Women And Prayer

Robert Meredith

Is it wrong for a female to lead in prayer with males present?  Yes!  We are living in challenging spiritual times.  Many either do not know or do not care about the Lord’s will.  They remind us of those in the Book of Judges, where it is said, “In those days there was not king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).  Many see nothing wrong with ignoring what God has said on certain matters.  Let us not be as they, but let us turn to the Bible not only for the answer to this question, but to all questions.

  In 1 Timothy 2:8, the Holy Spirit had penned, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”  Earlier, in verse 5, Paul used the word “men” which meant mankind.  However, in verse 8, the word “men” is from a different Greek word that means males.  God limits the leading of prayers in a mixed audience to the faithful males.  Then in verse 11 of 1 Timothy 2, Paul declares, “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection.”  The word translated “silence” does not mean that they can not say anything (they can sing, make the good confession, ask questions in Bible class, etc.), it denotes that they are “not to challenge for the lead.”  The Apostle then says, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:12).  Once again the word “silence” means “not to challenge for the lead.”  In verse 12, Paul says it is not permissible for a woman to teach over or to usurp the authority over the man.  Well, what if the Elders say it is OK for the women to do it?  Would the women be usurping authority?  Yes!  Elders do not have the authority to set aside God’s will.  Elders rule in matters of expediency and are to uphold the doctrine, they can not set aside the doctrine.  The Bible teaches that women are not to teach nor usurp authority over the man.

  It has been argued that these statements of Paul were just cultural in nature and that the reason he gave this prohibition was because of the times in which he lived.  However, if one notices verses 13-14, he will see it is not a cultural prohibition, but a divine one.  Paul wrote, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:13-14).  These two verses show that the limitation in the women’s role started at Creation, not because of the culture of that day.  Paul says there are two reasons for the restriction: first, the order of creation; second, the consequence of sin.

  The godly woman will respect, honor and cherish God’s ways.  God has given a “chain of authority”.  He says, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3).  Women may indeed pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17), in private, with children, in the company of other women (Acts 16:13), but men have been given the responsibility of the leadership in mixed company, and will have to give an answer to God for their leadership or lack thereof.