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Why am I writing this? Usual I try to escape a questions that has nothing to do with me or my life. But for a few months, I was challenged to see what does the Bible say about a woman and her roll in the church. I know that this is not a simple question that has a simple answer, this question requires a precise answer, and defiantly I am not qualified to do this. On the other hand, I still had to formulate an answer for my self to see how am I going to approach this subject. Here are my thoughts. I also would love to hear yours opinion and your thoughts to challenge my conclusions and be corrected.
Different approach
People have good reasons and a good motivation for lot’s of events that are happening in the Church's. These events flow out from the scripture, traditions, culture, personal desires, and maybe someone were just instructed that way. With all that, I think it would be fare to just focus on the scripture and to see what does the bible say about this subject, and then apply the truth to different areas of our life. Specifically I am talking about the New Testament. Taking something from an Old Testament and apply it to our life is OK when the New Testament repeats it. But if the New Testament is not repeating the truth from the Old Testament, this does not mean it’s wrong, it’s just we live in the different time, in the New Testament era. So I would reason from the New Testament specifically addressing this subject: women’s roll in the church.
Misunderstanding
First I would like to talk about the equality between man and a woman. In that man and woman are equal, are the same before God. God loves man the same way he loves the woman. Where confusion comes in is when people take that truth and misuse it by apply it to a roll that woman has in the church. If a woman is equal in God’s view, then she could do what man can do? But that would not be a good reasoning. Being equal in God’s eyes does not cross out the roll that each have before God. Bible does say that man and a woman are the same, but it also says that woman has a different rolls from a man in life and in Church.
Equality
To better understand this, we could see how God’s Trinity works. Tell me, who has more weight or more authority among God the Father, God the Son, or God the Spirit? Can we say that the Son is more important or higher then the Spirit? No. Can we say that the Father is more important or more authoritative then the Son? No. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are on the same level of being God; however, they have different roles as they function. God the Father sends the Son to the cross, the Son dies and later sends the Spirit to carry out the rest of the ministry on earth, they are equal and authoritative but have different roll in how they function. To conclude, when we talk about the equality among man and a woman, we can not use this argument to talk about the responsibilities each have before God—the responsibilities that God expects from man and from a woman are different.
Biblical Truth
Apostle Paul puts enough emphases to clarify the confusions some might have on this subject. Paul writes to Timothy a letter of instructions in how should he manage the church. “I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of truth.” (1 Timothy 3:14-15). In other words, First Timothy was written as a guide for us to use when we want to minister in church.
So the verse that I want to put on display would be written in First Timothy chapter two; a verse that specifically answering the question on what is a women roll in the church:
“. . .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, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works. Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. (1 Timothy 2:8-15)
There are two problems that Paul addresses in verse eleven and twelve, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.” The problems are women’s acceptance in the church and her roll being there.
For generations men belittled woman in life, as she was less important then man—they thought that a woman was in lower rank before God. So therefore, woman was not permitted to be among men when worship happened, they thought that it was something that only men had to do. Paul says differently, “Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness” (11). Another words, let the women be among man that worship and permit her to learn. John MacArthur writes this in his commentary of 1 Timothy, “First-century Judaism did not hold women in high esteem. While not barred from attending synagogue, neither were they encouraged to learn” (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary). Here we have Paul saying permit woman to be among men in worship to learn.
Second issue that Paul addresses here: women’s roll in the church. If we look at our Churches now and if we look at the church that were from the beginning, we could see a huge difference. For example, the choirs, youth, and children ministry is something that most churches have today but they weren’t there from the beginning. Not to say that these ministries are bad or good, but to articulate and apply biblical principals to these ministries that are present. Since there were no choir in the past, this does not permits us to take that authority in our own hand and make the decision apart from the bible. There are lots of positive outcome from these ministries but they should be flowing out from the scripture. So, what does that mean that a woman can’t teach?
