I invite you to take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2 is our text again this morning as we continue our series in 1 Timothy. And we're currently in this last section in chapter 2, but we'll read verses 8 through 15 for the context this morning. 1 Timothy 2, beginning in verse 8. Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dissension. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint. This morning, we'll look at verses 11 through 14. I had mentioned last week that I hope to get through this section, but it'll be three total messages that we'll take to go through these verses here in verses 9 through 15, the next being focusing on verse 15 itself. But for this morning, we will look at verses 11 through 14. Again, the background and setting of this letter, which is helpful to understand the context The Apostle Paul is writing this letter to his disciple, his friend, his co-laborer in the ministry, Timothy. Timothy is stationed at Ephesus, a city they visited together when Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment. And Paul has moved on now from Ephesus to continue his tour of the cities and churches he was eager to visit. But shortly after his departure, knowing what was going on at Ephesus, the church is there, likely when he was in Macedonia, Paul wrote this letter to the church at Ephesus through Timothy to strengthen and support Timothy in his ministry and assignment in carrying out this great work at the church in Ephesus. Timothy was left in Ephesus to deal with false teachers who had infiltrated the churches there. That crisis, along with existing cultural influences, set the life of the church spiraling into disarray. So Timothy was commissioned with restoring the church that was severely disrupted by these false teachers and their heretical teaching. Here in chapter 2, Paul begins his directives now to the church. And he begins by addressing the problems that they had to do, that had to do with the public gathering, the public worship, the services of the church when they gathered each week for worship. The first being in verses one through five, the priority of prayer, namely evangelistic prayer, prayer for the unsaved. And then he moves in verse eight to the role of men in leading the church in worship, namely in prayer. Then from verse 9 here in chapter 2, through the rest of the verses here in chapter 2, he shifts his attention to the women of the churches in Ephesus. And I remind you again, at the heart of Paul's teaching throughout this letter is the gospel itself. It is the gospel message, the gospel mission, and the gospel witness of the church in the world. As the church, the ecclesia, the gathered assembly, Paul tells us is the pillar and ground or basis of the truth in chapter 3 and verse 15. Its mission is to uphold the gospel and its ministry from within. And also along with that mission and ministry of the church is to display the effect of the gospel in its very life. without its four walls. So when it comes to a subject like order in the church, the roles of men and women in the church, the influence of the church in society, it is the gospel that must be kept front and center in our minds so that we avoid any stumbling blocks that might derail the mission of the church itself. The lens from which we're viewing this passage is the very theme of this letter found in chapter 3 and verse 15. Remind you of that theme and the very purpose of this letter again that Paul gives in verse 15. beginning back actually in verse 14, he writes, I am writing these things to you hoping to come to you before long. But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the ground, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. This lens that we're looking at, this passage in particular, is what Paul calls the household of God. The church being the very household of God, where God is said to dwell with and among his people, the members of his divine family. It comes as no surprise then that God has established house rules or special instructions for the church, especially when they are gathered together. on the Lord's Day. And since the members of his household comprise both men and women, he has instructions for each separately as well as mutually. So there will be order in his house. And as we've previously noted, Paul's basis for his instructions regarding each gender in this section was not the cultural narrative of the day, as it so often is in our day. Instead of reasoning from the culture, Paul grounds his remedy for the Ephesian churches in scripture itself, which we'll see this morning. The Bible establishes that human beings are created in the image of God, and that gender is unequivocally a God-given fact of reality. So it shouldn't cause us to cringe. When the divine author of the Bible, the Holy Spirit, guides Paul to address the differences or distinctions between men and women. If we are unsettled by such a subject, it is evident that the cultural narrative of our day has influenced your reasoning more than you're aware of. To recap again this section, Verse 8, Paul begins with the men of the church and their role in leading the congregation in worship, in prayer, and the attitude or character of these men in carrying out this service. In verse 9, he shifts his focus to women and presents his instructions for them. These instructions must be seen first in the context of the Ephesian church, but as we noted in our last study, these designations and distinctions for men and women not only apply for the church, they also apply to other spheres of life, such as the home, the marriage relationship, and even in the family. We've outlined this section, verses nine through 15, by highlighting the six qualities with respect to the women in the church that the apostle addresses