Series Fifteen: The Role of Women in the Church

The feminist movement has assaulted biblical values for women, and the result has been a revolution in our time. We believe that God’s Word is authoritative and inerrant, and that it has a clear message for women today. Only the Bible can offer the true solution to the chaos and confusion that confronts today’s women.

1. Women in the Old Testament
   1. Equality (Gen 1:26–31)
      1. Both men and women were created equal in the image of God (v. 27).
      2. Neither one received more of the image of God than the other.
   2. Distinctiveness (Gen 2:7–25)
      1. Both men and women had differences in their God-given functions and responsibilities.
      2. Eve was created after Adam for the specific purpose of being his helper (v. 18).
      3. The word “helper” describes someone in a relationship of service to another.
      4. Eve was equal to Adam, but she was given the role and duty of submitting to him.
      5. Therefore, the responsibility of wives to submit to their husbands has always been part of God’s plan from creation.
      6. It was God’s plan even before sin and the curse enters in chapter 3.
   3. The fall (Gen 3:16–19)
      1. Both Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command resulted in different consequences.
      2. For the woman, pain in childbirth and child nurturing is multiplied (v. 16).
      3. The word “desire” in verse 16 can be interpreted:
         1. in a negative way (i.e., she would be tempted to usurp his authority), or
         2. in a positive way (i.e., that she would continue to desire his companionship).
      4. The meaning of this word cannot be imported from Genesis 4:7. Therefore, it should be interpreted in its own context.
      5. Eve’s usurping of Adam’s authority was already present, after sin entered. She stepped outside of her bounds and blameshifted.
      6. The best interpretation is the positive. Her curse is on motherhood, not on marriage. Therefore, in spite of the pain, God’s grace abounds and His original design remains: she continues to desire her husband’s companionship and her husband continues to be her leader.
   4. Women who ruled in Israel
      1. Deborah in Judges 4 was an exception and not the rule.
      2. There were no women
         1. with an ongoing prophetic ministry.
         2. in a priestly role.
         3. who ruled as queen over the nation of Israel.
         4. who authored any Scripture in the Old Testament (or the New Testament for that matter).
      3. Isaiah 3:12 indicates that God allowed women to rule for some time to dispense judgment over a sinning nation that was trying to go against God’s plan.
2. Women in the New Testament
   1. What did Jesus teach about women?
      1. Jesus never took the position that women, by their nature, could not understand spiritual or theological truth.
      2. He included them in His audience and following (Luke 8:1–3).
      3. He used images and illustrations in His teachings that they would better understand (Matt 13:33; 22:1–2; 24:41; Luke 15:8–10).
      4. He revealed that He was the Messiah to the Samaritan woman and taught her about eternal life and true worship (John 4:7–26).
      5. He touched them and allowed them to touch Him, so that they would be healed (Mark 5:25; Luke 13:10).
      6. He demonstrated their equality with men, but at the same time, He did not exalt them to a place of leadership over men.
   2. What did the Epistles teach about women?
      1. Principles of equality and submission for women were highlighted side by side.
      2. The way of salvation for both and women is the same (Gal 3:28).
      3. They are members of equal standing in the body of Christ just like men.
3. Women within the family
   1. Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18
      1. A wife’s submission to her husband reflects her obedience “as to the Lord,” who has sanctioned the marriage contract.
      2. A wife’s submission to her husband must be “fitting in the Lord,” meaning proper and becoming.
   2. Titus 2:5—If a wife ignores or neglects these commands, the gospel will be maligned, criticized, and discredited by unbelievers.
   3. 1 Peter 3:1
      1. A wife’s lack of submission disrupts the power of the gospel to work in the heart of her unbelieving husband.
      2. This voluntary submission of one equal to another (a woman to a man) is an expression of love for God and a desire to follow His design as revealed in His Word.
4. Women within the church
   1. Responsibilities of women in 1 Timothy 2:9–15
      1. Verse 9—The appearance of a Christian woman should attract attention to her godly character, not to her clothing.
      2. Verse 9b—The attitude of a Christian woman should be an attitude of shame at the idea of inciting lust or being a distraction from worship.
      3. Verse 10—The testimony of a Christian woman who has made a public profession about her commitment to the Lord should conduct herself in a manner consistent with it.
      4. Verse 11—The reason for a Christian woman’s silence has nothing to do with her physiological makeup or intellectual capabilities. She is not to teach because God’s Law forbids it (1 Cor 11:3; 14:34; cf. Gen 3:16).
   2. Restrictions for women in 1 Timothy 2:9–15
      1. Background:
         1. The culture in Ephesus shows that women were looked upon as second-class citizens. They were allowed to attend worship but were discouraged to learn. So they ended up overreacting to their oppression and sought to go beyond their freedom to gain dominance over men.
         2. However, the restrictions in verse 12 are not based on the cultural or specific conditions which pertained only to Ephesus or the first century, but they go beyond because they are based on the created order (v. 13).
      2. Specific Restrictions:
         1. A woman is not to teach men (v. 12a).
         2. A woman is not to exercise authority over men (v. 12b).
         3. Paul was instructing Timothy concerning the public worship of the church. His instruction is simple: whenever men and women are gathered together to worship the Lord, women are not to teach men or to exercise authority over them.
   3. Consequences of women disobeying 1 Timothy 2:9–15
      1. The authority of God’s Word is diminished.
      2. When God’s Word is disobeyed, God is dishonored.
      3. Both men and women will be confused about their roles.
      4. The family will become weak in its gospel influence.
      5. The church will become ineffective in her gospel mission.