Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

II. Three Questions

1. Should Christian women avoid wearing jewelry or braids?

I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
—1 Timothy 2:9-10, NIV

2:9-10 “Having dealt with the disruptive men, Paul turns to the disruptive women; just as the men are to stop fighting, the women are to dress appropriately. .

. .

“While their dress is an issue, their attitude is Paul’s true concern.”

The responsibility of the women in church meetings needed more explanation. Paul’s point in these verses is that works that express a godly character should characterize Christian women more than the way they dress and groom themselves. The contrast is between works and wardrobe. Obviously Paul was not saying external appearance is unimportant. God gave women their beauty and…

“Let some say what some will about Paul, he here states that women are to dress in good taste when they prepare to attend church.”

“Slovenliness in dress and appearance is unbecoming a Christian woman.”

A Christian woman should be remarkable for her Christ-like behavior more than for her clothes, hairstyle, and the other externals that are of primary importance to unbelievers (cf. 1 Pet. 3:3).

Compare

Song of Solomon 4:1 ““,How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead. ” NASB95

Proverbs 4:8-9 ““Prize her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. ““She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty.” ” NASB95

Proverbs 4:7 ““The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; And with all your acquiring, get understanding. ” NASB95

Proverbs 6:25 “Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids. ” NASB95

Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. ” NASB95

Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. ” NASB95

James 1:10-11 “and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. “For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. ” NASB95

“The Christian woman is not to adorn herself with ‘gold or pearls or expensive clothes’ so as to draw attention to herself.”

The red carpet of the Oscars or the sacred velvet of godly women.

“The reason for Paul’s prohibition of elaborate hair styles, ornate jewelry, and extremely expensive clothing becomes clear when one reads in the contemporary literature of the inordinate time, expense, and effort that elaborately braided hair and jewels demanded,

“But perhaps the more acute problem was that of insensitive women flaunting their dress, jewelry and hairstyles in a way that hurt the feelings of the poor and disturbed the church. The kinds of adornment mentioned (braided hair . . . gold . . . pearls . . . expensive clothes) all belonged to that culture’s critical caricature of wealthy women.

Spiritual qualities should mark Christian women always, of course. However, Paul’s concern was that they be outstanding in the church meetings. There the women’s character and conduct would contribute to building up activities rather than detracting from them (cf. 3:15).

Perhaps Paul gave these instructions to the men (v. and to the women (vv. 9-10) partially to counteract the natural (fleshly) tendencies in males and females. Most men tend to be active, so it is important that they give attention to praying, which is more contemplative than active. Women like to look good, so they need to remember that good deeds are more important than good looks.94

2. Women’s Participation in the meetings

Should women learn in silence?

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
—1 Timothy 2:11, NIV

2:11-12 Regarding their participation in the meetings of the church (3:15) Paul taught that the women were to let the men provide the public instruction and leadership. He did not mean that women should surrender their minds and consciences to men, but that they should voluntarily take the position of learners in church meetings.

“This was a radical and liberating departure from the Jewish view that women were not to learn the law.”

The verbs “teach” and “exercise authority” are in the present tense – implies a continuing ministry rather than a single instance of ministry.

I do not think he would have objected to women teaching or leading groups within the church what we commonly recognize as sub-groups

Acts 18:26 “and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ” NASB95

Paul is describing a typical church were men who could provide teaching and leadership. If these were absent, exceptions might be necessary to achieve the higher goals of the church, namely, the building up of the saints to do the work of ministry.

“Teach and have authority over a man (v. 12)

We should notice that Paul did not employ his usual term for ‘the normal exercise of authority’ (exousia).

He chose an unusual word (authenteo) that could carry negative connotations such as ‘to usurp or misappropriate authority’ or ‘to domineer.’ The unusual term probably signifies an unusual situation. In the Ephesian context at least, women had misappropriated authority by taking upon themselves the role of teacher.”

authenteo. It means to act on one’s own authority or to act in an autocratic manner. To exercise authority in this way would be to submit to no higher authority in the church.

“submissiveness” (v. 11; cf. Eph.5:21-22; Col. 3:18). The Greek word (hypotage) means to rank under – submission to God’s Word!

James 1:21-25 “…in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; or once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” NASB95

Rank has to do with order and authority, not personal superiority and inferiority.

Christ’s willingness to submit to those in authority

Superior to every other human being yet submitted to

other human beings (Luke 2:51; Phil. 2:5-11).

God will reward His submission to the Father, and He will reward women who submit to His will as unto the Lord (1 Pet. 5:6-7).

1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. ” NASB95

Paul seems to have been speaking here of the whole local congregation.

Exactly what did Paul prohibit women from doing

He did not want them to teach a man or to exercise authority over a man in the local church meetings (3:15).

