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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
1TIMOTHY 2:9-11
LESSON #7
WOMAN’S ROLE IN THE CHURCH

MEMORY VERSE: EPHESIANS 5:21

• READ 1TIM 2:9-11
• THE AREA OF CHURCH LIFE MOST CONTROVERSIAL AND MISUNDERSTOOD IS THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE CHURCH.
• PAUL BEGINS THIS SECTION IN VERSE 9 WITH THE PHRASE, “IN LIKE MANNER”.
• IN OTHER WORDS, PAUL TELLS WOMEN THEY SHOULD DO EXACTLY THE SAME THINGS HE JUST TOLD MEN.
• IN OUR LAST LESSON WE TALKED ABOUT PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PRAYER IN THE CHURCH. WOMEN ARE TO GUIDE THEMSELVES BY THE SAME PRINCIPLES WE DISCUSSED IN OUR LAST LESSON.
• HOWEVER, WHAT IS NEW HERE IS THAT WOMEN ARE NOT RESTRICTED FROM PUBLIC PRAYER. SOME CHURCHES DO RESTRICT WOMEN FROM PUBLIC PRAYER. IF PAUL RESTRICTED WOMEN FROM PUBLIC PRAYER, HE WOULD NOT HAVE SAID, “IN LIKE MANNER” AFTER HE TALKED ABOUT MEN PRAYING IN PUBLIC.
• A WOMAN’S MANNER OF DRESS: (9-10)
• PAUL MENTIONS SOME SPECIFICS ABOUT WOMEN’S MANNER OF DRESS. HE SAYS, NOT WITH BRAIDED HAIR, GOLD, PEARLS, OR EXPENSIVE CLOTHING.
• THERE ARE SOME CHURCHES THAT ESTABLISH LEGALISTIC RULES AS TO HOW WOMEN SHOULD DRESS BASED ON THIS PASSAGE. IT IS INTERESTING THAT SELDOM DO THEY TALK ABOUT BRAIDED HAIR BUT USUALLY THEY FOCUS ON GOLD JEWELRY. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH WOMEN WEARING GOLD JEWELRY AND PEARLS. (SONG OF SOL 1:10-11; 4:9 GEN 24:53)
• HOWEVER, PAUL WAS NOT ESTABLISHING A LEGALISTIC RULE. TO UNDERSTAND THIS WE NEED TO EXAMINE THE CULTURAL PRACTICES AT THE TIME OF THE EARLY CHURCH.
• PRIMARILY, WE NEED TO KEEP VERSE 9 WITH VERSE 10 TO UNDERSTAND PAUL’S MEANING.

• DURING PAUL’S PERIOD OF TIME, GENTILE PAGAN RELIGIONS HAD RELIGIOUS PROSTITUTES THAT LIVED IN AND AROUND PAGAN TEMPLES. PART OF PAGAN RELIGIOUS WORSHIP WAS AN APPEAL TO THE GODS BASED ON SEXUAL DESIRE. THEREFORE, GENTILE WOMEN IN THE TEMPLES DRESSED TO AROUSE SEXUAL DESIRE.
• PAUL’S MINISTRY WAS PRIMARILY TO THE GENTILES AND TO NEW CHURCHES WHOSE MEMBERSHIP WAS MOSTLY GENTILE. THESE NEWLY CONVERTED GENTILES HAD TO LEARN A DIFFERENT WAY OF WORSHIP. THEREFORE HE TELLS THEM THAT THE WAY TO GOD IS NOT BY AROUSING SEXUAL DESIRES.
• NOTICE THAT VERSE 10 SAYS THAT WOMEN ARE PLEASING TO GOD WHEN THEY DO GOOD WORKS, AND NOT BY WHAT THEY WEAR.
• IT IS THE INWARD GODLINESS OF THE HEART THAT IS IMPORTANT TO GOD, NOT THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE.

• READ 1PET 3:3-4
• HOWEVER, THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INWARD ATTITUDE OF THE HEART AND THE OUTWARD MANIFESTATION OF BEHAVIOR.
• THE PRINCIPLE OF MODESTY:
• HOW DO WE KNOW PAUL WAS NOT ESTABLISHING A LEGALISTIC RULE OF DRESS?
• BECAUSE HE FIRST GIVES US THE PRINCIPLE FOR WOMEN’S DRESS–IT SHOULD BE MODEST.
• WHAT IS MODEST?
• MODESTY IS A CULTURALLY DETERMINED CRITERIA AND SOCIETY CHANGES IT’S CULTURAL STANDARD OVER TIME. WHAT IS CONSIDERED BY SOCIETY TO BE MODEST TODAY WAS FAR DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WAS CONSIDERED MODEST 75 YEARS AGO
• YOU CAN SEE THIS CHANGE MOST EFFECTIVELY IN THE STYLE OF WOMEN’S BATHING SUITS OVER TIME
• THE TERM “MODEST” IS NOT A SPECIFIC DETERMINATION OF WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT IS NOT.

