“A Godly Woman” (Part I)
(1 Timothy 2:9-15)
Series: Reality Check: Keeping it Real at FBC
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
(9-14-08) (AM)
Recommended Study Link:
The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
- Take God’s Word and open to 1 Timothy, chapter 2.
A few weeks ago we began a short study through the book of 1 Timothy. Our series is entitled, “Reality Check” because 1 Timothy is a church administration handbook that helps us check how we are doing things here at First Baptist and make sure everything we are doing accords with God’s Word.
We left off our study at verse 8 of chapter 2 and so we’ll be picking it up then at verse 9 and following. But in order for us to reacquaint ourselves with the ebb and flow of this passage we should really read verse 8 again because what we have here is Paul’s telling us something of both the men and the women’s behavior when it comes to public worship and verse 8 concerns the men. So let me read verse 8 and following because I did say I would come back to verse 8 again and I want to make good on my word to do that.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,
10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.
15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.
- Pray.
Introduction:
In studying this passage I really felt led by the Lord to just sort of slow down and not rush through our teaching here. This is a good passage of Scripture and our careful study of it is necessary if we have any interest at all in being a healthy, biblical, New Testament church. So we’ll prayerfully ask God to help us listen carefully to His Word. We want what our Lord calls, “ears to hear” as we listen to His teaching.
We don’t want to be like the fellow who went to see his family doctor. He said, “I think my wife is deaf. She never hears me the first time I say something. In fact,” he said, “I often have to repeat things over and over again.” The doctor said, “Well, go home tonight and stand about 15 feet away from her and say something. If she doesn’t reply, then move about 5 feet closer and say it again. Keep doing this so we can get an idea of the severity of her deafness.” The man went home and did exactly as the doctor instructed. He stands about 15 feet away from his wife while she is in the kitchen, chopping some vegetables. He says, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” He gets no response, so he moves about 5 feet closer now and asks again: “Honey, what’s for dinner.” No reply. He now moves 5 feet closer, and still no reply. He then moves right behind her—about an inch away—and asks one final time: “Honey, what’s for dinner?” She replies, “For the fourth time, vegetable stew!”
So let’s make sure that we ourselves are listening to God’s word and that we have “ears to hear” what He teaches. To that end, then, I plan to preach this passage in two parts, something I rarely do, but find helpful to do given the depth of this passage.
Now again, let’s remember that verse 8 is something of a hinge verse to take us from the subject of prayer in the church to the subject of women in the church. Verse 8 tells us that it is the men who are to take the lead in prayer in the church context. Paul says:
8 I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting;
We noted last time that Paul uses the word “men” here not in the general sense of “men and women,” but in the gender specific sense of “men” as opposed to women. “I desire,” he says, “that the men pray everywhere.” Now, I shared with you last time that this teaching here in verse 8 does not mean that women cannot pray in public worship gatherings at all.
In 1 Corinthians 11, verses 3-16, Paul addresses the issue of women praying publicly in worship services. He writes about the manner of women praying in the churches, explaining the necessity of their praying with a head covering, or veil, in public worship. A veil was a cultural symbol in Paul’s day that showed a woman’s respect and appreciation for the differing roles of men and women in the church and home. And while it is not our place this morning to fully explain the wearing of a veil, I mention 1 Corinthians 11 this morning only because it illustrates that Paul is not saying that women cannot pray at all in the churches.
I really believe, rather, that Paul is saying that the men are expected to “take the lead in prayer.” This is further demonstrated by the fact that in verse 8 Paul is addressing the manner of men in public worship and then in verse 9 he begins to talk about the manner of women in public worship. So he says in verse 8 of the men, “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere.” I desire that the men be the initiative takers in prayer. Be the spiritual leaders God calls you to be at home and in the church. It’s not that women cannot pray in church. They can, but it should be the men who regularly lead such prayer times and we’re not helping the men lead in this way if we’re not challenging them to pray. We’re not helping the men lead if we’re not allowing them to pray. We’re not helping the men lead if we’re not encouraging them to pray.
