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Women’s Service to the Lord

Only practical offices were open to women in the New Testament Church. It appears that Phoebe held a specific practical office, such as deaconess: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of the saints and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been a great help to many people, including me” (Rom. 16:1-2). It is probable that the delivery of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome was entrusted to her.

In the Bible, there are many examples of women serving the Lord in practical ways, most of whom would not have held any specific office. At Mount Sinai, women spun thread for the tabernacle materials (Ex. 35:25; 38:8), and in 1 Samuel, we read of women serving, probably in menial tasks, at the door of the tent of meeting (2:22).

Luke records that women helped to support Jesus and His disciples out of their own means (8:3); and among the people to whom Paul sends special greetings in his letters are women such as Mary, who “worked very hard” for the believers (Rom. 16:6), and Rufus’s mother, who had also been a “mother” to Paul himself (Rom. 16:13).

Although Deborah was the only woman in the Bible who definitely held a spiritual office, several other women were recognised as prophetesses.

In the Old Testament, Miriam and Huldah had input into the leadership of the nation. “Miriam the prophetess”, the sister of Moses and Aaron, led the women in celebratory praise to the Lord after the crossing of the Red Sea and the drowning of the Egyptian forces (Ex. 15:20-21); and much later, through Micah, the Lord reminded Israel, “I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam” (6:4).

When Josiah the king of Judah realised that the Law had not been obeyed, he ordered Hilkiah the high priest to “inquire of the LORD” for him and for the nation.  Hilkiah did this by consulting “the prophetess Huldah” and taking her answer back to the king (2 Kings 11:20).

In the New Testament, Anna and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist were recognised for their prophetic ministry. When the infant Jesus was presented to the Lord in the temple, “a prophetess, Anna… gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk. 2:36-38). Luke records that “Philip the evangelist… had four unmarried daughters who prophesied” (Acts 21:8-9). In addition, we learn from Paul that women were allowed to pray and prophesy in public worship (1 Cor. 11:5).

Prayer and prophecy were not the only types of spiritual service open to women in the early Church.  There were some women who were noteworthy for co-working with men for the Gospel. In Acts, we read, “When Priscilla and Aquila heard [the teaching of Apollos], they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately” (18:25-26). That Priscilla is mentioned at all in a teaching context, and that her name is placed before that of her husband Aquila, seem to indicate that she played a prominent role in explaining the Christian faith to Apollos.

Likewise, Paul writes: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 16:3).  Two other women, Euodia and Syntyche, are mentioned as co-workers with Paul, as he says that they “contended at [his] side in the cause of the Gospel” (Phil. 4:2-3).

Paul instructs church members to give to one another wise teaching that is based on the teaching of Jesus:  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom” (Col. 3:16a). For women, this meant teaching women and children.

Older women were to teach the younger women how to live holy lives (Tit. 2:4), and mothers could play a major role in bringing up their children in the Christian faith. Paul writes to Timothy: “I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and … now lives in you also” (2 Tim. 1:5).

There has been much controversy about whether any women were ever considered apostles in New Testament times. Those who claim that there were some women apostles base their opinion on a reference to Andronicus and a person called Junias or Junia as “outstanding among the apostles” (Rom. 16:7). There are differences of opinion about the name and the sex of this person.  Most scholars now prefer the spelling Junia, and believe that Andronicus and Junia were probably a married couple.

However, the word translated “among” has a very great variety of possible meanings, and the term “apostles” may sometimes be applied loosely to notable missionaries. If by “the apostles”, Paul was referring mainly to the Twelve, the meaning would be that these two people were outstanding “in the opinion of” the apostles; but if Paul was using the term “the apostles” in a wider sense, as when he applies it to Silas and Timothy as well as himself (1 Thess. 2:6), it might perhaps be possible for a woman missionary co-working with her missionary husband to be called an apostle together with him.

Why No Spiritual Office?

Because government and teaching were both seen as exercising authority over those governed or taught, it is probable that women in New Testament times could not be appointed as elders, pastors, or teachers in a church setting of men and women.  However, questions about the possible suitability of women for these roles seem to have been raised with Paul, for he expresses very forcefully his opinion on the matter:

“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… it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” (1 Tim. 2:11-14)

Even though Paul does not claim that his opinion is the Lord’s command, the reasons he gives for it seem to imply a belief that universally and for all time, no woman should teach a man or exercise any other type of authority over him in a church setting. It appears that in Paul’s view, the creation of man before woman is enough to signify that woman is to be subordinate to man, and the fact that Eve was deceived and became the first human sinner indicates that no woman is to be entrusted with any teaching or governing role in the Church.

