Welcome to Women’s Weekly Bible Challenge! This is part two of the series on Women Teaching. Grab a Bible, a notebook and a Cuppa. ⛾
Today’s blog is a continuation of last week’s lesson where we considered all the Old Testament references on women teaching. I encourage you to check out that blog.
Here’s a QUICK REVIEW of the main applications we made after considering each Old Testament verse on Women Teaching:
1. Proverbs 1:8 – a mother is expected to hold to and teach the word of God to her son.
2. Proverbs 31:1 – it is biblical for mothers to teach their son, even if he is a King.
3. Song of Solomon 8:2 – it is obvious that a mother would instruct her daughter.
4. Jeremiah 9:20 – it is biblical for mothers to teach their daughters and neighbors to believe God’s word.
5. Ezekiel 23:48 – scripture teaches all women not to behave lewdly.
6. Matthew 14:8 – the influence of a mother over her daughter can be used for evil.
Today we will begin to look at the New Testament verses dealing with Women Teaching.
Here is a list:
- 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
- 1 Timothy 2
- Titus 2
- Revelation 2
Before we dig in, let me issue another
WARNING AND CAUTION ⚠
With the exception of the Book of Revelation, these scriptures come from the portion of Scripture referred to by the Apostle Paul as the DISPENSATION OF THE GRACE OF GOD (Eph. 3:2), and the Revelation of the MYSTERY (Eph 3:3), which was given to Paul by God for us Gentiles.
First, I hope that you have heard of the Dispensation of the Grace of God given to Paul for us Gentiles. If you have not, be sure to check out those scripture references above. ☝
The reason I bring up the Dispensation of the Grace of God is because Paul’s portion of Scripture, from Romans to Philemon, is DOCTRINE for us Gentiles today who are in the Body of Christ.
PAUL speaks about "DOCTRINE" more than any other Bible writer!
I encourage my readers to believe the words of the Bible, even if you do not like them; more especially if you do not like them. God is looking for people who have faith in His words, not because of how the words make us feel, but because God is Truth, whereas men and Satan are liars.
Let’s take a close look at the New Testament references to WOMEN TEACHING.
#1 The first one found in 1 Corinthians 14 is a DOOZY! It is a very emotionally charged passage for many women, so I am going to spend the remainder of this lesson laying some groundwork. It’s important to lay down a firm foundation before trying to understand doctrine.
1. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
To take any passage out of context is called “wresting” the scripture. Let’s not do that. Let’s try to understand the context.
Context: This passage actually begins at chapter 12:1 “Now concerning spiritual gifts brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.”
Q: Why is Paul saying this?
A: Idols cannot speak!
Gentiles were not led to worship idols by the idols but by the MEN behind them who were liars.
Paul had to teach the Corinthians that what is said by the men who were gifted by the Spirit, will agree; they will say the same thing and edify all the listeners.
📓Note: The word “speak” is found 32 times in this letter!
1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
He says this because THEY WERE NOT speaking the same thing!
In the next chapter, Paul says
2:13 Which things also we SPEAK, not in the words which man’s wisdom TEACHETH, but with the Holy Ghost TEACHETH; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
We can see from this verse ☝ that SPEAKING is equal to TEACHING. A man is either teaching God’s words or Man’s words.
We can learn something about the Corinthians from these 👇 2 verses:
3:1 And I, brethren, could not SPEAK unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. … ye are YET CARNAL
Wow… HOW SAD!
6:5 I SPEAK to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you?
Wow! VERY sad.
This church in Corinth is NOT a model church, except in this particular case where we may learn what NOT to do!
I encourage you to stop here and read chapters 12, 13 and 14, as they are one complete passage.
As you read these chapters pay attention, and mark the words “dumb”, all forms of the word “teach”, “utter”, “speak”, all forms of the word “prophecy”, and all forms of the word “interpret”.
And remember based on 2:13, that speaking is teaching.
Q: What is the PURPOSE of SPEAKING or TEACHING?
A: Edification!
It’s a good idea to use your concordance at this point and find all the references to Edification, by typing “edif” in www.biblegateway.com to find all forms of the word.
You will find 8 references in I Corinthians.
- 8:1 edifieth
- 10:23 edify
- 14:3 edification
- 14:4 edifieth
- 14:5 edifying
- 14:12 edifying
- 14:17 edified
- 14:26 edifying
The whole purpose of what is happening in this passage is that God has given spiritual gifts so that men may be able to TEACH so that the church will grow spiritually; this is called EDIFICATION.
