the fact that women are not permitted to teach men and
have authority over men in the church. We simply cannot deny this
connection. The problem, though, is to explain it. Exactly what is the
connection?

It is possible that there is something inherent in women’s nature that

somehow makes them more vulnerable to deception concerning
spiritual matters and therefore less qualified to teach men and have
authority over men in the context of the church. This would be
consistent with Peter’s description of woman as the "weaker vessel" (1
Peter 3:7). Peter does not explain the nature of this "weakness," nor
does he suggest that it constitutes some kind of flaw or fault in
women. Whatever it is, it would be consistent with the role for which
God created woman in the first place. That is to say, the
characteristics that make a woman more strongly suited for her
intended role in the family and church make her weaker with
reference to what is required for duties of headship and leadership.
Such characteristics probably have to do more with her emotional
 rather than her intellectual nature.

Whatever this "weaker" nature may be, it is possible, if not likely, that
this is what Paul has in mind as underlying the fact that Eve was
deceived by Satan whereas Adam was not, and that this is the very
same thing that disqualifies women from teaching men and having
authority over men. If this is so, then the reason for this
disqualification is not Eve’s sin at all. Neither is the disqualification
some kind of penalty, either for her sin or for allowing herself to be
deceived.

It is simply some inherent, created female characteristic that

manifests itself in susceptibility to this kind of deception.

1 Tim. 2:13 gives as the primary reason for the prohibition the fact
that Adam was first created, then Eve. In other words, the prohibition
is grounded in creation, not in some aspect of the Fall. To say that
what is true because of creation is also a part of the penalty for the
Fall seems inconsistent. But if the prohibition is related to some
inherent female characteristic which itself is related to vulnerability
to deception, as the first explanation suggests, then 2:14 is also basing
the prohibition on human nature as created, and not on the Fall as
such.

E. Adam’s Responsibility And Male Headship

One other point must be noted concerning the sin itself, namely, the
connection between Adam’s responsibility for that sin and the fact of
the male headship that was already established in Genesis 2. Both the
Genesis context and Biblical teaching as a whole seem to point to the
fact that Adam, the male, bears a greater responsibility for the first
sin than Eve. This is exactly what we would expect if Adam was
already the appointed head of that two-member family.

Following the sin, when God came to confront his human creatures in
their guilt, he specifically addressed the male:

Genesis 3:9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are
you?"

Why does God first of all specifically call Adam into account for the
sin? Because he is the appointed head. As the head of the human
family he had the greater initial responsibility for righteousness and
thus received the greater blame for the sin.

God didn’t call both of them together, but he called the head. As the
God-appointed head, Adam bore the primary responsibility for their
actions. Adam held the position of being responsible for sin entering
 the human race even though Eve sinned first.

The New Testament confirms this understanding. It reveals that Adam

is the one who is singled out and held responsible for the
consequences of the Fall for the human race.

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through
sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:14

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not
sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to
come.

Romans 5:15-19

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one
the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one
Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came
through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one
transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose
from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the
one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus
Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all
men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to
all men. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,
even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

Why is such responsibility laid on Adam? The only thing that can
explain the clear teaching concerning Adam’s greater responsibility is
his immediate headship over Eve and his ultimate and representative
headship over the entire human race.

She sinned first, but Adam was held accountable because he was the
one ordained by God to be the head. The relationship of men and
women are not just for marriage. There is a special relationship within
marriage, but the difference in roles are for all men and for all
women.

Marriage Is Not In The Context of 1st Timothy 2:8-15!

Verse 15 She shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and
holiness, with self-control.
She is not to seek the role of the male, but role for which God created her.

The N.T. teaches a difference in the roles of men and women. The differences of
roles are based on God’s choice of creation. God chose to make men and women
different and they have different responsibilities as they work together to serve
God.

1 Corinthians 11:3-9

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man... For
man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman
for the man.

1 Timothy 2:11-14

Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to
have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam
was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to
be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own
husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.

Feminism has been one of the most successful social movements in our nation.
Although there have been some legitimate goals, one of the results of this
movement is to influence our culture to ignore the fact that there is a difference
in the roles of men and women.

When we study the Bible, the issue is not one of equality, but of
roles.

The Bible teaches an equality of men and women. Both men and women:

1. Are made in the image of God

2. Have dominion over the earth
3. Are joint heirs in Christ.

The Bible clearly teaches a distinction in the roles of men and

women.

The early leaders in the feminist movement recognized this.

After their views became more accepted, others have tried to interpret the Bible
to fit their views. God likens rebellion to witchcraft in 1st Samuel 15:23. Women
who enter the pulpit are disobeying God, openly and shamelessly, which puts
them in the same boat as demonic witches.
 "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not

God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

—2nd Thessalonians 1:8