• THE WORD “MODEST” MEANS = TO BE RESTRAINED BY A SENSE OF WHAT IS APPROPRIATE; NOT MORALLY LOOSE, OR LEWD; TO BE MODERATE, AND NOT TO EXCESS. (THE CULTURAL DICTIONARY DEFINITION)
• THE BIBLICAL DEFINITION MEANS = TO BE WELL ARRANGED; TO BRING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. IN ENGLISH, WE GET OUR WORD “COSMETIC” FROM THIS GREEK WORD, “kosmios”.

• WHO IS TO DETERMINE THE OPERATION OF THE PRINCIPLE?
• IN OTHER WORDS, WHO IS TO DETERMINE WHERE THE DIVIDING LINE IS BETWEEN MODESTLY ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT IS IMMODESTLY UNACCEPTABLE?
• THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH ESTABLISHING LEGALISTIC RULES IN AREAS THAT ARE NOT BLACK AND WHITE, RIGHT OR WRONG.
• BY ESTABLISHING A PRINCIPLE RATHER THAN A LEGALISTIC RULE, THE DETERMINATION OF WHAT IS MODEST AND WHAT IS NOT MEANS THAT IT SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY:
• 1. THE PERSONAL GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• 2. THE APPROVAL OF HER HUSBAND IF SHE
• IS MARRIED, OR HER FATHER, IF SHE IS NOT MARRIED, LIVING AT HOME.

• PRINCIPLE #18

A CHRISTIAN WOMAN SHOULD DRESS MODESTLY, GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THE APPROVAL OF HER HUSBAND OR HER FATHER

• THEREFORE, OTHERS IN THE CHURCH SHOULD NOT JUDGE HOW A WOMAN IS SPECIFICALLY TO DRESS. WHY? BECAUSE WHAT IS MODEST TO ONE PERSON MAY NOT BE MODEST TO ANOTHER PERSON.
• OF COURSE, A PASTOR CAN TEACH FROM THE PULPIT WHAT ARE SOME GUIDELINES AND PRINCIPLES OF MODESTY. BUT THE DETERMINATION OF HOW TO SPECIFICALLY APPLY THOSE PRINCIPLES SHOULD BE ACCORDING TO PRINCIPLE #18.
• A WOMAN’S ATTITUDE: (11)
• PAUL TELLS US WHY THE DETERMINATION OF A WOMAN’S MANNER OF DRESS SHOULD BE GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, HER HUSBAND, OR HER FATHER.
• PRINCIPLE #19

SUBMISSION SHOULD BE A WOMAN’S ATTITUDE

• IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE ATTITUDE OF SUBMISSION IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT JUST FOR WOMEN.
• WE ARE ALL TO SUBMIT OURSELVES TO GOD.
• (PSA 18:44 ROM 10:3)
• A WOMAN IS TO BE IN SUBMISSION TO HER OWN HUSBAND. (1PET 3:1 EPH 5:22)
• CHILDREN ARE TO BE IN SUBMISSION TO THEIR PARENTS. (EPH 6:1)
• ALL BELIEVERS ARE TO SUBMIT ONE TO ANOTHER. (EPH 5:21)
• WE ARE ALL TO SUBMIT TO THOSE IN AUTHORITY OVER US. (ROM 13:1)
• THEN WHY IS SO MUCH IMPORTANCE PLACED ON WOMEN’S SUBMISSION WHEN ALL BELIEVERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SUBMISSIVE?
• THE PROBLEM COMES FROM AN EMOTIONAL REACTION AND A CULTURAL REACTION TO THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT AND WOMEN’S LIB TODAY.
• BUT HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT THE MORE MEN DEMAND SUBMISSION, THE MORE WOMEN REBEL?
• WHY IS THAT TRUE?
• LEGALISM ALWAYS DOES THAT. REMEMBER THAT GOD GAVE THE LAW TO SHOW MAN HE COULD NOT KEEP IT. WHEN WE ESTABLISH RULES FOR OTHER PEOPLE, THE FIRST THING THEY WANT TO DO IS BREAK THE RULES.

• PRINCIPLE #20

SUBMISSION SHOULD NEVER BE DEMANDED BY THOSE IN AUTHORITY BUT ALWAYS ENCOURAGED

HOMEWORK

1TIM 2:11-15

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF 1TIM 2:9-11
• WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT WOMEN’S MANNER OF DRESS THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PREVIOUS ATTITUDE?
• IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, WHAT CHANGES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE IN YOUR ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS THAT WILL CONFORM THEM TO THE PRINCIPLES IN THE WORD OF GOD?
• PREPARATION FOR 1TIM 2:11-15
• READ 1TIM 2:11-15
• WHAT IS THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE OF WHETHER OR NOT A WOMAN SHOULD TEACH IN THE CHURCH?
• WHAT DO YOU THINK PAUL MEANS IN VERSES 13-15?
• MEMORY VERSE: JAMES 3:1