1 Timothy 2:9 I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, 10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
So far, so good. Remember that Timothy is ministering in the 4th largest city in the Roman Empire, so ladies here have no lack of access to jewelry, fine materials, perfumes, and gifted hair dressers. Perhaps the church ladies have already begun competing to see who can be best-dressed in the most expensive materials. Meanwhile, many other church ladies are far poorer and feel ashamed that they cannot compete. Perhaps some of the wealthier ladies have even begun passing scathing remarks about those who dress more modestly. And there’s even something else.
In a culture where anything goes, perhaps some of these ladies have continued to dress quite immodestly in hopes of attracting the attention of handsome young men, turning church services into a combination fashion show and attempted seduction. Both Paul and Timothy realize that church services might deteriorate, focusing on worship of church members rather than worship of the One True Living God.
And there’s another problem as well. Paul is not forbidding women from praying or speaking in services; however, he doesn’t want women sitting together on one side of the sanctuary to be calling out questions to their husbands sitting on the other side. Paul also wants to ensure that the ladies will be willing to submit to the teaching of the leaders whom God has chosen. However, culturally, men listening to public lectures were free to question speakers or to argue with them while the same freedom was not given to women.
11 “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” The key here is that women are allowed to teach but they must be submitted to the church leaders just as soldiers are submitted to their commanders. The same thing must also be said of men, for a church full of rebels will never accomplish anything for the Kingdom of God.
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15 But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
These verses are very difficult for many of us, particularly for women filling traditional male roles or even women who through no fault of their own have remained childless. For those of us in such situations, we must subject ourselves to God’s leading and to those in authority. For those who are childless, there are still orphans who need nurturing whether or not they are biological parents/children. There’s more to being a mother than giving birth.
David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary says this:
a. For Adam was formed first: The first reason for male authority in the church is order of creation. Adam (man) was created first, and given original authority on earth.
i. The first command God gave to the human race is found in Genesis 2:16-17: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. This command was not given to woman at all. At the time that command was given, Eve was not yet created from Adam.
ii. Therefore, Adam received his command and his authority from God, and Eve received her command and authority from Adam.
b. The woman being deceived: The second reason is the difference in the sin of Adam and Eve, as connected to their difference in authority.
i. Both Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, and Eve clearly sinned first. Yet, the Bible never blames Eve for the fall of the human race, but always blames Adam (through one man sin entered the world, Romans 5:12). Adam is responsible because there was a difference of authority. Adam had an authority Eve did not have; therefore, he also had a responsibility Eve did not have. Adam failed in his responsibility in a far more significant way than Eve did.
ii. As well, Eve was deceived, and Adam was not deceived. Eve was tricked; but Adam sinned knowing exactly what he was doing when he rebelled. This means that though Adam’s sin was worse, Eve’s ability to be more readily deceived made her more dangerous in a place of authority. “Eve’s reasoning faculty was at once overcome by the allegation of jealousy felt by God, an allegation plausible to a nature swayed by emotion rather than by reflection.” (White)
iii. Generally speaking, it may be observed that women seem to be more spiritually sensitive than men – but this can be true for good or evil.
iv. Adam . . . the woman: “St. Paul says woman rather than Eve, emphasizing the sex rather than the individual, because he desires to give the incident its general application, especially in view of what follows.” (White)
v. Significantly, these reasons are not dependent upon culture. Those who say “Paul was a sexist man in a sexist culture,” and discount these words, are simply not reading what the Holy Spirit says in the sacred Scriptures here.
c. She will be saved in childbearing: Some say that Paul “Has mostly in mind that child-bearing, not public teaching, is the peculiar function of woman, with a glory and dignity all its own.” (Robinson) The idea is that one should let the men teach in church and let the women have the babies.
d. She will be saved in childbearing: A better way to approach this passage is based on the grammar in the original Greek language. In the original, it says she will be saved in the childbirth. This has the sense, “Even though women were deceived, and fell into transgression starting with Eve, women can be saved by the Messiah – whom a woman brought into the world.”
i. Probably, the idea here is that even though the “woman race” did something bad in the garden by being deceived and falling into transgression, the “woman race” also did something far greater, in being used by God to bring the saving Messiah into the world.
ii. The summary is this: Don’t blame women for the fall of the human race; the Bible doesn’t. Instead, thank women for bringing the Messiah to us.
e. Faith, love, and holiness, with self-control: Most of all, we should note these positives. They are all qualities God wants to be evident in women, and that women have effectively nurtured in children through generations.
So, no, Paul did not hate women. He was deeply concerned that the churches would function on Godly principles and resist the temptation to allow the culture to infiltrate the church.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to subject ourselves to Godly authority and to remember that You treasure each one of us, no matter our sex. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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