“I also want women to dress moderately, with propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” – 1 Timothy 2:9-15
When you read those verses, what did you think?
I have to admit, as a young Christian, I struggled a little with them. Well, honestly, more than a little. I mean, they are a bit, well, off-putting…especially to a new believer who happens to be a girl. And then, over the years as I grew in my faith I discovered the brutal truth. That Paul expected women to walk around plain-faced with drab clothes unable to make so much as a peep in church.
At least, that’s what I was taught.
Maybe not quite as harsh as that, but definitely along those lines. The church I was attending was definitely man-centered. I mean, as in, men’s bible studies, men’s breakfasts, men’s conferences, men’s meetings with the pastor before service, men’s prayer meetings, and so on. And the women? We were allowed to take care of the children, and, well, basically that. Oh sure, we could sing on the platform, even play the piano, but never lead. We had no women’s ministries, because, well, only men were allowed to be in leadership positions.
So now it’s been thirty-four years since Jesus saved me, and I’ve learned a few things since then. One of them is that the church I had been attending was totally off their rockers on those verses.
See, here’s the thing. If we are to truly understand those verses, we have to take into consideration what Paul was dealing with. In his day, in the Jewish culture, women were not allowed to study. Period. Men went to Bible school, and women stayed home. They only learned whatever their husbands or fathers passed along to them by word of mouth.
We also have to take into consideration where this church was located. Ephesus was a hub of sensual and sinful activity. It was famous for temple prostitution, employing hundreds of women, and men, in their wicked form of ‘worship’. One can only imagine that the clothing of the day didn’t cover up too much skin.
So now we come to the church in Ephesus. It was a new church in a heavily pagan city. Paul preached, people got saved, and the church grew. One of the leaders was Timothy, and that is where this verse comes from. This was a letter to Timothy written by Paul to give the young leader godly advice. You see, the women in this new church were getting a little out of hand.
For the first time since, well, forever, they were given the opportunity to come in and study with the men. For the first time women were allowed to actually be a part of learning God’s word for themselves. What an amazing opportunity during the men-centered culture of the day!
Drunk with their new-found freedom in Christ, instead of helping they were hindering the work of the church. With very little Biblical knowledge, spiritual maturity, or experience, these women were becoming disruptive in the church service by speaking out of turn, attempting to teach other believers, and to top it off, they apparently hadn’t gotten the memo that Christ-followers should dress like Christ-followers, not like the pagan city they lived in.
This, actually, is sound wisdom.
What Timothy was dealing with happens all the time in the church today. In our rush to ‘beef up’ our numbers, churches often place people into leadership, teaching, or ministry positions almost as soon as the ink dries on their Communication Cards. It seems like serving in the church has become quantity over quality.
New believers need time. They need time to become rooted and grounded in their faith. They need time to get to know the Jesus of the Bible, to discover what it truly means to be a Christ-follower, before being given the responsibility to lead others to a closer walk with Him. Rushing new believers into positions they aren’t ready for will ultimately cause them to stumble, or, heaven forbid, cause others to stumble as well.
You see, Paul never had an issue with women, in general. And he sure didn’t put a universal ban on women teaching in the church. Paul himself acknowledges in other verses that women publicly prayed, prophesied, and taught (1 Cor. 11:5). Instead, his instructions were meant to foster an attitude of quietness and composure so that they could learn, not total silence.
But, like those new Christian women in Paul’s day, church, we have to first feed them milk, or they will never be strong enough to handle the tougher meat the world will throw at them.
Next week we will be talking about women and their role in the church. Join me, it should be fun!