PA RT N E R S I N T H E

G O S P E L

An Examination of What the Bible Teaches about the

Roles of Men and Women in the Church

F. Wayne Mac Leod

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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
1 - Creation and the Fall
2 – Worship in the Old Testament
3 - Jesus and Women
4 -The Early Church
5 -The Teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11
6 - The Teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14
7 - The Teaching of Paul in 1 Timothy 2
8 - Principles for Application
About The Author

INTRODUCTION

he role of women in the ministry of the church has been a hotly

debated topic for many years. Many books have been written on

the subject. The arguments for the role of women in the ministry of

the church have been both Biblical and social in nature.

There are those who read the Biblical texts about women in ministry and

interpret them literally for all cultures and times. Other people see the

passages to apply to the culture of the time where women were not as

educated and free as they are in our day. Then there are those who go as far

as to say that the teaching of the Bible on this subject is outdated and no

longer relevant to our present-day church. Let me tell you at the very outset

of this study where I stand on this matter.

First, I believe that the Bible speaks authoritatively to all cultures and

times. The Bible will not become outdated with time. What Jesus taught is

applicable to us in our day as much as it was for the apostles who wrote it.

God reveals His purpose for the church in His Word. He has given us His

Word to be a guide in doctrine and practice until He returns. The principles

taught in Scripture, apply to all cultures. How those principles are lived out

may differ from culture to culture but all cultures in all times are expected

to walk in the truth taught in the Word of God. It is our authority in all

matters of doctrine and Christian life. If we are to understand the role of

women in the ministry of the church, we must look to the teaching of

Scripture as our standard and authority in what God requires.

Secondly, God expects us to obey His Word whether we like what it teaches

or not. We cannot pick and choose what we want to obey. Let me be honest

here. If you were to ask me what I felt about the place of women in ministry

I could give you two answers.

On the one hand I could tell you my opinion, based on my personal

experience and understanding. I could tell you about women who preach

and teach as well as any man I have met. I could speak of the incredible

impact of godly women on my life and faith. I could point you to examples

of businesses and countries that have been led by capable and gifted

women. I could tell you that men and women stand before God as equals. I

could remind you of the wonderful gifts God has given to women that need

to be used in the body of Christ.

On the other hand, I could take you directly to the Scripture. We could sit

down and discuss the teaching of Paul and the example of Jesus. As we do

so, I might find myself in a dilemma. Does what Paul teaches fit my

personal opinion? Do I agree with him about the role of women in ministry?

To be honest, there are times when I find that my opinion clashes with what

the Scriptures teach. What am I to do when I don’t like what I see in

Scripture? After careful examination of the teaching of Scripture my

obligation, as a follower of the Lord Jesus, is to surrender to it and accept

God’s way above my own.

Thirdly, we must realise that if we are to properly understand and apply the

Scriptures we must take into consideration the culture of the day in which

they were written. There are commands and teachings in Scripture that only

apply to us in principle. We read, for example, in Leviticus 19:27 that the

law of God forbade the trimming of the beard and the sides of one’s hair. Is

it wrong for a man to trim his beard? To go to this extreme is to misinterpret

the Scriptures. These laws were written in the context of the pagan religious

practices of Old Testament times. They were intended to keep God’s people

from imitating the practices of these pagan cultures and falling away from

God. The practice of trimming one’s beard would not be a stumbling block

today as it was in the days of Moses. Nor would this practice be required of

us as New Testament believers in our day.

In our examination of the teaching of Scripture on the issue of the role of

women in the ministry of the church, we need to apply all three of the

above- mentioned principles. We need to take God’s word at face value. It

is not outdated. We need to commit ourselves to obeying what we discover

in God’s word, whether we like it or not. Finally, we need to be careful not

to misinterpret Scripture by ignoring the cultural context in which it was

written. With these principles as our guideline let us examine the teaching

of Scripture on this difficult subject.

F. Wayne Mac Leod

1 - CREATION AND THE

FALL

he world view of the apostles and New Testament believers was

rooted in Judaism and it’s understanding of God and creation. This

is the cultural perspective from which we must begin. Genesis 1-3

recounts the story of the creation of man and woman and gives us some key

details about God’s purpose for them.

In Genesis 1 we read:

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our

likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and

over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the

earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created

him;male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them.

And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth

and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over

the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on

the earth.” (Genesis 1)

This passage has several details we need to emphasize.

First, notice that God created “man” in his own image. The word “man”

used in this verse is the Hebrew word “adam” which refers not just to a

male but to human beings regardless of sex. This becomes clear in verse 27

when we read:

27 So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. (Genesis 1)

Simply put, God created both a male and a female human being.

What is important for us to note is that the male and female were created in

the image of God. This distinguished them from the animals. They were

equal participants in this image. While they were biologically different, the

man and the woman both reflected God’s image. Having been created in the

image of God, they were both to be treated with the respect and dignity that

this implied. To treat either a man or a woman with a lack of dignity and

respect was to insult the God who stamped His image on their lives.

Notice secondly from Genesis 1:26-28 that God gave both the man and the

woman dominion over the earth:

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our

likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and

over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the

earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

(Genesis 1)

God created a male and a female in His image and said: “Let them have

dominion.” The use of the plural is significant. Dominion over the animals

and the earth extended to both the man and the woman. In other words, both

Adam and Eve were given the responsibility to care for and administer the

affairs of the earth. They would work together as man and woman to care

for the earth that God had given them.

Notice finally from Genesis 1:28 that one of the roles God gave to man and

the woman was to multiply and fill the earth.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and

multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over

the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every

living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1)

This first man and woman were to have children together and fill the earth

with human beings. Understand that God could have made human beings in

such a way that they did not need each other to have children, but He didn’t.

He created man and woman so that they were dependant on each other to

fully obey the mandate of God. The man would not be able to bear a child.

The woman, however, was created in such a way that she could carry a

child and deliver it into this world. Her milk would feed and nourish that

child until he or she was old enough to eat solid food. The male and the

female would have distinct roles to play in this God-given mandate to

multiply and fill the earth.

The difference between man and woman is seen not only in their biological

difference but in how they were created. According to Genesis 2:7, man

was created from the dust of the ground:

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a

living creature. (Genesis 2)

The creation of woman, however, was quite different. She was created from

Adam:

21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and

while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made

into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was taken out of Man.”

From Genesis 2:19 we understand that the Lord God created man, the

animals and the birds from the ground:

19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of

the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man

to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every

living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2)

Woman, however, was not created from the ground but from man. Consider

what is taking place in this context. Adam has been discovering all kinds of

animals and birds in the garden. God, in fact, has asked Adam to give them

names. These creatures were all created from the dust of the ground. If God

had created woman from the dust of the ground and brought her to man, he

would have seen her as any other creature. When God took her from

Adam’s side however, He was distinguishing woman from every other

creature that Adam named. She was not like them. She was like Adam

because she had come from him.

We are not told how Adam knew that she was formed from his rib, but it is

quite clear that when he awoke he knew she had come from him and was

like him and not like the animals around him. This act distinguished woman

from the other creation. She was created for man as a partner to him.

There is another important detail we need to see from the account of the

creation of man and woman. Adam was the first to be created. While the

birth order of our children does not mean as much to us today, in the Old

Testament Jewish context, this order of birth was very important.

Listen to the Law of Moses in Numbers 18:

15 Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or

beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, the

firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean

animals you shall redeem. (Numbers 18)

Every firstborn that opened the womb belonged to the Lord and was given

to the priest for His service. If the firstborn was an unclean animal the

owner would pay a price to buy it back from the priest and keep it himself.

If the firstborn was a male child, the parents would purchase him back from

the Lord at a set rate and that child would live with them. While everything

belongs to the Lord, the Lord claimed the firstborn of all families for

Himself.

The other important detail we need to understand about the firstborn is that

he would inherit a double portion of his father’s estate. Consider the law of

Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 21:

15 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved,

and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if

the firstborn son belongs to the unloved, 16 then on the day when he

assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not

treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of

the unloved, who is the firstborn, 17 but he shall acknowledge the

firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of

all that he has, for he is the firstfruits of his strength. The right of

the firstborn is his. (Deuteronomy 21)

This double portion was not to be taken away from the firstborn. He was to

be honoured because he was the firstborn and given this double portion of

his father’s estate.

We see from this that the firstborn, according to Old Testament Jewish

culture occupied a very special place. As firstborn he would have a special

inheritance and obligation before the father. This cultural understanding had

an impact on the teaching of the apostles about the role of woman in

ministry. Paul refers to this in 1Timothy 2:12,13 where he tells Timothy that

the woman should learn quietly, for the man was created first. We will

consider this passage later. For now, simply notice that this cultural

understanding of the firstborn and his privileges is used by the apostles later

to teach about the role of women in the ministry of the church.

As we move on now to Genesis 2:18 we read:

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be

alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2)

God created Eve to be a helper for Adam the firstborn. As the firstborn,

Adam had a great responsibility to care for the earth the Lord had given. He

could not do this alone. He needed the assistance of the woman to help him

to fulfil his mandate as firstborn of creation. As a helper, the woman was

not inferior. Though her role was to be a helper, she was equal to Adam in

dignity before God for she too had been created in the image of God.

Together as firstborn and helper they would have dominion over creation.

What we see in Genesis is that even before sin entered the world there are

differences in roles and titles. Man and woman were both created in the

image of God, but they were not created at the same time or in the same

way. Adam was created first then Eve. Adam was created from the dust of

the earth. Eve was created from Adam’s bone. Adam is created as the

firstborn. Eve was created as a helper. This was God’s intention in a perfect

world.

The world in which Adam and Eve lived did not remain perfect. This first

couple would fall into sin. Genesis 3 recounts the story of how Satan

deceived the woman and caused her to eat from a tree that God had

forbidden. She not only ate the forbidden fruit herself but gave some of its

fruit to her husband to eat as well. Listen to what God said to Adam after he

ate the forbidden fruit:

17 And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life (Genesis 3)

The Lord God cursed the ground, Adam was to cultivate because he

listened to the voice of his wife. There are two points I want to make here.

First, we observe that God had an expectation of Adam as the first created

and spiritual head of this small family unit. He had a spiritual obligation to

care for and protect his family. Being a leader is a lonely position. It means

making decisions that are sometimes unpopular. While good leaders hear

the suggestions of those under them, they must make the final decision

based on what they feel is in the best interests of their company, church or

family. This will often go against the ideas suggested by others.

