20. God's Design for Women in the Church (1 Timothy 2:9-15)

Of the many topics covered in this series thus far, it is the articles dedicated to the roles of women that tend to elicit a sensitive response. This may be especially true for an article dedicated to the role of women within the church, and extra-especially true for an article dedicated to studying the passage found in 1 Timothy 2:9-15.

Few verses cause such a divide when it comes to Christians and the discussion of what a woman's specific purpose in the body of Christ should look like. Oftentimes, I find that our perspective on the role of women in the church focuses on the restrictive rather than the permissive. We tend to fixate on only those things which we understand women to be prohibited from, rather than on the many important works which they can—and indeed, have a responsibility—to perform. These specific offices are not of lesser import, but rather, they are of equivalent value and worth before God.

Scripture was never intended to be read on its own, devoid of context and plucked from the unified revelation of God's word. By looking at this passage in 1 Timothy along with several other verses concerning the topic, a more holistic and complete picture of God's intention will come into focus. To determine the specific role of women, we must first settle what is the role of all believers, and then work out what specific responsibilities and services women are called to perform.

The Responsibility of All Believers

The passage in 1 Timothy begins with the idea in verses 9 and 10 that:

While the responsibility of a woman is broadly established here, the non-specific phrasing of "good works" could lead to many different interpretations of what exactly this responsibility entails. Verses 11-14 offer some more specific guidelines of what is prohibited and will be discussed later on, but where are we to find what is encouraged? Other scripture passages detailing the roles of all believers may offer more detail.

In order to function properly, the body requires all of its believers to be active and engaged with the work of the church. Every member of the body, man or woman, has a God-ordained and Spirit-assigned role to play in the building up of the church. Such teaching is clearly seen in passages like 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, which reads:

Every believer is given a gift to be used for "the common good." It may then be said, broadly speaking, that the role of the woman in the church is exactly that of the man: to use her God-given spiritual gifts in a way that supports the body and upholds the work that Christ is accomplishing through His Church. Women are "fellow heirs" (1 Peter 3:7) and are "all one in Christ Jesus" alongside men (Galatians 3:28). Therefore, just as men are assigned gifts for use within the church, so too are women assigned the same gifts according to the Spirit's will. The specific ways in which they use these gifts, however, may differ from their male counterparts.

The Giftings of Women

The aforementioned passage in 1 Corinthians 12 continues on to list a variety of gifts with which a woman may be endowed. Such gifts include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, and tongues. Similar lists of spiritual gifts throughout the Bible add faith, administration, intercession, teaching, mercy, and service, among others. All of these activities fit well into the category of "good works" to which women are called in our main passage, 1 Timothy 2:9-15.

Whatever your individual opinion on the exact practical nature of some of these gifts, it seems clear from both the testimony of scripture and personal experience that women are given the same gifts as men. Jesus had many women travel alongside Him and His disciples, "helping to support Him out of their own means," or out of their unique individual giftings (Luke 8:1-3). Women throughout the New Testament Church described in the book of Acts prophesied (Acts 21:9), demonstrated mercy and service (Acts 9:36), taught (Acts 18:26), and showed generosity and leadership (Acts 16:11-15).

Women in today's church are given all these same gifts and have just as much of a responsibility to use them for the building up of the Church. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us that:

There are so many ways a woman could use her gifts, both inside the home and out of it. Women with the gift of mercy could go to sit with the bereaved and sick, offering them comfort. Women with the gift of teaching could lead women's conferences, direct Sunday schools, and teach at Christian institutions. Women with the gift of generosity could use their blessings to bless those around them. Women with the gift of knowledge could write devotionals, books, articles, and songs for the benefit of others. Women with the gifts of administration and leadership could organize outreach events or assist in the running of particular ministries. Whatever her gift, there is a role for every woman in the church because there is a role for every believer in the Church, as God intended.

One may presume that the pervading temperament of many women in general predisposes them to gifts of mercy, service, faith, generosity, hospitality, and intercession, but a woman who has been gifted with abilities such as teaching, administration, and knowledge should not feel ashamed or "less feminine." God Himself has given her these gifts, and He has a unique and valuable way for her to use this gift as commanded, in line with the spiritual order He decreed.

The Role Unfulfilled

The main passage of this article, 1 Timothy 2:9-15, has often been used to only declare what women cannot do instead of what they are privileged to. Perhaps this is because less space in the passage is given to discussing that privilege, as it is already part of the broad testimony of other scriptures we have studied thus far. Several of the verses in the 1 Timothy passage read:

When women focus on the few, specific things that they are not permitted to do in this and other passages (1 Corinthians 11:3-15, 14:34-35), they are ultimately pursuing unconstructive lines of thinking. A woman focused on herself—on her appearance before others, on the respect and admiration she receives, on her own perceived level of importance and success—is failing to fulfill her role in the Church. If the goal of a Christian woman is to build up the Church, but she uses any means or tries any avenue to build up herself instead, then she is falling short. While it may look different for each, both men and women experience the temptation of pride and self-promotion. Both men and women have a responsibility to shun this temptation and look to Christ instead.

The woman's focus should not be on what will make herself feel more important and more valued. Her focus should instead be to continually seek after that which God has given her to do: using her spiritual gifts for the betterment of the Church and the furtherment of the Great Commission. The woman's adornment comes from her "good works," as previously discussed. What God values most in a woman is not whether or not she makes herself look good, but whether or not she follows His command to use her gifts for Him. When she fulfills her special role, and through this, the role of all believers, she honors God.

The Woman's Special Position

When a woman follows God's commands by using her gifts in the manner prescribed through His word, she is helping to paint a beautiful picture reflected throughout God's creation. God ordained an order to His world to help us understand more about His nature. Just as the three persons of the Trinity are united in purpose yet distinct in role, so too do women, alongside men, seek to achieve the same purpose by way of their unique abilities. Their goal is always the same, but their approaches different. A woman has been specially created and designed to do things no one else can do.

One may imagine many situations, where by way of her nature, she may even be more equipped to handle a role than a man because of the special giftings that God has bestowed on her. I don't just mean a role inside the home when I say this, but a role in public life as well. Spiritual gifts were given to believers for the uplifting of the whole Church, so we can trust that God has planned a variety of ways in many spheres that a woman can use her gifts while still operating within His order.

No woman's focus should be on what she feels she can't do when God, through His Spirit, has graciously bestowed upon her so much ability, talent, intelligence, and worth. Her difference in position compared to men does not make her less able or less important. God sees her as an equal heir in Christ, essential to His plan and purpose for the Church. It should be the hope and privilege of all women to consider and discover exactly what plan God has for their lives. And when they find this unique position in His Church that God has created specifically for them, they also find purpose, fulfillment, and joy unbounded.

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Works Cited

The ESV Bible. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org.