When considering the difference
between the role of men and women in the church, a good place
to start is their similarity. The apostle Paul wrote, “For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ...There
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28)
From God’s perspective every Christian is an equally
important member of the universal church - the one spiritual
organism called the Body of Christ. While people
tend to focus on the idea of women submitting to men, the
fact of the matter is that both men and women are called to
submit to each other and most importantly to submit to God
(Ephesians 5:21, Philippians 2:3-4,
James 4:7). Jesus Christ is the Head and all Christians
are simply different members of His spiritual body on earth
– hand muscles, leg muscles, back muscles, and many
other muscles... all specially designed to work in concert
under the direction of the Head. Our differences should be
overshadowed by the profound similarity of simply being equally
important parts of the body of Christ. The right hand shouldn’t
focus on the left hand but rather it should focus on the Head
of the Body - Jesus Christ!
The historical and cultural context of the Bible must be
carefully considered in order to properly understand the Bible’s
instruction about the different roles of men and women in
the church. For example, the instruction about women covering
their head in church (1 Corinthians
11:5-6) may appear demeaning at face value, but in
the cultural context of the Bible the meaning was exactly
the opposite; it was demeaning for a women to have her head
uncovered in public, much like it is in the middle east today.
In the Old Testament, a women suspected of adultery would
be stripped of her veil (Numbers 5:18).
Translated to our culture today, Paul’s instruction
about head coverings in church simply means decent and honorable
clothing. Men are extra sensitive to visual stimuli, and when
women wear clothing that is too revealing it makes it very
difficult for men to keep their thoughts pure, which in turn
impacts the way men treat women.
Another example is the instruction about women being silent
in church. This was first written by the apostle Paul when
addressing both men and women in the church of Corinth about
unruly behavior that was occuring in their worship services.
(1 Corinthians 14:34, 1 Timothy 2:12)
It is noteworthy that this instruction is given right after
the famous love chapter. Christian love that both men and
women are called to demonstrate towards each other is a heavenly
contrast to the harsh treatment of women in the Roman Empire
where the church of Corinth was situtated. Not only did Roman
culture forbid women from speaking in public assemblies, but
it required all women to be under the guardianship of a male,
giving either their father or husband total control over their
life. Paul's words in Galatians about there being "neither
male nor female..." become even more revolutionary when
seen against this cultural backdrop! (Galatians
3:26-28) A survey of the New Testament shows that in
spite of their Roman culture, women often played strategic
roles in ministry (Mary Magdalene
in John 20:18; Priscilla
in Acts 18:26; thewomen
who prophesied in Acts 21:9; Phoebe,
Priscilla, Mary, and Junia in
Romans 16:1-7; Chloe in
1 Corinthians 1:11; Euodia
and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2; Apphia
in Philemon 2). The biblical guidelines for
women in the church must be carefully translated from the
Roman culture to our culture. The aim of all the specific
commands of the Bible is to walk and speak in love (Matthew
22:40), without which we sound like “a clanging
cymbal...” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
When we walk in love we reflect Jesus Christ to the world.
The submission of a woman to her husband is meant to be a
Spirit-filled activity that reflects our submission to God,
and the way a husband should love his wife is meant to be
a reflection of Christ’s love for the church! When a
husband loves his wife in this manner, it makes submission
a wonderful experience. “Wives, submit to your own husbands,
as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also
Christ is head of the church... Husbands, love your wives,
just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for
her.” (Ephesians 5:22-25).
Relationships thrive when we follow God’s design.
