The Woman of the Church

1 Tim. 2:9-15

INTRODUCTION: The subject is women in the church: the place of women in public, in the church, and in the home or in childbearing.

Christian women should display personal godliness and practical goodness. They should adorn themselves “(which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” Dorcas was so adorned (Acts 9:36-40). “There was at Joppa,” Luke wrote, “a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas [the name means ’gazelle’]: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died.” Peter was summoned from Lydda to Joppa to comfort the believers in their loss of one so noble. “When he was come,” Luke continued, “they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.”

Dorcas was adorned as God wants all Christian women to be adorned. Her beauty was so great in the sight of God that the Holy Spirit empowered Peter to raise her from the dead; she was allotted more time so that she might go on professing godliness with good works.

I. THE WAY THEY SHOULD DRESS
In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 three important words or phrases guide us:—”modest apparel,” “sobriety” and “becometh.” There are three simple tests. The questions that should be asked are these:

(1) Is it modest? This is important because much dress today is not modest.

(2) Is it sober? The word “sober” has a reference to a well-balanced state of mind. Is the clothing sensible? Is the hair style sensible?

(3) Is it becoming? That is, is it suitable and in good taste?

The Christian woman wants to guard her clothing and to dress modestly; she wants to watch the way she dresses, walks, moves, and behaves in public. She wants to bring honor to the Lord and to build a strong testimony—a testimony that she loves the Lord and has committed her life to help people.

Anyone can wear a wig or, if naturally endowed, create an elaborate hairdo. Anyone with money can buy rings, diamonds, golden ornaments, and pearls. Such outward beauty can be bought. The beauty God wants to see, however, has to be wrought – that is, it has to be worked out in a believing woman’s life by the Holy Spirit.

2. THE POSITION THEY SHOULD OCCUPY
1 Timothy 2:11-14 tells us about this, and the reference is to the position that women should occupy in the Church, in the public assembly of God’s people.

What should be a woman’s position and attitude?
She should be a learner and she should keep silence (verses 11-12).
She is to be in subjection (verses 11-12).
She must not usurp authority over the men to whom God has given the responsibility of leadership and ministry. Verse 13.

“Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands” (Gen. 16:9). There were numerous good reasons why God gave Hagar this command,11 but she did not understand them. The God who, in His infinite wisdom and boundless love, confronted Hagar with those two inflexible words now confronts all women in the church with two similar uncompromising words: silence and subjection. How a woman responds to the rule of the Holy Spirit of God on this issue is an indication of her growth in Christ.

The word for “silence” in 1 Timothy 2:11 denotes tranquility from within. The adjective form is translated “peaceable” in 1 Timothy 2:2. Luke used the word in his description of the reaction of the mob in the temple precincts in Jerusalem when Paul addressed them in their native language: “When they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence” (Acts 22:2). In other words, silence means “silence,” like it or not.

The word for “subjection” in 1 Timothy 2:11 is a military term referring to those of lesser rank in an army.

Note an important question: Does this mean that a woman is never to teach or hold authority over a man?
The New Testament gives example of women who held a phenomenal position and ministry in the early days of Christianity.

• Mary of Nazareth was chosen by God to bear and rear and teach God’s very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, while He was on earth (Lu. 1:26-38).
• Anna, a prophetess, was chosen by God to predict the future of the baby Jesus (Lu. 2:36-38).
• It was four women who demonstrated raw courage by standing at the foot of Jesus’ cross when all the disciples had fled for their lives (Mk. 15:40).
• Joanna and Susanna supported the work of Christ (Lu. 8:3).
• Martha and Mary opened their home to Jesus time and again (Lu. 10:38-39; Jn. 11:5).
• Mary Magdalene, because of her great love and devotion for Christ, was chosen by God to be the first to witness the Lord’s resurrection (Mt. 16:9; Jn. 20:11-18).
• Tabitha or Dorcas helped the poor of her city by clothing them (Ac. 9:36-43).
• Mary, the mother of John Mark, allowed the early believers to meet in her home (Ac. 12:12).
• Lydia courageously stepped forth and became the very first convert to Christ in Europe (Ac. 16:13).
• Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, taught the truth of Christ to the young preacher, Apollos (Ac. 18:26).
• Philip the evangelist had four daughters who were prophetesses (Ac. 21:9).
• Phebe served the church at Cenchrea, probably as a deaconess (Ro. 16:1-2).
• Mary of Rome ministered to Paul and his companions (Ro. 16:6).
• Tryphena and Tryphosa were two ladies who labored in the Lord (Ro. 16:12).
• The mother of Rufus became a mother to Paul (Ro. 16:13).
• Euodia and Syntyche were two women who labored in the gospel (Ph. 4:2-3).
• The mother and grandmother of Timothy, Lois and Eunice, taught the Scriptures to Timothy from his earliest childhood (2 Ti. 1:5).
• The aged women were to teach the young women (Tit. 2.3).

