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Introduction: God has blessed the modern age with many good and great Bible teachers and leaders. Theologians, pastors, authors. We have J.I. Packer and R. C. Sproul; we have Tim Keller and John MacArthur; we have John Frame and John Piper. And we could go on and on.
One of the great teachers might even be called ‘the theologian of suffering.’
This theologian of suffering did not set out to be such. Rather, this person set out to be a diver. But a diving accident left her paralyzed.
A young beautiful girl paralyzed had to confront the great issue: Did God have anything to do with her breaking her neck?
Her name is Joni Eareckson Tada. Her seminary training was the experience of becoming—at age 19—a quadriplegic with the grace of a mind and soul that had to deal with this great issue of human suffering.
Joni Eareckson Tada has been a teacher to the Church.
She is just one reminder among many of the great women who have—in our times—instructed the church through word, example, writings, and life:
Women like Edith Schaeffer, Corrie TenBoom, Elizabeth Eliot.
Today, we enter the minefield of 1 Timothy 2, verses 8 and following.
The controversy in the terms used today is framed this way:
Egalitarian Views of Women’s Roles in the Church versus Complementarian Views.
Egalitarian Views emphasize all people—men and women—being equal in regard to what can be done in the church and society.
Complementarian Views emphasize that men and women are to complement or complete the roles each has. A woman is a help meet or a helper that it perfectly fitted to complete man’s roles and needs.
The Minefield
Imagine if we were an orchestra and I as the conducted passed out our music scores to each of you. Imagine it was a piece by Mozart. We would each be scanning the music, looking at what particulars we had to play. Violins and other string instruments at the string parts, woodwinds at the woodwind parts, and the percussion people looking at their parts.
Page 5—measure 122 and following: A jumble. A really hard and confusing set of measures. As musicians, we would be anticipating some long, hard sessions just working through the intricacies (details) of that portion.
Every musician and singer knows the experience. The exhaustingly long practice almost solely devoted to one portion of the music.
But imagine if the orchestra never played the entire piece because it was so overwhelmingly focused on page 5, measure 122 and following.
It is so easy to have a focus on 1 Timothy 2 that says, “A woman shall not…” and then see the chapter in its fullness.
Not every particular and scenario of church worship and church life is addressed here and not every Christ-centered church is going to look alike in what they do.
We have, for example, had women preach sermons in this church.
Case I am referring to, we have had a woman here in times past who would sign the sermon to a visitor who was deaf. She preached the sermon to that deaf person.
We can let our minds race to a thousand different scenarios and ask questions about them.
What about if your congregation has foreign language needs?
What if all the men were called away or taken away?
Can I, for example, preach a sermon message I learned from Joni Eareckson Tada?
It would be easy to get caught in that trap and miss the gist of a portion of God’s word that twice uses the word holy, and also mentions good works, faith, and love.
Three Overwhelmingly Presuppositions, Irreducible Elements, regarding women in the church:
1. Any viewpoint that diminishes or subtracts from women’s ability and opportunity and obligation to learn is wrongful.
The four words that would have been overwhelmingly shocking in the time and culture of this writing: LET THE WOMEN LEARN.
In regard to men and women at worship, the Babylonian Talmud said, “The men came to learn, the women came to hear.”
In contrast, you see the example of Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus) who chose to neglect the kitchen for sitting and learning from Jesus. (Luke 10:42 etc.)
There is no distinction between the parts of the Bible for men to learn and the parts for women to learn.
There are often apparent differences between the ways men and women learn. Men tend to be more interested in abstract thought (meaning, ideas that don’t entail actually having to work) and women more interested in practical application.
Hence, a man might write a book on the theology of why bad things happen, while Joni E T writes about how to live with suffering.
2. Any viewpoint that diminishes or subtracts from women’s engagement in church life and ministries is wrongful.
In this passage, in 1 Timothy 5, and in Titus 2:3-5, there are more than enough kernels of applications for women being heavily involved in ministry.
Let us not forget that we have at many women who are working full time in Christian ministry Veritas.
There are many counseling situations where women are needed in the church.
3. Any viewpoint that diminishes or subtracts from a woman’s obligation to seek after Christ and personal holiness is completely wrongful.
Any view is wrong allows a woman to think like this: My husband does the theology, Bible study, prayer, worldview, etc. I just have to bake cookies and bread and serve my husband.
This passage speaks of godliness, good works, faith, love, and holiness: directed at women.
Two Principles Concerning Leadership in the Church:
1. Women are not to exercise the pastoral, preaching-centered, authority position in the church.
By the way, most men are not to exercise these positions either.
By the way, children don’t exercise these positions.
Churches have to work out the details of the wide range of teaching venues in the life of the church.
Are there scenarios related to church life where a woman can be standing in the front of a room teaching or delivering information to an audience containing men?
Yes.
Is there a scenario where a woman would be standing here in the pulpit officially proclaiming the Word and Doctrine in the manner that I am doing?
No.
Is there a scenario where, particularly in a larger church, a woman is on the ministry staff?
Yes.
Is there a scenario where a woman is a pastor?
No.
Is there a scenario where a woman would attend a session meet and present information to the elders?
Yes.
Is there a scenario where a woman would be asked to join the session as an elder?
No.
Consider Phoebe in Romans 16:1-2:
She may have ridden up in a green chariot, wearing a green toga, bearing the initials CPS (Christian Parcel Service) and checked the street address (Christ’s Church, 4232 Appian Way, Rome): Special Delivery from Paul to the Church of Rome.
It appears there was more interaction. You can imagine elders sitting down with this woman, asking questions.
2. It is healthy to have a disposition toward favoring, cultivating, and using male leadership in many (perhaps most) situations involving both men and women.
In other words, there are many cases where either a man or woman can take on a particular task, but it is healthy to call on a man to do so.
Male passivity is a besetting sin.
Women overworking is a besetting danger.
Conclusion: Remember the main context of 1 Timothy 2:
This is a passage calling for prayer EVERYWHERE.
This is a passage calling for godliness and holiness.
For Good Works.
For Faith, Love, Holiness, Self-control.
This beautiful community, this utopia, this heavenly society is possible because God has placed two groups in the church. 2 groups whose inclinations and duties overlap at many points, yet at other points are different.
Two groups—each incomplete in themselves—but complete, complemented, together:
Men and Women.
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