Women of the Bible
Lesson Eleven
WOMEN IN THE EPISTLES: SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTIONS
KEY VERSE:
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)
INTRODUCTION
The Epistles speak to women who are single, married, widowed, old, and young. In this
chapter, you will study the instructions given to these and other special categories of
women. You will also learn about the proper dress and disposition (attitude) of women.
MARRIAGE
The believers in Corinth asked Paul about marriage and celibacy (remaining single for
dedicated service unto the Lord). Paul's personal opinion was that the unmarried and
widows were happier if they remained single:
I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them to abide
even as I (that is, unmarried). (I Corinthians 7:8)
He also commented:
So then, he that giveth her in marriage doeth well; but he that giveth her not
in marriage doeth better. (I Corinthians 7:38)
Paul stated in I Corinthians 7:2 that marriage provides for physical and emotional needs:
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let
every woman have her own husband. (I Corinthians 7:2)
Any single person, man or woman, who has a strong sexual desire should get married.
Paul states his reason for suggesting people consider remaining single:
...that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. (I Corinthians 7:35)
Believers are only to marry other Christians. We are not to be "yoked together" with
unbelievers in marriage.
WIDOWS
One passage in the Epistles refers to unmarried widows:
Let not a widow be taken into the number (enrolled) under threescore years
old, having been the wife of one man, well reported of for good works; if she
have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed
the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently
followed every good work. (I Timothy 5:9-10)
A widow who wants to remain single and devote her life to ministry should be at least 60
years old, have been married only once, and have a good reputation for her Christian
work. Younger widows should not become members of this group because they might
decide to marry again and break their vow to remain single for God's service. I Timothy
5 instructs the Church to provide for widows who have no family to provide for them.
ELDERLY AND YOUNG WOMEN
Paul advises younger women to:
... marry, bear children, guide the house. (I Timothy 5:14 )
Elderly women are given special instructions:
The aged women likewise that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not
false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to
love their children.
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own
husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)
The teaching of younger women by older Christian women should be an integral part of
the Church program. This ministry is neglected in many Churches today.
WIVES
Marriage was ordained by God at the beginning of the world when He created Eve for
Adam. God's original plan was one man for one woman for life. Divorce was not part of
God's original plan but happened because of the "hardness" of man's heart. Sin-hardened
hearts result in fornication, adultery, and desertion, all of which are Scriptural reasons for
divorce.
Fornication is any kind of sexual immorality, for examples, homosexuality and incest.
Adultery is having sexual relationships with someone who is not your mate. Paul
explains:
For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband
so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of
her husband.
So then, if while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall
be called an adulteress; but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law;
so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
(Romans 7:2-3)
While these verses apply to the actual marriage relationship, they are also a type. Paul
used this illustration to show how we must become dead to the law and its penalties in
order to be married to Jesus Christ.
No matter what sin we may have committed, when we come to Jesus the penalties
imposed by Old Testament law are eliminated. We are no longer under, or married to, the
law. Its hold over us is broken. We have a new relationship with Jesus Christ. Even if
you were divorced for unscriptural reasons, it is not the unpardonable sin. It can be
forgiven by God just like any other sin.
Marriage is honorable, but engaging in sexual relations outside of marriage is wrong:
Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and
adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4)
Thessalonians records:
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain
from fornication. (I Thessalonians 4:3)
Some general instructions are given in the Epistles regarding the wives of deacons in the
Church:
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all
things. (I Timothy 3:11)
Peter records a beautiful promise to wives who are married to unbelievers:
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that if, any obey
not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of
the wives;
While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
(I Peter 3:1-2)
Through loving submission, a woman with an unsaved husband can, without a word, lead
him to God. The husband will observe the wife's holy conduct and her fear of God. He
will notice the difference Christ makes in her life and through her example be drawn to
the Savior.
Paul said if an unbelieving husband desires to remain with his wife, she is to stay with
him:
And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be
pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under
bondage in such cases. (I Corinthians 7:13 and 15)
The reason Paul gives for the wife to remain with an unbelieving husband:
For what knoweth thou, O wife whether thou shalt save thy husband.
(I Corinthians 7:16)
In counseling, the question often arises as to whether a wife should stay with a husband
who is physically abusing her and/or the children. If the abuse is sexual with the children,
this is fornication and she has Scriptural grounds for divorce. But what about physical
abuse...for example, beatings?
The Bible indicates that the body is the "temple of the Holy Ghost." It belongs to God,
and whoever defiles this temple, the Lord will destroy him. When a woman remains with
a husband who is physically abusing her and her children, she is setting that man up to be
destroyed by God. She should remove herself and the children from his presence until he
can be counseled and overcome this problem.