These Scriptures clearly show that women were chosen and gifted by God to hold a significant position and ministry in the early days of Christianity.

But it also has to be noted that there is no clear record of a woman serving in the capacity of head authority in the New Testament church (pastor, bishop, or elder). Does this mean that God never raises up a woman to teach all Christians, men and women, or to hold authority on a church wide or world wide ministry?

In answer to this question, we have to go before the Lord humbly and openly and seek the answer for ourselves. But we must always confess that God is God; therefore, He can do what He wills in order to meet a special need. If He needs to raise up a woman as a pastor to meet some special teaching or administrative need in the church, He can do it.

3. THE VIRTUES THEY SHOULD POSSES
In the last part of 1 Timothy 2:15 four virtues are mentioned that every Christian women should display. These are:—
Faith, which means faithfulness.
Charity, which means love.
Holiness, which means Christlikeness.
Sobriety, which means modesty.

Woman ‘will be saved through the Birth of the Child’ referring to Christ. By this rendering, ‘saved’ has a spiritual connotation, ‘through’ is the means by which salvation comes, and the definite article before ‘childbearing’ in the Greek sentence is explained. Above all, this interpretation commends itself by ‘its extreme appropriateness’. Earlier in the chapter the ‘one mediator between God and men’ has been identified as ‘the man Christ Jesus’ (verse 5), who of course became a human being by being ‘born of a woman’. (John Stott)

1 Timothy 2:15 Possibly, means that as mothers they can certainly teach their children the truths of the gospel. Timothy was a prime example of a son being instructed in the Scriptures from childhood by his mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 3:15). This emancipation is all the more effective when mothers’ lives are marked by faith, love, holiness, and sobriety. Their doctrine is thus adorned by godly lives. (John Phillips)

4. THE RESPONSIBILITY THEY SHOULD SHARE
This is indicated in 1 Timothy 3:11, which renders, “Their wives must be serious, not slanderers, temperate and absolutely trustworthy.”

Four qualifications are necessary for the wife of a leader:
She must share the serious outlook of her husband.
She must be a woman of discretion.
She must be self-controlled.
She must be absolutely trustworthy and reliable

Deacons’ wives must not be “slanderers.” The word translated “slanderer” is diabolos, which means “accuser, slanderer”, and is one of the names for the Devil. This title is used for the Evil One some thirty-four times in the New Testament. In the Garden of Eden, the Devil slandered God when he was talking to man. In the book of Job, the Devil slandered man when he was talking to God. So when God insists that a deacon’s wife not be a slanderer, He implies that a slanderous woman does the Devil’s work and thus disqualifies her husband for the office of deacon.

Pity the man who is qualified in every other way to be a pastor but is disqualified by his wife’s malicious tongue.

A deacon’s wife must also be “sober.” The word translated “sober” here is translated “vigilant” in 3:2. It can also be rendered “temperate.” So Paul was saying that a deacon’s wife must be a steady, self-controlled person. A hysterical or immoderate wife would handicap a deacon.

Furthermore, a deacon’s wife must be “faithful in all things.” She must be dependable. Possibly Paul had in mind the model wife described by Solomon in Proverbs 31. Maybe the woman whom Solomon described there was the Shulamite who had enough sense to turn him down. In spite of all of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth, he was most unfortunate in his choice of wives, who proved to be his undoing in his later years.

CONCLUSION:
People often accuse Paul of being antagonistic toward women. Such critics cite his instructions regarding widows and virgins (1 Cor. 7) and his silencing of women in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 14:34-35). Feminists also object to his further instructions about the place of women in the local church (1 Tim. 2:9-15).

These verses have nothing to do with male chauvinism. The feminists’ fight is not with Paul but with God. The instructions, which are inspired by the Holy Spirit, are part of God’s Word. Paul was simply the teacher. The truth came from God. Paul simply wrote, under direct and inerrant inspiration by the Spirit of God, what God wanted him to say about women.

In fact, Paul had a warm regard for women in the church. For instance, he spoke highly of Phoebe (Rom. 16:1-2) and an unknown woman named Mary (Rom. 16:6). He wrote glowingly about the mother of Rufus (Rom. 16:13) and Timothy’s mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5). One of his dear friends was Lydia of Philippi (Acts 16:14-15). Only those who are ignorant can accuse Paul of being a woman hater. Yet, he did make some firm statements about the role of women in the church.

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