Second, Adam listened to the voice of his wife and ate the fruit, despite the

command of God. The accusation of God in Genesis 3:17 shows us that

God expected that Adam would act as the head of the family unit in the best

spiritual interest of that family. He failed in his obligation as leader and

spiritual head. He chose instead to surrender this decision joined his wife in

sin.

Genesis 3:17 is not only important for what it shows us about the headship

of Adam, but it is also used by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:14-15 to show the

reason why a woman should not have authority over a man in the church.

We will examine this later but for now the point is that this creation story is

seen by the New Testament writers to be the basis for their understanding of

the role of women in the ministry of the church.

We have seen God’s rebuke of man in Genesis 3:17. Let’s backup and listen

to what God would say to the woman after eating the forbidden fruit.

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.” (Genesis 3)

Because of her disobedience, the woman would give birth to her children in

great pain. Take note of the phrase: “Your desire shall be contrary to your

husband, but he shall rule over you.” Consider what is taking place in this

verse. God created woman to be a helper. With the entrance of sin, her help

is now changed to “contrary desire.” God created man as the firstborn head.

With the entrance of sin, that headship is changed to “ruling over.” The

entrance of sin did not change God’s roles for man and women, it did,

however, change how they exercised those roles. He would exercise his

headship as a sinful leader. She would stand beside him as a sinful helper.

She would suffer the consequences of man’s twisted understanding of his

God-given role as the first born. He would experience the consequences of

selfishness, pride and rebellion brought on by sin in the life of his helper.

For Consideration:

What Scriptural evidence do we have in the book of Genesis that both man

and women were created in the image of God. What is the implication of

both being created in God’s image?

Genesis tells us that God gave dominion to both the man and the woman

over the animals and the earth that He created. What is the implication of

this for both the man and the woman?

God created man and woman different with a need for each other to fulfil

His mandate. How do our differences as men and women complement each

other in this task? Why do we need each other?

What is the significance that woman was not created from the dust of the

ground but from man? How did this distinguish her from the animals God

presented to man in those early days? What implication does this have for

us today concerning chow we treat women?

Why is it significant that Adam was created first?

God created Eve as a helper? What was the implication of this in her

relationship to Adam?

How did God’s condemnation of Adam after the fall show us His

expectation of him as a spiritual head?

How did sin impact the roles God gave to man and women in the Garden?

For Prayer:

Take a moment to thank the Lord that He created us male and female in His

image. Ask Him to enable you to see that image and how both men and

women reflect this image in different ways.

Ask God to help us as men and women to fulfil His creation mandate to

care for this earth as managers of His resources. Ask Him how you can be

more faithful in this.

Take a moment to thank the Lord that He created us male and female. Ask

Him to help us to find a way to work harmoniously together according to

His purpose.

Ask God to help us to fulfil our creation mandate despite the sin that affects

us every day. Ask Him to forgive you for times you have not been faithful

to His creation purpose for you as a man or woman.

2 – WORSHIP IN THE OLD

TESTAMENT

e learned from the account of creation in Genesis that the Lord

created man and women in His image to have dominion over

the earth. While both man and women were created in the

image of God, they were created differently and with distinct roles. Let’s

take a moment in this chapter to examine how these differences worked

themselves out in the worship of the Old Testament.

Women and Men Worshipping Together

In Exodus 14 after Israel was freed from slavery in Egypt, Pharaoh sent his

army after them in the wilderness. God opened the waters of the Red Sea

for His children to cross. When the Egyptians followed, the Lord caused its

watery walls to collapse on them.

Safely on the other side, Moses led his people in a song of thanksgiving and

praise:

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord,

saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

2 The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

3 The Lord is a man of war;

the Lord is his name. (Exodus 15)

After Moses led the people in this song of thanksgiving, Miriam took a

tambourine in her hand and led the women in a celebration dance.

20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a

tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with

tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15)

This dance was part of the worship offered to God after He delivered Israel

from the Egyptian army. Miriam and the woman played a significant role in

this celebration.

We see a similar incident in 1 Samuel 18:6,7. David had just come home

from defeating the Philistines. As he entered the city of Jerusalem, the

women came out to great him. They sang and danced to celebrate the

goodness of God in giving them deliverance from their enemies.

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking

down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel,

singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with

songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang

to one another as they celebrated,

“Saul has struck down his thousands,

and David his ten thousands.” (1 Samuel 18)

We learn from 2 Chronicles 35.25 that both men and women sang sons of

laments in the worship of the Lord God.

25 Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah; and all the singing

men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to

this day… (2 Chronicles 35)

Among the group who returned to Jerusalem in the days of Ezra were 200

men and women singers (see Ezra 2:65). We also see in Judges 5:1 how,

after defeating King Jabin, Deborah the prophetess and Barak the military

commander sang a song of thanksgiving to the Lord.

The women of the Old Testament were free to worship alongside men. They

sang and danced in celebration of God and His great victories.

Men and Women Joining Together Under the Preaching

and Reading of the Word

Not only did women join men in the praise and worship of God in the Old

Testament, they also joined them in listening to the reading and

proclamation of the Word of God. In Deuteronomy 31.12-13 Moses

commanded the assembly of men, women and little ones to hear the reading

of the Law of God:

12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the

sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear

the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13

and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn

to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you

are going over the Jordan to possess. (Deuteronomy 31)

It was the purpose of God that men, women and children learn through the

reading of the Word, how to follow Him and His purpose.

After Israel’s defeat at Ai in Joshua 8, Joshua assembled the people to

renew their covenant with the Lord their God. He read to them the words of

the law. Men and women were gathered together to hear the words of this

law:

34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and

the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35

There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did

not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the

little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them. (Joshua 8)

Ezra the priest, as well, had men and women assembled before him to listen

to the words of the Book of the Law:

1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the

Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the

Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the

priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women

and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of

the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before

the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of

the men and the women and those who could understand. And the

ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

(Nehemiah 8)

Nehemiah 8 goes on to tell us that as the words of the law were being read,

the Levites instructed the people in the meaning of these words. The context

clearly indicates that men and women were in the assembly that day.

Women assembled with men under the reading and preaching of the Word

of God.

Women and Men Publicly Confessing Sin

There are at least two occasions in the Old Testament where women and

men are involved in public confession and weeping for sin. In the passage

we have just quoted from Nehemiah 8, we understand that both men and

women gathered to hear the Word of the Lord. Notice the response of “all

the people” to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word on that day:

9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and

scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people,

“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.”

For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law.

(Nehemiah 8)

“All the people” wept as they heard the words of the Law. These

individuals, men and women, were touched by the truth of the word.

Together men and women grieved for their sin against God.

Ezra 10.1 makes this even clearer:

1 While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting

himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of

men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the

people wept bitterly. (Ezra 10)

Both men and women were being touched by the Spirit of God. Together

they confessed their sin and grieved before God.

Women and Men Bringing Offerings to the Lord

Women, like men were encouraged to bring their offerings to the Lord.

20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from

the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart

stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the

Lord’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its

service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and

women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and

earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects,

every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord (Exodus 35)

29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved

them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded

by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.

(Exodus 35)

The Lord made no distinction between the offering brought by a man and

the offering brought by a woman. All whose hearts moved them were free

to bring their offerings to the Lord.

Men and Women Making Vows to the Lord

In Numbers 6.1-4 we read that both men and women were able to make

special vows of separation to the Lord as a Nazirite.

2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man

or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate

himself to the Lord, 3 he shall separate himself from wine and

strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong

drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or

dried. 4 All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is

produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

(Numbers 6)

The Nazirite vow was a special vow of separation to the Lord for a period

of time and for a particular purpose. It is quite clear from Numbers 6:2 that

this was a vow of separation that either a man or a woman could take. There

was no distinction made for this vow.

While women could make vows to the Lord, we read in Numbers 30 that

there were some restrictions for women in the making of vows. The Law of

Moses stated that the vow of a woman who still lived at home with her

parents could be annulled by her father if he disapproved:

3 “If a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a

pledge, while within her father’s house in her youth, 4 and her

father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound

herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and

every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if

her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers,

no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord

will forgive her, because her father opposed her. (Numbers 30)

The same principle applied to a woman who had a husband. If the husband,

as the head of the household, disapproved of the vow his wife made, he

could annul the vow:

6 “If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any

thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself, 7

and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that

he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she

has bound herself shall stand. 8 But if, on the day that her husband

comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that

was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she

bound herself. And the Lord will forgive her. (Numbers 30)

In the matter of making vows to the Lord, while the woman was free to do

so, she would need to have the approval of the head of her household,

whether she be an unmarried woman or a married woman.

Exhorting Men in Spiritual Matters

On several occasions in Scripture, women were used by the Lord to exhort

men who failed in their responsibilities before God. In Exodus 4.24-26 we

read how the Lord sought to put Moses to death. His wife Zipporah,

however, took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of their youngest son,

appeasing the wrath of God and saving her husband’s life. Moses had failed

in his responsibilities as spiritual head of the family by not circumcising

their son. His wife rebuked him by saying: “Surely, you are a bridegroom of

blood to me” (Exodus 4:25). Were it not for her actions, Moses may never

have reached Egypt. When Moses failed in his obligation, she took on his

role and spared the family. While this responsibility belonged to the male

head of the family, in this case, Zipporah, as the wife took it on because of

her husband’s failure to be the leader he needed to be.

Deborah exhorted Barak to take courage and fight their enemy Sisera and

his forces. It appears that Barak was fearful of taking on this responsibility.

Deborah, however, challenged him to be faithful to the direction of the Lord

and the responsibilities he had as a military commander.

6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-

naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel,

commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking

10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.

(Judges 4)

Barak would only agree to go to war against Sisera if Deborah went with

him.

8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will

not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with

you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to

your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. (Judges 4)

Because he did not trust the Lord and take this responsibility willingly,

Barak would not be the one to defeat Sisera. Instead, Jael, the wife of Heber

would kill this great military commander when he came to her tent for

refreshment and rest (see Judges 4:17-22). Were it not for the exhortation of

Deborah, Sisera might have ravaged the land. She needed to challenge

Barak to be the leader God had called him to be. These women had a vital

role to play in challenging the man of their nation and families to be the

leaders God had called them to be.

