What we're considering boils down to the operation and position of authority. To hold biblical ground we'll consider scripture relating to women questioning or speaking around men. By checking this we'll learn what's right before God. These indicate proper behavior for a godly woman. They help define the woman's subjection to the man. They help us understand the principals involved.
A. Praise God in the assembly along with the men.
And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years . . . And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her. Woman, thou are loosed . . . and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. excerpts from Luke 13:11-13
Christ didn't rebuke her for glorifying God. We can gather God's approval for this in the assembly. This may seem very basic, but we lay foundations by first leveling the ground.
B. Make requests for needs.
Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children . . desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? . . . excerpts from Matthew 20:20,21
Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, . . . And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, . . .Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession. . . . excerpts from Numbers 27:1-7
These passages help us see the doors of justice are always open. God's principals don't deprive people of the opportunity to legitimately have needs met.
C. Confront sin.
This directly relates to the last item. Christians aren't to fellowship with sin, so if a woman kept silent she would be fellowshipping with it. This qualifies as a request for a need. The need to fellowship without sin. This enables her to remain in God's will.
D. Defend themselves.
Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? . . . No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, . . . Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. excerpts from I Samuel 1:9-16
When a womans being accused, she may speak on her own behalf. We also find an example with Jesus:
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more. John 8:10,11(1-11)
E. Question when spoken to in private.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
. . . excerpts from Luke 1:32-35 (28-38)
This conversation's with an angel, but remember, at this point in time, an angel is greater than a man.
F. During a time of teaching, make a request for judgment.
. . . and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou are careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. excerpts from Luke 10:38-42
G. In a one on one situation with a man, respond as a student in discussion.
Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. John 11:20-27
H. Share with a Christian man about herself, her life, her experiences.
We gather this from the Gospel of Luke. Luke and Mary were apparently somewhat close, for he states accounts which he would've gotten from her. Her experiences with Jesus in his youth (Luke 1:26-56) and other things most likely from her (Luke 2:25-52). In other words, men and woman may fellowship together.
I. Share with an unbelieving man her experience of salvation, walk with the Lord, or some deeper experience.
If he desires to follow, either into salvation or some deeper experience, she should introduce him to some man of God who would be able to teach him concerning this or lead him into this experience. In this same way, John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress, came to the Lord. He sat down, joining a conversation with three or four godly women. Their conversation opened his eyes. When he saw his state, they sent him to their minister who guided him to salvation. A Biblical example can be found in John:
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then has thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 41 And many more believed because of his own word; 42 And saith unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. John 4:9-12,28,29,41-42
This Samaritan woman carried on a teacher-student conversation with Christ. She then shared what happened to her with those she hung around with, which happened to be men. They came to Christ, gathering the whole picture from Him. She herself said to come and see him, in verse 29.
J. In small groups, ask questions, like in Sunday school classes.
I'll discuss this shortly.
Women's Restrictions:
Where It All Began
Women's subjection to men started in Genesis. Man's burden in the Edenic fall was to toil with the ground and have hard work for sustenance. The woman's was, among increased sorrow in childbearing, to be under the rule of her husband:
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Genesis 3:16
This was reinforced in Colossians:
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Colossians 3:18
Again in Ephesians:
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself: and the wife see that she reverence her husband. Ephesians 5:22-24,33
As a woman reverences her husband, she's fulfilling the commission in Genesis 3:16 that says her desire shall be to her husband. The desire and reverence are heart attitudes by which she's to be in subjection. By having these attitudes, those married to unsaved husbands might win them to Christ. Concentrating on high fashion won't, but subjection might.
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement. I Peter 3:1-6
The Biblical Plan
Unmarried women are under subjection to their fathers until marriage, then to their husbands. If a womans a widow or divorced, then she's responsible to herself before God (Numbers 30:3-16). This means a woman's choices aren't ruled by just any man that comes along.
A womans ruled by her husband or father, but only by one at a time. When she's widowed or divorced she's still to show respect to other men's authority, not placing herself in a position of equal authority. Even though there isn't anyone to say "no" to her vows, she's still in subjection to the men as show in Corinthians:
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
I Corinthians 14:34,35
We see women, in church, aren't to talk except for the purposes already discussed. "As also saith the law" refers to Genesis 3:16. It shows this wasn't just a "custom of the people when it was written". It's based on a command from God.
