How To Worship In the Assembly
Part 2
1 Tim 2:9-15

a. Where this puts us: This is a continuation of 1 Tim 2:8èWe are talking about behavior in the assembly of the church

b. The main points in today’s text are very simple.
(1) Women are vital to the church
(2) Women are to be known for who and what they are, not how they look
(3) Women are to learn
(4) Women are not to lead
(5) Women are to be cared for by their Christian Children


1. Women are Vital to the Church

a. Women are full partners in Salvation, and in the ministries of the church—“…in like manner also…”

b. The Gifts and ministry of women. are “like” those of the men that is, they are to be done in the same holy manner, though there are distinctions in the ministries of men and women.

(1) Like the men, they are to pray for all people, for the lost, for government leaders
(2) Like the men, they have One True God to Whom they turn
(3) Like the men, women have continual and instant access to the Mediator
(4) And as the men, they are to be holy and separate

c. The Status of women in Paul’s Day was often dismal

(1) High Born Greco-Roman women, were usually the property of their husbands, and were not often out in public—in a pagan household, the father ruled absolutely
(2) The dishonorable exceptions were “ladies of the evening…”
(3) The honorable exceptions (Lydia, for example) must have been exceptional indeed, and were most likely widows or the daughters of very wealthy and powerful men.
(4) Slaves were slaves, and had no privileges of any kind
(5) Even the “priestesses” of the temples, etc. were not some kind of super-feminist force. Pagan women had little real status at all.
(6) Jewish women had a higher status than pagan women (within their communities and families), but they were still considered very lowly.

d. The difference among Christians

(1) Women were, from the beginning considered equal partners in Salvation—Gal 3:28

(2) Women were a vital part of the ministry of Christ on Earth
(a) His mother’s cousin, Elizabeth
(b) His mother
(c) Anna
(d) Martha and her sister Mary
(e) Mary Magdalene
(f) Joanna the wife of Chuza
(g) Susanna

(3) Women figure prominently in the history of the early church
(a) Priscilla
(b) Claudia
(c) Dorcas
(d) Phoebe
(e) Philip’s daughters
(f) Tryphena and Tryphosa

(4) Women figure prominently in church history since then.
(a) Katie Luther
(b) Suzanna Wesley
(c) Fanny Crosby
(d) Lottie Moon

(5) There are many great Christian women in our day
(a) Beverly LaHaye
(b) Kay Arthur
(c) Beth Moore
(d) Anne Graham Lotz
(e) Ruth Graham


2. Women are to be known for who and what they are, not how they look
"…in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works…”

a. What this phrase does NOT mean

(1) This does not mean that women must dress in toe sacks and block shoes.

(a) The clothing mentioned here as being over the top is of a very special type

(b) Wealthy Greek and Roman women would sometimes spend huge fortunes on one outfit, including having strands of real gold and precious jewels woven into their hair—they did not wear these outfits all the time, this was “formal wear,” and like the formal wear that celebrities wear today, the intention of the dress was to draw attention to the wearer”

(c) Even in the early church, there were a few well-off people (see James 2, and 1 Cor 11), and in Ephesus, apparently, some of the wealthy women from this culture were attending the meetings of the church dressed in this special attire. Paul very gently corrects this, because the ostentation was a distraction.

(2) The question is not clothing, but attitude.
(3) And, again, the context is how to act in the assembly of the saints.

b. What this phrase does refer to

(1) “In Like Manner…” as the men, the women are to be holy in life
(a) “…Their adornment…” 1 Pet 3:1-6èthe moral and ethical character of the women of old, women of God helps us to understand this adornment of a quiet spirit
(b) There is nothing wrong with jewelry or nice clothing per se, the problem arises if the woman values them over the real adornment of holy living
(2) “…In like manner…” as the men, they are to pray and worship without anger and strife


3. Women are to learn “…11 Let a woman learn in silence…”

a. Again, we must clue ourselves in to the Greco-Roman culture

(1) With rare exceptions, women were taught very little about anything.
(2) The idea that a woman was to be taught and was to gain knowledge as a part of her way of life was a revolutionary idea, one which separated

b. First, every true believer is to be discipled in The Faith.

(1) Mat 28:19-20
(2) Eph 4:11-16

c. Second, every true believer is to grow in Christ—Heb 5:12ff, 2 Pet 3:18

d. Third, the first line teacher of every adult Christian woman is to be her husband! Eph 5:25ff

e. The issue of silence—

(1) The word here does not refer to absolute silence, but to a quiet, peaceful attitude—see same word in 2 Thes 3:12

(2) There are two places where women are told to be silent in the church, and both of them are in passages where leadership and preaching are the subjects. See 1 Cor 14:33-35

(3) There are other places where it seems to be taken for granted that women are to pray aloud during the service, though not in a leadership role

(4) This is backed up strongly by the appearance of the next topic.



4. Women are not to lead, have authority over, nor teach adult men—“…with all submission. 12 And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression…”

a. If human language means anything, this is the teaching of the Bible in this area

(1) The example of the OT—with the exception of Deborah noted below.
(a) Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, etc.—all of the national and spiritual leaders were men except Deborah

(2) The NT—

(a) there were many women of great faith who could have been picked to be an apostle—but Jesus picked only men

(b) There were two more possibilities, one to take Judas’ place, and one to be the apostle to the Gentiles, but God picked Matthias and Paul

(c) Every NT book was written by a man

(d) Every NT church was led by a plurality of men.

(e) The qualifications for church leadership specifically call for males to lead the church—1 Tim 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-11

(3) People have often asked me how it is that there are so many women teachers in this day, and does that fact deny the clear teaching that men are to be the leaders

(a) First of all, the habits, practices, and traditions of man can NEVER override the clear teaching of scripture. If every church in the land was pastured by a woman, the Bible would still call for male leadership.

(b) The Answer is found in a recognition of the Deborah Principle—Deborah was the only authorized female leader of the people of God in the Old Testament—

(c) Why? Because the men of her generation were spiritual wimps, like Barak
(d) If men do not do their job, someone will!

(4) I am firmly convinced that a combination of men who won’t go, men who were abused and burned out of the ministry, and men too busy following the latest fads to really preach has opened up a door for the Deborah Principle to take effect.

5. Women are to be cared for by their Christian Children “…15 Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control."

a. Note: “…she will be saved IN childbearing…if THEY…”.

b. This is a theological football: some of the ideas that have been put forth:

(1) Some say this is referring back to Christ being born of a woman

(2) Some say that this really means that salvation is partly or wholly influenced for women by childbearing

(3) Some say that this refers to a woman’s children taking care of her when she is old, using the alternative meaning of sozo, to be preserved.

(4) Context—this statement was in reaction to or explanation of, what Paul just said about male authority in teaching—a reminder that women exercise great influence over every child they raise.

c. What this does NOT mean è it does NOT mean that there is some way for women to work out their salvation by having children