1 Timothy 2:9-15

1 Timothy 2:9-15  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.  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. 

Romans 5:12-14  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned — for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 

Acts 2:16-18  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 

Paul's teaching is hard in our culture of equality.  Americans strive to eliminate the differences between men and women; we even teach our young women that every workplace is opened to them from being an astronaut to building homes.  We want them to have all the opportunities that men have.  I taught this to my own girls, and now I teach this to my granddaughters.  In fact, about two weeks ago, my little granddaughter, Julia, and I were looking up in the sky at an airplane, and I asked her if she would like to fly an airplane--desiring her to think of such an occupation even as a little girl of two.  She looked at me and said very deliberately, "That would be TOO dangerous."  Well, in Paul's culture people were all living within established roles.  If your dad was a fisherman, you would be a fisherman, and your kids would be fishermen, too.  Their culture was very static.  Men had a definite role, and women had a definite role, set positions in their society.  Sometimes that role was broken such as Deborah the judge and prophetess in the Old Testament.  The Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided.  (Judges 4:5)  But in general, the standard, acceptable roles held fast.  

In the above passage we have Paul elaborating on the acceptable role of women in that society.  Women were to be in submission to their husbands, for their marriages were arranged by others.  Men and women did not fall in love and then marry in that culture.  In fact that kind of arrangement was very much frowned on.  Married men and women were conveniently bound, which had little to do with affection or love.  Therefore, gathering of people together to worship could be a dangerous situation.  Men and women were kept separate within the church building.  Paul did not want women to dress to kill.  Since marriages did not evolve out of strong attraction for each other, such gatherings as the church could be places of sexual promiscuity rather than a place of worship.  Women were not to show themselves off or to be highlighted in public places.  Such bold women were considered to be immoral.  Only the prostitutes drew attention to themselves by their dress and language.  Demure, holy women were not to act in such a way.  Paul forbid women to speak in the church because he felt, as in their civil society, the direction of any community was the responsibility of men.  

However, IN CHRIST, we are all SONS OF GOD:  You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  (Galatians 3:26-29)  We also find Peter on the day of Pentecost under the unction of the Holy Spirit, saying that your sons and daughters will prophesy or teach.  We are all one in Christ, positioned in the body of Christ where HE DESIRES.  We are no LONGER our own, male or female, we are his, one in him.  Should we be decorous, proper, acting as a society intends for us to act?  Yes.  Should we dress like a prostitute?  No, but neither should we dress as John the Baptist, for we would draw attention to ourselves, and not to Christ.  

All things should be done decently and in order.  We should behave ourselves, we should do what is right, we should not be outlandish or out of order.  Shall women be saved by childbirth?  No, although Bible scholars disagree, some believe Paul was speaking of elevating women spiritually from the evil state of the world.  Regardless, women are saved as all human beings through the new covenant of faith in Jesus Christ.  By Adam, a human being, sin came into the world.  But through Christ, in human flesh, salvation came to all men.  Men and women do have differing roles, but in Christ we are one.  We are all capable of being used by the Holy Spirit who is in us.  So if your inclination is to speak for Christ, speak for Christ.  If your inclination is to remain silent for Christ, remain silent.  But all things should be done in order and under HIS AUTHORITY that He might receive the praise and the glory.