To study the role of woman in the church without first studying the relationship of man to woman and God to man, is to build a house without a foundation. We have to have an understanding of these relationships before we can have a solid understanding of the woman’s role in the church. Her position springs from this relationship, and the fall.
Men and women are different. We have been created differently, and we have different roles to fulfill. This is not an accident; it is by design. It is his intent for us to be complementary to each other.
The New Testament relates that in one sense there is no difference between men and women, but also that in another sense there is. The difference between these two senses, and the reasons why, is very important to grasp if we are to avoid misunderstandings of the different roles of the man and the woman.
There is no difference
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:28. This verse, written to the Gentile, comes after a discourse of how salvation is not by the law, but by faith in Christ, according to the promise made by God to Abraham before the law existed. Whereas the law had made a separation between the Jew and the Gentile, in Christ there is no such separation; for whoever has been added to the church by Christ, that one, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, belongs to Christ.
It is in this sense, and this sense alone, that there is no difference between the man and the woman. Each one of them is subject to heaven and hell, each one is saved by the same sacrifice, each one has the same promise, eternal life.
But there is a difference
There is a great difference, however, in our roles in the church. To see why, we need to go back to the very beginning, to the creation of the man, the creation of the woman, and the fall; for it is in these events that the difference between man and woman, and the reason for that difference, is found.
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth,’” Genesis 1:26-28.
In the general account of the creation of man, there is no distinction made between the man and the woman; only that we are created in God’s image, we have dominion over the other created beings, and we are to subdue the earth. In the specific account, we find out more,
“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’ Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And Adam said:
‘This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man,’” Genesis 2:18-23.
The man was created first; but it wasn’t good for him to be alone, so God determined to make a helper for him, which he created from the body of Adam. There is at least one requirement for her that springs from this natural order, that she must wear her hair long, but for the moment, we should note that still no distinction is made between the man and the woman, save that she was made to help him.
Next is the fall, and it’s here that a distinction is made,
“To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you,” Genesis 3:16.
Because the woman was the first to sin, she has been placed under the rule of her husband. In addition, most of the restrictions placed upon the woman in the church spring from the fact that it was the woman who was deceived and first sinned, not the man. This is the key to understanding the role of woman in the church; for the New Testament teaching on this matter didn’t spring from a desire of misogynistic men to keep women down, nor from the cultural situation of the first century. It is a command from God, based on transgression against him.
Further, Paul writes,
“But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God,” 1 Cor 11:3-4.
The Greek word translated as “head” in this passage is used metaphorically, specifically,
“Metaphorically, anything supreme, chief, prominent; of persons, master, lord”
as Thayer defines it. This means that the lord and master of man is Christ, and the lord and master of woman is man. This is why Sarah is commended by Peter, 1Peter 3:5-6, in that she was submissive to Abraham, even calling him lord (Genesis 18:12).
Does this mean that the woman is not directly responsible to Christ? No; she is still directly responsible to Christ for her conduct and salvation.
What does this mean?
First, she must wear a symbol of authority on her head,
“For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels,” 1 Cor 11:8-10
This passage refers to the woman in general, not just of a woman in relation to her husband. Because she was created from and for the man, she must wear this authority, or she will offend the angels sent to minister for us.
What is this authority? Her long hair,
“Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering,” 1 Cor 11:13-16
and again,
“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man,” 1 Cor 11:7-8
A woman is to wear her hair long enough so that is down from her head (when Paul speaks of the head being covered in these verses, the Greek literally means “denoting motion from above, down from,” as Liddell and Scott define it).
It is important to note that this teaching is given in the context of approaching God in prayer. This shows two things, a) this is not a cultural teaching, but is binding on all women, in all times and places, and, b) she must meet this condition when she is in prayer. Paul further illustrates this by saying that if she won’t wear her hair long, then she should shave her head; for in the eyes of God, it’s already the same as if she did.
Second, she is to be obedient to her husband,
“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything,” Ephesians 5:22-24.