Women Ministering at the Tabernacle

Women also had a ministry in the tabernacle. We have references to their

ministry at the entrance of this tent of meeting. We read, for example of

how Bezalel made the basin used for the tabernacle out of the mirrors of the

women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting:

8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the

mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of

the tent of meeting. (Exodus 38)

Eli, the priest had sons who served as priests. The Scriptures describe them

as worthless men who did not know the Lord (1 Samuel 2:12). One of their

abominable sins is described in 1 Samuel 2:22:

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were

doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were

serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. (1 Samuel 2)

Eli’s sons slept with the women who were serving at the entrance of the tent

of meeting. Obviously, these women were not present at the entrance of the

tabernacle for prostitution, otherwise they would have been quickly

removed for this was clearly against the Law of Moses. Exodus 38:8

describes what they were doing as “ministry.” 1 Samuel 2:12 defines it as

“service.”

While we are not certain as to the exact nature of the ministry these women

had at the tabernacle entrance, it is assumed that they had a role of serving

in clean-up or in being door keepers. Some commentators see the

possibility that they were involved in singing and dancing for the special

festivals celebrated throughout the year. Whatever their function was, it was

in important part of the overall ministry of the tabernacle.

Beyond their function at the entrance of the tabernacle, women played other

service roles in the religious life of the Old Testament. In Exodus 35.25,26

we read about the women who spun goat hair to make material necessary

for the construction of the tabernacle.

25 And every skilful woman spun with her hands, and they all

brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns

and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them

to use their skill spun the goats’ hair. (Exodus 35)

These women are described in Exodus 35:25 as “skilful women”. Notice,

however, that this was a voluntary act on the part of these women. Verse 26

tells us that it was those whose hearts stirred them to use their skill, that

made this significant contribution. They are recognized for their skill,

tender heart, and generosity.

Women of the Old Testament also played a significant role in the ministry

of hospitality. The Lord commanded a widow in Zarephath to provide for

the needs of His servant Elijah.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath,

which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded

a widow there to feed you.” (1 Kings 17)

God called this widow to support the prophet and provided him with a

home. This would have been a tremendous blessing for Elijah in his time of

need.

Elijah’s successor, Elisha, experienced the same kind of blessing when he

ministered in the region of Shunem. Listen to the account of what happened

in 2 Kings 4:

8 One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived,

who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way,

he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband,

“Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is

continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the

roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a

lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.” (2

Kings 4)

Not only did this wealthy woman generously provide food for Elisha but

she spoke to her husband about making a small room on their roof with a

bed, table, chair and lamp where Elisha could stay every time he passed

through the region. She used her wealth to offer hospitality to the servant of

God. We get a glimpse of how grateful the prophet was in 2 Kings 4:13-17

when he asked her what he could do in return for her great generosity. The

woman had never had a child but when Elisha committed this matter to the

Lord, she and her husband were blessed with an heir.

In 1 Samuel 1:9-11 we meet the mother of Samuel the prophet, at the

temple where she had come to pray for a son and make a vow to dedicated

him to the Lord. She would return the following year to offer this son

Samuel to full-time service for the Lord (1 Samuel 1:26-28). She could not

have made a greater sacrifice. Her son, would become one of the greatest

prophets the nation of Israel knew.

These women were faithful servants of God. They devoted themselves to

using their skills and resources for the Lord. Their time, effort and

generosity were blessed by the Lord for the expansion of His kingdom.

Women receiving Words from God

Samson’ s mother received a visit from an angel in Judges 13. This angel

told her that she would give birth to a son who would deliver Israel from

their bondage.

Miriam, the sister of Moses is described in Exodus 15:20-21 as a

prophetess. She took her tambourine and led the women of the day in

dancing and singing worship and praise to the Lord who had delivered them

from the Egyptians.

Listen to the ministry of Deborah the prophetess as described for us in

Judges 4:

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging

Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah

between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the

people of Israel came up to her for judgment. (Judges 4)

Notice the phrase, “the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.” The

idea here is that these individuals needed to resolve their problems and

wanted to know what the Lord’s direction was for them. They would come

to Deborah and she would consult the Lord on their behalf.

After discovering the Book of the Law in the long-forsaken temple, King

Josiah commanded the priest Hilkiah to inquire of the Lord for him (2

Kings 22:12,13). The priest and his servants found Huldah the prophetess

and consulted her. She sought the word of the Lord for these men and they

returned with this word to the king (see 2 Kings 22:14-20). Through

Huldah, the Lord would remind these men of the judgement to come.

God spoke through prophetesses to the male leadership of their day

challenging them to turn to God. The prophetic gift was not limited to men.

Nor was a woman with this gift limited to using her gift for women alone.

Women Deliverers

The Bible recounts the stories of numerous women who brought

deliverance to Israel from her enemies. Were it not for Deborah, Barak

would not have defeated the army of Sisera (see Judges 4). Jael killed the

military commander Sisera, relieving Israel from this cruel oppressor (see

Judges 4.18-23). Abimelech, the evil king, was killed by a woman who

threw a stone on his head from the city wall of Thebez (see Judges 9:50-

55). Abigail’s wise advice kept David from wiping out the entire family of

Nabal (see 1 Samuel 25). These women were used of God bring great

victory to the people of God in times of crisis.

RESTRICTIONS

From what we have seen women were very active in the religious life of

Israel. There were, however, certain restrictions place on them. These

restrictions fall under two main headings.

Uncleanness

The first set of restrictions placed on women in the Old Testament related to

ceremonial uncleanness. To be fair, this restriction was also for men.

There were many ways a man or woman could become unclean. Touching

the body of a dead person, for example, would make a person unclean

before the Lord and as such they would not be permitted to bring their

offering to the Lord (see Leviticus 9:6). If an individual was diagnosed with

a skin disease, they could be proclaimed impure by the priest and forbidden

to go to the tabernacle or even circulate among the people of God (see

Leviticus 13). Another means of becoming unclean was by touching an

unclean animal or insect (see Leviticus 11:13-40). These instances could

keep an individual from worshipping the Lord until they were purified.

Beyond the above examples were cases of bodily emissions. For example, if

a man had a bodily discharge he was considered impure. This discharge

might be a discharge of mucus or pus from a wound and likely related to an

infection of some kind in his body. This man was unclean. Anything he sat

on would be unclean and anyone who touched him would be unclean (see

Leviticus 15:2-13). This principle would also be true for a woman.

An emission of semen would also make a man unclean. If this was the

result of a sexual relationship with a woman both the man and the woman

were unclean and would have to bathe in water and wait until the evening

until they were pure again (see Leviticus 15:16-18).

A woman was considered unclean for seven days during her monthly

period. Anyone touching her during that time or anything she sat or laid on

would become unclean as well (see Leviticus 15:19-30).

When a woman gave birth to a child, the Law of Moses declared unclean

while she recovered. If the child was a male child, she would be unclean for

40 days. If the child born to her was a female, the mother would be unclean

for 80 days (see Leviticus 12:1-8). It is clear from Leviticus 12:4 that

during this time of impurity the woman was not permitted to go near the

sanctuary of God:

4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her

purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the

sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. (Leviticus

12)

These times of purification limited how often the woman could serve at the

tabernacle or bring an offering to the Lord. The Lord required that those

who worshipped Him (male or female) be ceremonially clean. Anyone who

refused to adhere to these standards was to be cut off from the assembly of

God’s people:

20 “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person

shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled

the sanctuary of the Lord. Because the water for impurity has not

been thrown on him, he is unclean. (Numbers 19)

Submission

We saw in the first chapter that God created Adam to be the firstborn and

spiritual head. The woman was created to be a helper. The law of the Old

Testament protected this relationship.

While a woman was free to make a vow to the Lord, that vow could be over

ruled by a male head in her life. If she was still living with her father, her

father had the right to overrule her vow. If she was married and her husband

did not approve of her vow, he too could overrule it and it would no longer

be binding upon her (see Leviticus 30.3-16). This reaffirms the headship of

the male in the family unit and his responsibility to protect those for whom

he was responsible.

In the Old Testament, the spiritual welfare of Israel was overseen by the

priests and Levites. By command of God, Aaron and his sons were chosen

to be priests (see Exodus 29:1-9). The Lord also chose the male descendants

of Levi to assist the priests in their regular duties (see Numbers 3:5-39).

Women were not given this role but were, like the rest of the people of

Israel, to submit to the spiritual leadership God had ordained for the nation.

What was true of the spiritual life of Israel is also seen in the family life of

the nation as well. The man was considered the head of the family unit.

4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man

being the head of the house of his fathers. (Numbers 1)

3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to

the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the

people of Israel. (Numbers 13)

The wife was seen in the Old Testament to be under the authority of her

husband:

20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your

husband’s authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man

other than your husband has lain with you, 21 then’ (let the priest

make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman)

‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when

the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell… 29 This

is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, though under her

husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself. (Numbers 5)

The law of Moses protected the headship of the man in the spiritual

leadership of the nation of Israel and in the family unit. All who were under

this headship were to be submissive and respectful of this leadership,

whether they be male or female.

Women were quite active in the religious life of Israel. They worshipped

alongside men. They were instructed alongside men. They joined men in

the public confession of sins and brought offerings to the house of the Lord.

They could make religious vows like a man or enter the temple to pray.

They ministered in the entrance of the house of God and in a variety of

other service ministries in the spiritual life of Israel. God used women to

exhort men in their spiritual walk and challenge them in their role as

spiritual leaders. He gifted them with prophetic gifts and used them to

deliver His people from their enemies. Clearly, women played a vital role in

the spiritual life of Israel.

Despite these many avenues of ministry, the spiritual leadership of the

nation fell to man at this period of history. This was not for cultural reasons

but by the choice of God to call men to this position.

For Consideration:

What freedom did women have to worship and serve the Lord in the Old

Testament? Give some examples.

Give some examples of women who encouraged or exhorted men in their

position as spiritual leader? Was this right for them to do? Does exhorting

or correcting a person in authority mean that we are not in subjection to

their leadership?

Give some examples of women who were used by God to bring deliverance

to His people?

How does the Law of Moses protect the headship of the male spiritual

leaders?

Does the fact that God ordained a male spiritual leadership imply an

oppression of women? Were men also to submit to the spiritual leadership

God has established over them?

Does headship imply position of privilege or responsibility of service? If

headship is the responsibility to care for those to whom it is responsible,

then can we say that the spiritual head is more important than those it

serves?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the freedom He gave to women who worship and serve

Him in the Old Testament. Take a moment to thank the Lord for the women

He has used in your life to exhort you and draw you closer to Himself.

Ask the Lord to give you a proper perspective on headship in the Scripture.