The biblical plan is that in Christian assemblies, men question and discuss with the teacher, or if need be, challenge, until they understand what's taught. This enables them to answer their wive's questions. Widows, or divorced women, may ask someone after the assembly dismisses to get answers.
Let's remember this: "it is a shame for women to speak in the church." We see this in assembly after assembly. Let this shame come to an end! Let proper order be restored!
Just a note here: the local church is the assembly of all local Christians. It's not just a few, as seen in I Corinthians 12:12-30. As seen in this reference, the church is compared to a body. The people equal different parts. If you get a liver, arm and tongue together you have part of a body, but not a body. In the same manner, a few individual Christians gathering together is not the church.
A Touchy Question
I was asked with an air of offense, "Do you mean a womans to do whatever any man asks her (if it's moral)?". The spirit this question was asked in, showed a lack of the love of Christ. The answer is the same for men as well as women, whether a woman or a man asks. The answer's based on showing the love of Christ and not subjection to authority. Christ came to give himself, so why shouldn't we? His admonition speaks the same:
And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Matthew 5:41,42
Is Christ calling us to be slaves of wicked men? No! Christs our example. From observing Him, we gain an understanding of the factors in obeying His instructions.
Order In The Church
Now look at that famous passage in I Timothy:
9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. I Timothy 2:9-15
Let's look at the context. This Epistle was written to an overseer in his church. In the epistles to Timothy, we see the instructions related to guiding the church (I Timothy 1:3,18; 2:1; 3:1,8; 4:1,6,7; 5:1,2,9,16,17; 6:1,17,20; II Timothy 2:1,2,14-16; 4:1,2,5). Noting this, we see this directly related to silence of women in the Church. Verse 12 says, "suffer not a woman to teach". There are places women may and may not speak. Teaching, likewise, has its limitations. I've heard it said, "A woman may teach men as long as her husband says it's all right, and she acknowledges hes her head." This is twisting the Word of God! This passage says she's not to teach the man. Whether the woman teaches with her husband's permission or not, she's still teaching the man. The statement's obvious! I saw a woman preacher acknowledge the meaning. She had to get around it by calling Paul a chauvinist who was in darkness on this issue. She had to deny the Biblical inspiration to get around it.
Consider the portion, "nor to usurp authority over the man". The Greek, "usurp authority over" is one word. It's found in the Bible once. It's "authenteo". It's defined, "To use one's own armor" in Youngs Analytical Concordance, pg. 63, col. 2. The meaning is thus: the woman is to be under the (authority, covering, subjection) to the man. She's not to lead or have equal authority to him. To do so would be to stand with her own armor as the man does. A woman's armor is her husband.
We see women aren't "to teach, nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." Another arguement goes, "this is only between husbands and wives". Compared with I Corinthians 14:34,35 this would be ridiculous to insist on. In verse 11 we see women are to keep silence as in I Corinthians 14:34,35. We've seen women are to ask their husbands at home. This I Timothy passage extends beyond a husband and wife relationship. It's covers church position and authority. In verse 12 Paul says he 'suffers not'! For a woman to do so is against apostolic orders! This is sin. Paul suffered people to believe 'one day was above another' and to believe 'one could or couldn't eat meat', but he never tolerated sin. Paul's INTOLERANCE shows this issue deals with outright sin. It isn't something opposing sides can come together and just forget the differences.
You'll notice I Timothy 2:15 refers to the woman's ability to remove their reproach in their children. A woman has the opportunity to change the world by raising godly children.
Limits on women are toward men, not other women or children, especially their own sons (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Under the law there's a difference though between male and female children (Leviticus 12:1-5). A male child is called a lad (Genesis 21:17; 48:16; etc.) or child, but there's a point when a male child becomes a man. Young men are distinguished in Titus 2:6. When a boy becomes a man isn't stated in scripture. It probably varies according to individual, but a good way to estimate is when he's able (whether he does or not) to be independent (mentally, not always physically). A reference on entering manhood is found in Galatians 4:1-5.
Not A Culture Issue
Let's look at the argument of "custom of the people of the time" again. When the Apostle Paul makes a statement, if it's a cultural statement, hes clear. Here's an example:
3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. 9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. 13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? 14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. 16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. I Corinthians 11:3-16
Verse 16 refers to the wearing of veils. Pauls showing what's proper, but if one wants to do otherwise then so be it. This isn't binding on the churches, but the women's not teaching or usurping authority over the man is. The reason alone showed it's not cultural, the reason being the fall of mankind (I Timothy 2:13,14).