Interpretation Problem

Paul’s prohibition in 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man [or usurp authority over the man (KJV)]”, and his accompanying references to Adam and Eve, are not as simple as they seem. Some have argued that Paul is prohibiting only the usurping of authority, but the relevant Greek word covers a whole range of meaning, from merely having authority to domineering.

Adam and Eve may be viewed as representing mankind and womankind in general, or as representing the husband and wife relationship. As in some other New Testament passages, it is also uncertain whether the Greek words usually translated “woman” and “man” should here be translated “wife” and “husband”.

To indicate this uncertainty, some modern translations add footnotes.  The New Revised Standard Version has, “I permit no woman [or wife] to teach or to have authority over a man [or her husband]”, and the 2011 edition of the New International Version has “I do not permit a woman [or wife] to teach or to assume authority over a man [or over her husband]”.

Regardless of the exact interpretation of Paul’s prohibition, even in Western culture today, if a wife teaches a congregation that includes her husband, she might be considered by some to be teaching him as well as the other men who are present, unless it is clearly understood that she is teaching under her husband’s authority.

Perhaps in Paul’s time, a man would more readily feel the indignity of any situation in which a woman seemed to have authority over him, particularly if the woman was his own wife. In a private setting, Priscilla participated in teaching Apollos, but her ministry to him was under the “covering” of her husband Aquila (Acts 18:26).

Even if Paul was definitely referring to husbands and wives rather than to men and women in general, the promotion of a married woman to any position of spiritual leadership in a church (apart from leadership for women’s or children’s work) raises a similar problem. Unless her husband holds an office at least equal to that of his wife, she may be considered to be exercising authority over him as well as over the other men in the congregation.

We do not know whether women who were widowed or divorced were excluded from Paul’s prohibition. They did have greater personal responsibility than wives or young single women, as shown in the Old Testament laws about vows or pledges (see Num. 30:9). However, it would probably be very rare for a woman in New Testament times to be permitted to teach in a public worship service, and most scholars agree that only practical offices were open to women.

Women Teaching Men

In today’s culture, is there any justification for women to teach men as well as women on spiritual topics? A fairly strong case can be made in favour of it, particularly in situations where there is no man suitable for the task, as used often to be the case on foreign mission fields.

Today we have the completed printed Scriptures, whereas the early Church had only the Old Testament and various Christian writings that were being copied by hand and circulated. As the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of God’s people, they came to accept the books of the New Testament as part of God’s Word, to submit to their divine authority, and to collect them together, excluding other writings. The canon of New Testament Scripture was officially fixed in 397 AD, and all the accepted books were those that had been written almost certainly in the first century by apostles or close associates of apostles.

In the early Church, leaders had to wrestle with weighty questions of doctrine such as those concerning the human and divine natures of Christ and the relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Through study of the apostles’ writings in the light of the Holy Spirit, gradually the main doctrines of Christian orthodoxy were agreed upon in those early centuries, and today, in general, the Church is spared the pain of such great controversies.

In Jesus’ time, Jewish boys could attend the synagogue school, whereas the education of girls was in the hands of their mothers.  In modern Western culture, women are better educated, indeed usually as well educated as men; and many women have also been trained to interpret the Scriptures.

It was assumed in Bible days that male headship was basic to every social structure. However, there is now a general social acceptance of the participation of women at nearly every level of nearly every field. If all women withdrew from the teaching of secular subjects in higher educational institutions, the whole system could collapse. Today, most Christians assume that questions about women teaching men are relevant mainly to spiritual teaching.

In Western countries, teaching adults is not considered to be exercising authority over them to the extent that it seems to have been considered by the Jews of the first century. There is almost universal literacy, there are plentiful sources of information, people are taught to think critically, and adults are not expected to accept everything they are taught. People are free to be like the Bereans, who examined the Scriptures “to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). There is general recognition among Christians that Scripture itself, not any teacher or preacher, is the supreme authority for faith and life.

Guidelines are Needed

Despite the argument in favour of women teaching God’s Word to both men and women in our culture, it is usually best for women who feel called to engage in this type of ministry to follow wise guidelines. No woman who takes the Scriptures seriously can lightly assume that God has chosen her for such work.

