GOD'S DIVINE ORDER #3 (Women in the New Testament) A. A MAN S ROLE: stems from having been granted headship over his wife & children.

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1 GOD'S DIVINE ORDER #3 (Women in the New Testament) A. A MAN S ROLE: stems from having been granted headship over his wife & children. 1. The word headship implies management & control, but not superiority or abuse. Genesis 3:16 16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." 1 Corinthians 11:3 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, & the man is the head of a woman, & God is the head of Christ. Ephesians 5:23-25; 6:4 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church & gave Himself up for her, 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline & instruction of the Lord. Genesis 18:19 19 "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children & his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness & justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him." B. A WOMAN S ROLE: stems from having been subjected to her husband & entrusted with the care of children. 1. The word subjection means to subordinate; to obey; to put under, subdue or make subject. 1

2 2. The common idea of subjection is helplessness, weakness, inability, & incapacity. a. But that misses the point, the subjection we re talking about is not forced; it is an act of human will & devotion to God. Ephesians 5:22, 24, Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, & the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. Colossians 3:18 18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. (1 Pet 3:1-6). Titus 2:4-5 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. [What if a Christian woman does not have a husband & family? Is she in subjection to man? 1 Corinthians 11:3 3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, & the man is the head of a woman, & God is the head of Christ. This is God s order, which has become less common in our modern society, but which we have a responsibility to uphold before the world. This lesson has to do with the role of a Christian woman in a gathering of saints.] I. 1 CORINTHIANS 14: Corinthians 14: The women are to keep silent [sigao (see-gah'-o); to hold peace] in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. 2

3 A. The context relates to the use of spiritual gifts in a mixed assembly of saints. 1. The gifts were temporary (1 Cor 13:8-10), conferred by apostles (Acts 8:14-17), & they served a purpose (Eph 4:11-13). Ephesians 4:13 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 2. Although the gifts were temporary, does that mean the principle is temporary? 3. Is it still, today, improper (shameful, NKJV) for a woman to speak in church? The context is the general assembly. 4. Are Christian woman still obligated to keep silent in the assembly when Scripture is being taught? 1 Corinthians 14:26, 33, What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints 40 But all things must be done properly & in an orderly manner. 5. Aren t these things still true, though we are not in the miraculous age? II. 1 TIMOTHY 2:1, 8, 11 1 Timothy 2 1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties & prayers, petitions & thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath & dissension. 11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet [hesuchia (hay-soo-khee'-ah); stillness]. 3

4 A. Here again, a mixed assembly is in view. 1. And the principles Paul stated here were to be applied in every place (vs. 8) Christian men & women are present. a. Men were to lead in prayer & to provide instruction, & women were to quietly receive instruction in submissiveness. B. A clarification: 1. The NKJV says silent (1 Cor 14:34), & silence (1 Tim 2:12). 1 Cor 14:34 Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak 1 Tim 2:12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. a. That might imply that Paul used the same word in both passages, but he did not. - In the Corinthian passage, he used a word that means to hold one s peace. - In the 1 Timothy passage, he used a word that means stillness, calmness. III. WHY DIFFERENT WORDS? A. In the Corinthian church there was apparently a lot of confusion in the assembly. 1 Corinthians 14: What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, it should be by two or at the most three, & each in turn, & one must interpret; 28 but if there is no interpreter, he must 4

5 keep silent in the church; & let him speak to himself & to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, & let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn & all may be exhorted; 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; 33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. 1. It was not just the women who were to hold their peace, but also some of the men too. B. In the 1 Timothy passage, the context is not driven by a disruptive assembly, but by the desire of the Holy Spirit to explain the divine order -- the proper roles of Christian men & women when they assemble together. 1. Even though Paul did not use a word that means absolute silence (1 Tim 2:12); he was not contradicting what he told the Corinthians (1 Cor 14:34). C. Having summarized the two passages, we are certainly not to conclude that women may not open their mouths when we come together. 1. They must join in congregational singing (Col 3:16). They will teach younger women (Titus 2:3-4). They may have occasions to teach unlearned men in a private setting (Acts 18:24-26). D. So what is Paul forbidding (women) in 1 Corinthians 14:34 & 1 Timothy 2:12? 1. The KIND of speaking and/or teaching that was forbidden by the Law of Moses, which if you will remember traces back to the beginning of time. 2. The KIND of speaking and/or teaching that exercises authority [usurp: displays a mastery & dominance] over the man. 3. The reason for Paul s order was NOT due to a cultural situation, but to circumstances that have existed from the beginning. 5

6 1 Timothy 2: For it was Adam who was first created, & then Eve. 14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. 15 But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith & love & sanctity with self-restraint. CLOSING A. Forces are ever at work to overthrow sound Biblical teaching on the role of women. 1. The actions mentioned earlier are little more than gimmicks intended to move women into the highest positions of leadership in the church: keeping the church informed of its work, making public announcements, sharing personal experiences, leading worship with men in praise teams, serving communion & leading prayer, directing dramas, etc. 2. Paul admonished Timothy to hold fast the form of sound words (2 Tim 1:13). 3. David said, If the foundations be destroy-ed, what can the righteous do (Psa 11:3)? 4. The Bible exalts the woman who serves God in her divinely appointed role; & the woman who honors God by that KIND of service is deserving of praise. Charm is deceitful & beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands, & let her own works praise her in the gates (Pro 31:30-31). 6