You must understand this in light of the fact that the CANON of the BIBLE is incomplete at the time the letter to the Corinthians was written; it is in the process of being written and recorded. God is establishing the church with the word of God, which He is giving through spiritual gifts. The goal is preservation of the word and EDIFICATION of the Body of Christ! The word of God was being spoken and confirmed and written miraculously.
Now that the Bible is complete, we no longer need special gifts!
Paul says in Chapter 13:8, that prophecies shall fail (meaning this spiritual gift will stop); tongues shall cease (this gift will also stop); [the word of ] knowledge shall vanish (this gift will stop too).
Q: When?
A: Verse 10: ...when that which is perfect is come…
It does NOT say when HE who is perfect is come.
Consider that the apostle Paul completed the canon of scripture before he died. (Colossians 1:25)
Today you have the complete word of God in your hand, which is all you need to make you perfect (2 Timothy 3:16-17); you do not need a message in tongues, a prophecy, nor a word of knowledge. You need to be edified by learning the KNOWLEDGE of the word of God.
Paul says in 13:11, when I was a child I SPAKE as a child… but when I became a man I put away childish things. By comparison, he is calling the gifts childish and informing us that they need to be "put away".
Then Paul tells us what will abide.
FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY.
These are the 3 doctrines of the church today.
1) You are justified by Faith alone in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
2) Your body will be redeemed to live in heavenly places at the Rapture - Hope.
3) Charity, which is that special love that exist in the Body of Christ for the purpose of edification.
Let's now reconsider: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
Chapter 14 gets into the specifics of the current situation at the church of Corinth.
14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may PROPHESY.
Q: WHY PROPHECY?
2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue (*a language unknown to the speaker and to some of the audience*) speaketh not unto men, but unto God: (THIS IS A BAD THING – can man teach God anything? NO!) for no man understandeth him (because he's "unlearned"); howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to EDIFICATION, and EXHORTATION, and COMFORT.
A: Edification, Exhortation and Comfort. This is what we need!
* “Unknown tongues” is not gibberish. It is known languages that the speaker did not have to go to school to learn. Apostles, prophets and teachers could miraculously speak and teach in a foreign language. This can be clearly understood when compared to ACTS 2:6-17. Please take the time to read this and note that this passage names all of the unknown languages that were spoken by the 12 and the disciples on the day of Pentecost.
Paul traveled the world TEACHING and SPEAKING the dispensation of the grace of God, and that’s why he said,
14:18 “I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all.”
Paul did not have time to go learn every language. It was a miraculous gift from God for a purpose. We know that this gift does not operate today because all missionaries have to spend precious time and money learning the new languages of the places they seek to reach.
In chapter 14:27, Paul gives specific directions of how, at most 2 to 3 men, could speak and teach in a church assembly, one at a time, IF an interpreter was needed.
Notice that Paul even tells the MEN in verse 28 to “KEEP SILENCE” if there is no interpreter! This is for order and for EDIFICATION. (Yet you never hear of men being offended by this fact.)
It is in this context of speaking in tongues that Paul says:
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. 35 And if they will LEARN any thing, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak (teach) in the church.
Please compare the use of the word LEARNED in verse 14:35 with the use of the word UNLEARNED in
The unlearned person is one that does not understand the foreign languages. Trying to sort out this chaos would cause confusion, and verse 33 says, “God is not the author of confusion…”
God plainly says in the context of speaking in tongues and teaching in the church that women are NOT to be included in the 2 or 3 witnesses that were allowed to teach. PERIOD.
Q: Will you decide to believe the word of God at this juncture or will you decide to rely on tradition, feelings and experience? A: You must make a choice.
Continue to the next verses:
1 Corinthians 14:36 What? Came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Remember that this is DOCTRINE for the church in the age of grace.
So when it comes to unknown tongues, WOMEN were not to speak or teach.
Both of my grandparents came from a tongue-talking religious background. I attended an Assemblies of God meeting for years. I can tell you from experience that it is mostly women who are doing the tongue-talking. If just one woman speaks in tongues, she is defying the commandment of the Lord! That should wake up anyone who is deceived by this “movement”.
In applying this doctrine to our lives today, first of all, we now know that because we have the complete word of God; tongues, prophecies and word of knowledge have all failed, ceased and vanished away. So we should NOT seek to apply these gifts to our lives.
Next week we’ll look at more verses written by our apostle Paul regarding WOMEN TEACHING. Those are found in Timothy and Titus. After that lesson, we will conclude with a warning from the book of Revelation.
Link to Part Three of Women Teaching
See also this link to an article on “Head Coverings.”
The content of this Blog is covered in this YouTube video:
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