here. Last week, we looked at their appearance, their perspective, and their testimony. And this morning, we'll look at their role and their design in the local church. Last Lord's Day, we consider those first three, as I've mentioned, in verses 9 and 10, as Paul presented his instruction with regards to the attire or apparel of women, one that is to be characterized by modesty and self-control. What is seen on the outside, Paul says, is to be a reflection of who they are on the inside, who they are in Christ, who they are as daughters of God. He is not dealing so much with the sexualization of women as he is the ostentation in apparel that runs the risk of drawing attention away from the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ in the church's gathering. The attention given to apparel should pale, Paul says, in comparison to what adorns the soul, the life of the Christian women. feminine appeal in God's eyes, which should matter most to women, is one fashioned by good works, by godliness, not by godliness. Today we will consider these next two qualities, looking first at the role, the God-ordained role of women in the local church. Look with me again at verse 11. Paul writes, a woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet. Here's how we can translate it literally from the original. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach nor exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet. Quiet. Paul, as it is clear, addresses women again in distinction from the men. And he speaks about women in the general sense, as he did in verse 9. Young women, older women. What is the part they are to play in the church's public gathering, in the worship of the church when they gather together, especially on the Lord's Day? This is at the very heart or focus of what Paul is addressing here. It is easy to take this and apply it out of context to every sphere and every area of life, although there are implications to every sphere of life, but Paul is specifically dealing with the churches that are gathering each week publicly to worship. What is the part that women are to play in the church's public gathering? Paul tells us here, let them learn. It is a positive command, a positive affirmation here that he is giving to the women of the church. Oftentimes we come to such a passage and see it as a negative. But Paul is saying, let the women learn. comes to us as a present imperative, a continual command to be obeyed within the church. Let them learn and be edified through the ministry of the Word. It is key for us to understand that this passage comes as a corrective to the cultural norms in that society, that society in Ephesus, that Gentile society in the first century, which diminished or depreciated women. Jewish religious tradition of the day taught that men came to learn, the women came to hear. Gentile tradition ranked women very low. For example, at the Temple of Diana, which was in Ephesus, the primary function of women in Greek religion was to serve as temple prostitutes for the male worshipers. This is the context of that society. Jewish religious culture and tradition, which demeaned women, denigrated women, and Gentile culture, which treated women as chattel to be used and discarded. So in the church at Ephesus, you have women who are converted from both backgrounds. who come out of these backgrounds, who've now gained the biblical knowledge as being equal in Christ, and appear to have over-asserted themselves in life, in the life and ministry of the Church. On top of the religious traditions they have come out of, you also have the ungodly, immoral influences of Greek pagan culture all around them. And we can't forget about the corrupt teaching which has now infiltrated the church through these false teachers. Chaos, confusion was raging in this church. And this entire chapter and the chapters that follow are aimed at restoring order in the church that God has designed and ordained for his church. Now what does the testimony of scripture tell us of the role of women in God's kingdom? Spiritually speaking, men and women are equal. Paul tells us in Galatians chapter 3 and 28 that there is no male or female, that all are one in Christ. in terms of spiritual life, in terms of access to God, in terms of salvation and redemption, in terms of His promises, His blessings, men and women are equal. This is evident in the Old and New Testament. The laws, customs, the Old Testament and the people of Israel were given to both men and women in serving God. Same is found in the New Testament, and the role and contribution of women in the New Testament is prevalent all throughout the New Testament Scriptures, beginning in the Gospels. We see women serving the Lord Jesus Christ, women used by Christ in proclaiming the message of his resurrection. We find women in serving alongside the Apostle Paul in his gospel ministry, and so on and so forth. But that doesn't mean our spiritual equality as men and women before God doesn't necessarily mean that our roles are the same. God has made us one in Christ, but this does not erase the roles that God has ordained for each gender in creation, in his kingdom, and in the church. So as a corrective to the chaos and confusion relating to the roles of men and women in the church service there in Ephesus, Paul insists that women are, number one, we see, to learn. And secondly, the manner in which they are to learn is expressed in the words that we find that follow, quietly and with all submissiveness. two principles here in women learning. Remember again, Jewish religious tradition did not have an avenue, a way for women to learn. The men learned, the women just were there to hear. But Paul corrects this and says, no, they are daughters of God just as you are sons of God and they must learn and