Men and Women in Life and Ministry

Introduction

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. He brought order out of chaos and at the apex of creation he created and installed mankind. In Genesis 1:26 God said ‘Let us make man in our image after our likeness’ and so ‘God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them’. One important aspect of being created in God’s image demands that mankind reflect his glory.

Tied up with the notion of reflecting God is the necessity of distinction in the midst of equality. God exists eternally as three persons who are one God, and if humankind are to image God on earth one requirement is that they express this combination of distinction in the midst of equality. Humankind, as men and women who have been created equally in the image of God, must represent the distinction in the midst of equality that is found in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are fully God and entirely equal, nevertheless, they are different persons who relate differently to one another. If humankind is to accurately image God this reality must be re-enacted in the human community on earth.

Regrettably however, that is not the case for the vast majority of humans. Ever since the fall men have endeavoured to dominate women and women have attempted to undermine the authority of their husbands. It is important to note that while some alliances outside of Christ may rise above this phenomena the pull of sin is continually towards it. As a result this has engendered a groundswell of fear, anxiety and misunderstanding with regard to how men and women should relate to one another.

Considering the worldwide scope of this issue, it would be naïve to imagine that the 21st century church in Australia is encountering a new challenge with regard to the role of men and women. In Corinth especially, this issue arose and Paul addresses it in 1 Corinthians 11 and 14. 1 Corinthians 14 will be of special interest for us, along with the clear teaching of 1 Timothy 2, in our quest to rightly understand how men and women should operate in ministry.

Our task is not isolated to these two texts. As suggested earlier, we will consider the distinction in the midst of equality that is found in the Godhead. It is also important that 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 are read and understood in light of the New Testament account of the various ministries of men and women, where distinction in the midst of equality is clearly on display.

The New Testament Narrative of the Ministry of Women

When we consider the attitudes held towards women in the cultures and nations surrounding 1st century Israel, the New Testament provides a stunning contrast in its appraisal of women in ministry. At the beginning of the New Testament we meet Elizabeth and Mary. In no time at all Elizabeth, having been filled with the Holy Spirit, is prophesying, and Mary is magnifying the Lord and declaring his glory. In the subsequent accounts of the New Testament these occurrences are more usual than unusual.

In Matthew 15 Jesus is impressed by the faith of a Canaanite woman. He listens to her logic and then bows to her request. In Luke 7 a sinful woman forgiven of her sin is welcome at Jesus’ feet. In Luke 8 women were accompanying him in his ministry. In Mark 5 a haemorrhaging lady boldly approaches Jesus and is then gently called ‘daughter’. While in John 4 Jesus speaks openly with a woman at a well in Samaria to the shock of his disciples. This woman appears to be so important that he ‘had’ to go Samaria for her (John 4:4).

In line with this in Luke 18 Jesus was happy to use women in his parables. In Luke 21 he refers positively to a widow’s offering. He likewise spoke tenderly and patiently with both Mary and Martha on various occasions. He wanted them to learn in Luke 10 and to understand in John 11, and he was happy for Mary to anoint him in John 12.

Not to mention Jesus’ mother. In John 2 he respectfully disagreed with her, and then firmly resolved to care for her in John 19 as he died. Then once risen, perhaps most surprising of all, he appeared first to women in Matthew 28 and to Mary Magdalene specifically in John 20. Without a doubt Jesus loved women and he encouraged them in ministry.

This revolutionary practice of incorporating women into ministry was hinted at in the Old Testament (Deborah in Judges 4-5 and Esther as Queen) but abhorrent to many nations surrounding Israel. However, by God’s grace, this positive attitude towards women prevailed and continued on in the early church. In Acts 1 women were praying alongside men. In Acts 2 women were filled with the Spirit along with the men. While in Acts 6 the widows connected to the believing community are well cared for. Accordingly Lydia shows hospitality in Acts 16 and women are prophesying in Acts 21.