After last week’s message, I came across one of Geoff Thomas’ messages and I thought I would share this with you because it speaks to this whole matter rather nicely. Thomas writes:
Consider…the church Prayer Meeting. Each week we meet, and it is the conviction in our own congregation, that women should be invited to pray. Most prayer meetings are domestic and family affairs, as we soon learn when intercession is made for many people by name, for sick children, bereaved parents, the hard-pressed, the unemployed and elderly, all very specifically. This is quite different from the Sunday pastoral prayers in which some of these references must be more veiled. We want the Christian women to pray, and seem to be blessed in some special ways by hearing them intercede. They introduce an affection and devoted earnestness into the Prayer Meeting which is a God-given grace…However, we do believe that it is the duty of the men to assume the leadership in the time of prayer at the church’s Prayer Meeting, and the women in particular want it to be so. Their desire is to be in a New Testament congregation where godly men rule through the Word. The women will sigh to one another and will say, “Why don’t the men pray?” At the Prayer Meeting I would expect each man to be sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for an opportunity to pray, and whenever women prayed, for each man to rebuke himself for his silence.
Remember from our last message, men, how we said we must start somewhere? However inadequate we may feel at prayer, God honors our most feeble efforts and gives us grace to grow as we seek to fulfill our God-given role as spiritual leaders. I found this statement also by Geoff Thomas this past week, too. He writes:
Consider the new Christian, and the enormous hurdle he crosses when first he prays in the Prayer Meeting, and the blessing his words are to us. Larry Crabb talks about his memory of the evening he prayed in the midweek meeting: “Filled less with worship than with nervousness, I found my theology becoming confused to the point of heresy. I remember thanking the Father for hanging on the cross and praising Christ for triumphantly bringing the Spirit from the grave. Stuttering throughout, I finally thought of the word ‘Amen’ (perhaps the first evidence of the Spirit’s leading), said it, and sat down. I recall staring at the floor, too embarrassed to look around, and solemnly vowing never again to pray or speak aloud in front of a group…
“When the service was over, I darted toward the door, not wishing to encounter an elder who might feel obliged to correct my twisted theology. But I was not quick enough. An older man, named Jim Dunbar, intercepted me, put his arm on my shoulder, and cleared his throat to speak. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Here it comes. Oh well, just endure it and then get in the car.’ I then listened to this godly gentleman speak words that I can repeat verbatim today: ‘Larry,’ he said, ‘there is one thing I want you to know. Whatever you do for the Lord, I’m behind you one thousand per cent.’ Then he walked to the door. Those words were life words. They had power. They reached deep into my being. My resolve never again to speak publicly weakened instantly” (Encouragement: The Key to Caring, NavPress).
See men how God honors our feeble attempts to rise to become the spiritual leaders in our homes and in our churches! We start with simple prayers and God honors that and he helps us by giving us more grace to lead our families and to lead in the church.
Well this is all introductory, then, to our study this morning as we now turn to the role of women in the church. I want to take the rest of our time and talk about what the Bible teaches here about being “A Godly Woman.” We’ll look at this in at least 2-parts, part 1 this week and then part 2, Lord willing, next week. As I studied this morning I thought it may take us 3-parts! But for now let’s consider this matter of being a godly woman. First Paul helps us:
I. Consider her Beauty [9-10]
In verses 9 and 10 Paul teaches us to consider the true, biblical beauty of women. I have two sub-points here. First, when it comes to what makes the godly woman beautiful, Paul says:
A) She’s known for her modesty (9)
9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,
Now the key word here in verse 9 is the word “modest.” The beautiful godly woman is known for her modesty with respect to dress and apparel. I say this because Paul is not timelessly forbidding that women wear their hair in a certain way or forbidding them to wear jewelry or saying that they can only wear clothing that costs just so much. This would be to miss Paul’s main point here and to interpret the Bible in a literalistic sense rather than a literal sense.
We believe the Bible is to be interpreted literally, which is not the same thing as interpreting the Bible literalistically. We believe the Bible is to be interpreted literally. That is, every passage has one main meaning that is to be interpreted literally: God says what He means and means what He says. To interpret the Bible in a literalistic sense would mean that we read verse 9 and we say, “Oh, okay. I can never wear my hair in braids. I can never wear gold or pearls. And I can never wear costly clothing.” And that would be to miss the main point of Paul’s teaching here. The point is, “Adorn yourself modestly, with propriety and moderation.” Paul then gives some examples of things that would be considered “over the top” by the culture of Ephesus 2,000 years ago. For a woman to braid her hair, or wear gold or pearls or costly clothing in the church at Ephesus was considered over the top in his day.