We have used several quotes from I Corinthians 7 to this point in this chapter. Pause now
and read the entire chapter of I Corinthians which deals with the subject of singleness and
marriage.
SUBMISSION
There are several other passages in the Epistles that deal with the relationship between
wives and husbands:
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them.
(Colossians 3:18-19)
Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their
own husbands in every thing.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself for it;
That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.
That He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that lovest his wife
loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it,
even as the Lord the Church; For we are members of His body, and of His
flesh, and of His bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined
unto his wife and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.
Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as
himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-33)
Sometimes, these passages are applied improperly to force women into subjection.
Husbands may try to get their wives to do evil by claiming these verses state they should
submit. They may also "lord" it over their wives and expect them to act like servants or
slaves.
The true concept of submission described here is a type of the relationship between Christ
and the Church, which is referred to as His Bride. Paul indicates he is speaking of this
relationship in verse 32. Jesus would never ask His bride to do something immoral and
neither should a husband.
In Acts, you learned what happened to Saphira when she agreed with her husband to be
part of an immoral scheme. In moral matters contrary to the law of God, the woman
should not submit. She is responsible to God and will be judged for her own sin.
Paul expands this discussion in Colossians:
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as is fit in the Lord.
(Colossians 3:18)
The submission is to be as is fit in the Lord. Submission to perform immoral acts is not
"in the Lord" nor fit (right).
There are other important facts about this relationship between husband and wife which
parallels that of Christ and His Church. The Church is subject to Jesus voluntarily, not
forcefully. A man should not force his wife into submission. She is to submit voluntarily
because of the Christ-like love shown by her husband.
Husbands are also told to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. If husbands really
love with the self-sacrificing love with which Christ loved the Church, the wife will
desire to submit and please her husband in all things just as a true believer desires to
please Jesus.
Remember: Jesus is perfect in His love for the Church even though the Church is not
perfect in its submission to Him. The husband should demonstrate similar, perfect love
towards his wife even if she is not perfect in her submission to him. A wife who is a true
believer, of course, whose husband loves her in this manner, will strive to please and
submit to his leadership, even as she does to Christ.
It is important to understand that this passage is not speaking of marriage to a godless
man. It is speaking of the married life between two Spirit-filled believers who have a
natural relationship similar to the spiritual one between Christ and the Church. Paul is
saying that if you are married to a Christian man who has this type of love for you, then
you should be obedient and in submission to him.
The husband is to cherish and nourish his wife because they are one flesh and both
members of Christ's Body. The wife is to be the most important person in the husband's
life. He is to leave father, mother, and all others and be joined to his wife as one. He is to
love his wife as he loves his own body. This makes submission and reverence to him a
joy for the wife. She can submit easily to him, just as she submits to the Lord.
Notice the verse that precedes the passage we have been reviewing:
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:21)
Believers, both male and female, husband and wife, are to submit to one another, desiring
to please one another in the Lord.
Peter comments regarding Old Testament women and the matter of submission:
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted
in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands;
Even as Sara obeyed Abraham calling him lord... (I Peter 3:5-6a)
While Sara spoke with respect to Abraham and obeyed him, it does not mean she did not
feel free to share her opinion. On one occasion, when she had requested Abraham to cast
out Ishmael and Abraham refused, God spoke to Abraham:
In all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice. (Genesis 21:12)
God supported Sarah's suggestion because He realized Abraham was still clinging to
Ishmael. God's plan was that Isaac should be Abraham's heir and the child of the
covenant between Him and Abraham.
MOTHERS
Several passages in the Epistles are directed to women who are mothers. They indicate it
is the mother's responsibility:
TO NOURISH AND CHERISH HER CHILDREN:
In Thessalonians, Paul gives a clear picture of Christian motherhood when he states:
We behaved gently among you like a devoted mother nursing and cherishing
her own children.
So, being thus tenderly and affectionately desirous of you, we continued to
share with you not only God's good news but also our very own selves as
well, for you had become so very dear to us. (I Thessalonians 2:7-8, The
Amplified Bible)
Paul compares his ministry to the picture of a godly mother, nourishing, cherishing,
lovingly providing for the child.
TO BE THE KEEPER OF THE HOME:
Paul states that women should guide the house and be keepers of the home:
...to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own
husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:5)
...that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none
occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully. (I Timothy 5:14)
Some women have engaged in Christian ministry and left their homes in shambles and
their children unguided. In some cases, their children became delinquent and the
marriage was destroyed.
These passages indicate the woman is to take responsibility for keeping the home and
guiding the household, which includes the children. If you do not do this it results in an
opportunity for Satan to take advantage. It also blasphemes rather than honors the W ord
of God.
