Day 1007: Is this still for today? - 1 Timothy 2 vs 8 - 15

8-10 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarrelling; 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.

11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. 13-14 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control. 1 Timothy 2:8-15 English Standard Version

The 'desire' which the apostle Paul expressed in this reading would be rejected by the vast majority of people in the west today. Sadly, even many who go to Church will also dismiss his words as 'a relic from the past'. Times have changed, they'll say, women are free from ‘male domination’. But did Paul base his reasoning on the culture of his times? (vs 13-14)

His teaching for Christian conduct was based on the pattern God gave at creation's beginning, and the event which followed. Genesis 1:27 tells us that “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” We see there a perfect equality of worth. But in Genesis 2:8 we read “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden . . . and there He put the man whom He'd formed.” Then, in vs 18, God says: “It's not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” That shows a difference, not in dignity, but of roles. That's why in vs 12, Paul, as an apostle, strongly stated: “I do not permit a woman to teach, or to exercise authority over a man.”

He was speaking of occasions when the Church would gather for it's meetings, and in context of the instructions he'd given about praying for rulers in the land. He wasn't saying women can't run their own businesses, or express opinions in society. He was also not saying there are no roles for women in the church. He mentions women, with appreciation, in many of the letters he wrote. But in this letter he reminded Timothy of God's pattern for the different roles for men and women which were to be observed whenever the Church met.

Could vs 8-10 imply that men and women may not only have different roles in life, but also different temptations and dangers to resist?

I wouldn't say this is always the case, but those verses do suggest that men may be more likely to get hot under the collar and argue than women, and that dress and appearance may be more important to women than to men. He isn't saying women should dress in a dowdy manner, but that modesty rather than the trends of the world should be uppermost. It's far more attractive to be God fearing than fashion following. But do vs 11-12 go too far?

He wrote something similar to Christians at Corinth, saying: “As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. If there's anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it's shameful for a woman to speak in church.” (1 Corinthians 14:33-35) As in this letter to Timothy, this wasn't just about chitter-chatter during a meeting, but a reminder to Christian women from a gentile background of God's pattern (as seen throughout the Old Testament) for all the churches of the saints.

There are different views on vs 15. Having looked back at how Eve was deceived, and how the danger and pain of childbirth was a result of that, Paul could be reassuring woman that their faithful obedience to the Lord would be a safeguard to cling to through childbirth. Others suggest it's a reference to the promise God gave Eve that a child born to a woman would crush the one who’d deceived her. I think the important thing is that Paul calls women to faith, love, and holiness, with self-control. That's surely what makes this whole section just as applicable today as it was then. Many men and women have lost the plot in our generation, and confusion reigns. What Paul, guided by God’s Spirit, desired for Christians then, is what we still need in the Church today. Yes, times have changed, but God’s word is still to be our guide.