Ask Him to teach you to respect and honour those who care for your

spiritual well-being.

Ask God to forgive you for times you have tried to take authority that was

not yours to take. Ask Him to give you contentment to walk in His purpose

for your life.

3 - JESUS AND WOMEN

ne of the first references we have in the New Testament to the

attitude of Jesus toward woman is seen in the Sermon on the

Mount where He said:

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit

adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman

with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his

heart. (Matthew 5)

Jesus told men that if they were to look lustfully at a woman they were

guilty before God of committing adultery in their hearts. In this statement

He attacks the evils of pornography and lustful thoughts. He commanded

men to be respectful in how they thought and responded to women with

dignity and respect.

In Deuteronomy 24 we read:

1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no

favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and

he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and

sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house

(Deuteronomy 24)

Notice how the Law of Moses permitted a man to divorce his wife when

she “found no favour in his eyes,” or when he found something “indecent in

her.” The question of what this meant was open to great debate in the Old

Testament. This lead to men divorcing their wives for a variety of reasons,

leaving them for fend for themselves without support and income.

Jesus addressed this matter in the Sermon on the Mount when He said:

31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a

certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who

divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes

her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman

commits adultery. (Matthew 5)

According to Jesus, a man was to remain with his wife and support her. He

was not to divorce her unless she was guilty of sexual infidelity. Jesus

protects women from being sent away because a husband lost interest in

her. He expected that a man who, in that culture, was the bread winner,

provide for the needs of his wife despite their disagreements. He was to

honour her and his commitment to her. It is clear from this teaching of Jesus

that women had the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

In Matthew 26.6-13 Jesus was in the home of Simon the leper when a

woman anointed his feet with a very expensive perfume. The disciples took

offence at the waste of a precious perfume. Jesus, however, took the side of

the woman and defended her actions.

10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the

woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. (Matthew 26)

Luke 7 describes a time when Jesus was in the home of a Pharisee when a

“woman of the city, who was a sinner,” approached him and anointed his

feet, kissed them and wiped them with her hair. The Pharisees were

appalled at her behaviour and could not believe that Jesus would let such a

woman even touch Him. Again, Jesus took her defence:

44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see

this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my

feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her

hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not

ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but

she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her

sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who

is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are

forgiven.” (Luke 7)

Jesus attacked the attitude of the men toward this woman and showed them

how her actions were more noble then theirs. He did not hinder her from

approaching Him. He accepted her, despite her reputation in the community.

He loved her and accepted her offering. To Jesus, she was more sincere and

loving than any man in that room.

In Luke 10 were read the story of two sisters by the name of Mary and

Martha. They welcomed Jesus into their home. Martha kept very busy

serving Jesus and the disciples while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to his

teaching (Luke 10:39).

Eventually, Martha began to feel angry that Mary was leaving all the work

of serving the guests to her. She interrupted Jesus’ and asked Him to tell

Mary to help her serve these guests.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up

to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to

serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” (Luke 10)

Jesus told Martha, however, that Mary was doing the right thing. He would

not ask her to leave His side to busy herself with the duties of serving the

guests.

41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious

and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary.

Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away

from her.” (Luke 10)

Jesus recognised Mary as an intelligent human being who was interested in

learning the truth. He accepted her as His student. She had every right to sit

at His feet like the men around her to learn. Jesus did not send Mary to the

kitchen to serve the guests. He delighted in her presence as a student of the

Word He taught.

In John 4 we see Jesus in a religious discussion with a Samaritan woman.

They discussed the difference between the Samaritan and Jewish

understanding of worship. They also touched on the issue of the Messiah

who was to come. When the disciples, who had been shopping, returned to

Jesus and found him in a deep discussion with a Samaritan woman they

were surprised:

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was

talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or,

“Why are you talking with her?” (John 4)

Notice from verse 27 that the disciples marvelled that Jesus was talking

with a woman. No mention is made here in this verse about the fact that she

was a Samaritan. Jesus had entered a theological debate with a woman. The

disciples found Jesus freely conversing with this woman about deep issues.

He allowed her to question Him and in turn responded to her questions.

Jesus saw her as an intelligent human being, fully capable of learning and

discussing spiritual matters. This was quite radical for the day.

In John 8.1-11 the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery

to Jesus. They were using this woman to find a way to condemn Him. The

interesting thing about this scene is that we have no mention of the man

who was caught with her. The Law of Moses was very clear that both the

man and the woman were to be put to death:

10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both

the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

(Leviticus 20)

Knowing the intentions of the Pharisees, Jesus responded by saying: “Let

him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John

8:7). One by one they left the woman alone with Jesus. When everyone had

left Jesus spoke to the adulteress woman:

10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no

one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said,

“Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

(John 8)

Jesus saw the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and knew that they were guilty

before God as well. If this woman deserved to die for sinning against God,

then so did the Pharisees. Jesus did not treat her any differently because she

was a woman.

Jesus saw both men and woman on an equal standing when it came to their

need for forgiveness and salvation. Speaking to the men who looked down

on the “woman of the city, who was a sinner” in Luke 7:37, Jesus said:

47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for

she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he

said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at

table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who

even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has

saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7)

While the men present in that room refused to accept her, Jesus assured her

that God had accepted her. She could go her way knowing that her salvation

and forgiveness had been guaranteed.

The religious leaders of the day condemned Jesus for healing a woman on

the Sabbath day (Luke 13). Jesus defended his actions before these leaders

saying:

15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of

you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and

lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter

of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from

this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13)

The men present that day would treat their donkey better than a woman.

They would break the Sabbath law to feed and water their donkey but

would not lift a hand to help a woman in need on the Sabbath. Jesus calls

these men hypocrites. Notice how Jesus addressed the woman. He calls her

a “daughter of Abraham.” In calling her a daughter of Abraham, he is

identifying her with the covenant made with Abraham. She was a partner

with men in the salvation that would come through that covenantal

agreement. She had an equal standing in salvation. She was an equal

covenant partner with men in the promise God made through Abraham.

In His teaching, the Lord often used illustrations that could be understood

by the women of His day. He used the illustration of a woman mixing yeast

into flour to describe the kingdom of God (see Matthew 13.33). On another

occasion he told a parable about a woman sweeping out her house to find a

lost coin (Luke 15.8). Still on another occasion he spoke about two women

grinding at a mill to illustrate what would happen in the last days (Matthew

24.41).

The use of these illustrations shows us that Jesus wanted to include women

in his teaching. He often spoke to a mixed crowd. He was sensitive to both

women and men in His teaching.

We understand from Matthew 27:55 and Luke 8:3 that a group of women

followed Jesus and his disciples as they preached the gospel. These women

contributed greatly to His ministry:

55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance,

who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among

whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and

Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 27)

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages,

proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had

been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene,

from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of

Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others,

who provided for them out of their means. (Luke 8)

These women ministered to Jesus as He and His disciples travelled from

place to place. They gave financially and practically to Jesus out of their

own resources.

When the Lord Jesus was crucified, women prepared spices and ointments

for His burial:

55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and

saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and

prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested

according to the commandment. (Luke 23)

In John 20.10-18 we read how Mary Magdalene discovered the empty tomb

of Jesus and announced this to the disciples:

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the

tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been

taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter

and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them,

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know

where they have laid him.” (John 20)

While her understanding of the events was incorrect, Jesus would meet her

at the tomb and reveal Himself personally to her.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she

stooped to investigate the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white,

sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at

the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She

said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know

where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around

and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you

seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if

you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I

will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and

said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to

the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending

to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary

Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the

Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (John 20)

Jesus commissioned Mary to announce His resurrection and ascension.

What a privilege it was to announce the greatest event in history. This

resurrection and ascension would bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

There was never a more important message to proclaim. “He is risen

victorious over sin and death. He is ascended to sit at the right hand of the

Father on high.” Jesus entrusted this message to Mary Magdalene.

Jesus held women in high regard. He taught that woman should be

respected and treated with dignity. He showed no partiality in justice. Men

and women were equals before the law in the mind of Jesus. He taught

women and men together and made no distinction in their intellectual

abilities. According to Jesus, both men and women were equal partners in

salvation. Women ministered to Jesus and were commissioned by Him to

announce the good news of the gospel.

Divorce, in the New Testament would not be as easy. Men would not be

able to divorce their wives for any reason. Wrong, lustful thoughts about

women were forbidden and seen on a par with adultery. By His example,

Jesus stretched the cultural boundaries regarding the place and role of

women.

What is important to note, however, is that while Christ elevated the

position of women and used them in the proclamation of the gospel, He still

placed the leadership of the church in the hands of men. He did not choose

women for the role of apostle or disciple. In this regard, Jesus respected the

principle of male headship, taught in the Old Testament. While we may

speculate as to why this is the case, He is our example and reveals to us the

purpose of God for the early church.

For Consideration:

What does the Sermon on the Mount teach us about how Jesus held women

in high regard?

On numerous occasions Jesus took up the defence of women when they

were mistreated or accused by the men of His day. What does this teach us

about the importance of justice and truth over gender?

Jesus openly taught and debated with women of His day. He also used

illustrations in His teaching that the women of His day could related to.

What does this say us about how He viewed their intellectual ability?

Jesus commissioned Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples about His

resurrection and ascension? Why was this message significant? What does

it teach us about the equality of men and women in the sharing of the

Gospel?

Is it significant that despite the high regard in which Jesus held women, He

did not choose women to be among His twelve disciples?

For Prayer:

Have you ever found yourself showing favouritism based on gender? Ask

the Lord to forgive you and help you to see everyone for the qualities God

has given them.

Consider the conversations Jesus has with women who were treated as

outcasts in their society. Thank the Lord that He accepts us as we are, male

or female, saint or sinner.

Ask the Lord to help us to accept His purpose for the church and its

leadership. Ask Him to reveal the purpose He has for you personally.

4 -THE EARLY CHURCH

omen played a significant role in the early church in the days

of the apostles. Both men and women came to faith in the

Lord Jesus and were being added to the church.

14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes

of both men and women (Acts 5)

It is important to note the phrase “were added to the Lord.” Both men and

women were added to the list of believers becoming part of the church.

There is no distinction made between the sexes. This may not strike us as

significant in our culture and time but let’s compare this verse with other

passages in Scripture. Consider Matthew 14:21 and Matthew 15:38 for

example.