This does not mean that Christian women should not engage in ministry. As you learned
in Acts and the Epistles, married women had effective ministries in the early Church. But
to engage in Christian ministry or any other activity while the home suffers is not God's
will.
TO TEACH THEIR CHILDREN THE FAITH:
Paul reminds Timothy that "from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures" (II
Timothy 3:15). He praises his mother and grandmother for their faith (II Timothy 1:5).
The Christian mother should teach the W ord of God to her children. From early
childhood, she should instill in them the knowledge of God and His plan for their lives.
Her teaching should include discipline to the laws of God and society and honor and
respect for parents and
others.
WOMEN AND CHILDBEARING
A special passage in Timothy refers to women in relation to child bearing:
For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression.
Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith
and charity and holiness with sobriety. (I Timothy 2:13-15)
We have already discussed these verses in reference to women keeping silent in the
Church. Other questions on this passage have usually centered on what it means to be
saved through childbearing.
Even though sin first came into the world through a woman, God planned that through a
woman should come the Redeemer for the sin of the whole world, Jesus Christ. Through
childbearing, salvation came. The whole world (including woman who originally sinned)
would be saved because of this childbearing.
Paul emphasizes the role of woman bringing the Redeemer into the world:
But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5)
When the proper time came, God used a woman to birth the Redeemer who made it
possible for mankind to be restored to a right relationship with Him. This is what it
means when it says that the woman will be saved through childbearing.
It does not mean that having children saves a woman. Only the born-again experience of
repentance and forgiveness of sin does that. Neither does it mean that women who are
childless will not be saved.
MISCELLANEOUS REFERENCES
There are some references in the Epistles to miscellaneous categories of women. Paul
speaks of silly women:
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly
women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. (II Timothy 3:6)
The context of this verse indicates he is warning against those who have a form of
godliness with no power. They claim to be believers, but do not live a holy life to back
up their confession. They target and lead naive women into sin.
Another category of women in the Epistles is the women of faith referred to in Hebrews
11. These include women who received their dead to life (verse 35); Abraham's wife,
Sara (11); and Rahab who saved the spies when they entered the land God had promised
them (31). These women are all commended for their belief in God.
Paul mentions women in the travail of childbearing in describing God's judgment upon
the world in the final days of time:
For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
(I Thessalonians 5:3)
Just as travail of a woman is inescapable in childbearing, so the judgment of God upon a
sinful world is inevitable.
DRESS AND DISPOSITION
A final subject in the Epistles which relates to women are comments regarding her dress
and disposition (which means behavior and attitude). Paul states:
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with
shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold or pearls, or
costly array.
But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
(I Timothy 2:9-10)
Women of Paul's days wore elaborate hair styles. Some braided their hair with gold
thread and jewels. Paul is not condemning their appearance, but is stating that women
should have proper priorities. Their emphasis should be on good works rather than dress,
hair, and style.
Peter also comments on the subject of women's dress and disposition:
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting of the hair,
and of wearing gold, or of putting on of apparel.
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of
great price. (I Peter 3:3-4)
This passage clarifies Paul's comments. Peter is not saying braiding hair or wearing gold
is wrong any more than he is saying that putting on clothes is wrong, which is mentioned
in the same passage. He is stressing that God places more value on the inner adornment
of the heart. Women should emphasize spiritual development more than external
appearance.
Both Peter and Paul are speaking in terms of priorities rather than legalistic rules which
delegate what a woman should wear. The important concepts regarding appearance
which Paul and Peter are teaching are:
--A woman should dress modestly.
--She should emphasize the spiritual development (the hidden man of
the heart) more than exterior adornment (outside appearance).
Consideration must also be given to the general principle Paul teaches in passages where
he is dealing with what might be called "questionable practices."
Although God said meat could be eaten with thanksgiving to God for provision (Romans
14), some believers steeped in Jewish tradition were offended when other believers ate
meat. They were still abiding by Old Testament dietary laws.
Paul said when he was with these believers, he did not eat meat lest they be offended and
not be able to receive his ministry. Women should let this attitude guide their outward
appearance and behavior.
Both of the passages you just read state that women should be meek. Some have used
these verses against women to keep them in their place, so to speak. But Jesus declared
when addressing His male disciples, "blessed are the meek." We cannot regard the
quality of meekness mentioned in these passages about women as being only required of
female Christians. Men are to demonstrate meekness also.
Proverbs summarizes the whole matter of womens' dress and disposition when it states:
Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she
shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30)
Answer the questions below. If you miss a question, go back and study that portion of the class and then retake the test. Once you have received a 100% you may proceed to the next class. You DO NOT have to submit this test for grading. Only the final test will be submitted.