1 Timothy 2:13, 14 Adam, Eve

1 Timothy 2:13, 14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

In 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 Paul states plainly that though A woman should learn she should do so in quietness and full submission. Paul says I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. He gives his arguments for this view in verses 13 and 14. His first argument is from creation and his second from the Fall. His first argument is from the very way God made man and woman in the first place. God could have made the woman first or the man and the woman at the same time but he did not. Rather, he deliberately, and Paul suggests pointedly, formed Adam first, and then Eve. Surely, says Paul there is something to learn from that very fact. It is a reminder to read our Bibles carefully. Secondly, reminding us of the Fall, he says And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. His point here seems to be that the Fall occurred only because basics like the precedence of man over woman were forgotten. When Eve took the lead she was deceived and so became the first sinner. Adam was not deceived though he still ate. Those who deny the Genesis account will, of course, struggle with Paul's reasoning here, but those who accept Genesis will also readily accept the rule that women should not be teachers or have authority over men in the church. This is an office reserved to men who God calls.