1Timothy 2:12, "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence."                        

1Timothy 3:2, "A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;"

I am almost afraid to write this article because I know that Baptist Preachers, deacons, Sunday School teachers, and almost anyone else in the Baptist churches are going to want to "shut my mouth" but I believe what I am writing must be said and there is no one else who will do it.

Women "preachers" have become so dominate in our Baptist Churches that it is no wonder that the spirituality and Bible knowledge of the people has gone downhill with no brakes. In order for me to teach this subject it is very important that I rightly divide the scripture on the matter. I will try to cover this very important subject in 1Timothy 2:12. I believe that if the reader will accept what God has written it will be no problem for them to see the trap we as Baptist people have been led into by either ignorance or purposely led astray by preachers in our churches. I will be using Easton's bible dictionary in our search for the truth.

What does God have to say about women teachers? {preachers}

Woman was "taken out of man" (Genesis 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. "The head of the woman is the man;" but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, "as unto the weaker vessel" (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8, 9). Women are forbidden to teach publicly (1 Cor. 14:34, 35; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12). Among the Hebrews it devolved upon women to prepare the meals for the household (Gen. 18:6; 2 Sam. 13:8), to attend to the work of spinning (Ex. 35:26; Proverbs 31:19), and making clothes (1 Sam. 2:19; Prov. 31:21), to bring water from the well (Gen. 24:15; 1 Sam. 9:11), and to care for the flocks (Gen. 29:6; Ex. 2:16).

The word "woman," as used in Matt. 15:28, John 2:4 and 20:13, 15, implies tenderness and courtesy and not disrespect. Only where revelation is known has woman her due place of honour assigned to her.

Easton's dictionary in no way demeans the role of women but rather puts them in the position that God has assigned to them for his purpose. Let me remind the reader that God was the one who created us all and it is His right to use us and move us in the place wherein he wants to and it behooves us to not argue with him but to say we will follow in the steps he has ordered for us.

Psalms 37:23, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.

Our problem today is that because of the ignorance and/or disobedience of the preachers in our churches women have been allowed to enter into positions that are forbidden by the scriptures. God has never given permission for women to assume a position of "rightly dividing" the word of truth, 2Timothy 2:15 in the church.

Numbers 22:28, "...I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God..."

It makes no matter whether we do not like it, try to reason it out, change it, or ignore it, we are not allowed to go beyond what God wrote. I know many preachers who say it does not hurt for a woman to teach in our churches as long as it is getting folks "saved" or whatever other reason they may come up with. But the scripture still says Numbers 22:28"...I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God..."

There is no escape from God's word in 1Timothy where we read,

1Timothy 2:11, Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.

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

The great majority of preachers like to read verses 11 and 12 but fail to read the next two verses. God never forbids anything without giving a reason. His reason for women to be silent in the churches and not to teach is given in verses 13 and 14.  "....but the woman being deceived" is a firm statement that God considers a women to be too easily deceived to grant her the position of teaching or preaching his word to a congregation.  I must remind you that when I say congregation, it also includes not only the pulpit in the auditorium but also the "pulpit" in the Sunday School rooms. Too many souls are at stake and God set the boundaries.

1Timothy 2:12,  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

I have often wondered how preachers who claim to believe in the "verbal" inspiration of the Bible can so carelessly disregard the two subjects in this 12th verse. Dear friend, it is the "panty-waist" preachers that pastor many of our churches that have caused so many churches to be powerless shells. Their "wimpy" conduct has set the standard of what most of our churches have become.

2Timothy 3:5, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.  

First, God says for a woman not to TEACH. Then after the comma he says for her not to usurp authority over the man. These are TWO different subjects. The comma separates the two subjects. God is simply saying that there are two things he does not want a woman to do in the church. He forbids here to teach because of  verse 14.  "....but the woman being deceived" and forbids her to usurp authority over the man because in verse 13 we read "For Adam was first formed, then Eve." And also, there is no way a woman could be a teacher if she regarded God's word .....but to be in silence. I have heard some timid preachers but I have never heard one that was silent. The opposite of "silent" is to talk, teach, or preach, but the opposite of talk, teach, or preach is without doubt SILENCE. If a woman just has to express her beliefs in a church her best action would be to keep her mouth shut and everyone would know that she was trying to obey God.

1Timothy 2:12, But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

On the subject of teaching God says,

1Timothy 2:11, Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

Again we read in,

1Corinthians 14:34, ¶ 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.

I don't know how we could get much more clear than that. We have criticized the Pentecostals, Methodist, and several other groups for years about their "women preachers" but in fact we are just as bad. We in the Baptist churches call our women preachers "Sunday School Teachers" which is only double talk for an unscriptural position we have put them in.

We find that God gives women the duty to teach young women but not in the church. Here the older women are teaching the younger women a special subject which does not require her to "divide the word of truth".

2Timothy 2:15, I must point out that the only time God allows a woman to teach he tells her what to teach. He does not allow a woman to "divide the word of truth"

It is about here that the average Baptist preacher will say something like "Well, to say they can't teach Sunday School is wrong. They can teach the women and girls." They go on to try to convince you that Sunday School is not considered church. If Sunday School is not part of the church then please tell me what they are doing taking the money away from the Sunday School classes and putting it in the church budget. It seems to me that we are talking about robbery if such be the case. If Sunday School is not part of the church then the pastor should have nothing to do with it but rather mind his own business. You know and I know that is not going to happen. Of course Sunday School is as much part of the church as the rest of the building. The church is not the building or individual class rooms. The church is Christian people. To divide it up so you can put a woman preacher over the women and girls is heresy. I must say again, the only time God allows a woman to teach he tells her what to teach. He does not allow a woman to "divide the word of truth" How would the young women like it if they had a teacher teach them 52 weeks out of the year the following verses.

In Ephesians 5:24, Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Titus 2:4, That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Titus 2:5, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

1Peter 3:5, For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

One time should be convincing to most. No I am afraid 52 weeks of that teaching would not be acceptable. The words in these scriptures are self explanatory and do not come under the heading of:

2 Timothy 2:15,  .......rightly dividing the word of truth.)

How we need to get back to what God said that we may again see the power of God on our churches. We can only do this if we come to the place where we are willing to do "thus saith the Lord" and quit yielding to the temptation to do that which is right in our own eyes.

Deuteronomy 12:8, Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.