While society has historically gone along with the Christian position on the role of women in the church, there is an increase in rebellion.
Last week I discussed how we need to handle the information we glean from Scripture on the topic of the role of women in ministry. If you have not read that post yet, please do so first, as it sets the stage for some of the things I will be touching on in this post.
The second thing I want to address before we dive into the topic of the role of women in ministry is why this has become such an issue. For a long time, it seems that culture has gone along with the historical Christian positions, but now that our society seems to be rebelling against biblical truth, we are seeing more an more debate about this topic, we are seeing more women carrying the title of pastor, and even within the church, we are seeing feminism take root.
Personally, I believe there are two main reasons for the rebellion against historical position of the church. The first one is that we have done it wrong. I will be spending the bulk of this series breaking down this point, but I believe churches have taken it too far. They have set up guardrails in order not to cross God’s line, but in so doing, they have removed women from roles the Bible doesn’t forbid. So the current rebellion is a reaction to mismanagement of this issue in many churches. There is more to come on this topic, but let me quickly mention the second reason I believe we are facing this issue.
The second reason this topic is so controversial is because men are not stepping up. As women, we see a job that needs done, and we are quick to take care of it. Even when it is a role we are not meant to fill, we think it’s better for us to do it than for it to go undone. This thinking is actually a result of the fall. This is one of the consequences faced by Eve for the part she played in bringing sin into the world.
In Genesis 3:16b God tells Eve that,
“Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (NIV).
I don’t usually use the NIV, but I want to demonstrate how the translation can cause us to misinterpret this verse. As we read through the book of Genesis and we come upon this verse, it seems almost sweet. We think Eve will desire her husband. Isn’t that what a wife is supposed to do? The crux of the problem lies with that little preposition “for” (sorry for the grammar lesson, but I promise I’m going somewhere).
In this case, looking up the definition of that little word ‘ēl doesn’t help much. When we look in Strong’s Concordance for some direction on this word, we get this:
It is clear that it is a preposition, but it is not clear which English preposition should translate it. So the next step is to find another place in Scripture where it is used in the same word combination. Fortunately, we don’t have to go far.
In Genesis 4:7, God is speaking to Cain about his sacrifice when He says,
“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (NIV) (emphasis mine).
The phrase “it desires to have you” includes that same little preposition ‘ēl in the original language.
If sin desires you the same way a wife desires her husband, it is easy to see what is meant in this passage. Your desire is to come against your husband, to subdue him, to cause him to submit to you just like sin desires that for all of humanity. If we take the time to read the passage in other translations, the meaning might become a little more clear:
ESV: “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”
NET: “You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.”
God established the husband in authority over the wife, and sin disrupted God’s design as it always does. Because of our sin nature, we women do not like to submit to authority. While this is also true of men, they do not have the same biblical responsibility of submission that women have. We could talk about this in more depth, but ultimately, this series is about the role of women in ministry, not the role of men.
While this passage is specifically discussing the role of women in marriage and the difficulties that arise because of sin, the family is where all of the enemy’s tactics begin. If he can destroy the family, that destruction naturally carries out into society. Our sin natures don’t stop at the thresholds of our homes. When we begin to rebel against our husbands’ authority, we will inevitably carry that out to any place where men have been given headship by God. What we practice in our homes carries over to all areas of our lives.
Please do not take this to mean that I am saying women should submit to men. That is not what the Bible teaches. Each woman is to submit to her own husband (Ephesians 5:22). This will become part of the bigger discussion of this topic. But it is important to realize that our issues with submitting are not God-given; they are a result of sin. This is why our hackles come up when we read things in Scripture that tell us it isn’t our place to fill the position that has gone unfilled by the men around us.
Ultimately, our reaction to jump in when it isn’t our job is a lack of trust in God to fulfill His purposes. We cannot please God by our actions when those actions are in direct opposition to what He tells us in Scripture. Men and women are different, not in value but in design and responsibility. Our goal should always be to do the things He has placed in front of us. He will not bless the work of our hands when our hands are doing work meant for others.
Often we are so concerned about doing the job and filling the gap that we forget our greatest tool of all: prayer. If there is a job that needs done, but it is not your place to do it, don’t take over. Instead, hand it over to God. While it can be especially difficult to sit back and wait for God to work, prayer allows you to be part of that process, and when the job gets done in His timing, the blessings are so much sweeter than when we try to do it in our own strength outside of His will.
You May Also Enjoy:
Hi Kelli
Thank you for your insight into the Word of God on this topic.
Iv been asked to consider a position with the Tampa Port Authorities as a chaplain.
This ministry is in need of a female chaplain to minister to women and sometimes men that come into the port from all over the world plus many other duties.
I’m praying for the Lords direction as I consider the possibility of this position. I would not see myself as a pastor but more as a teacher and servant. There is a male Chaplin that is is the lead. I will be volunteering soon to get a better understanding of the position and its duties and ministry requirements before accepting the job.
What are your thoughts about this type of ministry involvement in regard to your blog on women in ministry?
Hey April,
The Bible really only references a woman’s role in the family and in the church. The position you have been offered is not a church, so I don’t know that the Bible really speaks directly to that type of ministry. As long as you are in the Word and being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will guide you where He wants you to go.