But the same thing could hardly be said for our day. We don’t get worked up about someone who has braided their hair today, do we? I’d be grateful to have hair! We don’t consider it over the top for a woman to wear a gold ring or necklace or pearls to church, do we? And as for “costly clothing,” where do we draw the line? And that’s just the point, isn’t it? Each culture in each historical context must determine for themselves what is considered “costly” or “over the top” when it comes to Christians dress and apparel. But the point is: be modest.
This passage is very similar to what Peter teaches in 1 Peter, chapter 3. 1 Peter 3:3-4, Paul writes, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”
Taking the two passages together we see that Paul and Peter teach us a couple of things. First, don’t define beauty by what you wear, but rather define beauty by who you are. Secondly, as you are dressing yourself, do so modestly, with propriety and moderation. Watch the length of your skirts, watch the way you sit, watch the way you carry yourselves. Don’t draw attention to yourselves by your dress and certainly do not dress in an immodest way, tempting men to forget for a moment that they are here to worship God. Don’t dress in such a way as entice a man to gaze upon you with desire. Dress that way for your husbands at home, ladies, but not for other men here at church. And we could apply the principle to both sexes. Men ought to adorn themselves in modesty, with propriety and moderation. This is the point of the teaching. So as we consider the beauty of a woman, we see that she is known for modesty and, verse 10:
B) She’s known for her charity (10)
10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
Paul is teaching that the beautiful godly woman is known not so much for her good dress as she is known for her good deeds. That’s what verse 10 means. Ladies, true beauty is not found in jewelry and costly clothing, but in your charitable lovingkindness; in the way you bless others with your encouraging words and acts of service. That’s what makes a woman beautiful.
It would be wise for every young woman especially to note carefully verses 9 and 10 here. Young ladies are tempted to define beauty only in terms of popular magazines or the near anorexic ladies on the fashion runway and so forth. More important than beauty according to man is beauty according to God. The beautiful godly woman is known for her modesty and her charity.
Let’s move on. We’ve considered the godly woman’s beauty. Secondly:
II. Consider her Behavior [11-14]
Having addressed the godly woman’s beauty, Paul now turns to the godly woman’s behavior in the worship services. We will have time this morning for only the first sub-point here and that is:
A) She embodies biblical humility (11)
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
Now it is my conviction that people move too quickly through verse 11 and 12 and therefore miss so much. Verse 11 Paul says, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission” and we know that this anticipates what he will say in verse 12, “And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”
Now we will deal with that in greater length next time, Lord willing. We’ll ask why Paul says that women are not to be teachers of men in the local churches. There is a very good reason why and I hope you will do some homework and study the context and ask yourself the question in preparation for next week’s message. Why are women not allowed to preach or teach the Scriptures in public gatherings in the presence of men? Ask yourself that question in preparation for next time. Why are women forbidden from teaching the Bible in public gatherings to men? Why is that still true today? Does this mean that women cannot teach at all? Ask those questions in preparation for next time.
But before we even get to that, look more closely at verse 11. Paul says:
11 Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
Before we even look at that word “submission,” can I encourage you to just sort of draw a line right after the word “learn?” Paul says, “Let a woman learn.” Just stop there for a moment and take that in. Let a woman learn. Do you realize just how liberating that statement would be for women of Paul’s day?
From the Rabbinical writings (the Mishna and Talmud), just a couple of citations:
“Engage not in too much conversation with women…As long as man engages in too much conversation with women, he causes evil to himself, for he goes idle from the study of the Torah, so that his end will be that he will inherit gehenna (that’s hell!) (Abot. I,5).
“May the words of Torah be burned than that they should be handed over to women (Sota, 10a)” and, “Rabbi Eliezer says: ‘Whoever teaches his daughter Torah teaches her obscenity (Sota 21b).’”
And the Orthodox Jewish man prays daily in his prayers, “I thank You, God, that You did not make me a woman.”
So actually what Paul is teaching here is a huge step up for women of his day. He is saying women are blessed to be women and that they may learn the Scriptures as well as any man. We’ll talk more next time about the word “silence” and what that doesn’t mean and we’ll also talk about the phrase, “with all submission” but note that a woman is to learn. She is to learn! Learn the Scriptures! Learn the Scriptures! May we all commit to doing that for God’s greater glory.
- Stand for prayer.
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