A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing – if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety. (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
We live in a world of prejudice. Some think that Jews are superior to non-Jews, some think that men are superior to women, and some think that the rich are superior to the poor. The prejudice exists in every direction, so with great bitterness, some would insist that women are superior to men, and some would claim that the poor are superior to the rich, at least in virtue. The world’s solution to prejudice is to minimize these distinctions; however, since these distinctions are either inherent and permanent, or at least difficult to change, both the distinctions and the prejudice remain, and these different kinds of people are left without any principle that unite them.
The world’s attempt to minimize distinctions usually propose that all kinds of people are good. This is false and has resulted in failure. The Bible’s approach is entirely different. It condemns all kinds of people as guilty before God. Whether a person is Jew or non-Jew, male or female, rich or poor, he or she is born a sinner, a child of wrath. No matter what group a person belongs to, the Bible says, “There is no difference.” All men and women are contemptible. But then, it declares Jesus Christ as the true principle of unity among those who look to him as Head and Lord. In him, the Jew is not superior to the non-Jew, because no race can compare to the new creation race, the race of Jesus Christ. The man is not superior to the woman, since through Christ we are all members of one body. The rich person is not superior to the poor person, for we are all joint-heirs of the true riches in Christ Jesus.
In absorbing human distinctions into true unity through Jesus Christ, the only distinction that matters has come to the forefront, and that is the distinction between Christians and non-Christians. The race, gender, and class of a person makes no difference when it comes to his access to God through Jesus Christ. But whether a person comes through Jesus Christ makes the decisive difference, for he is the only way to God and to salvation from sin and hell. Thus since the beginning, the Bible divides mankind into these two main groups.
Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to think that Scripture abolishes the distinctions between race, gender, and class. Where relevant, it repeatedly reinforces some of these distinctions that God has instituted either by creation or by providence. Again, the Bible does not share the world’s approach in promoting harmony among men. It is by adopting the world’s thinking in reading certain biblical passages that some have come to oppose several prominent and explicit teachings of Scripture, such as those concerning male leadership in the home and in the church.
The Bible indeed says that there is no Jew and Gentile, no male and female, and so on, in Christ, but the context always has to do with the condemnation and justification of mankind. That is, whether male or female, all human persons are condemned in Adam. And whether male or female, all who believe in Christ are saved by him. The human distinctions remain. A rich person does not lose all his money just because he becomes a Christian. The money still belongs to him, and he can still purchase things that the poor cannot. This is established by God’s providence. The two were equally condemned under Adam, and now they are equally justified, and have equal access to the throne of grace. Yet their earthly standing has not changed. The same applies to race and gender.
When it comes to order in the home, the Bible is clear that the man is the head of the house, and the wife must submit to him in everything as unto the Lord. Here Paul is referring to order in the house of God, or the church, and he states that men are to assume the leadership, and women are not to usurp them. This might appear sexist according to the standards of the world, and it is pathetic to see how Christians who adhere to the teachings of the Bible nevertheless try to explain how this passage is not sexist. What do I care about the world’s standards? According to non-Christians – at least some of them, since they do not agree – this is indeed sexist. So what? Their standards are wrong. The Bible says that, because of their defective intellect, they regard the gospel as foolish, but we perceive that it is the power and the wisdom of God. Rather than convincing them that the Bible does not violate their standards, Christians should attack their standards.
There is nothing in Scripture that withholds learning opportunities to women. They are to have equal access to biblical teachings. However, Scripture indeed forbids them from seizing positions of authority in the church. This does not mean that their ministry opportunities are very limited, only that their official influence is restricted, and that the ministry work that they perform must be done under the supervision of male leadership. The wife cannot be head in the home over her husband, but she has tremendous liberty as long as she operates under her husband’s authority. A similar principle applies in the household of God.
There is a woman preacher whose ministry is internationally recognized today. The organization and its publications all come under her authority. Her husband is reduced to such a negligible role that I went several years without even knowing his name, until I saw a small advertisement in her magazine that mentioned something about him. Once I heard her speak on a biblical text that deals with female submission to male leadership. She could not deny the plain words of the passage, but at one point she roared, “I do submit to my husband!” After that, the audience was too afraid to disagree with her.
A woman like this is a disgrace to Christ, a dishonor to her husband, and teaches rebellion to female believers who envy what appears to be a liberty to serve Christ unencumbered by the restrictions of their husbands. On the other hand, one wonders how she has been allowed to carry things so far. It is likely that her husband has relinquished leadership due to her stronger personality. Although this might feel like an act of love, it is an act of rebellion against God, and against the order he has prescribed for the home and for the church. Such an arrangement allows a cowardly man to lesson the burden on himself, but it is a responsibility that God has placed upon him and not on his wife. As the designated leaders, men are supposed to enforce God’s instructions. Thus when women overturn the proper order, men are also culpable. The wrath of God will not be far from the chaos and disaster that result.
If men fail to lead, to give oversight and direction, and women are not supposed to subvert them, then great frustration is inevitable. It is not enough for men to oppose female leadership – that in itself is not leadership. Men must assume the roles that God has ordained for them, without fear, shame, or apology, and then make organized efforts to mobilize all the members of the body of Christ to perform the work that God has prescribed for them, both male and female.