Teaching the Scriptures is in view.

Paul forbade women from regularly teaching men in local church corporate worship (3:15).

Paul approved of women teaching women and children (Titus 2:3-5; 2 Tim. 1:5) and instructing men privately (Acts 18:26). Reading a book that a woman has written is one example of private instruction.

“Paul in 1 Tim 2:12, does not forbid a woman all teaching. Paul is only prohibiting the headship of women in the Christian community.”

Quiet: (hesychia), translated “quiet” (v. 12; cf. v. 2). Hesychia does not mean absolutely silent but settled down, not unruly.

“Paul does not mean that women are to be absolutely silent during the service (compare 1 Cor. 11:5). Rather, he instructs them to exhibit quietness (in spirit) instead of taking the lead, or to ‘be silent’ in the sense of not teaching.”

1 Corinthians 11:2-16 Paul permitted women to pray and prophesy in church but insisted that they have their heads covered when doing so. This concession seems to contradict both 1 Timothy 2:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34.

2:13-14 Paul gave two reasons

First, God made Adam first and then made a suitable companion for him in Eve.

Second (v. 14), as part of the judgment on Eve at the Fall God confirmed the battle of the sexes.

“Paul’s point [in verse 14] is that this battle that resulted from the devastation at the beginning must not be repeated in the church. The woman must not be the one who leads the man in obedience to her. Thus when the teaching of the Word of God in the assembly occurs, a qualified male elder should fill the role of teacher.”

In a Christian marriage men and women should bring their proper relationship to one another in marriage over into church life and apply it in the household of faith (cf. 3:15) as well as in the household of the family.

3. What Does “Saved Through Childbearing” Mean

in 1 Timothy 2:15?

The message of 1 Tim 2:15 is certainly strange and foreign to the 21^st century mind. Any interpretation of this portion of Scripture must wrestle with the theological, contextual, interpretive difficulties embedded within these few words.

The interpreter seems to be left with a dilemma.

On the one hand, the temptation to allegorize and theologize is tremendous when dealing with such a difficult text.

On the other hand, to focus only on the grammatical understanding of every word and construction to its most common, usual sense appears to make childbearing a prerequisite for the salvation of women.

The tension is high and so are the stakes— especially if you are not married or don’t have children!

The best interpretation will recognize this tension

The meaning of 1 Tim 2:15

My Conclusions

First dogmatism must be left at the door when interpreting this verse. There is a reason that so many differing proposals have been made for this verse: it is simply difficult to unpack.

We are far removed from the historical context and know little of the situation to which Paul is writing. The inspiration, authority, and usefulness of all Scripture demands that such a search must never cease.

Second regarding the most probable explanation of 1 Tim 2:15. From a list of 15f interpretations

A woman will experience the full reality of her final and ultimate glorification by means of her present good works in the realm of motherhood.

The true basis of a woman’s salvation is faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

For women in this context, the specific good work of raising and nurturing children is a proper and effective means by which their commitment to the Lord and sanctification may be accomplished.

This explanation also fits well with what is known of the historical situation and the false teachings

First Timothy 2:15 combats portions of the circulating false doctrine in affirming marriage and motherhood as not only roles that are acceptable for believing women, but as roles which actually enhance a woman’s spiritual life

The responsibilities of motherhood are seen as a good work which expresses the present reality of a woman’s salvation, plays a part in her sanctification, and at the same time, serves to safeguard her from falling away from the faith and towards the paths of Satan and the false teachers.

Paul is combating and confronting the false teachings and the results of those false teachings with the truth (as he is throughout the Pastorals); thus the statement is a bit confusing as are many such statements of which only one end of a conversation is available.

Paul is responding to false teachings, we need not insist he is recasting such teachings or quoting a proverbial statement in order to understand the message of the verse.

Finally, the perseverance interpretation of 1 Tim 2:15 resonates with the experiences of many women whose daily lives are spent knee-deep in the duties and responsibilities of motherhood. As many of these have testified, the responsibilities of motherhood bring a depth to the spiritual life of a woman that no other duty brings. The task of nurturing and caring for the life God has graciously given is a sanctifying process that deepens both the desire to live a godly life and the necessary dependence upon God for the power to lead such a life.

Summary

The words of 1 Tim 2:15 are confusing and often troubling to the modern-day audience. We do not choose this verse for our daily devotions and sometimes we wish it were not a part of the canon of Scripture at all.

An overview of interpretations of this verse reveals many varied positions, each with its own advantages and disadvantages,

The present thesis concludes that the best explanation of 1 Tim 2:15 comes from the perseverance interpretation: A woman will experience the full reality of her final and ultimate glorification by means of her present good works in the realm of motherhood. It is her continuance in the faith through which she was justified, however, which is the true basis of a woman’s final salvation.