But perhaps the most outstanding event is recorded in Acts 18 where it appears that Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, takes Apollos aside and explains to him the way of God more accurately. In 18:2 we read of Aquila and his wife Priscilla but in 18:26 we find Priscilla and Aquila. Perhaps, by mentioning Priscilla first in 18:26, Luke is suggesting that Priscilla took the lead in helping Apollos.[1]

In the same vein, this attitude continues in the letters of the New Testament. In 2 Timothy 1 and 3 we discover that Timothy, whom we first encountered in Acts 16, appears to have been instructed by his mother and grandmother in the Holy Scriptures. While in Paul’s letter to the Romans he concludes by mentioning a number of women. Then in Philippians he is clearly concerned about Euodia and Syntyche who laboured beside him in his ministry. Undeniably, the New Testament affirms the value of women. But not only that, it also highlights the importance of ministry done by women.

At this point it may be helpful to realise that while Jesus clearly affirmed the value and dignity of women, and while he encouraged them in certain ministries, he did not call them to be apostles. This cannot be because he was afraid to upset the cultural norms of the day, for he was more than willing to challenge his surrounding culture, so it must surely signify a distinction between the ministries entrusted to men and women.

1 Corinthians 14:34-38

The above snapshot of women in ministry is indispensable as we approach 1 Corinthians 14. If our interpretation neglects the wider New Testament narrative we will be vulnerable to a parochial understanding of what Paul has to say to the Corinthians. Therefore we must accurately assess this text in its immediate context, and also allow the wider context of the New Testament narrative to appropriately guide us towards a more thoroughgoing and biblical theology of men and women in ministry.

As just noted, the context of 1 Corinthians 14:34-38 is invaluable. In this section of 1 Corinthians (14:26-40) Paul is addressing the problem of disorderly worship. He begins by urging the Corinthians to do all things for mutual edification, and he then suggests three appropriate times for silence. If there is no one to interpret tongues let the person who can speak in tongues be silent (14:28), if there is a revelation made to another prophet then the first one, presumably the one speaking, should be silent (14:30), and at certain times women are likewise to be silent (14:34). An approach to 1 Corinthians 14:34-38 that ignores this context, and the wider teaching of the New Testament, is likely to incite unnecessary angst. For, in this text, both men and women are told to be silent at certain times during the church service. 1 Corinthians 14 clearly does not command only women to be silent.

But when should women be silent? In 1 Corinthians 11 women are praying and prophesying so clearly Paul does not desire women to be totally silent throughout the service. Yet even in 1 Corinthians 11 these practices are not unchecked. Paul says ‘man was not made from woman, but woman from man’ and therefore ‘in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman’. Here we have distinction in the midst of equality. Nevertheless there is still order. Men and women must conduct themselves differently in order to reflect the distinction in the midst of equality that is apparent in the Godhead (1 Cor. 11:3-5). Paul goes back to Genesis 1-3 in order to understand how men and women should live and relate with one another, and to understand how they should conduct themselves in the church.

Correspondingly, in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul does exactly the same thing albeit in a more veiled manner. He commands women to keep silent at certain times in the churches because at certain times they are not permitted to speak. Why? For the reason that they should be in submission as the Law says. Presumably Paul is referring to Genesis 1-3 as he also does in Ephesians 5 and will later do in 1 Timothy 2. When Paul wishes to understand marriage or the role of men and women in ministry he turns to the early stages of Genesis. So we should understand ‘Law’ to be referring to the first few chapters in Genesis. It is therefore imperative that men and women in the church understand the wonderful truths articulated in Genesis 1-3.

Returning to when women should be silent, DA Carson suggests that it refers to the oral weighing of prophecies in 14:29. He understands prophecy to be a greatly varied act in the New Testament, something quite distinct from Old Testament prophecy, where the testing of prophecy is a greater and more responsible action of authoritative teaching than prophecy itself.[2] Women, therefore, could prophesy but could not weigh up what is being said. This allows women to be actively involved in the church service but not in a position of teaching authority as per 1 Timothy 2:11-12.[3]

James Greenbury has posited a few objections to this view. First, he states that prophesying itself exercises more authority than weighing prophecy. Second, he wonders whether 14:29 refers to silent appraisal rather than authoritative weighing. Third, he suggests that this interpretation does not easily fall out of the text. And, lastly, he reminds us that no one had interpreted it this way for the first nineteen hundred years of the church.[4] Greenbury’s thoughts are well taken though not definitive.

