Divine pattern in marriage 2
by Ivan Ho 24 May 25
“Just because the man was created first doesn’t necessarily make him the leader” you might say. But if you read 1 Tim 2:13 in context, you would realise that the passage is talking about leadership roles, and why it is not God’s design intention to have the woman as the leader over the man in the context of marital relationship.
Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
In other translations such as NASB, NKJV, NIV etc., it says: “I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man“, implying that any woman should not teach or have authority over any man:
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.
I believe that KJV is the accurate translation, saying that a woman is not permitted to teach nor to usurp authority over “the man” instead of “a man”, suggesting that the command refers to the leadership role between the husband and the wife. The passage goes on to talk about the creation order of Adam and Eve who were adjoined by God as husband and wife. The fact that Adam and Eve is mentioned is further proof that Paul is specifically talking about the relationship between husband and wife instead of generally about any woman and any man.
Furthermore, the word ‘teach‘ in 1 Tim 2:13 isn’t necessarily talking about teaching the word of God, but moreso meaning “to give instructions” i.e. the wife directing her husband what to do thereby usurbing his authority.
The passage, as I understand from KJV translation, does not say that any woman is not allowed to teach per se. It only says that in the context of marital relationship, the wife is to submit to her husband instead of exercising authority over him. Unfortunately, due to the wordings in other translations, it has given rise to the controversial arguments regarding whether woman is allowed to teach or put in any leadership roles at all in the church.
I believe women can teach and be placed in leadership roles if they have been taught and have the spiritual maturity and understanding of the word of God to do so. Having said that, I do not believe women are called to be in pastoral roles in the church. There was no precedence of that happening in the early churches in which women are put by God in governmental and pastoral roles to lead His people.
Let’s look at another passage in the word of God:
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.
The above passage talks about authority and leadership roles in the kingdom of God, the principle that no man should dispute (like many people in the world outside His kingdom do).
Our heavenly Father is the head of Christ the Son who is the head over every man, over all principalities and powers in the universe.
The second part of the verse: the head of the woman is the man. I suggest one reads the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 11 to attain full understanding of what the word of God is saying.
One of the key verses is as follows:
For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
The above verse is written in the context of relationship between husband and wife.
Clearly, Paul is talking about creation of Adam and Eve, that the woman (wife) is created for the man (husband) instead of the other way round, rather than talking about any man or any woman.
If the passage was talking about leadership roles between every man and every woman, then what about the relationship between the mother and her son? Should the son have authority over her mother? Surely the mother is allowed to and should teach her children regardless of their gender.
For the above reasons mentioned, we can conclude that God is talking about leadership roles in the context of the family in which the wife is to submit to her husband who is the head of the family.