21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women

and children. (Matthew 14)

38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and

children. (Matthew 15)

Notice in these verses that the men alone are numbered. The women and

children were not counted at that time. Consider also the story of the

children of Jacob who travelled to the safety of Egypt because of a great

famine. The number of those who arrived in Egypt is recorded for us in

Genesis 46:26-27;

26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who

were his own descendants, not including Jacob’s sons’ wives, were

sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to

him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who

came into Egypt were seventy. (Genesis 46)

A close examination of this passage will show us that the only way you can

get seventy people from the list of those who arrived in Egypt is by

omitting the women and children. In fact, two sisters mentioned in verse 15

and verse 17 (Dinah and Serah) are not counted. Verse 26 tells us that the

number of those who travelled to Egypt did not include the wives of Jacob’s

sons.

In the church of the New Testament, women were numbered with the men.

They were equal partners and members of the body of Christ.

From Acts 2:17-18 we understand that this partnership in salvation

extended to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. According to Peter, the Holy

Spirit would be poured out on both men and women.

17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

(Acts 2)

Another sign of this equality is seen in the fact that both men and women

are now permitted the covenantal sign of baptism.

12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about

the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were

baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8)

Notice in Acts 8:12 that both men and women were baptised. As you may

recall, under the Old Testament, it was the young men only who were

circumcised as a sign of the covenant. Women did not have a sign of

identification with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This was to

change under the new covenant. Both men and women were baptised. They

are now equal partners in the sign of baptism.

Women joined men in prayer, worship and Bible instruction in the New

Testament church.

13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room,

where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew,

Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of

Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All

these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together

with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

(Acts 1)

The apostles gathered with women in the upper room to pray. Notice in

verse 14 how they devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women.

The implication here is that this was not just a one-time event but a regular

occurrence.

When persecution broke out in the early church under Saul, both women

and men were being dragged off to prison for their faith in Jesus Christ:

3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house,

he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (Acts

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples

of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the

synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the

Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts

4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to

prison both men and women (Acts 22)

Paul expressed his deep gratitude for both Aquila and his wife Priscilla who

risked their lives for him and the cause of the gospel.

3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who

risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all

the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well. (Romans 16)

Notice how Paul recognized both Aquila and Priscilla as being his “fellow

workers in Christ Jesus.” He makes no distinction because of sex. Both

were equally valuable in the work of the Gospel.

The New Testament commends several women who worked hard for the

cause of the gospel. Paul sends his greetings to Tryphaena and Tryphosa

who worked hard for the Lord.

12 Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet

the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. (Romans 16)

He would also exhort Euodia and Syntyche to agree and challenged the

church to help these women who had laboured “side by side” with him in

the gospel.

2 I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes,

I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have

labored side by side with me in the gospel with Clement and the rest

of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

(Philippians 4)

The women of the early church were involved in many different aspects of

church life. Writing to Titus the apostle Paul would instruct him to

encourage the older women of the congregation to be active in the role

teaching and admonishing younger women.

3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not

slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4

and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,

5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive

to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

(Titus 2)

The experience of these older women was a great asset to the church. They

rubbed shoulders with the younger women and shared insights with them,

helping them to be what God had called them to be. The support and advice

of these more experienced women would have been a tremendous blessing

to these young mothers and wives.

Paul encouraged Timothy not to neglect the care of the widows in his

church. There was, however, some question as to what widows should be

added to the list for church assistance.

Writing to Timothy as the pastor of the church in Ephesus, Paul gave a list

of qualifications for widows who were supported by the church.

9 Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age,

having been the wife of one husband, 10 and having a reputation for

good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality,

has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has

devoted herself to every good work. (1 Timothy 5)

The widows the church supported needed to have a reputation for good

work, hospitality and servant attitude. They were to have brought up their

family well and demonstrated care for those who were afflicted. These

qualities were necessary because these widows would likely continue

serving the Lord in these ways while being supported by the church. This

shows us also that women in the early church were involved in ministries of

hospitality, charity and compassion.

In 2 Timothy 1.5 Paul commended both Timothy’s grandmother and mother

for having passed on their faith to the young Timothy.

5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your

grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure,

dwells in you as well. (2 Timothy 1)

Paul recognised that a big part of what Timothy had become, had to do with

the spiritual instruction and upbringing he had received from his mother and

grandmother at home. These women were instrumental in bringing up a

child who would serve the Lord as pastor and companion to the apostle

Paul.

In Acts 18 we read the story of a man by the name of Apollos.

24 Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to

Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in

spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus,

though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak

boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,

they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more

accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers

encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he

arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28

for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the

Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18)

Apollos was an eloquent man who spoke very well. Notice, however, that

when Aquila and his wife Priscilla heard him they took him aside to explain

the way of God “more accurately.” The context indicates that both Aquila

and Priscilla had a role to play in the discipling of Apollos. The result was

that Apollos became a great help to those who believed (verse 27). Priscilla

worked alongside of her husband in equipping Apollos for greater and more

effective service.

Acts 9 tells the story of a woman by the name of Tabitha or Dorcas:

36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which,

translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of

charity. 37 In those days she became ill and died, and when they

had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. 38 Since Lydda was

near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two

men to him, urging him, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So

Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him

to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and

showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was

with them. (Acts 9)

Tabitha is called a disciple in verse 36. In other words, she was a follower

of the Lord Jesus. Notice how she served the Lord Jesus— “she was full of

good works and acts of charity” (verse 36). From verse 39 we learn that as a

seamstress, she had sewn many articles of clothing and distributed them to

the widows in her community. When she died, her presence was greatly

missed. The widows wept and showed tunics and garments to the disciples

that Dorcas had made for them in their time of need.

While women were very busy in various aspects of church ministry, there

no clear evidence in the New Testament that the early church ever had an

official role of deaconess. There are only two references in the New

Testament which could possibly indicate such an office in the church. The

first of these references is in 1 Timothy 3. Speaking about the qualifications

of deacons, the apostle Paul told Timothy:

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not

addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must

hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let

them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they

prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be

dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.

(1Timothy 3)

Paul was instructing Timothy in these verse about the qualifications of the

men who exercise the role of deacon in the church. In verse eleven the

apostle reminds Timothy that the wives of deacons needed to demonstrate

certain qualities. The idea is that if the wife of the deacon was a slanderer or

unfaithful to him, this would have a devastating impact on his witness in the

community and affect his ability to minister as a servant of God.

There are those who interpret verse 11 to mean that the church also

recognized women as deacons. They base this on the fact that these women

are mentioned in the context of Paul speaking about deacons and their

qualifications. The problem, with this, however, is that the passage makes it

quite clear both in the English translations and in the Greek that Paul is

speaking about the wives of deacons and not about an official role in the

church. The word “deacon” is not used in reference to women in this verse.

The Greek word used here is the word “gunaikós”, which is literally

translated by the word woman or wife.

The second problem with seeing in verse 11 a reference to women deacons,

comes in the very next verse where Paul goes on to explain what he means:

12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their

children and their own households well. (1 Timothy 3)

The fact that Paul says that a deacon was to be a husband of one wife makes

it clear that he is referring to male deacons in this section of Scripture.

Second, and more importantly in this context is that Paul told Timothy that

the reason the wife needed to be of noble character was because if she

wasn’t it may disqualify her husband from the role of deacon. The husband

was to manage his household well. If his children or his wife were unruly,

unfaithful or living ungodly lives, then this man should very likely cease

being a deacon and focus on his own family.

The only other passage used to support the role of deaconess in the New

Testament church is Romans 16.1:

1 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at

Cenchreae, 2 that you may welcome her in the Lord in a way worthy

of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for

she has been a patron of many and of myself as well. (Romans 16)

Writing to the Romans the apostle commends a sister by the name of

Phoebe. He describes her as a servant of the church at Cenchreae (verse 1).

The word the apostle uses here for servant is the Greek word “diákonos”

from which we get the word deacon. The word “diákonos” is translated in

English by the word minister, servant or deacon. There are those who

interpret this verse to mean that Phoebe was a deaconess. We need to be

very careful about making this assumption however. Let’s consider, for

example, other uses of the Greek word “diákonos” in the New Testament.

Listen to the instructions of Jesus in Matthew 23:

9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father,

who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one

instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your

servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever

humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23)

Speaking about those who wanted to be recognized in their community,

Jesus told His disciples that the one who wanted to be greatest was to be a

servant (diákonos). In other words, Jesus was telling us that we all need to

deacons in the sense that we are servants of the body of Christ. Jesus is not

speaking here about an official position in the church but a role of

servanthood.

In John 2:5 the Lord Jesus was at the wedding of Cana. When they ran out

of wine, His mother told the servants present to do whatever Jesus asked

them to do. The word used here to speak of the servants who served wine is

the Greek word “diákonos”. They were individuals who cared for the needs

of others in this secular event, but they were not deacons in an official

capacity in the church.

We read in Romans 13

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there

is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been

instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists

what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you

have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good,

and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your

good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword

in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out

God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13)

In this passage, the apostle Paul challenges believers to submit to the

governing authorities in their secular government. Notice particularly in

verse 4 that Paul told the Romans that the one who is in governmental

authority over them was God’s servant (diákonos). Once again, we see the

use of the Greek word “diákonos” referring to a civil servant but not to an

official role in the church.

There are many other times in the New Testament where the word

“diákonos” is uses to refer simply to a servant and not to the role of church

deacon (see also 2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 11:23; Galatians 2:17).

The use of the word “diákonos” in Romans 16:1 in connection with Phoebe

is not solid proof that the early church recognized her as a deaconess in an

official capacity.

While women did minister in service roles in the context of the early

church, there is no clear indication in the New Testament that there was at

this time a recognised position of deaconess. Any argument for the role of

deaconess must be based on the roles women played in the life of the

church. While there is no clear example of a recognised position of

deaconess in the New Testament church, there are certainly many examples

of women who fulfilled the role in practice through their deeds of

compassion, charity, hospitality and instruction of younger women and

children.

While the position of deaconess is unclear, the New Testament church did

recognize the role prophetesses. We have a clear example of this in Acts 21,

when Paul went to visit the home of Philip the evangelist:

8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we

entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven,

and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who

prophesied. (Acts 21)

Mention is made here of Philip’s four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

It should be understood here that the gift of prophecy was exercised in

various ways in the Bible. We have, for example, the case of Miriam, the

sister of Moses who was a prophetess and used her prophetic gift through

music:

20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a

tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with

tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” (Exodus 15)

Philip’s daughters were recognized as prophetesses in Acts 21:9. We do not

know how the Lord used them in this ministry, but it is quite clear that they

were His instruments to communicate His character and purpose to the

church. This was a recognised role for women.

