In
light of what we have learned about The Fall, that woman’s inferiority was
induced by sin, and we must live with the consequences of that sin as it states
in Romans 5:12, “ Therefore,
just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so
death spread to all men because all sinned,” how can we begin to
live in acceptance of this, yet also live according to the way God has called
us to through Christ: loving Him and loving others (Mt. 22:36-40[1])? How
would Christ have us work under this consequence? We now look to three
instances of controversial scripture in the Bible that have often been misused
for excuses to mistreat women or exercise power over them, and clear up the way
that Christ would have us live these truths out in our lives, and at the same
time, squelch the misconception and perversion of oppression of women.
The
first scripture we will look at is 1 Timothy 2:11-15, written by the apostle
Paul.
“I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy
hands without anger or quarreling; 9 likewise
also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty
and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,
10 but with what is proper for women who
profess godliness—with good works. 11 Let
a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather,
she is to remain quiet. 13 For Adam
was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam
was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if
they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”
In
this excerpt, at first glance we read that Paul is telling woman that she has
to, in essence, zip it. She must be silent, or she is a disgrace. Next we
almost see Paul puff up his feathers in a sense, and blame Eve for the sin of
the world. Is Paul writing from pride? In digging deeper into this text we can
actually see that Paul is not being a prideful, sexist jerk, like it seems; he
is actually encouraging us in how to live in a way that honors the consequences
of The Fall. First, it should be noted that he is speaking not of women in
general, but of church order. If Eve truly
was the one that was first deceived, which caused the roles of men and women to
be created, then woman, exercising authority over a man in a church setting,
does not add up and cannot. He is not saying that women cannot ever teach or
speak up—in Joel 2:28 it clearly states that men and women will prophesy[2].
Women have been known throughout scripture to be active within church, to speak
up and even lead nations. But when it comes teaching within a church setting,
the church should reflect the natural order that was in place after The Fall,
and that would mean women submitting to the authority of man, and man to
Christ.[3]
The
second scripture we will address is 1 Corinthians 14:34-35.
“As
in all the churches of the saints,
34 the women should keep silent in the
churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as
the Law also says. 35 If there is
anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is
shameful for a woman to speak in church.”
This
is again a matter of church order, but in a more simple way than the scripture
from 1 Timothy. Paul is writing this in a context of disorderly worship—people in
the church in Corinth were speaking tongues, prophesying and praying out loud
all at once causing the Corinthian church to be somewhat chaotic. In this
context, Paul is not saying that women don’t have a voice. He is speaking of
church services and the value of having them be well organized and orderly so
as not to cause confusion. Perhaps women were asking questions and speaking out
of turn more often than the men, asking their husbands questions about the
teachings in a disruptive manner. Paul advises them to be more aware of their
surroundings and ask questions later, after the service.
Lastly,
we’ll look at Ephesians 5:22-25
22 Wives, submit to your
own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife
even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so
also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.25
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for
her, 26 that he might sanctify her,
having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in
splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and
without blemish. 28 In the same way
husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated
his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and
mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it
refers to Christ and the church. 33 However,
let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she
respects her husband.”
This
scripture is a beautiful depiction of making the best of the consequences from The
Fall, in terms of Christ’s commands to
love our neighbor as ourselves. Paul first exhorts the women to submit to their
husbands, and then he exhorts men to love their wives. Note that this
instruction of submission for women is not one that commends behavior of
tyranny or oppression—the instruction is for women to submit to husbands who love them, as Christ loved the church,
meaning selflessly. Selfless love, as we know, naturally begets a type of
‘submission’, just as Christ’s love for us naturally begets our own submission
to him. This is truly a beautiful picture of how Christ’s sacrifice for us gave us a way to
live in freedom in this world, still under the consequences of The Fall, yet
with new hope and liberty, and how we can use that truth and translate it into the
relation of man and woman within the consequences of The Fall. Mutual love and
submission creates a beautiful balance within a marriage context, as well as in
our relationship with Christ.
When
we think about the oppression of women and God’s perspective, we can now
clearly see that God’s intent was never for women to second best, or even to be
submissive to man; God’s intent for woman was to be equal with him, being a vibrant
display of God’s love, as well as his perfect complement. But, due to The Fall,
and due to the fact that sin never comes without consequence, women must now
function under the authority of her husband. And because the human race is
easily susceptible to pride, it’s no wonder that women would be one of the
things men exhort perverted authority over. In light of this, we can see how
oppression began. But we must remember that not just women are still
functioning under The Fall; all of creation is functioning under it as well,
and we all carry the weight of original sin. Our lives must be shifted to honor
God as much as possible under these circumstances, with the knowledge that God
loves and values each one of us, man and women, Jew and Greek, exactly the
same. So, we can see how oppression began, and we can also see how much it is not on God’s heart, nor was it ever his
intent. The oppression of women breaks the heart of God. Although there are
roles in our fallen world, this does not degrade the value of women, and
therefore God advocates justice for each wounded woman, each woman that has
been subjected to the hands of twisted oppression. As God tells us in Isaiah
1:17, “….learn to do good; seek justice,
correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause,” and
Psalm 33:5, “The Lord loves righteousness
and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love,” and Micah 6:8, “And
what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk
humbly with your God,” God loves justice and he loves his
creation of woman. Anything less than standing up for the rights and value of
women would break God’s heart even more.
[1]
36 “Teacher,
which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your mind. 38 This is the great
and first commandment. 39 And a second
is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
[2] “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I
will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”
[3] It
should be noted, that even though this interpretation of scripture seems very
clear in light of The Fall, I even wince as a type it. It still doesn’t seem
right to me that a woman isn’t able to offer what she has to a congregation
simply because of role differences. And when you look at Genesis 3:16, God
doesn’t say woman will be under authority of all men, but under her husband. How does this then translate into
church roles? This specific scripture
requires deeper study and interpretation.
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