Roles of Men and Women in the Church
by Bryan Carlson
Men and women are equal but not the same. Two things don’t have to be the same to be equal.
Galatians 3:26-29
Created order, not culture:
At creation, before the fall:
Genesis 2:18-25
Gen. 2:18: “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable to him.”
The fall:
Genesis 3:6-7
It was Adam God confronted even though it was the woman who first sinned (1 Tim. 2:13):
Genesis 3:8-12
As a result of the fall:
Genesis 3:14-20
“Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you.”
In the Old Testament
Deborah: Judges 4 and 5
Miriam: Exodus 15:20-21; Micah 6:4
Esther
In the New Testament
Jesus valued women highly, which was counter cultural. He healed women, touched unclean women, welcomed women to learn at his feet and travel with him, and he first revealed himself to women after his resurrection. He did, however, choose 12 men as his disciples and men to be his apostles. If the New Covenant in His blood was meant to eliminate role differences, Jesus would have made this very clear in His choosing of His disciples and the appointment of apostles. Paul would have emphasized this reversal in his letters instead of assuming and teaching in favor of male headship in the home and leadership in the church.
Women were critical and influential in the early church:
Priscilla (and Aquila): Acts 18:26
Philip’s daughters who were prophetesses: Acts 21:8-11
The women of Romans 16
Acts 2:17-18: “And it shall be in the last days God says that I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughter will prophesy, and your young men will see visions and your old men will have dreams; and even on my male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”
1 Cor. 11:3-16
1 Cor. 11:3: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.”
1 Cor. 11:5: “But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head”
1 Cor.11:7-9: “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.
1 Cor. 11:11-12: “However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent from man, nor is man independent from woman. For as the woman originated from man, so also the man has his birth through a woman; and all things originate from God.”
1 Cor. 14:31-38: “For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all my learn and all may be exhorted; and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; for God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Or was it from you that the Word of God first went out? Or has it come to you only? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment. But if anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.”
1 Timothy 2:8-3:16
1 Tim. 2:11-13: “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first created and then Eve.”
1 Tim. 3:1: “An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife…he must be…”
Titus 1:5-9
Titus 1:5-6: “appoint elders in every city…namely if any man is above reproach…”
Spiritual gifts: there is no distinction between spiritual gifts given to men and women. It appears that we are all given the exact same gifts.
1 Cor. 12
Husbands and wives
Ephesians 5:21-33
Eph. 5:21: “and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
Eph. 5:23-24: “For the husband in the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church…But as the church is subject to Christ, wives ought to be subject to their husbands.”
Eph. 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her…”
Colossians 3:18-19
Wives—respect your husbands! Husbands—love your wives!
Titus 2:1-8
1 Peter 3:1-7
1 Pet. 3:1: “wives, be submissive to your own husbands”
1 Pet. 3:3: “And let your adornment be…the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”
1 Pet. 3:6: “Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened.”
1 Pet. 3:7: “husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, a with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life; so that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Servant leadership, not lordship:
Luke 22:25-27—the greatest is the servant of all.
Men are called to lovingly care for and serve their wives.
Submission is a beautiful thing—Jesus submits to His Father, the church submits to Christ, we are to submit to our leaders, husbands and wives are to submit to one another.
“The aim of leadership is not to demonstrate the superiority of the leaders but to bring out all the strengths of the people that will move them forward to the desired goal.” John Piper
I believe men and women have equally important but distinct roles based on created order. Men have God-given authority over women in marriage and in the church. Men should be the primary teachers of the Word at Christian gatherings and should be the elders of the church. Women should use all their gifts to build up the church of Christ. They should serve in every area of ministry. Women should actively participate in worship services—singing, praying, and prophesying (reading and sharing the Word of God and what the Holy Spirit is doing in their lives). Women should diligently and faithfully teach other women the Word of God. Men and women complement each other beautifully and together make up the body of Christ. It would not be consistent with Paul’s teaching to assume women need to be completely quiet in the church (this had to be some kind of a cultural reference—such as women aggressively taking over leadership responsibilities in the church; and men abdicating their roles) as he gives instructions for how women are to pray and prophesy in the church. As long as they are not teaching or exercising authority over men, they must joyfully participate in the worship of God.
