1 Timothy: Instructions for Women

I. Intro

A. In Like Manner/Likewise.

1. There are attitudes that Paul has been encouraging in Timothy (and Godly men) that he also wants the women to have…

a) Submissiveness to those God has placed over them in authority (vs1-2)

b) A concern for souls (vs3-6)

c) Holy conduct, w/o wrath or dissension (v8)

2. Paul spoke of these in regards to prayer with the men, and here in this passage (9-15) regarding women, he will apply these to the areas of the attire of the woman along with how she is to interact with man, those who God has placed over her in authority and teaching.....

II. The Clothing & Character of the Godly Woman (vs9-10)

A. "likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works" ().

B. Clothe yourself w/ humility and self-control.

1. The words that Paul uses in this passage show us that God desires that his daughters have hearts that do not desire to bring undue attention to themselves or to promote something about themselves with what they put on their bodies, whether that be clothing, jewelry, etc.

a) As we talked about in July, the idea of modesty begins in the heart… It is a desire to show humility in the way that you portray yourself, and in this application – in the way you dress

b) If you are bringing attention to yourself because you are wearing something that is too showy and shows off your wealth, or something that is too tight fitting or reveals a lot in order to show off how “great” your body looks, you are not being modest.

2. Self-control – Also, what you put on shows whether you have set boundaries for yourself. Your clothing shows whether you decide to do things your own way or God’s way… and whether or not you are able to show restraint in what you put on or buy because of the effect your attire can have on others.

C. What God wants to be noticed…

1. Paul says that women should “adorn themselves… with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works"

2. A godly woman stands out in a different way! Because of what she does in good works and who she is inwardly as God’s daughter. She has clothed herself in good works.

a) "Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." ().

3. When people look at you, they need to primarily see Christ living in you. They should see someone who is a servant, someone that is faithful in encouraging their brethren and the lost, someone that is full of love and compassion for others, and that you desire to dress in a way that shows this.

III. Women in Authority or Teaching Over Men?

A. "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." ().

B. I believe Paul is continuing the same line of thought in these verses. Just as the woman is to show humility in how she dresses, she needs to do the same in regards to accepting the roles that God has given her in His creation. The idea of not demanding attention and being humble applies not just to what you wear. It applies to other areas of your life also… It applies to:

C. How you learn.

1. The woman must have a submissive spirit as she learns. I believe this applies not only to what happens here, but also in places like the classroom, or at work. When women are being taught by men, there needs to be a submissive spirit in which she does not want to take control of the class or discussion, and, in so doing, show disrespect towards the one who is teaching her.

2. Paul says that the woman must learn quietly and with submissiveness. The word for “quiet” is related to the word in verse 2 where it says to pray so we may lead a “quiet life.” In both cases it seems to being used, not with the idea of being 100% silent and saying nothing, but with the idea of being subdued, respectful, and submissive to those placed over us by God…

a) The godly woman has a heart that does not want to be domineering, especially towards men in this context who are teaching her. The world looks at the woman being domineering and just “telling you how it is” as a strength, but passages like this one show that this is not true. Strength is shown in submission and humility, even when you disagree with the person who is teaching you.

D. The main idea here is having authority over a man, but he does use one example of how a woman can have authority over a man... teaching

1. Paul says, “I do not permit a woman to teach… over men.” God has given this authority to men. He desires that they be the ones who teach, and the woman needs to show caution and make sure when she interacts with men, talks about scripture, or teaches on some other subject that it is done with a submissive and humble attitude.

a) The emphasis here is “over men.” Women may certainly teach other women and children () ... but they are not permitted by the Apostle Paul to teach over men. They must be submissive.

2. This at the very least shows that it is not God’s will for women to teach men in worship assemblies and Bible classes. I believe there are plenty of applications outside of our assemblies, but at the very least, we need to see that these roles have been given to those who are men; we see this in the qualifications of pastors in ch3 and in every example in which evangelists and pastors are talked about in the New Testament.

E. How much authority you desire.

1. Teaching is just one example of how a woman should not have authority over men. There seems to me to be an argument from a specific example to a more general application. What is true here for teaching is true for all forms of authority and leadership over men, whether that be within the walls of the church building, in the home, or in society in general, God does not permit women to be in positions of authority over men.

F. The reason/basis behind these instructions

1. "For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor." ().

a) The reasons why Paul (God) teaches these things have nothing to do with the level of education that women have or how the culture at Paul’s time viewed things… The reason is NOT that women are less valuable in some way. God is not oppressing women here... These are ways the world wants us to look at passages like this...

b) The reasons that Paul gives here are based on how God made us… God designed things to be a certain way, and when we try to do things that we are not created by God or permitted by God to do, we make a mess of things! This is the point that Paul is showing here.

