The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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The apostle Paul writes to Timothy: “I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed” (1 Tim. 2:12-14).

Satan is a usurper by nature. That is, he seizes authority not rightfully his. He rises up against God in an effort to displace his creator as the object of worship. He’s also a usurper by proxy, acting through intermediate means to attack God and God’s people. For example, he incites David to number his troops (1 Chron. 21:1; cf. 2 Sam. 24:1). He fills the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to seek undue credit for an otherwise good deed (Acts 5:1-11). He takes control of Judas Iscariot, inspiring him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3; John 13:27). And he gives the antichrist his power, throne, and authority in the last days (Rev. 13:2). 

But the earliest example of Satan operating as a usurper by proxy is his temptation of Eve in the garden. Paul alludes to this tragic event in his instructions to Timothy, urging the young pastor not to grant women authority over men in the local church. Paul is not prohibiting women from speaking or praying publicly in the church, for we see women like Phoebe, Priscilla, and the virgin daughters of Philip taking active roles in the community of faith. 

This is not a question of value, for Paul is clear that all people – men and women alike – are equally guilty before God as sinners and equally welcome in his kingdom (Rom. 3:10, 23; Gal. 3:27-29). Nor is this a matter of giftedness for service, as if God has somehow endowed men with superior spiritual gifts, for Paul is clear that the Holy Spirit assigns these gifts to all, and all gifts are essential to a healthy community of faith (1 Cor. 12). Finally, this is not an issue of favoritism, for God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 KJV). 

For Paul, this is an issue of authority. God has reserved the role of pastor (elder, overseer) for men (1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9). And now, Paul offers two reasons why this is so: the order of creation and the order of the Fall. God forms Adam first, and then creates Eve as a helper for him. Both are commanded to “subdue” the earth and “rule” over its creatures (Gen. 1:28), but Adam clearly has primary responsibility as the first-created and the first one entrusted with God’s revelation. 

We should note that chronological order is not the sole factor. Animals are created before Adam, and yet he is granted dominion over them. The point here is that mankind consists of a pair (Adam and Eve). Eve is intended as a companion to Adam. Their relationship is designed to be complementary, not competitive.

Second, Paul writes, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed” (1 Tim. 2:14). For reasons not fully revealed in Scripture, Satan approaches Eve rather than Adam as his proxy to usurp God’s authority. Perhaps this is because Eve is not fully acquainted with the nature of the prohibited tree and therefore is at a disadvantage.

In any case, the evil one successfully entices Eve to transgress, and Eve, in turn, convinces Adam to disobey God’s direct command not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All of this results in the Fall – and in the subsequent curse, which continues to poison God’s good creation today. 

Our choices have consequences. Just as Adam’s willful rebellion against God leads to disastrous results for all humanity, Eve’s deception is a precursor to the Fall. While more could be written about Paul’s instructions to Timothy, along with the many sexist abuses in the professing church today, the main purpose of this passage is to illustrate that Satan deceives Eve and, by proxy, overturns God’s order of authority.

Paul ends this section of 1 Timothy with a curious message for women: “But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense” (1 Tim. 2:15). This is a difficult statement that invites various interpretations. But the most likely meaning is that, rather than demand authoritative positions in the church, women may find true fulfillment through childbearing. This is in keeping with  God’s command before the Fall to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28).

In both 1 Timothy 2 and Titus 2, Paul declares that wives have a God-ordained role to play in caring for children and the home. As Denny Burk notes: “This is not claiming that a woman must have children in order to be saved. It is not even teaching that a woman must be married to be saved. But for those women who are married, God assigns a special responsibility to care for the home.”

While this view is not without its difficulties, it seems to harmonize best with Paul’s teaching throughout the New Testament.

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