The Bible contradicts and rebukes feminist concepts often.  1 Timothy 2:9-15 is an example of a place in the Bible where Feminism is basically confronted and rebuked directly.  

Before looking at these verses, the epistle prior to these verses has been speaking of living a godly, honest life by faith in Christ according to truth- since that is the intended goal of Christ giving Himself as a ransom for all on the cross and rising again to be the one mediator between God and men.  This is the context in which modesty for women is introduced in the epistle of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 2:9 says: “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array…”

Shamefacedness in the Greek text is a reference to turning the eyes away.  It implies not being impudent or seductive.  Makeup communicates the very opposite (boldening the face, with seduction being the consequence- whether the makeup wearer intends that or not).  Those who disagree with that can go to the women whose professions involve them acting seductive and see how easy it is to persuade them that their makeup is unnecessary for their endeavor.

Sobriety equals a sound mind, self-control, and temperance.  

Broided hair= Woven hair (hairstyles calculated to attract attention).  Note the principle.  Hair should not be worn in a way which is calculated to attract attention.

Gold or pearls or costly array are all ways of seeking to communicate a high social status and/or to attract attention.  Note the principle.  No jewelry nor clothing should be worn which seeks to communicate a high social status and/or in a way which is calculated to attract attention.

1 Timothy 2:10: “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

Directly related to this, 1 Peter 3:1-4 says: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation (conduct) of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation (conduct) coupled with fear.  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

Yes, it is indeed a matter of the heart.  Those who don’t dress and act modestly should get their hearts right then.

Going on to 1 Timothy 2:11: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.”

Women should learn too.  Learning is not just for men and children.  You wouldn’t know that from certain groups which relegate women to virtually nothing besides child-bearers and housekeepers.  Though it is important to rebuke and stand against Feminism, it is important not to react to it in unwarranted ways which oppose the Bible’s whole counsel.

“In silence with all subjection”= Not meddlesome.  She shouldn’t be interfering with the teaching of the church.  It’s not saying here that there is never a time for her to make known her thoughts and express her concerns and things along those lines.  She shouldn’t be meddling with the leadership’s efforts nor usurping the leadership by seeking to lead herself or by interfering with them otherwise.  Paul is dealing here with what ought to be a normal situation as he instructs Timothy on what a faithful Christian church ought to be.  We’ll shortly cover some obvious righteous exceptions.

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

This should not be suffered (that is, allowed) because of the principles already laid down in God’s Law concerning this matter.

“Teach” here is didasko in the Greek text.  It is talking about instructive, formal discourses.  I’ve seen this disobeyed in relatively conservative looking churches too.  This is forbidding women to be pastors in a church and spiritual leaders over men otherwise (this is not talking about over teenage sons who may look like men but are still under their parent’s roof).  This is also not saying that there isn’t a place for women to teach other women and children nor is it saying that a woman can’t inform a man about something she thinks will be helpful to him (provided she is not trying to control him).  

It is indeed a violation of Scripture to sit in a church under a woman pastor or to be in a church where there are women in any way exercising spiritual authority over men.  The things that the Apostles would not suffer permit we should not partake of in any way.  Otherwise, wickedness and disorder are consented to and enabled.  When anyone, man or woman, sits under female leadership in a church, they are going along with what the Apostles would not allow and they are enabling what God calls disorder.  The same is so when one is  part of a denomination or some association of churches which allows females to have roles wherein they have spiritual authority over men.

But what if the woman’s husband is the pastor and she is the co-pastor or an associate pastor?  If she is teaching or exercising spiritual authority over men, she is still violating Scripture.  Her husband is then enabling what God has forbidden as well.  Any so-called male pastor who is enabling any woman in his church to operate as a teacher or spiritual authority otherwise over men should not be trusted.  

Where Scripture is blatantly violated in this way, its authority is being opposed.  How can a woman get up and preach before a church “Thus saith the Lord” when the Lord’s Word rebukes her for even preaching “Thus saith the Lord” before the congregation?  She can’t do so without hypocrisy and making a mockery of Scripture’s counsel.  A woman’s words and behavior also shouldn’t have the implicit effect of seeking domination, mastery, or subduing of a man.  A faithful church overseer must never suffer this under his watch in the church or in what he knows about how the households in his church operate.  Not many supposed overseers or pastors actually follow this admonition though.   

A woman who does what she has to protect herself and her children from predators is not disobeying this if she goes against her pastor and/or her husband.  There are times when a church must be left for righteousness’ sake.  That might be because women are exercising authority over men there; and that might be because of wickedness being promoted or enabled in other ways.  A woman is responsible to leave a church when Scripture’s authority is obviously not prevailing in the church and all reasonable measures to appeal to the leadership to correct this have been exhausted.  