1 Corinthians 11 makes is clear that the prophetess had a role to play in the

life of the church. Here in this passage the apostle gave instruction to the

church of Corinth about women who prayed and prophesied in worship:

3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ,

the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. 4

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered

dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with

her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her

head were shaven. (1 Corinthians 11)

It is not my purpose in the context of this chapter to enter a discussion of

head coverings. What is important for us to note is that Paul speaks about

women praying and prophesying. He does not condemn this practice but

recognized that it was very normal for women to be involved in prayer and

prophecy in the church. His only concern is that women cover their head a

sign of respect. Notice from verses 8-10 that the respect she was to offer

was based on the fact that man was the firstborn and she had been created to

be a helper: (Genesis 2:18):

8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9

Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is

why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head,

because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11)

This covering on her head was a “symbol of authority” and showed her

willingness to be in submission to those God had placed in authority in the

church.

The role of prophecy in the early church, according to Paul one of

strengthening, encouraging and comforting the body of Christ (see 1

Corinthians 14.3). Through this gift of prophecy, women were able to

strengthen, comfort and encourage the body of Christ.

Women worked hard for the cause of the gospel in the New Testament.

They joined men in worship, prayer, and instruction in the Word of God.

They suffered for their faith and were persecuted alongside of men for their

stand. They devoted themselves to ministries of compassion, charity,

hospitality and the teaching of other women to walk in the purpose of God.

While we cannot prove clearly from Scripture that the early church had an

official office of deaconess, Scriptures certainly exhort women to exercise a

service role in the body. Those who had received a prophetic word for the

strengthening, encouragement or comfort of the body were given freedom

to speak that word to the body. They were to exercise this role, however, in

a manner that was respectful to the leadership God had established in the

church.

For Consideration:

What evidence do we have in the New Testament that men and women are

equal when it comes to salvation?

While circumcision, as the Old Testament sign of the covenant was for men

only, we discover in the New Testament that the covenant sign of baptism

was for both men and women. What does this tell us about the equality of

both men and women in salvation and partnership in the gospel?

List some of the work in which women of the New Testament church were

involved.

While there is no clear evidenced of an official position of female deacons

in the New Testament, women were involved in a variety of service

ministries. Is it important that we have a title in our service for the Lord?

What is prophecy? How could this gift be used? What was its purpose?

Why did Paul encourage women who prayed and prophesied to wear a head

covering? How does the apostle draw this conclusion from the story of

creation and God’s purpose for man and woman?

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord that there is no distinction between male or female, rich or

poor, religious or secular when it comes to salvation. The Lord Jesus is

willing to save all who will come to Him.

Take a moment to consider the role of the godly Christian women in your

church and community. Thank the Lord for their impact on your life and the

lives of many around them.

Ask the Lord to help you (whether you be male or female) to be submissive

to the order He has established in your church and community.

Ask God to give you grace to live and serve Him whether your efforts are

recognized or not.

5 -THE TEACHING OF PAUL

IN 1 CORINTHIANS 11

t is at this point that we come to the teaching of the apostle Paul. His

instruction about the role of women in the ministry of the church can

be found in three main passages (1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 14

and 1 Timothy 2). We will take the time to examine each of these passages

individually. In this chapter we will look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians

11:2-16.

1 Corinthians 11 begins with both a commendation and an exhortation to

the church in Corinth:

2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and

maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want

you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a

wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1 Corinthians

11)

Let’s first consider the commendation of the apostle in verse 1. This sets the

tone for what Paul wants to say. Notice how he commends the Corinthians

because they remembered him in everything and maintained the traditions

as he had delivered them to the church.

The word “tradition” used here by Paul seems to refer to teaching about

acceptable practice. We have numerous examples of the use of this word in

the New Testament. In Matthew 15 the Pharisees and Scribes came to Jesus

with a question:

1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and

said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?

For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” (Matthew 15)

The word tradition in verse 1 is the same word used by Paul in 1

Corinthians 11:2. The concern of these religious leaders was that they saw

these rough disciples eating without first ceremonially washing their hands,

as was the tradition of the elders. This tradition was not found in the written

Scriptures or the Law of Moses but was a supplemental law added by the

religious leaders of the day.

Listen to the response of Jesus to these leaders:

3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of

God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor

your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or

mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or

his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”

6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you

have made void the word of God. (Matthew 15)

Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scribes of breaking the commandment of

God for the sake of their “tradition.” He gives an example of this in verses

4-5 about how they treated their mother and father. He concludes with the

statement: “For the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of

God” (verse 5b).

Writing about this same incident, Mark would record Jesus as saying:

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of

men.”9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the

commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! (Mark 7)

Writing to the Colossians, the apostle Paul would say:

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty

deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental

spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2)

From these passages we see that there is a distinction made between the

traditions of man or the traditions of the elders and the clear commands of

God.

Having said this, we need to understand that there are some traditions that

we are encouraged to maintain simply because they honour God and His

purposes. In 1 Corinthians 11:2 Paul commends the church of Corinth for

remembering the traditions he passed on to them. Writing to the

Thessalonians the apostle would say:

15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you

were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. (2

Thessalonians 2)

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus

Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in

idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from

us. (2 Thessalonians 3)

The apostle makes it very clear that there are some traditions that should be

maintained. In fact, notice from 2 Thessalonians 3:6, Paul encouraged

believers to keep away from a brother who was not walking according to

the tradition they had received through the teaching of the apostles.

The traditions the apostle speaks about in 1 Corinthians 11:2 seem to refer

to proper practices in the church and Christian life that help maintain unity

in the body and bring honour to God. Paul commends the church of Corinth

for remembering these traditions he has taught them. He does, however,

have one concern for the church. That concern is expressed in 1 Corinthians

11:3:

3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ,

the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. (1

Corinthians 11)

According to the apostle Paul there was an order that God had established

in the life of the church. Paul states in verse 11 that God is the head of all

and to Him we must all submit. Christ, as the Son of God, submitted to the

purpose of the Father and laid down His life in obedience to the Father’s

will. Man submits to Christ and is accountable to Him as the head of his

family and manager of the earth’s resources. Finally, woman (or a wife),

submits to man (husband), as his helper. It is important to note that

submission does not mean that we are less important. Christ is equal to the

Father in every way. His submission to the Father’s will does not make Him

less than the Father. In a similar way, woman is equal to man and her

submission to him does not make her less than man.

Having stated this God-ordained order, Paul now moves on to speak of how

this order was to work itself out in the service of the church:

4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered

dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with

her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her

head were shaven. (1 Corinthians 11)

In verses 4 and 5 Paul speaks about praying and prophesying in a public

setting. What is important for us to note is that both men and women were

permitted to do this. The only difference between a man and a woman

praying or prophesying in public was that the woman was to cover her head

when she did so.

Paul would go on in verses 4 to say that if a man prayed or prophesied with

his head covered he dishonoured his head. There is some confusion as to

what Paul is saying here. Remember, however, that in the context the head

of man was Christ. In other word, when a man prayed or prophesied with

his head covered he showed disrespect for Christ, his head.

In verse 2 Paul began by reminding us that he was speaking about

traditions. In the culture in which I grew up, it is customary for a man to

take off his hat when he goes into to church. I have even been on worksites

or sporting events where we have had prayer. As we began to pray, the men

would remove their hats as a sign of respect to God. If a man went for a job

interview, he would be sure to remove his hat as a sign of respect to the

interviewer. If he were to enter someone’s home, he would take off his hat

in respect for the people of that home. This is the cultural tradition from

which I have come.

What Paul appears to be telling the Corinthians is that if a man covers his

head with a veil or hat of some kind when he prays or prophesied, he is not

showing respect to Jesus his head. This, according to Paul was proper

Christian etiquette.

Removing a head covering when in the presence of God was an obligation

for a man but not so for a woman. If a woman did not wear a head-

covering, she showed disrespect for her head. The head of woman,

according to Paul, was man (verse 3).

There is an interesting passage in Song of Solomon 5. In the context of the

chapter a man comes to the door of his beloved’s chamber and knocks. She

is unwilling to open the door for him, so he leaves. Laying there in bed, she

realizes what she has done and has a change of heart. Putting on her clothes,

she rushes out of the house to find him. Verses six and seven recount the

story of what happened when she went out into the streets looking for her

lover:

6 I opened to my beloved,

but my beloved had turned and gone.

My soul failed me when he spoke.

I sought him, but found him not;

I called him, but he gave no answer.

7 The watchmen found me

as they went about in the city;

they beat me, they bruised me,

they took away my veil,

those watchmen of the walls. (Song of Solomon 5)

As she roamed the streets at night, the city watchmen found her. Notice how

they treated her in verse 7—they beat her and took away her veil. They

shamed her and treated her with great disrespect. For these watchmen, only

a prostitute would roam the streets at night. They treated her as a woman of

the streets. Part of the disrespect shown for this woman was that they

stripped her of her veil. This woman reserved herself for her lover –to be

exposed to any other man was a great dishonour to her and to the man she

loved.

While there is clearly in this teaching of Paul a cultural element, Paul also

offers a theological reason for the use of the veil in verse 7-9:

7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and

glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not

made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man

created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought

to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1

Corinthians 11)

Paul makes several points in verses 7-9 and ends with the statement in verse

10: “That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head”.

Let’s take a moment to examine these points.

In verse 7 the apostle says:

For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and

glory of God, but woman is the glory of man (verse 7)

According to Paul, man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the

glory of man. Notice first that the apostle speaks of man being the image of

God. While both men and women were created in the image of God, man is

described here as the image of God in verse 7. Paul does not attribute this

quality to woman in this verse. This may be significant.

The word, “image” refers to a representation or reflection. While this

reflection is not the real thing, it represents the person it reflects. In other

words, man has been given the responsibility of being the representative of

God and to reflect His image on this earth. It is true that both men and

women must reflect the character of God, but Paul is telling us here in verse

7 that man has been given a charge by God as the head of his family to be

his official representative.

Consider for a moment how your church functions. In your church you may

have a pastor, who has been called of God to shepherd the flock. He has a

title and spiritual obligation to assure the well-being of each member. This

does not mean that no one else is involved in pastoral care in the church.

There may be elders or deacons visiting the sick and caring for the needs of

the congregation. There are also other members of the church who are

caring for each other. In fact, everyone has an obligation toward each other.