2. First, he makes the point that the creation order is the reason why this teaching is given

a) “For Adam was formed first, then Eve”.

b) The created order alone shows that God wanted men to be the ones who are in authority. God created Adam, put him in authority over his creation, gave him the authority to name the animals. He was the one whom God gave the command, “Do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil…” He expected Adam to impart this information to his wife (which he did) after she was created from his rib. This is how God set it up… Even before the curse, there was something God was showing just in the created order that shows that God wants man to be the one who is in authority…

3. Second, Paul shows us that he gives us this command because of the example of what happened when Eve went outside of what God created her for to lead while Adam followed…

a) “…and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”

b) When, in the garden, Eve stepped in to take the leadership role and Adam was the follower, it was a mess!

c) God created woman to compliment man, and her strengths are in other areas… This is something that needs to be emphasized a lot in our society today. God created men and women with different strengths and different weakness. Both men and women are equal in value to God, but He has created women in a way that they have a different role in glorifying God than men do. Women in general have strengths which God created them with that men do not have. They are more naturally emotional nurturing, better at giving support, compassion, and these kinds of things. God did not created women to be in authority, just as men were not created to nurture in the way women and mothers can… Men are not too “motherly” and are not the best managers at home/homemakers because God did not create us to be. Often when men try to take on the role of the woman, they fail miserably to display the nurturing and patient heart that mothers show.

(1) When Eve stepped up to lead, she was deceived by Satan, and her husband followed her by rebelling and sinning by violating the command he was given by God

d) So Paul’s argument in verses 14-15 is that the order which God made us shows us that He wants men to be the preeminent ones in regard to teaching and leadership, and second, His design of us, which is confirmed in the fall, is that God wants men to be those who are in authority and he wants men to have the prominent role in teaching and leading God’s people as elders/pastors..

IV. Saved Through the Bearing of Children?

A. To make sure that the women don’t read through this and then say, “Well, there is nothing I can do. I am useless and less important to God,” Paul tells us something important about the amazing duty and blessing that He gave women to fulfill.

B. Unfortunately, this is a very difficult verse to understand.

1. We do not know exactly what Paul is trying to relay through it… “Only God knows” for sure what it means... I don’t think this passage is saying that a women must bear children in order to be saved. You don’t have to fulfill the man’s role to be saved…

2. She needs to fulfill the role and responsibilities that He gave to the woman…

C. Some possible interpretations.

1. The Christian woman is saved, not by taking upon herself the role of man, but by humbly submitting to the role God designed her to have...

2. The great and valuable role which God gave the woman is her ability to bring into the world and to bring up and nurture the next generation and in managing the home.

3. The other possibility is that Paul is taking us back to the garden to remind us of the first messianic prophecy that was given

a) After Eve was deceived and led Adam to sin by eating the fruit, the prophecy was given that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpents head (). So what Paul may be saying here is that, even though God did not design the woman to be the leaders or to be teachers over men, he gave them the role of bringing children into the world, which includes, most importantly, in bring the Messiah into the world who makes salvation possible.

(1) In this way, woman can be “saved” through childbearing

4. Paul may be trying to get both ideas across… An example of how vital the role of the woman is in bearing and rearing children: she brought the Messiah into the world so that all could have the hope of salvation

D. Salvation through the savior only comes through fruitfulness, displayed through submissiveness, love, holiness, and self-control. This applies to women who do or do not have children. Salvation only comes through faith in Jesus Christ, which is shown by the attributes Paul describes here.

V. None of the things we have talked about are “politically correct” and even unpopular to many in the religious world, but these are the instructions that God gives to women who are part of His household, His church.

A. Sisters, how you portray yourself to the world is important. Our world sends you the message that as a woman you need to be who you want to be – to wear whatever you want no matter how it will affect others.

B. The world also tells women that they need to put themselves into positions which God did not create them to fulfill. Instead of being the helper – the one who is a perfect complement to man, the world wants you to think that you are not as valuable or that you ate being oppressed if you are not allowed to do exactly what men do.

C. Don't listen to these lies of Satan. Don’t allow yourself to be deceived by this kind of worldly thinking. Cherish the role that your God has given you.

1. God has a special place and role in His creation for you. You are valuable. Our culture may not look at the role God gives you as valuable, but it is. Don’t let our culture teach you what being a woman is about, and don’t let them teach you that God’s way is not the best.