If a woman senses that the Lord might be calling her into a teaching or preaching ministry wider than to women and children only, it is important for her to seek the Lord’s confirmation, while guarding against pride, “pushiness”, or any usurpation of authority. If married, she would also need her husband’s approval before moving forward.

Confirmation of her calling might come partly through other mature Christians, and even if the proposed work is to be mainly outside her own church, the spiritual support of her own pastor would be beneficial and desirable. It would be wise to include some male advisers in her team, and she should take care to keep very close to Scripture as she teaches. In addition, a married woman would need to ensure that her family responsibilities were not being adversely affected.

Even though it seems that Paul, rightly for his day, did not permit women to teach the assembled church, the mention of Priscilla and Aquila teaching Apollos in their home (Acts 18:25-26) provides a miniature biblical pattern that can be expanded to enable suitably gifted women to teach in churches under the authority of male leadership. It is probable that Priscilla was a more gifted teacher than her husband, but Aquila, as head of the house, provided a “covering” for her.

It is significant that even in our day, some women who have a teaching ministry feel that the best way for them to teach groups or congregations that include men is to teach them in the presence of a male pastor or elder who is in charge of the meeting. That is a way that is acknowledged as “fitting and orderly” (1 Cor. 14:40) by nearly all Christians. In a further expansion of the pattern, some male pastors give authority to suitably gifted women by “releasing” them into teaching ministries to men and women, without requiring their teaching to be in the presence of a male leader.

God’s Mysterious Ways

Particularly from about the middle of the nineteenth century, God has used various remarkable women in ways that may seem to break New Testament guidelines. Some American women, in particular, were amazing preachers who made their mark because their ministries were truly great.

In the late nineteenth century, Maria Woodworth-Etter demonstrated so obviously the power of the Holy Spirit that she reached many thousands for Christ. In the early twentieth century, Aimee Semple McPherson built a church that could seat 5,000 people, established the first Christian radio station in the world, and founded a denomination. Later in the century, Kathryn Kuhlman, who was famous for saying, “I believe in miracles”, became a leading healing evangelist.

When New Testament guidelines about women’s ministries appear to be broken, we should avoid criticism. We are living in a very different culture from that of the first century, and it is impossible to be definitive about the role of women in Christian ministry today. “Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes.  He… will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time, each will receive his praise from God.” (1 Cor. 4:5)

God’s sovereign hand was upon what was included in Scripture, and not only did He include the Priscilla and Aquila pattern of ministry (Acts 18:25-26), which can readily be expanded in a way sufficient for the ministry of most women preachers, but He also included the astonishing story of Deborah (Judg. 4-5). When we remember Deborah, the great exception, we cannot doubt that God sometimes chooses to call extraordinary women to do great exploits for His Kingdom that extend “outside the box”.

Let God be God. He is free to make exceptions to His own “rules”. Though Old Testament Law stated, “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD” (Deut. 23:3), Ruth the Moabitess put her faith in the God of Israel and became an ancestor of David and therefore of Jesus (Ruth 4:13-22).

After the death of Eli and his sons, Samuel performed the priestly functions of interceding and offering sacrifices on behalf of the nation, yet he was not of the priestly line of Aaron. (1 Sam. 7:5,8-9; 10:8)

We need to be humble before the Lord and completely open to His call.  Just as Deborah was raised up to rescue Israel from oppression by enemies, God may be raising up “Deborahs” in our spiritually dark time.  Let us be available to Him and find His plan for our lives.

Rejoice in God’s Plan for You

If you are a man, be a man and rejoice in your manhood. If you are a woman, be a woman and rejoice in your womanhood. God does not make mistakes about the sex He allots to each one of us. Male and female are different not only in their biology, but also in their ways of thinking and feeling, and as the French say, “Vive la différence!” (“Long live the difference!”).

God is sovereign over all, and women who truly love and obey Him need not fear that they will be prevented from doing anything He wants them to do. It is neither a man’s world nor a woman’s world, but God’s world. May His Kingdom come! May His will be done! You will be happy and blessed as you fit in with God’s perfect plan for your life.

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The material for this article is from “True Womanhood” by Alison J. Sherrington, a book which resulted from an attempt to discover from Scripture the abiding principles of true womanhood and to encourage us to be available to God and find His plan for our lives. Through the Philip House website, the book may be obtained from Amazon or freely downloaded and printed as a PDF.

Image courtesy of Adobe.