All are busy serving and ministering pastorally to each other. While

everyone is ministering, you still have a pastor who is overseeing the work

of the church. He bears the title and that title carries with it a special

obligation before God. He is accountable to God not only to reflect His

image to the flock but to see that each member of the church is growing in

their ability to reflect God’s image to the world. This is the obligation God

has given to man.

As a representative of God, man has been given a glorious charge. God has

honoured him with the responsibility of being His chosen representative in

the world. It is his privilege to serve God in this way and as such he bears

the honour and dignity of this position in the world, his family and his

church. In this sense, he is the glory of God.

Paul goes on to say in verse 7 that woman is the glory of man. In saying

this, Paul is not saying that women have any less standing before God, on

the contrary, they are equally loved by God and equally filled by His Spirit.

While man was given the responsibility to be God’s representative, woman

was given the responsibility to be a support and helper to him in this role.

Her support and blessing give him strength to do what God has called him

to do. Her God-given insight helps him maintain perspective. Her

encouragement gives him strength to carry on. Her role is no less important

than his. Her role also is a glorious one.

Why should man be the leader and representative and not woman? Paul

tells us that it was because woman came from man.

For man was not made from woman, but woman from man” (verse

Woman owes her life to man. God created her from man and breathed into

her the breath of life.

What is significant in these words of Paul is that there is no reference to

ability. There are those who speak about the differences between the sexes.

They try, by this means, to show why a man is a better leader than woman

because of these differences. The reality of the matter is that women are as

capable of leadership as men. Paul tells us that the reason man is head is

because he was created first and because God made woman from man to be

a helper. Headship has nothing to do with ability. It has everything to do

with God’s choice.

Paul goes on in verse 9 to say:

Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. (verse 9)

Paul refers here to the creation of woman as recorded in Genesis 2:

20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the

heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not

found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep

to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and

closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had

taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the

man. (Genesis 2)

God made woman to be a helper for Adam. This was the role given to her

by God. It was in this role that she could become everything God intended

her to become. Woman was uniquely created for this responsibility. Man

would need her nurturing and caring to become all God made him to be.

She was uniquely gifted to be a help mate. As time went on, men would

look back and give credit for their success to the women who stood with

them advising, nurturing, comforting and challenging.

While man and woman were created equally, they were given separate

roles. They were created with a different purpose in mind. Men would be

the spiritual leaders, women would be their helpers. As each person

exercised these roles, the kingdom of God would advance.

The conclusion Paul makes in verse 10 is this: Because God has given the

role of spiritual leadership to man and created woman to be a helpmate,

then the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head.

The key for Paul was that men and women exercise the role God intended

from the beginning of creation. It appears that this purpose of God was

being challenged in Corinth. The Tyndale Bible Dictionary has this to say

about the city of Corinth:

The acropolis of the city, on top of the steep, high Acrocorinth,

contained the temple of Aphrodite, where 1,000 female slaves were

dedicated to the service of this goddess of love. This distinctive cult

of Corinth was dedicated to the veneration of Aphrodite, goddess of

love, beauty and fertility, who identified with the Roman Venus.

Associated with such religious practices was a general moral

degradation. Corinthian morals were notoriously corrupt, when

when compared to pagan Rome. (Comfort, Philip W., Elwell, Walter

A., Tyndale Bible Dictionary, “Corinth”, Cedar Rapids: Tyndale

House Publishers, Inc. 2001.)

With the elevation of the goddess of love and the immoral role of the many

female temple servants of Aphrodite, it was important for Paul to challenge

the church of Corinth to return to the God-ordained principles established in

the Garden of Eden.

Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11 is theological in nature. In these verses,

he calls the church of Corinth to return to the purpose of God from the time

of creation. He teaches that God created men and women with different

roles. Despite the cultural challenges of Corinth, he encourages women to

be submissive to the purpose of God and to resist the pagan cultural

influences of the day.

So far, I have not entered a discussion on the matter of whether women

should wear a veil or head covering when praying or prophesying in the

church. There are various opinions on this in the church of our day. We can

see clearly from Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11 that, if a woman wears

a veil, she is following the custom and tradition of the early church.

The question we need to ask, is whether what Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians

11 is a command for all cultures and times or for the church and culture of

his day. Let me conclude with a few comments on this.

First, notice that Paul begins this passage in 1 Corinthians 11:2 by

commending the Corinthians for the fact that they had maintained the

traditions as he had delivered them. This sets the tone for the rest of the

passage. Paul is speaking about traditions. As we have seen, the New

Testament distinguishes “traditions” from the “commands” of God. In 1

Corinthians 11 we have a combination of traditions and commands. The

commands come in the theological teaching of Paul about the purpose for

men and women from creation. The tradition comes in how women dressed

and what was understood by their dress. For example, no woman at that

time would venture outside her home without first covering her head but

they would come to church and uncover themselves. This was shocking,

culturally inappropriate and distracting for those who worshipped.

Second, notice what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians 11:6:

6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair

short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or

shave her head, let her cover her head. (1 Corinthians 11)

Notice what Paul is saying here. If a woman did not cover her head, she was

to cut her hair short. That would not be an issue for women of our day.

Almost all the older women I know in my culture have chosen to cut their

hair above their shoulder or shorter. This is not considered a shame for them

in my culture. Paul’s argument here would not make sense in our culture. It

must be understood in the context of that day. For any women to cut her

hair in that day was a shame. There is a cultural shift that has taken place.

Hair styles have changed over the years.

Another cultural change has taken place over the years in Christian culture.

Christian women do not always wear a head covering when outside of their

home. There is no sense of shame in seeing a woman without a head-

covering walking down the street in Christian cultures around the world.

The question we are left with here is this: while the commands of God

never change, can Christian tradition change? The church, for example has

the tradition of celebrating Easter and Christmas even though there is no

command in Scripture to celebrate these two events. Queen Esther

established the yearly celebration of Purim, but this was never commanded

by God in the Law of Moses. Is it a sin not to celebrate one of these events?

While we are bound to follow the commands of God, our traditions and

cultural understanding may change. Wearing a veil outside of the home was

expected of women in that day. At creation, however, Eve did not express

submission to Adam by wearing a veil –in fact, they wore nothing at all.

Her submission had to be expressed in a different way.

In 1 Corinthian 11 Paul speaks about the wife wearing a symbol of

authority. In the culture of Corinth that symbol was a head-covering. Listen,

however, to what Peter has to say to wives of his day:

1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if

some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the

conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure

conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of

hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4

but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the

imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s

sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped

in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own

husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you

are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is

frightening. (1 Peter 3)

Like Paul, Peter challenges women to be subject to their husbands as head

of the home. He reminded these women that they were not to be focused on

adoring their heads and putting on jewellery but rather on putting on a

gentle and quiet spirit. This, Peter told them, is what Sarah did as a sign of

her submission to her husband Abraham.

Should a woman wear a veil? Maybe this depends on their culture or

tradition. Remember, however, that a veil without the sign of a quiet and

gentle spirit is of no value. It was this spirit that Sarah put on her head as

her sign of authority.

For Consideration:

What is the difference between a tradition and a command? Can a tradition

change?

What was the cultural understanding of a woman wearing a veil? When was

the veil used by women? Why would it have been shocking for a woman to

remove these veils in church?

What was it like to live in Corinth in the days of Paul? What was the pagan

religion of the day like? How were woman in this pagan system seen and

treated?

Paul challenged women of the day to go against the cultural norm and to

follow instead the teaching of Scripture? How did this elevate the position

of woman considering how they were treated in the pagan religion of

Corinth?

Paul taught that women were to be helpers to men as they sought to lead in

the church. He bases his arguments on the book of Genesis and the purpose

of God in creation. What was God’s purpose for men and women at

creation?

Should women wear veils today? What does Peter say is the true sign of

authority for a woman?

For Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you to respect those who have a different opinion than

you in this matter of women wearing head-coverings in church.

Thank the Lord for the various roles He has established in the church. Ask

Him to help you to accept His purpose.

Thank the Lord that while He has roles for us to play, both women and men

are important in the purpose of God for this world.

6 - THE TEACHING OF PAUL

IN 1 CORINTHIANS 14

t falls to us now to examine the teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians

14:34-35. The context of these verses shows us that Paul was speaking

to the Corinthians about their public worship services.

26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a

hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all

things be done for building up. (1 Corinthians 14)

Verse 26 gives us a glimpse into a worship service in the early church.

People came to worship with something to share— “each one has a hymn, a

lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.” There was an

informality to this type of service. People would share as God put things on

their heart. Paul has no issue with the informality of the service but does

encourage the believers to share with the goal of building each other up in

the faith.

The apostle also reminded the Corinthian believers that God expected order

and respect in their worship service. “God is not a God of confusion but of

peace”, he told them in verse 36. This may indicate that the worship

services of Corinth were getting a bit chaotic and confusing. It was not in

the interest of the church to continue in this confusion, so Paul wrote to give

some guidelines in proper worship.

We saw from verse 26 that the worship services in Corinth had various

elements:

1) Singing hymns

2) A lesson or teaching

3) Revelation –prophetic in nature

4) Tongues and interpretations

There does not appear to be any order in which these events took place, but

it was generally expected that the church worship service would include the

above elements.

Concerning the speaking of tongues in the worship service, Paul gave this

guideline to the Corinthian church:

27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three,

and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one

to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to

himself and to God. (1 Corinthians 14)

It was permissible for believers to speak in tongues in the Corinthian

church, but they were to remember that everything was to be done for the

strengthening of the body. For this to happen, those speaking in tongues

were to do so out loud, one at a time, and have an interpreter give the

meaning of their words. If there was no interpreter, they were to be silent.

Instead, they were to speak in tongues quietly to themselves and God (see

verse 28). To allow for the use of other gifts in the worship service, the

Corinthians were to only allow two or three people to speak publicly in

tongues in a given worship service.

Concerning the gift of prophecy, the apostle said the following:

29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is

said. 30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first

be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may

learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are

subject to prophets. (1 Corinthians 14)

As with those speaking in tongues, the number of people allowed to

prophesy was to be limited to two or three in a worship service. As the

person with the word from the Lord spoke, other believers were to carefully

weigh what was being said. The word spoken by any individual needed to

be confirmed and interpreted by the larger body. Paul told the Corinthians

that if a second person received a word from the Lord, the first person was

to sit down and be silent. In other words, only one person was to be

prophesying at a time and everyone was to be listening so that they could

learn and be encouraged (verse 31).