Apostle Paul says:“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet” (11-12). Two preposition phrases describe in what a woman is not permitted to do in the church: to teach and to exercise authority over a man. Another word for teaching would be instruction. Paul says that woman should not be in a position that requires teaching man. Second is authority. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines authority like this: “power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.” These are two principals that Apostle Paul displays for a woman in the church, woman can’t have a position to teach or have authority over men.
A woman can understand her ministry in church is by asking these two questions:
1. Am I going to be teaching men?
2. Will I holding a position that will have an authority over man?
If the question is yes, then that can not be her ministry. She will be going against biblical principals that God lays down through Apostle Paul. No matter if the person is gifted or talented in this area as some might say. Why would God bless someone in something when he doesn’t permits them to do?
Practical Questions
What about woman directing a choir?
Well, ask these two questions to this roll. Is a roll of a choir director requires them to teach and excesses authority over men? People justify a woman choir director by saying she has a talent, a gift. Well, it would be the same argument about stealing something. I could say, “I have a talent in stealing.” Making a case that stealing is wrong when I do it in my family, but if it’s done where I work, then it should not be a problem. But no, doesn’t matter where you are, stealing is prohibited in any circumstances—it’s a biblical principal that applies to any situation. Same thing about woman teaching or exercising authority over man. No gift or talent is justified to break God’s truth.
But why do we have a woman leading a choir in our churches if it goes against biblical principal people ask. There are few answers to that. First it is lack of men leadership in this area. Second is that the leadership of that Church's hasn’t studied this verse enough to understand the significance of these verses. Or if they did studied, they interpreted in some other way then what Apostle Paul intended to write. Maybe the leadership compromised because they were afraid of the people. What will the people say? What if we teach this truth and the church does not like it, then we might lose our leadership position. It could also be a pressure from a wife, relatives, or friend—it might even be a situation when church is not ready to accept this biblical truth. What ever it is, the truth remains the same, and the truth should not be compromised on any ground.
How about woman speaking at the church membership meetings?
Again we need to ask these two questions: Is she teaching or exercising authority over men? And most of the time when a woman gets up to say something she teaches the whole crowed in what ever she is saying. Apostle Paul repeat this truth in First Corinthians:
“As in all the churches of the saints, 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. 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.”
(I Corinthians 14:33-35).
And here we have a clear answer from Paul, “For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
To say that Apostle Paul hated woman? No we can’t say that. Through his writing he is gentle and kind to both woman and men, but he is just focusing on this subject: “woman roll in the church.” For Paul, God’s design and revelation was more important then the culture or peoples opinion. What about Jesus, did Jesus hated woman since he did not pick any to be an Apostle? No, Jesus decision came from how the earth was created, how man and woman were designed. Jesus loved and showed compassion to a women. Remember when Pharisees brought the woman because of adultery, what did Jesus do? Jesus’ love to this woman showed the hypocrisy of the men who brought her. “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).
What about the Sunday school ministry?
If we apply those two questions, we would see that it is not in a conflict with this ministry, teachers are teaching children not men. But in my humbled opinion, the issue arises in that this ministry most of the time serves as a substitution of parenting. Through history, parents roll was to disciple and instruct children—bible clearly speaks on this area. Now if the children needs to be discipled, most people turn to Sunday school as a way out, but is this a way out? There has been a shift from parenting to Sunday school since Sunday school ministry started. If people truly worried about children, why wont they speak to pastors about pasturing parents towards discipling their children? But what usually happens, churches gather conferences to instruct Sunday school teachers to teach children instead of instructing parents to parent their children. A secondary trend was created where in reality, the problem is still a problem, you can not improve something that was never intended to be improved from the beginning. Focus on the families, focus on parenting is a way the God intended for children to be instructed.
Conclusion
Again, I am not writing to teach someone, but I am share my thoughts and conclusion that I came as while studying the bible on this subject. I hope we would lift up the biblical truth in our everyday life, and move our opinions aside to let the truth rein.
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