changing my mind: it's only Paul (1)

I remember returning home from church one night when I was about 16. I was so angry, that the scene and my thoughts at the time have been etched in my memory. Emotions can do that. I was in the passenger seat, feet up on the dashboard. We were going downhill from the traffic lights outside Springwood.

I was not just angry. I was furious. How dare anybody define what somebody could or couldn't do based solely upon their sex? Unjust! Primitive! Preposterous! It's not as if it's what Jesus wants... after all, it's only Paul's opinion... and who cares about that?

With all the passion of youth, that sounds quite ludicrous; of course we should care about what Paul says! However, it is worth thinking about this argument because doesn't Paul himself distinguish between his own opinion and the words of Jesus? In 1 Corinthians 7, he clearly states when commands come with authority from the Lord (7:10) and when they come from merely himself (7:12).

Therefore (I argued), when we read 1 Timothy 2:11-12, we must keep in mind that it is Paul writing. He is only human, like you and me. His words do not come with divine authority and we are not necessarily bound by them.