His first objection is debatable, and probably invalid, because the weighing of prophecy surely requires more authority than prophesying and then waiting for approval. His second objection is stronger, though Carson’s view accords better with the command found elsewhere to test prophecies (1 Thess. 5:20-21). Greenbury’s third query is perhaps his best but only because no interpretation falls naturally out of the text for the 21st reader (We could say this about nearly every interpretation of this passage). Moreover, it is hard to find a satisfactory explanation anywhere, even in nineteen hundred years of church history. So while Greenbury pushes us to correctly interpret 1 Corinthians 14:34-38, Carson’s explanation still remains intact and is still the preferred interpretation. Claire Smith agrees. She says that women are not to speak ‘while “the others”, that is, the congregation, are weighing the prophecies (v.29)’.[5]

Gordon Fee takes another approach altogether. Based on the supposed incongruity between 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 Fee has proposed that 14:34-38 is an early interpolation, prior to thgreee copy of our earliest manuscripts. Yet the stubborn fact remains that all our earliest manuscripts offer no support for such a contention.[6] 1 Corinthians 14:34-38 is simply part of the Bible and we must reckon with it. The church in Corinth, in league with Fee, appears to have struggled with this teaching when Paul asks rhetorically ‘was it from you that the Word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?’ It seems they found this teaching unpalatable. But, regardless of our first impression it is part of God’s inspired Word.

Therefore let us briefly consider what 1 Corinthians 14:34-38 tells us about ministry. In light of the wider New Testament narrative this passage teaches us:

1. There are differences between men and women that are to be reflected in the life of the church and in ministry
2. These differences go right back to creation
3. Women are not the only ones told be to silent in 1 Corinthians 14
4. All people are required to submit at different times and must exhibit self-control in order to be silent
5. Women are able to pray and prophesy in church
6. Men are able to hold positions of teaching authority
7. Women must submit to their husbands at home and in the church
8. This submission is to be evidenced by all women during the authoritative weighing of prophecy
9. God is a God of peace and order and he expects the church to likewise be ordered and peaceful
10. Corinth was probably not the first to encounter this problem (1 Cor 14:33, 36-37), and we today are certainly not the first

1 Timothy 2:9-15

Turning our attention to 1 Timothy 2:9-15 we find simple but hard teaching. Paul’s command in 2:11-12 is not unclear it is only unpalatable. So much so that Karen W Hoover accuses the writer of 1 Timothy of distorting the Genesis account by extrapolating teaching that simply is not there.[7] She then explains that we have two options; (1) we can continue to regard this injunction of 1 Timothy as definitive even though there is no evidence to uphold the claim, or, (2) we can abandon our search for absolutes and live in the creative tension of the less clearly defined.[8] Hoover’s novel work may appear tempting to some but as Douglas Moo reminds us ‘most works advocating a full range of ministerial functions for women have little difficulty with 1 Tim 2:12; 1 Timothy is viewed as a sub-Pauline, second century document which possesses little or no authority for the contemporary church’.[9]

So we can either accept 1 Timothy or we can cut it out of the Bible. Cutting out a book of the Bible is impossible. Therefore we must grapple with this teaching and seek to humbly obey. Let us examine the text more closely.

In 1 Timothy 2:9-15 Paul begins by encouraging women to adorn themselves with appropriate attire. They are not to adorn themselves with costly items but with what is proper for women who profess godliness. Unmistakably, in verse 9, we are within the realm of godliness. Paul views women to be important and he desires their works to be in accord with their profession. Unashamedly, Paul sees women and their conduct as significant.

He then says ‘let a woman learn in all submissiveness’. The most striking element of this verse is that women are to learn. The Greeks in Athens refused to educate their women but Paul supports the education of women. Nonetheless, the characteristic feature of their learning is submissiveness. This is hardly astounding given that all students must submit to their teachers as all Christians must submit to their leaders (Heb. 13:17). Nevertheless, the submission in view here is particularly relevant for women for in 2:12 he declares ‘I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet’. The teaching here is so clear that we must either accept or reject 1 Timothy. Even the smartest and most devious cannot get around its clarity.

When there is a situation involving regular teaching and authority a woman cannot arrogate power to herself and teach, or wield authority over a man. This is a breach of a creation ordinance as Paul shows in 2:13-15. The reason I say ‘regular teaching and authority’ is because of the New Testament narrative we have along with 1 Timothy. Consider for example Jesus listening to the Canaanite woman’s logic, Jesus discussing theology with the woman at the well, women prophesying in church, and Priscilla straightening out Apollos. These examples prevent us from a taking hard line approach with regard women teaching and wielding temporary power and authority over men.