Referring to the occurrence set forth in Acts chapter 5, Sapphira should not have complied with her husband Ananias in his deceit.  She died with him by God’s direct judgment because she did so.  Some groups and movements which want to act like holy, conservative Christians don’t get this and they pressure and intimidate concerned women into silence through abusing verses such as the ones we’re looking at (and abuse men too through abuse of verses related to submitting to church authority).  Those who comply with such intimidation end up enabling predators and all types of vile behavior.  Those who orchestrate these cover-ups and promote such compliance are hypocrites whom we must logically conclude will receive greater damnation in the fire of hell.  Related to this, promoters of the ways of Jezebel often really love such groups and situations due to the inroads it makes for them to make their feminist philosophy seem justified in the ears of the naive.  

Some might say “The Bible’s forbidding of women being pastors was just a matter of culture.”  Not true.  We saw in 1 Timothy chapter 2 that the Apostle Paul appealed to principles of creation to demonstrate why he would not allow a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man.  The same can be seen in 1 Corinthians 14:33-37.  Besides that, it is common knowledge that the Paganism which prevailed in the Roman world was often very friendly towards female religious authority in pagan temples.  The Apostle’s instruction in this matter, as well as in several other matters, actually went against the norm of the culture at that time.  

The increased rate of female pastors in our time is the result of Feminism taking greater hold on society.  This is obvious and evident.  The same can be said of increased immodesty in dress and the abandonment of women covering their heads in public (and even in church).  

You can be virtually certain that a female pastor has abandoned other Biblical principles for women, as well as other general Biblical principles too. The female pastor is very likely to not even be subject to her husband as the head of the home (if she is married).  After all, she is usurping God’s prescribed order for the church by her role as a female pastor there.  Her example of usurpation in the church teaches women to usurp their husbands’ authority in the home.  Why would it even be a surprise if she is not subject to her husband and in violation of God’s prescribed order for the home herself? 

The increase of women pastors, as well as their frequent acceptance in the realm of professing Christianity reflects the humanism and pragmatism which have increased therein (and actually become the norm).  The norm now is that the whole counsel of God’s Word is somehow held back to appeal to the wants, likes, and conveniences of people.  This is better for building a church business, yet church is not intended to be a business.  

There is actually no worse business to be involved in than church business.  Jesus cleansing the Temple proves that mixing church and business is an exceedingly evil thing.

1 Timothy 2:13: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.”

Adam, the man first- then Eve, the woman- as a helper to Adam.  

Not Adam and Steve by the way.  They say “Oh, that’s outdated and cliche.”  Adam and Eve rather than Adam and Steve is timeless; it is the design of our Creator.  Casting that away is regression, not progress- and it will always cause disastrous consequences (as Romans chapter one talks about).  

Almost everyone knows and acknowledges that things have gone terribly wrong with the world in relation to previous generations.  Yet many don’t see Feminism, the normalization of the union of Adam and Steve, and other things commonly called “progressive” as among the chief causes of the chaos.  Yet all these things militate against stable homes; and lack of stable homes destabilizes society.  The problems which are more likely to occur when children are raised without a father and a mother are not hard to discover.  This also leaves children to be raised by the big brother influences of the state controlled education system and by Hollywood, the television networks, and the big-tech platforms without hindrance and contributes to the overall normalization of the trends, concepts, and overall indoctrination which these promote.  

Example if you think such indoctrination is nonexistent or minimal: There are at least 300 “gender clinics” in the USA today in 2025.  There was one in 2007.  You have been duped badly.  The prevalence of Feminism and the denial of the obvious reality that everyone is either male or female from birth are in themselves examples of such indoctrination.

1 Timothy 2:14: “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

Adam was more blameworthy in the transgression in the Garden because he had more capacity in him to not be swayed by suggestion and faulty logic like Eve was by the serpent.  Adam knew better what he was doing in taking the forbidden fruit.  He could have been more interested in pleasing Eve and/or remaining with her when he ate of the forbidden fruit than he was in eating the forbidden fruit itself.

1 Timothy 2:15: “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”

This is obviously not teaching that all women who bear children will be saved.  It is not teaching that a woman must bear children in order to be saved.  I believe this verse is likely saying that women are equal candidates for salvation in Christ as men are despite the fact that the troubles related to mankind’s fall are often harder for them to bear than they are for men- especially due to the reality that only women bear children.   

Genesis 3:16-19: “Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

It’s also worth adding here that even when feminists think they’ve broken free from male rule, they are nevertheless ruled by powers who are manipulating social conditions (and manipulating a lot other things) which are primarily masculine.  Satan himself is a masculine force.  Ruthless usurpers want to weaken those who are most capable of stopping them.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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