Biblical Womanhood In Action
In the last entry of our series on Women & Social Issues, we talked about how society defines what a woman is and how a woman should act. We laid a foundation from Genesis on what the Bible says, which—to no surprise—contrasts significantly with what culture says. Men and women are created in God’s image, have a unique value and worth above the rest of God’s creation, and have distinctive roles and responsibilities, especially within a marriage relationship. While Genesis 1-3 does not give every “rule” on what these relationships look like, it does lay the foundation for the husband to have headship and the woman to be a helper.
The rest of the Bible builds on these principles, by explaining and modeling for us what this looks like in action. What Bible women come to mind as being good examples to follow? What character qualities did they exhibit? On the other hand, what other Bible women would be negative examples? Why?
New Testament Examples
In the New Testament, we have entered the “church age”. The passages that we will look at speak directly to the church and certain expectations for women. Here we will see the same principles at play as in Genesis.
Scripture 1: Ephesians 5:22-24
This passage specifically talks about marriage relationships. The command to ‘be subject to’, or submit, is given to the wife. What does submission mean? Constable writes, “people often misunderstand submission. It does not indicate inferiority or involve losing one’s identity and becoming a non-person. Some women fear that submission will lead to abuse and/or a feeling of being used. Submission does not mean blind obedience or passivity. It means giving oneself up to someone else.” Submission is a respect and deference. As wives, we submit because we are also obeying God “as to the Lord”.
As if that isn’t enough, verses 23-24 give the “why” behind this command. God has given the husband the role of leader, the head of the home. This is the first reason why we should submit to the husband. Next, this relationship and special role is compared to Christ being the head of the church and the Savior of the church. This is the second reason why we should submit.
It is interesting to note that there are no other conditions given for submission. We don’t submit only when our husbands are being good leaders or if we agree with them. We also don’t submit because we feel that we are inferior. We submit because we are obeying Christ, with all of our imperfections. Obviously, this does not include sin. We know that due to sin, this beautiful relationship has been marred and sin will affect both the husband’s leadership and the wife’s submission. Your pastor is a great resource to deal with any marital issues that are happening, or to find a safe situation if dealing with abuse. If you aren’t sure if your situation is considered abuse, or if submission is being used manipulatively, then please discuss it with your pastor or a trusted mentor as they can provided biblical next steps.
Verses 25-33 expound on a very intense command towards the husbands. The command is that husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved the church, which continues the metaphor. We won’t get into the implications of the husband’s responsibility here, but it is clear that a wife’s role and husband’s role are equally important. When a husband is obeying God in his role, and a wife is obeying God in her role, there is harmony!
Scripture 2: Titus 2:3-5
This passage gives specific instructions towards different people groups in the church— Paul speaks to older men, older women, young men, servants, etc. Titus 2:3-5 is also the famous discipleship passage for women. There are certain qualities that a Christian woman should exhibit, and in order to learn them and grow in them, the older women were to disciple the younger women in these areas.
In verse 3, we find the characteristics that the older women were to demonstrate. Essentially, they were to be respectable and spiritual. I know many older women who are gossips, drink often, and do not demonstrate spiritual maturity. In order to follow the command to “teach” the younger women, the older women must first be displaying Godly character that the younger women would observe and mimic.
Verses 4-5 explain the characteristics that the older women were to teach the younger women.
First, they must love their husbands and children, with the husband coming first. The wife and mother must give sacrificially to love her family and take care of them. Love is sacrificial!
They must also be sensible and pure—two qualities that are absent from what our culture praises in women! It is a good thing to be sensible, and to not be silly and flighty. It is also a good thing to be innocent of sin, including exposure to sin.
Young women were to be taught to be workers at home. This phrasing is more controversial in our culture that prizes the concept of “boss lady” in the workforce. The principle given here is that the wife is not neglecting her duties to her home and family. Perhaps a woman may be able to work outside the home and take care of her husband and family, but in many situations this would be difficult. Yet, husbands and wives are able to make decisions in this area as they apply this principle to their unique situation.
Young women were also to be kind; they were to be welcoming and honoring to God in their actions towards others. Again, this is counter-cultural.
Finally, they were to be subject to their own husbands. This again enforces the idea of voluntarily submitting to and respecting their husbands.
Titus 2:5 explains the beautiful purpose behind these important characteristics. It is found at the end of verse 5: “so that the word of God will not be dishonored.” In obeying God’s Word and living out these commands, we honor God! This is our motivation!