Nonetheless the pattern of life is important. So while it is appropriate in some scenarios for women to teach men, the pattern of men and women in life and ministry has been set from the beginning. We must therefore endeavour to live in accordance with the teaching of Genesis 1-3. For, as Paul tells us, ‘Adam was formed first, then Eve’. Evidently, Paul supplies a biblical basis for his injunction by resting his teaching upon the Genesis account of the creation and the fall.

At the same time he affirms that women will be saved, and that they will be saved through childbearing. The incredible privilege of giving birth to the Saviour who would crush Satan was entrusted to the woman Mary. So despite the sin of Eve and her weakness in being deceived, all women will be saved through the Saviour that Mary bore if they continue in faith and love and holiness with self-control. Here we see faith and dependence upon Christ being expressed through love, holiness and self-control. This self-control is likely connected to submission and refusing to wield power over men.

As Douglas Moo concludes, given that Paul has rooted ‘his teaching deeply in the culture-transcending events of the creation and fall of man and woman’ and given that ‘there is absolutely nothing in the passage which would suggest that Paul issued his instructions because of a local situation’ it is vital that men and women realise Paul’s teaching is ‘valid for the church in every age and place’. The Bible irrefutably states that ‘women are not to teach men nor to have authority over men because such activity would violate the structure of created sexual relationships and would involve the woman in something for which she is not suited’.[10]

Consequently, 1 Timothy, in light of the New Testament narrative, teaches us that:

1. The conduct of women is important. Their conduct must correspond to their profession
2. Submission belongs to the realm of godliness
3. Women should learn
4. The characteristic nature of their learning should be submissiveness
5. Men can teach men and women
6. Women cannot regularly teach men in an authoritative manner (though they can teach women, Titus 2:3-5)
7. Women are not to rule over men in marriage or in the church
8. The restrictions about teaching and authority go back to creation
9. The distinctive roles of men and women do not change over time
10. Salvation is equally available for men and women

Conclusion

In summary, the New Testament affirms the patterns laid down in Genesis 1-3 with regard to the roles of men and women. This involves marriage but also ministry. That means women, along with men, are highly treasured by God, and equal in his eyes, nevertheless, women are not identical with men.

The wonder of this distinction in the midst of equality is a reflection of the eternal Godhead who exists as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We must not, therefore, water down the distinctions between men and women but rather seek to uphold them as we cling to the equality of men and women before God.

These distinctions are plainly set out in 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2, however they are not fully set out. We need the rest of the New Testament, particularly the narrative sections, in order to rightly understand the God ordained and created distinction in the midst of equality that is intrinsic to humanity. Men and women are absolutely equal yet unchangeably distinct, and life and ministry must reflect this marvel. How wonderful it is that men and women were created equal yet different to reflect their loving Creator!

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[1] Consider the switch between Barnabas and Paul and Paul and Barnabas in Acts 13

[2] Prophecy in the New Testament is quite hard to define. In the New Testament it appears to be a message given to a person from God. It could be a verse from the Old Testament, a prediction, or perhaps a thought connected to a particular topic. Given that prophecy in the New Testament is to be tested and weighed, it seems clear that it differs from Old Testament prophecy.

[3] DA Carson ‘Silent in the Churches: On the role of Women in 1Corinthians 14:33b-36’ in John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A response to evangelical feminism, Crossway, 1991, reprinted 2006. 152-3

[4] James Greenbury, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35: evaluation of prophecy revisited, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 51 no 4 Dec 2008, p 721-731

[5] Claire Smith, God’s good design: What the Bible really says about men and women, Matthias Media, 2012. 95

[6] Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Wm Eerdmans, 2014. 699-705

[7] Karen W Hoover, Creative tension in 1 Timothy 2:11-15, Brethren Life and Thought, 22 no 3 Sum 1977, p 163-166. 163

[8] Hoover, Creative Tension, 166

[9] Douglas J Moo, The interpretation of 1 Timothy 2:11-15: a rejoinder, Trinity Journal, ns 2 no 2 Fall 1981, p 198-222. 221

[10] Moo, Douglas J, 1 Timothy 2:11-15: meaning and significance, Trinity Journal, ns 1 no 1 Spr 1980, p 62-83. 82-83