1 Timothy 2 - Should Women Preach, Teach, or Lead in the Church?
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Instructions on Worship
2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.
Paul urges Timothy to use all the different kinds of prayer which are available to us as well. Petition is also translated "supplication", which has the idea of God supplying us with every need. Though God has given us all we need in Christ, it is still good for us to pray for the specific things we need. God wants us to come to him with everything that is on our hearts.
"Prayers" is more of a general term indicating praying and communicating with God for all aspects of our lives. This could also be our daily discipline of prayer. "Intercession" is when we specifically intercede for someone, boldly asking God to intervene in their situation. It could be in a time of crisis or spiritual warfare. This is when we are asking for God's protection from the evil one and boldness to cast him out. "Giving thanks" is a reminder that as we pray, we are always giving God our gratitude for what He has already provided for us. This gives us faith that as God has provided for us before, He will continue to meet all of our needs. Notice it is "needs" not necessarily "wants".
As we pray, we should pray for all people in authority not just those in church. This would include: our governmental leaders, those who protect us (firemen, police, and teachers) and other people in positions of power. God has granted power to earthly rulers, and they will be accountable for how they use it, so we need to pray for them.
And, underlying all of these prayers is that God wants ALL people to saved! Notice not just some people but every person. In the context of these verses, the church was persecuted by the Roman Emperor, but Paul urged them to pray he would also come to Christ. We may not like a particular leader, but we are called to pray for them not only for what they do, but also for their salvation.
Paul clarifies we are only saved through Jesus, who is our mediator. He points out that Jesus was "truly man". He did not just appear to be a man, as some false teachers were saying, he was fully man in every respect. Jesus' humanity included the suffering he endured for us on the cross. The word "ransom" means,
Jesus gave Himself as a hostage, as a payment for our sins. He put Himself in our place and received the punishment and wrath from God the Father that we deserved. This is the basic message of the gospel. - Guzik
The crucifixion of Jesus is the central historical fact underlying the preaching of the gospel. The fact that Jesus died on the cross is disputed by no prominent historian. Yes, it really happened. Jesus died on the cross for you and me. Paul reaffirms that this is what he was called to do. He puts his neck on the line and says, "I am not lying". Paul gave his life as a witness to Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. He was a "witness", which means "martyr". Paul's call was to go to the Gentiles to tell this story, as he was humble and obedient to God.
Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. 9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. 11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
These verses are very challenging and has been the subject of much debate in the Church. As with any biblical interpretation which is challenging, we must remember three words, "Context, context, context". The second most important rule in interpreting the bible is to not just take one verse and build a doctrine around it. We must rely on the whole counsel scripture.
The biggest issue usually focuses on a woman being submissive to a man. Also the issue if women should teach men. We need to look at other instances where women played a role in the church, such as "Anna" who was a prophetess. The role of a prophet is to speak the word of God. So the question would be is this word of God just for men.
Also, we have the case of Lydia, who was a key person in Philippi for the spread of the gospel. It was in her house that the church of Philippi started. So the question would be did Lydia do any teaching or have any other role in leading that church? Many say she is on a par with the other apostles, because she started the first church in Europe. Or, at a minimum she played a key leadership role in the church. Where was her husband?
At the end of the day, as we look at this issue, what did Jesus teach about this? As you know one of the revolutionary aspects of Jesus ministry and teaching was the prominent role women played in his ministry. Women were the first to arrive at the resurrection, and the first to bring the gospel to the other disciples, who were cowering in fear. They were the first preachers of the Good News?
We know Jesus turned the power structures upside down. He gave power to the powerless and exposed those who used their power to exploit others. Jesus leveled the playing field. This led the same apostle Paul to say in Galatians 3:28
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
You can see where I lean in this argument. My stance would be based on the concept of spiritual gifts, which are given for building up the body of Christ. If a woman has a spiritual gift of preaching and/or teaching, why as a man would I not want to benefit from this gift God has given her.
In July, a woman presided over the funeral for my mother at the Lutheran Church I grew up in. Not only was her pastoral care for me and my family wonderful, but the message she gave at the service preached the gospel and comforted us with the assurance and hope of the resurrection.
In my own Lutheran church, there are different denominations within the Lutheran church. One of the biggest distinction between them is there view of women's role in ministry.
At the end of the day, this issue is not a salvation issue. People on both sides of this issue can agree to disagree on this issue, since they are both basing their argument on scripture. When we get to heaven, we will see which view is right, but for now I don't think it needs to divide us. To do so I think plays in to the hand of the evil one.
Here are a couple of articles on both sides of the argument using scripture as the basis for their stance.
An Excellent Article on Whether Lydia Was a Leader in the Church
An Article Which Does Not Support Women in Church
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