⁸ I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; ⁹ 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, ¹⁰ 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 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; ¹⁴ 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) Why the difference between men and women? Doesn’t God want women to pray also? (verses 8-10)
Context is critical every time we study Scripture, but especially when our perspectives are already heavily tainted with a western 21^st century mindset. The emphasis on this chapter is very much all-inclusive. In the first six verses, “all” is referenced 4 times. When you consider that the culture of the day didn’t value women except for childbearing, Paul’s emphasis on “all” sheds new light on his purposes. His teaching is meant to raise women up from where they were. He is challenging the men to see women as equal shareholders in Christ’s grace. Salvation is for all. Prayer is for all. There are no “rankings” in God’s kingdom! We also need to add in a nuance that at this church, there was significant quarreling going on and all of it was rooted in pride and a sense of entitled superiority. Paul teaches the men to stop quarreling, set themselves aside, be reminded that the gospel is for everyone and is not about them or their position. On the other side of the conflict, women in the church were vying for attention and causing their own fights by intentionally drawing attention to themselves for their own pride and arrogance. They, too, had forgotten that the gospel was for everyone and that it calls each of us to live a life that loves others before self. They cared more about how they looked on the outside than about the gospel. In contrast, Paul implored the women to “show off” their godliness by good works or acts of love instead of selfish ambition and vanity, which only caused conflict in the end anyway.

2) What are these verses teaching about what I wear and my role in the church? (verses 9-14)
To our western way of thinking, the idea that women were already learning in the church is a given, but in biblical times, this would be a poor assumption. Paul declares, “Let a woman learn…” to combat the idea that women weren’t allowed to learn the Scriptures. Their gender was not to be used as an excuse for not learning and growing God’s Word. Women, however, were not permitted to teach over a man as one having a position of authority in the church (what we would consider today to be a pastor or elder). God designed a very specific pattern for unity within marriage as well as within the Body of Christ. Man is the head of women, and is called to protect and guard her even at the expense of his own life, just as Christ is the head of man and offered up His own life. Just like there can’t be two lead partners in a beautiful waltz, if a woman tried to usurp man’s God-given position of leadership, the outcome wouldn’t be pretty. Case in point, Eve in the Garden of Eden usurped Adam’s position as head over her and chose to step out of line by eating the fruit and then offering it to Adam. Satan knew that if he could get Eve to step aside from underneath Adam’s protection, then he could skew the entire pattern for humanity. And he was right. Eve sinned first. Hence the wording in Genesis, “her desire will be for her husband.” From that moment in the garden and going forward, women have sought after man’s position, wishing to usurp his authority. But God designed it the way that He did on purpose, that both parties might benefit and be satisfied in their God-given roles. Just like a beautiful dance, each submitting to the other.

3) How are women saved through childbearing?
Verse 15, just like verses 13-14, hearken back to Genesis following the curses on Eve for her sin. The childbearing portion refers to how, one day, a baby would be born through a descendent of Eve and He would be the Savior for all humanity because He would make a way back into relationship with God! Through the birth of this baby, every human being would have the opportunity to be “born again” into eternal life!

1) Why the difference between men and women? Doesn’t God want women to pray also? (verses 8-10)
We can be confident that God sees no difference whether male or female when He looks at us, but it doesn’t just stop at gender. God sees no difference between races, sexual orientation, drunkard or sober, addict or sex slave, He pursues us all! All need Him and all are hopelessly lost without Him. As you rejoice in the freedom and grace afforded you through the sacrifice of Christ, are you choosing to see others the same way He saw you? Ask the Spirit to soften your heart and to see all like God does!

2) What are these verses teaching about what I wear and my role in the church? (verses 9-14)
There’s no doubt about it that these verses can be tough, but if we allow our hearts to be soft, ready to be cut by God’s Word, then we will be transformed all the more clearly into the image of Christ. That’s worth laying aside our pride, ladies! If we are willing to accept God’s Word as authoritative for salvation, we must be also willing to accept its authority for our sanctification (becoming more like Christ). Jesus says, “Sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth!” (John 17:17) When you think of your clothing choices, what’s the motivation of your heart as you wear them? Vanity or love for others? When you think of your God-designed role in the church and marriage, do you feel your heart pull away because of pride or lean in because you’re confident that how God designed life to be lived is the very best?

3) How are women saved through childbearing?
Whether or not you’re a mother, you can rest assured that these verses have nothing to do with actual childbirth. These verses should comfort and encourage us because we know that God is a faithful God who kept a promise He made at the beginning of time to save us from the curse of sin! What part of your life do you need the assurance of a faithful God today? Lean in to His good character!

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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