What does this mean? That as the church is under the authority of Christ, so the wife is under the authority of her husband. It means that the direction the family takes is in the hand of the man, and he is the final arbiter. She is not to usurp this authority. This stems from the fact that, a) the man was created first, and the woman was created to be a helper for him, and, b) when she sinned in the garden, she was placed under the rule of the man.
This obedience is not just for the wife whose husband who is godly, but also for the wife whose husband does not obey the word, 1 Peter 3:1. When it speaks of those husbands who obey not the word, it means not only those who have not been converted to Christ, but also those Christian men who don’t treat their wives as they should. Seeing the example of a godly wife may break through the wall that the word as of yet has been unable to, and he may come to his senses by her godliness. See also Titus 2:1-5, Ephesians 5:22-24.
And third, her role is different, both in life and in the church, from the man’s. This doesn’t mean that she has the role of a second-class citizen; for just as Christ is the head of the church, and we as members of the body have different roles (some as a hand, some as a foot, etc.), so the man and the woman have different roles to fulfil, both in life and in the church, and both are necessary, 1Corinthians 11:11.
The restrictions on women in the church
What are the restrictions placed upon the woman in the church?
- Women are to be silent in the assembly – 1 Cor 14:34-35, 1 Timothy 2:11-12
- Women may not lead prayer – 1 Timothy 2:8
- She may not teach, nor have authority over the man – 1 Timothy 2:12
These restrictions then naturally exclude her from being a preacher before a congregation, as she is to keep silent in the assembly, and she may not teach a man when the church is assembled. This also excludes her from being an elder, as an elder is a position of authority, and an elder certainly must be able to address the congregation; not to mention that an elder (and deacon both) must be the husband of one wife, 1Timothy 3:2, 12.
In the passage in 1Timothy 2, after giving the restrictions, Paul gives the reasons, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression,” 1Timothy 2:13-14. These reasons then are not cultural restrictions, but are based on the order of creation, and on the fact that the woman was the first to sin, and not only that, but that she was deceived into it.
If then she is unable to do these things, the question naturally arises, what may she do? Paul continues,
“Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control,” 1 Timothy 2:15,
and again,
“Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully,” 1 Tim 5:14-15,
and again,
“He seeks godly offspring,” Malachi 2:15.
Is not the whole point of the creation for God to have a people for himself for eternity, the sons and daughters of God? The mechanism, as it were, for people to come into existence, is through the woman bearing children. Therefore, this is a very great thing, the bearing and raising of godly children. Let her not think it to be a lesser thing, when it has been given to her, for,
“Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God,” 1Corinthians 11:11-12.
The older women are to be teach the younger how to behave, Titus 2:4-5.
In regards to Priscilla and Aquila teaching Apollos in Acts 18:24-26, that is, a woman teaching a man, a) they took him aside, that is, they didn’t interrupt his discourse in the synagogue (the assembly), but rather afterwards they talked with him privately, and b) he wasn’t a Christian yet. This isn’t an example of a woman exercising authority over or teaching a man in the church.
She isn’t to be concerned with fashion, nor adorn herself as the worldly women do; the adornment of a godly woman is to be a gentle and quiet spirit, with good works. She is to dress modestly, 1Timothy 2:9-10, 1Peter 3:3-6.
Note
It is often said (even in the church) that Paul’s injunctions regarding the role of women were simply a cultural allowance. But a close look at the passages in question reveals something else entirely; after giving the teaching on hair length, Paul follows it up with “but if anyone is contentious…”, and after saying that women are to be silent in the church, he follows with “Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached? If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. But if anyone is ignorant, let him be ignorant.” What this shows is that there was the opposite occurring in the church (then as now), and there was opposition to the teaching (then as now). Paul follows the teachings with strong injunctions precisely because there was opposition to the teaching, even then. He gives the teachings, and then basically says, “If you want to argue, this is from the Lord.”
Those who want to expand the role of woman in the church are doing so without biblical authority, 2 John 9. The word is fairly plain regarding the role of woman, and the reasons why. Those who are trying to change this, their actions show their concern is more with the world than with the Lord, because they are trying to please the world by doing this, not the Lord.