hear and be instructed in God's word that they may gain an understanding and knowledge in God's truth. But when they learn, he says, they must learn quietly with all submissiveness. These two principles Paul lays out for the Ephesian church, which by extension come to us today. Now the word quietly can be understood as meaning either absolute silence or silence in the sense of not teaching or quietness. But the most normal sense, the sense that we find here in this context, of this word is of keeping quiet while somebody is speaking. This makes the most sense, especially in the context of the conduct of women in public worship. There are two passages that help with clarifying what Paul is getting at here. One is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, which is a parallel passage. You can turn to that one. But I'm also going to read another passage from Acts chapter 22, verse 2. these two passages. As a reminder, as a side note, when we come to texts of scripture that we may be confused by or are hard to understand, we are to then use what we call the analogy of scripture. We are to interpret scripture with scripture itself. Scripture itself will clarify the meaning for us, and that is exactly what we find in trying to determine what these words quietly and submissiveness mean. In Acts chapter 22 verse 2, I'll read this passage for you. The context is when Paul is in Jerusalem and he has been arrested and he's going to be sent to the barracks there after being arrested and he gains the attention of the crowd. He asks for permission by the guards to speak to the crowd. He is granted that permission and he stands, he puts up his hand, he hushes the crowd and the crowd hushes and their roar comes to a to a silence, but then also it says in verse 2 of chapter 22, and when they heard, that is the crowd, that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet. Paul was getting up to speak. They kept silent. They held their peace when he was speaking. They were giving him their undivided attention. That is the same word that is used there that is used here in 1 Timothy chapter 2. The other passage that I mentioned in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verses 34 through 36 is a parallel passage dealing with the same subject here. So here is how we can better define what he means by that women should learn quietly. Verse 34 reads, the women are to keep silent in the churches. That's obvious enough, is it not? They are not permitted to speak. Paul, what do you mean by women keeping silent in the church? Help us understand. Well, I mean they are not permitted to speak. He is giving the reason and the answer behind this command. But, he says in verse 34, are to subject themselves just as the law also says. What law is he speaking of? He's speaking of Genesis 3, verse 16, the Pentateuch, the law, the first five books of Moses, where in Genesis 3, verse 16, it says that the man is the head over the woman. That is the God-ordained order and role of the women in regards or in distinction with the men. Verse 35, if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home for, here's the reason, here's the reason for verse 34, here's the reason for verse 35, for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Now we can go back to 1 Timothy chapter two. We understand now what Paul means by the word quietly here in this verse. Now, what about this word submission? It comes from the Greek word hupotasso, which means to line up under or to yield oneself to the leadership of another. This word submission, submissiveness, subordination doesn't carry a positive tone in our culture, does it? Quite the contrary, it carries a negative connotation in our culture, especially when it comes to subjects like gender equality, women's rights, and women's liberation. But we must not fall captive to the cultural narratives. They were not two in their day, and we are not two in our day. Instead, as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5, we tear down speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God. Those speculations, those arguments that are raised up by the world, by the devil, and we are, as his people, as the church, the local church, to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. What Paul would say in another passage, I believe in Romans, that God be true and every man a liar in regards to what he says about certain doctrines and certain truths in scripture. Our world, our culture will say one thing in regards to the role of men and women in society, but we must take every thought captive to the word of Christ. Here is how this word is used in the New Testament. If we are to understand what submissiveness, what submission means in regards to women, we must understand it in terms of what scripture says. Here's how this word is used in the New Testament. It is used of Jesus in his submission to the Father, in his submission to his earthly parents. Jesus's submission to the Father in carrying out the redemptive plan of salvation was one marked by what? Willingness. Voluntary act of Christ in his perfect work. It is use of Christians to God the Father, as Father. It is use of all things to Christ as Lord. It is used of all Christians to one another in the fear of Christ. It is used of those under authority, government authority, familial authority as children to their parents. It is used of the relationship of the wife to the husband. Submission is the preferred translation here in this verse versus subjection as some translations or versions have it. As that word expresses coercion, or this authority being imposed upon someone. The word submission here expresses, the word that is used here in the Greek, expresses a voluntary act, not one imposed from without. It is free of a rebellious attitude of heart. And