A Misuse of I Corinthians 11:3-16
I Corinthians chapter 11 is occasionally used to say women can lead men in prayer or prophesy. This is held by assuming verse 5 includes leading men in these activities. Such an assumption violates I Timothy 2:11,12 and I Corinthians 14:34,35. Assumptions, ultimately hold no true authority. They don't have God's Word backing them up. Their assumptions are torn down in the very passage itself. Proof of its reference to women on their own is found in verse 10. Some will say, "Why should women wear veils to show submission if no men were present to witness it?" The answer, in verse 10, indicates that for the angels, who are present, it should be done. Following this out further, look at verse 7. The men weren't to cover their heads. You can see that even when the men were gathered together alone they still weren't to cover their heads, women present or not. This principal would just as much follow through for the women.
Women's Role:
The Family Plan
To a degree, the church is a type, an enlargement, of the family structure. Elders and deacons are congregational authorities (I Peter 5:1-4; I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17). When the assembly gathers, elders speak and teach and other men say things as well, but the elders are the authorities. Different men hear things of God, prophesy, or deliver a message, but are still under the elders (I Corinthians 12 and 14). Men represent as the heads of their families (Numbers 16:22-27; Joshua 7:22-26; Joshua 24:14,15).
In the family, the husbands the head and the wifes as the congregation. (This can be seen in the Bible by noticing how the wife is to reverence, fear, honor, and be subject to her husband. In the same manner, the mans to do these things with those in authority over him; Romans 13:1-7.) The wife questions her husband and speaks what she feels is from God, but under subjection to her husband, and his leadership.
The Principal in Action
In smaller gatherings a woman could question without being insubordinate. The exception would be when deacons and elders were present in studies. When deacons and elders are present, you find the full church structure.
Church authority goes like this: The head is God the Father with Christ next. Man's head is Christ. Amongst men, elders and deacons are over the men in a local church. The woman's head is the man. The reason women keep silence is because the men are to question or speak to the next higher authority, the elders or deacons. For the women to ask, they would be standing on their own from under their authority, the men. A woman's covering is the man. To ask alongside the other men would be standing as their own covering, usurping the authority. For a woman to speak in a similar manner along with men would be like the man trying to approach God without his covering, Christ.
On the highest level, we see a congregation can ask God directly and not ask Christ (John 16:23). This is different to the man/woman situation, because Christ came as a mediator. We come to the Father through Christ. Christ came to bring us to the Father. A woman came, not for a mediatorial relationship through the man, but for an helpmate (Genesis 2:18). This is rather complex, but it's time well-spent mulling.
Let's look at the principals in action. Christians get together for fellowship as couples or small groups. If no elders or deacons are present there are two levels of authority (the men and the women), not three (Church government, men and women). In such gatherings the women may question. The reason is, they wouldn't be acting in disregard for authority since there's no one between them and the one they ask. If elders or deacons were present, then they would be over-riding their husbands since higher government would be operating.
I'd like to apply I Corinthians 11:3-16 for thought here. The question arises, "Since women could question in smaller, less governed groups, couldn't they also prophesy, teach or lead in prayer in such situations?" Recall the structure. The women's questioning, in this situation, wouldn't be overriding her head, the man. The woman leading in prayer, teaching or prophesying would. She'd be operating in authority or equality to the man. The man asking the elder or deacon a question isn't overriding their authority. In leading in a prayer, teaching or prophesying, they're not overriding either. You may wonder, "Isn't that a double standard?" The answer is no. Why? The reason is, men are to be subject to the elders, but the elders are not lords over the other men. They are examples and caretakers (I Peter 5:1-4). The man is the lord over the woman and not only an example or caretaker (I Peter 3:5,6), this is the reason for the difference.
Since authority isn't a religious ordinance but a law of life, it includes areas of women teaching or exercising authority over men in all facets of life. This would be from teaching men typing to teaching them in a college.
For the woman fearful of this and the man with the superiority complex, consider the principle: The subjection of the woman isn't due to inferiority on her part, nor to superiority on the man's. The subjection is a God established authority. Christ Jesus is under subjection to the Father (I Corinthians 15:24-28), but He's not inferior to the Father. This is the same basis for the man and the woman.
Free to Copy under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND3.0 License by Darrell Farkas