Paul’s advice to the Corinthian church may give us a hint as to what the

worship services in Corinth had become. This is what I imagine. People

coming to worship in the church in Corinth seemed to be isolated from each

other. In one corner an individual spoke out in a tongue. In the middle of the

group, another shared a word of prophecy at the same time. Behind him an

individual began to sing a hymn. In another corner someone had an

interpretation of the tongue spoken by the first individual. As one listened

to the interpretation, another person started speaking a prophetic word.

There did not seem to be any order to what was going on. Paul felt

compelled to help them deal with this confusion.

It is in this context that Paul told the church that women were to remain

silent.

34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not

permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also

says. (1 Corinthians 14)

To be fair, women were not the only ones Paul said were to keep silent. He

told those speaking in tongues that if there was no one to interpret their

tongue they were to keep silent:

28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in

church and speak to himself and to God. (1 Corinthians 14)

He told the those who had a prophecy that if someone else received a word

from the Lord they were to be silent:

30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be

silent. (1 Corinthians 14)

The general rule Paul gave to all the church was that if someone else was

speaking, then the others were to be silent and listen.

As we examine Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 14 about women, the

question we need to ask is whether verse 34 is Paul’s response to the

problem of disorderly worship in Corinth only or a general principle for all

churches.

To answer this, notice first Paul’s use of the word “churches”:

34 the women should keep silent in the churches (1 Corinthians 14)

Many translations include the phrase “As in all the congregations of the

saints” (from verse 33) with the first part of verse 34 so that it reads: “As in

all the congregations of the saints, the women should keep silent in the

churches.” Paul’s use of the plural “churches” in verse 34 seems to indicate

that he is not speaking about a problem in Corinth only but a general

principle that the church of God was to maintain.

The second important point we need to make from verse 34 is found in the

second half of the verse which says:

34 …For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in

submission, as the Law also says. (1 Corinthians 14)

Paul told the Corinthian believers that the reason a woman was not to speak

but to be silent in church had to do with what the Law said about her being

in submission. Paul does not quote the specific law, but the general

understanding was that the husband was the head of the wife and that as

firstborn, man was the earthly spiritual head of the church (see Genesis

3:16; 1 Corinthians 11:8-10). From Paul’s perspective, his teaching about

the silence of women in churches applied to all churches and was based on

the law of God.

The apostle goes even further in verse 35 to tell the church of Corinth that if

a woman wanted to learn, she was to question her husband when they

returned home.

35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their

husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in

church (1 Corinthians 14)

Notice in verse 35 that Paul does not diminish the capacity of the woman to

learn. The fact that women were present in the assembly is an indication

that they were there to learn from the lesson being taught. Paul encouraged

women to discuss spiritual matters with their husband in the privacy of their

home.

What is the apostle saying in this passage? Do we take these statements of

Paul at face value and advocate total silence for women in worship? To say

that Paul is advocating absolute silence for women in church is a problem.

We have seen how women in the Old Testament were permitted to sing

along with men in worship (see Exodus 15:20-21; 1 Samuel 18:6-7; 2

Chronicles 35:25). They are also seen in public confession of sin

(Nehemiah 8:9; Ezra 10:1). Hannah went into the temple to pray (1 Samuel

1,2). The prophetess Anna was in the temple speaking about the young

child Jesus to all who looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem (see

Luke 2.38). Jesus encouraged the questions of the Samaritan woman in

John 4. In the New Testament church women prayed openly with men (Acts

1:13-14). In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul advised women on how they were to

cover their head while praying and prophesying in the church. For Paul to

advocate total silence on the part of women in worship would go against his

own personal teaching and the teaching of the rest of Scripture.

To understand what Paul is saying here, there are several key principles we

need to understand. Our interpretation of his words, must be examined

through these lenses.

First, verses 33 and 34 lead us to understand that Paul is teaching a

universal principle for all churches:

33 …As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep

silent in the churches… (1 Corinthians 14)

Paul’s instruction in these verses are not only for the church in Corinth with

its unique problems but for all Christian churches.

Second, Paul’s position, though there are some cultural aspects to it, is not

uniquely cultural but theological in nature.

34 …For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in

submission, as the Law also says. (1 Corinthians 14)

The phrase, “as the Law also says,” is the basis for his arguments. This

moves the statements of Paul from being a cultural matter to a theological

principle. If the discussion of Paul is purely cultural, we might be able to

say that it only applied to the women of the church in Corinth. Because Paul

states that his position is based on the Law, however, this moves his

teaching from a localized problem to a general teaching applicable to all

churches.

Third, we need to interpret what Paul is teaching here considering the rest

of his teaching and the teaching of Scripture in its entirety. Scripture is the

best commentary on Scripture. We have already seen that Paul had no

problem with the prayers and prophecies of women in worship. Both the

New Testament and the Old Testament are filled with women speaking in

public religious celebrations.

Fourth, 1 Corinthians 14 must also be interpreted in its immediate and

cultural context. Let me explain.

The worship service of the Corinthian church consisted of singing, a lesson

from Scripture, prophetic revelations, and tongues. (see 1 Corinthians

14:26). There was a significant amount of interaction in these services. For

example, a person who spoke in a tongue was to be interpreted by another

person (1 Corinthians 14:27). If a person had a prophetic revelation, those

present were to “weigh” what was said (1 Corinthians 14:29). Commenting

on the teaching that took place in the synagogue Adam Clarke said this:

It was permitted to any man to ask questions, to object, altercate,

attempt to refute, etc. in the synagogue; but this liberty was not

allowed to any woman. (Clarke, Adam, Commentary on the Bible by

Adam Clarke (1831), 1 Corinthians 14:34, Marion, Iowa: Laridian,

Inc. 2015)

It appears from this that even the preaching and teaching of the early church

was interactive with questions and discussion. We have an example of this

in Luke 2. On this occasion the Lord Jesus was just a boy. His parents were

returning home, but Jesus stayed with the teachers at the temple. Supposing

Him to be with friends, his parents did not notice his absence for some time.

When they discovered His absence, they returned to the temple to find Him.

Notice where they found Him and what He was doing:

46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the

teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all

who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

(Luke 2)

We have another example of this interactive style of teaching in Matthew

21:

23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders

of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By

what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this

authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one

question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by

what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, from

where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed

it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say

to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From

man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a

prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he

said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these

things. (Matthew 21)

We see from these verses the freedom the men had to interrupt the teaching

of Jesus with questions and challenges. This was likely the format used in

the early church. Tongues were interpreted, prophesies were weighed and

discussed, the Scripture lesson was questioned and debated.

In 1 Corinthians 14:35 Paul told the women to be silent and if they wanted

to learn more they were to ask their husbands at home:

35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their

husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in

church. (1 Corinthians 14)

This seems to give the context for the silence Paul is requiring. The silence

of women is connected here to the time of learning or to the preaching and

discussion of the word. Men were given the responsibility to teach the

lesson. Other men debated and challenged the teacher on what he was

saying. It appears that Paul is telling the women to be silent and listen

during this discussion and debate. A woman publicly challenging the

teaching of the church leader was not seen as submissive.

This is not to say that the women would not have questions about what was

being taught. She may have some important correction or addition that

needed to be made in the instruction she heard. She was encouraged,

however, not to publicly challenge her spiritual leader but to discuss the

matter with her husband at home. If she had a legitimate point to make, he

could take it to the leader and discuss it with him. She was to go through the

proper channels and respect the leadership God ordained.

The input of women was valuable in the early church. They were, however,

to be in submission to the leadership God had ordained from creation.

Women who had issues to discuss with their leadership were encouraged

not to do so in public meetings but discuss the matter with their husband

and together they could take the appropriate steps. Paul’s concern in this

section of Scripture is for order in the worship service and respect for the

God-ordained leadership of the church.

For Consideration:

What do we learn about the form of worship in the church in Corinth? How

does your church worship style differ from the form used in Corinth?

The worship services of the early church seemed to be quite interactive in

nature with discussions and debate. What are the strengths of this style of

worship? What are the weakness of this style of worship?

How important is order in the worship service?

Paul teaches some important principles here in these verses. How do we

know that what the apostle teaches here is not only for the local Corinthian

church at the time but for all churches?

How would the silence of women in the debates be a sign of respect and

submission?

Does Paul discourage the intellectual participation of women in the church?

Give some examples of how women in the early church were encouraged to

learn and grow.

For Prayer:

Thank the Lord for the different ways we can worship Him and grow in our

Christian faith.

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom to know if your church worship style is

encouraging and blessing those who attend.

Ask the Lord to help you to respect those to whom He has given authority

in the church. Ask God to forgive you for times you may have spoken

wrongly of them our challenged their authority.

Ask the Lord to help you to know the right channels to go through to

address your concerns for your church and its teaching so that you are

respecting His purpose and the leadership He has ordained.

7 - THE TEACHING OF PAUL

IN 1 TIMOTHY 2

e come now to the final passage we will consider on Paul’s

teaching about the role of women in the church. Writing to

Timothy, the apostle said:

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy

hands without anger or quarrelling; 9 likewise also that women

should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and

self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly

attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness

—with good works. 11 Let a woman learn quietly with all

submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise

authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam

was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the

woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be

saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and

holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2)

The apostle begins by exhorting men to pray, lifting holy hands without

anger or quarrelling. It is important that we understand the cultural context

of these verses. In the previous chapter we examined the worship services

in Corinth. These services appeared to be quite interactive and involved

speaking in tongues and the interpreting of those tongues, words of

prophecy and a judging of the prophetic word, instruction in the Scriptures

and discussion of the passage under consideration. In the Jewish synagogue,

these discussions could become quite heated, leading to quarrelling and

anger. We have examples of this in the reaction of the religious leaders to

the teaching of Jesus in the temple. Sometimes they came out of the temple

wanting to kill Jesus.

Consider, for example, two encounters of Jesus and the chief priests as

recorded in Matthew 21:

14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he

healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the

wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the

temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16

and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And

Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,

“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies

you have prepared praise’?”

17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged

there. (Matthew 21)

Notice that the chief priests and scribes interrupted Jesus and challenged

His ministry in the temple. They were angry (see verse 15) with Jesus and

what He was doing. This ultimately led to Jesus leaving the temple.

Consider another encounter between Jesus and the chief priest in the

temple. This time Jesus was teaching those who had gathered to listen.