Paul writes that it is with all submissiveness, not partial submissiveness, because partial submissiveness, like partial obedience, is no obedience at all. It leaves room for rebellion. It leaves room for revolting back against. But just as Christ took the form of a servant, humbled himself, submitted himself to the will of God. So we submit ourselves as a church, men and women, to the will of God for his church. Listen to the words of Elizabeth Elliott. Elizabeth Elliott is familiar to many of you here. She was the wife of the martyred missionary Jim Elliott in Ecuador. She wrote these words. It is in willing submission rather than grudging capitulation that a woman in the church, whether married or single, and the wife in the home, find their fulfillment. In other words, it is a life lived first and foremost in submission to God, His will His ways for our lives, knowing that obedience to God's word brings blessing, not only to us individually as believers, but to us corporately as a local church. Now, someone may raise the argument or question. Now that we've defined what quietly and submissiveness means, Now you say, how can anyone come away with the Bible permitting women preachers, women elders in the church? Well, they're going to give the word silence a different meaning, one outside the context of this passage. They're going to say that silence means a meek and calm spirit, that teaching and preaching by women should be done in such a composed way. Or what about those who add strictness to this principle beyond scripture? They advocate for absolute silence. There are churches that say women should be absolutely silent in the church, no sound uttered, no singing, no speaking, no praying, in an absolute sense. What this passage is telling us is that this doesn't mean that mothers should not teach their children. But the word man here refers to adult men. Timothy, after all, as we are taught, was taught by his mother and grandmother, who were instrumental in his conversion. This doesn't mean women cannot join in singing praises to God or encouraging other women in the church, or even as Aquila and who? Priscilla encouraged and instructed and helped who? Apollos, who was a man eloquent and mighty in the scripture. It doesn't mean that what Paul is telling us here is neither absolute silence or that women can preach but with a quiet demeanor. Paul tells us in Titus chapter 2 that older women in fact are to teach what is good to who. To the young women in the assembly, he writes in Titus 2, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Women play a vital role in the life of the church, but it is a God-defined, God-ordained role. This is what it means to let the women learn in silence with all submission. Yet Paul anticipates the obvious question that will arise. What do you mean, Paul? So he follows with a word in verse 12. I do not permit a woman to teach nor exercise authority over a man but to remain silent. He explains exactly what he means. What do I mean by silence? Paul says, I mean, I don't permit a woman to teach. This word for teach here is of instruction. It speaks of the exposition of scripture in the church service, the authoritative proclamation of God's word when the church gathers together, especially on the Lord's day to learn God's word. He says, I do not permit a woman to teach. What do I mean by all submission? Paul says, I mean that they should not exercise authority. Some will translate this as usurping authority, as if women are always seeking after to grab the authority away from the men. But Paul does not say that here in this passage. He says he does not wish that they would exercise authority, that they would not exposit the scriptures, that they would not proclaim the scriptures in an authoritative sense, that they would not assume the role of the elders or teachers appointed in the church. It doesn't mean that the women cannot sing a song, offer praise to God, pray a prayer in the appropriate setting, participate in the worship of the church. It doesn't mean any of these things. What it means is let them learn, but not teach. Assume the place of authority. She is not to rebel against the God-ordained role of submission designed for her, for her blessing, for her happiness. But Paul goes on in verse 13 and 14 to give the reasons behind, the very basis behind this injunction. And he speaks to their design. Verse 13 reads, for it was Adam who was first created and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Here in verse 13, the apostle gives reasons why a woman should willingly submit herself under the male-led leadership of the church and not assume a position of authority. It seems the Holy Spirit often led Paul to form his arguments and instructions to the different churches upon principles that were drawn from Old Testament scriptures and Old Testament history, upon facts that have meaning not only for the Old Testament, but for all of time, as it is clear here. Reason number one, it is contrary to the creation order. When a woman takes the role of a teacher in an authoritative sense in the local church, it is contrary to the creation order, to the natural order. Paul tells us in forming, in making man and woman, God first, protos, made Adam. Then, or afterward, Eve. Not only does the creation account tell us when Eve was created, that is, chronologically speaking, it also states why she was made. That is, ontologically speaking, as to her very nature. It was for Adam's sake, Genesis tells us, as a helper suitable for Adam. Her very name is that she came out of Adam and was for Adam. The woman was made of a rib taken from his side, bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, and given to him as what? A companion. Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians 11, verses eight and nine. You don't have to turn there. I'll read them for you. They're very familiar words to us. Paul writes to the Corinthian church, for man does not originate from woman. but woman from man. Here again is this order that is important for our understanding when it comes to practical instructions in regards to the role of men and women in the local church. For a man does not originate from woman, but woman from man. For indeed, man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake. Paul says in verse seven, she is the glory of man. being made out of him for his help and assistance, and to be a crown of honor and glory to him and for him." So the tendency to follow under the headship of the man, under Adam, was woven into the very fabric Eve's soul, of woman's soul, as she came forth from the hand of her Creator. To reverse this order is to do things that are contrary to her nature and to God's very design. Reason number two. Paul not only says that it is contrary to the creation order, he says and recounts the biblical account of the fall in verse 14. The entrance of sin into the world came when Eve ignored her divinely ordained position, the one that we just defined. Instead of following, she chose to lead. Instead of remaining submissive to God, she wanted to be like God. She, the Bible tells us, not Adam, was indeed or was fully deceived or deluded. Now, does this mean that Adam was not culpable in the fall? Not at all. In fact, he was even more culpable, guilty, than Eve. Paul makes this clear in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12 and other passages in the New Testament. Let me explain what this means. Here's what the fact that remains. It was Adam who was not deceived in the same manner that Eve was deceived. Eve was deceived by Satan himself blinding her to her understanding of the truth of God's authoritative word to her. Adam, on the other hand, sinned with his eyes wide open. He willingly chose to heed Eve's word over God's word. She believed Satan's lie. He did not. And so she, we are told in this verse, fell into transgression. I like the translation better that she became a transgressor. She was the second to be made, but the first to transgress God's law. She was fatally deceived, in this word, transgressing, to sidestep the path of obedience that was set by her husband in this act of rebellion. By her creator, rather. God had created her under Adam to follow his lead. She chose to follow what the devil, Satan, had to say there in the garden. As a result, her tendency, her propensity to follow was now corrupted, since she chose to rule over her husband in this act of rebellion. To reverse the order of creation in the church is to transgress God's design for the church, as well as the family, and in society. It is clear that Paul regards Adam and Eve not only as historical figures, but also as the paradigm for the human race, for every descendant that would come after them, including you and me. The sin of our first parents has been transmitted to each of us. We bear their sinful nature. So as the household of God, as recipients of grace, it is incumbent upon us to uphold God's pattern of creation in the church for our happiness and God's glory in this world. One thought in closing. Again, why is this so important to us in understanding the order that God has established and ordained for the local church, both in Ephesus and for us 2,000 years later in our church here? Our lives, individually and corporately, are a living testimony of the gospel. What we believe, that is intellectually, is demonstrated in our lives practically. Regeneration, the spiritual new birth, restores the image of God in man. It renews the fellowship God intended for humanity from the beginning. As new creations in Christ, our desires, our affections, our wills have been transformed forever. And our aim or purpose in life now is to live in submission to Christ and his will for our lives. So it becomes our greatest joy and the source of our greatest blessing to walk in obedience to God's ordained paths for our lives, both individually in our lives and then as a local church. When our churches practically demonstrate this within and without, we truly become the light of the world. And the watching world will witness our good works, will witness the order that God has designed originally in creation, now in our lives. In the church, when they come into our midst and see a male-led ministry and women learning quietly and in submissiveness and all the meaning that is here, they will see it in our homes when men take headship in the home and wives respectfully submit to their husbands in joy towards the Lord. We see it in our family as men lead the family and their children But we also see how women carry out their ministry as well in the local church, in the context that God has ordained, in the marriage relationship, and in the family. The world will see our good work, scripture tells us, and glorify our Father who is in heaven. That is what is at the heart of such passages like that. It is the gospel that we are putting on display in a very practical sense in our relationships with one another as a local church. Our gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you again for this scripture, which at times comes to us with great difficulty. I pray now that things that may have been difficult or confusing have been made clear to us or clearer to us, so that we would seek to glorify you and honor you with our lives as a local church, as we seek to carry out the mission and ministry of the gospel in our lives in this place and time in history that you have given to us. We pray that you would be glorified through the preaching of your word in this hour and in the next hour. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.