Scripture 3: 1 Peter 3:1-8
1 Peter 3:1-8 is another controversial passage of Scripture when it comes to commands towards women. In verses 3:1-2, submission in a special situation is discussed. How was a Christian woman to obey God’s commands when her husband was not following Christ? The answer is clear: a woman’s submission to her husband—allowing him to lead, and showing respect to him—and her “chaste and respectful behavior” was to be a testimony to the Gospel that he would so evidently see the Lord at work in her life!
The opposite of this is nagging and manipulating your husband, or even usurping his role. Instead of trying to manipulate or control your husband, wives must trust the Lord to work in your husbands life and being obedient to God in your own life.
Verses 3-4 give a caution here against adornment. A Godly woman should not be focused only on outward beauty through hairstyles, jewelry, or clothes and fashion. The text does not prohibit these things but the emphasis and priority needs to be on inner character qualities. Our culture certainly encourages women to have different priorities than the Bible, but we must remember that a “gentle and quiet spirit” is precious in the sight of God!
We all know women who outwardly might look perfect, but their character does not honor God. The Christian woman must have a humble and gentle heart posture towards spiritual things. Verses 5-6 even give an example of Sarah in the Old Testament, who displayed submission to her husband and demonstrated the inner beauty qualities in her life.
This section closes in verse 7 with a caution to the husband to be considerate of his wife! We will discuss this in a few weeks what it means to be “weaker” but essentially a husband must be considerate of his wife and if he doesn’t, the Bible actually says his prayers will be hindered!
Passage 4: 1 Timothy 2:9-15
In this passage, verses 9-10 have similar instructions for a woman’s outward appearance. “Proper” clothing is described as modest and discrete. Attention must not be given to fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry or clothing, but attention must be given to good works! If a woman claims to be a Christian, but is not known by her works, she is not backing up that claim. She is empty. If we gave as much attention to serving God with good works as we did to how we look, don’t you think that our churches would be flourishing!
In verse 11, the principle here is to demonstrate humility. In the context of a church gathering, we must be humble to instruction from God’s Word. We can’t be antagonistic or demanding (but how easily that can happen!). We must quietly and humbly receive the teaching and instruction given from church leaders.
Following this command, Paul gives another stipulation in verse 12. In the context of a church setting, Paul clearly does not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority. We will talk about different interpretations of this in a few weeks, but again, women must be humble and respectful of God’s design for male leadership in a church.
The reason we must follow this is because Paul appeals to Adam and Eve as the basis in verses 13-15. The fact that God made Adam first and made Eve to be a helper to Adam shows that this concept has always been a part of God’s design for male leadership within marriage, and now we see within the church. Again, this does not mean that males are superior to females. It is helpful to see this as a responsibility: Men have more responsibility in leadership.
The mention of deception does not necessarily mean that women are more susceptible to being deceived. In Titus 2, responsibilities are given to older women and younger women. If women were more prone to being deceived, I do not think Paul would have had them play any role in discipleship! This can refer to the fact that some women at this time were specifically being deceived by false teachers. Paul may have been reminding these women not to follow in the footsteps of Eve. By cultivating humble spirits and being respectful of the God-ordained leadership, they would be on guard against deception and false teaching.
1 Timothy 2:15 can be a difficult verse to interpret. Are women saved spiritually if they have a child? Are they physically protected as they go through childbirth? There are different views, but To within the context, it seems that Paul is reminding the women of the value of the role as a wife and mother. This is not meant to exclude single or childless women; it’s speaking to the typical view and role. We also must be reminded that ALL women are encouraged to display godly character in the verses above!
Making it Practical:
Think about it: what clear trends do we see in the commands given to women?
Submission/roles in marriage
Responsibility to children and homes
Godly character over outward appearance
Submissive/quiet attitude in church
While these instructions may not appear radical to you, concepts like submission or women being forbidden from teaching within a church context can appear unfair to those who are struggling with their faith or unbelievers. Maybe you’ve heard people claim that Christians demean women because of the New Testament instructions given towards women. How would you address this, given the Biblical instructions in the New Testament?
As we interact with people who have misconceptions or feel strongly against what Scripture says, the best resource is the Bible itself. But instead of sharing a few Bible references to end the discussion, would you invited your questioning friends to study Scripture alongside you? Each of these four passages has so much to unpack, especially within the broader context of each book. Understanding the themes of the books and the other topics addressed will help each passage make sense and would make a great starting point for discussions on Biblical womanhood. Let your friends be free to share her concerns or frustrations, but look at Scripture together for the answers. Never underestimate how God can use His Word!
