For Spiritual Believers

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, HUMBLED HIMSELF TO GOD, JOHN The Baptist, All Those In Need, And The Cross And Death.

Shared by Apostle James R Winfree Sr, Online Love Fellowship Jesus Nations Media Ministries.

Being a Minister is and an Apostle. I didn’t write the Bible. GOD didn’t even consult me in the process. I just try to report what it says. But sometimes religious people get upset with me because they don’t like the what's written. That’s probably going to be the case when I tell you what the Bible says about the conduct of women in the church. I confess, if I could write the script myself, I would not write it as Apostle Paul did. But being a Christ Believer means obeying apostolic doctrine, not changing the message to be more compatible with our times. So my task today is to tell you what God’s Word says about this sensitive but significant topic.

I have read  and heard the arguments of today's leaders and “evangelical feminists.” I wish I could be convinced because their views are not as culturally offensive as the traditional view. Besides, I love women, I’m not threatened by women, and I don’t have a problem with the idea of women in church leadership--except that I can’t escape what to me is the plain teaching of Scripture that prohibits women from exercising authority over men. they must teach children and young ladies and women.

Our text is the central one to grapple with. Apostle Paul was correcting a problem in the Ephesian church. Presumably, the false teachers whom Timothy was to confront had led astray a number of women in the church, both in doctrine and morals (1:19). Ephesus was a sensual city, with temple prostitution devoted to the worship of the goddess Diana (or, Artemis), whose idol had multiple breasts. It was also a center of commerce, with many wealthy people. Apparently, some church women were dressing in a sensual and extravagant manner, so Apostle Paul corrects this by telling Timothy how godly women should adorn themselves (2:9-10; compare 5:11-15).

In 2 Timothy 3:6-7, Paul mentions false teachers who enter “households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Thus the false teachers were appealing to women under a load of guilt who were living by their feelings instead of by God’s truth. Of course, Second Timothy was written later than First Timothy. But probably the situation confronted there had already begun when Paul wrote First Timothy. So he corrects this by commanding that women are not to teach or exercise authority over men in the church; rather, their normal sphere of ministry should be in the home (1 Tim. 2:11-15; see Titus 2:3-5). Thus,

The conduct of women in the church should be marked by godliness and submission to male leadership who are loving and full of the Holy Spirit.

 

In 2:9-10, he deals with the proper attire of women which is godliness; in 2:11-15, he deals with the proper attitude of women, which is submission to male leadership.

1. The proper attire for Christian women: not focused on outward appearance, but on godliness (2:9-10).

Our grooming and clothing say a lot about our values and the way we think. If a woman dresses in a sensuous manner or if by inordinate attention to grooming she emphasizes external beauty, it reveals that her emphasis is on the superficial and worldly rather than on that which is significant from GOD'S perspective.Apostle Paul’s directive in verse 9 means that Christian women should not dress in a seductive manner nor in a luxurious, fashion-conscious manner that would arouse jealousy on the part of poorer women. Rather, she should put her emphasis on good deeds.

Obviously, he is talking about a woman’s appearance not only when she in fellowship but at all times. He is not prohibiting a woman from looking attractive, as long as she is not seductive or showy. Nor is he putting an absolute ban on a woman’s braiding her hair or wearing modest jewelry. He’s talking about emphasis. He was correcting women who went to great expense and effort to braid jewels and expensive ornaments into their hair. Their clothing was showy and expensive. Their appearance did not reflect a value system with GOD at the center nor did it draw you to their godly character. It focused on the external. It was worldly. It was the wrong emphasis. Christian women should be marked by good works.

I would encourage my sisters in Christ to take to heart Apostle Paul’s command here to dress modestly and discreetly. “Modesty” (in the original) means to be free from shame; “discreetly” means to have control over one’s passions. Many modern fashions are shameful and seductive. They are designed to attract attention to the body and to arouse lust. Men are aroused by sight (that’s why pornography attracts men). You may think that your Christian brothers should be free from lustful thoughts. Yes, they should! But you should not put a stumbling block in their way by dressing seductively! “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised” (Prov. 31:30). So Paul’s first instruction is that Christian women must dress properly and put their emphasis on godliness.

2. The proper attitude of Christian women: not assertive, but submissive to GOD'S Leadership in His church  (2:11-15).

Keep in mind here that I’m just your friendly brother. I didn’t make up the script; I just report and explain it. Like it or not, the Bible is not politically correct, in tune with our modern sensibilities. Also, there are many truths in the Bible that are seemingly contradictory or paradoxical. You have to hold both sides in tension, not going off the deep end, either way, GOD is sovereign in saving whom He chooses, but He commands us to pray for the salvation of all.

When it comes to the roles of men and women, the Bible is clear that both male and female reflect the image of GOD (Gen. 1:27). Men are not superior to women nor women to men. In Christ, men and women are equal (Gal. 3:28), but at the same time, they are to fulfill different roles. Often in Scripture, the male/female relationship is a picture of the divine/spiritual relationship.Just as Christ and His Church.

The Bible say's (in Eph. 5:21-25), after instructing all Christians to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ, Apostle Paul stipulates that in marriage, wives must be subject to their husbands because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church. And husbands must love their wives just as Christ sacrificially loved the church. In this way we reflect the image of God, in which the Son is equal to the Father and yet voluntarily submits to Him; and the Father loves the Son. We also reflect the relationship of Christ to His church, in which He accepts us as His brothers and sisters, and yet we submit to Him.

Our Apostle Paul teaches (both in our text and in 1 Cor. 11:3-16) that there is also to be a gender-based hierarchy in the context of equality in the local fellowships. While it would be wrong to emphasize the hierarchy and neglect equality, it is equally wrong to emphasize equality and throw out any form of hierarchy. While money hungry leaders and“evangelical feminists” try to explain the hierarchy as a cultural thing (thus not binding for today), every time Apostle Paul mentions the subject, he appeals to the Old Testament, not to some cultural factor, for support. So it is a serious error, in my judgment, to take a verse like Galatians 3:28 (“neither male nor female” in Christ) and make it the governing verse by radically reinterpreting the plain sense of other texts, such as 1 Timothy 2:11-15. We need to affirm both aspects of the truth. Men don't give birth to babies, But women do.....

In his text, Apostle Paul spells out the realm (2:11-12); the reasons (2:13-14); and the reward for submission (2:15). Our fellowships and world are in an epic Mess just because of false and fake and money hungry preachers and out of Biblical order women. Period.

We Are Leading All Believers And Souls To GOD Our Holy And Blessed Savior JESUS CHRIST.

Apostle James R Winfree Sr, Online Love Fellowship Jesus Christ Nations Media Ministries.

2 Corinthians 9:7

   TTL.