The subject of the position of women in the Christian church is a matter about which people are sadly divided, and has become a matter for heated debate and contention. Many books and articles have been written on this subject, some of which have tended to err in opposite directions. Some writers have been very negative and restrictive in their comments, and have given the impression that women are of very little value or use in the church. Others, however, have gone beyond the plain teaching of God's Word, claiming that women may hold positions which are clearly forbidden to them in the Word of God.

In this article we are seeking to present a positive scriptural appreciation of the place and importance of Christian women in the church. Many have mistakenly concluded that the Bible is a man's book, that it is primarily a book about men and the importance of men, while women are largely discredited and made to appear inferior to men. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike certain other religions which teach that women have no souls, and are of little or no value or importance, the Bible, from beginning to end, recognises the dignity and value of godly women.

A striking instance of the lack of bias against women in the Bible is seen in the fact that it speaks far more about the sins and evildoings of men than of women. Women who are named for their wickedness in both Testaments are remarkably few, compared with the hosts of wicked men mentioned.

Let us consider some of those matters in which the Bible acknowledges the importance and value of Christian women:

1. In regard to salvation, women may share in all the blessings of salvation and forgiveness equally with men. In Galatians 3:26 and 28, we read that we are 'all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus'; 'there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.' Both men and women may equally share in the grace and salvation which are found only in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus saved many men and women during his ministry. He did not show any preference for men in salvation, but richly bestowed his grace upon all who sincerely sought him.
   
   The New Testament contains some wonderful accounts of the conversion of women. For example, we read in John 4:5-6, of the Samaritan woman to whom the Lord revealed himself and saved her. Acts 16:14 records how the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, so that she received and believed the message of salvation which Paul spoke.

2. Women are equal to men in living godly and devoted lives. In 1 Samuel chapters 1 and 2, there is record of the life of godly Hannah, who earnestly prayed for a son (Samuel), and then devoted him to the service of God. Luke 2:36-38 tells us of saintly Anna, who, while she was a great age, 'served God with fastings and prayers day and night'. Similarly, in 2 Timothy 1:5, we read of 'the unfeigned (sincere, genuine) faith', which dwelt in Timothy's grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice.

3. Women have often shown great faithfulness to God and his cause. In Hebrews 11:35, we read of women who were tortured for their faith in God, even when they could have compromised and escaped such torture. Mark 14:42-44 records the sacrificial giving of a poor widow. Although she gave only 'two mites' for God's work, it was 'all her living, all that she had'. This was more acceptable to Christ than far larger sums given by those who were wealthy. In Matthew 26:7-13, we read of the woman who poured precious ointment on Christ's head. The Lord declared, that 'wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.'
   
   When all the disciples forsook Christ and fled, a number of women stood loyally by his cross. We are told that it was two women who first came to the tomb of Christ, and were the first to be told that the Saviour had risen from the dead. Seldom do we read of a woman who was unfaithful to the Lord.

4. Women have been greatly used of God in every age. The first promise in the Bible was made to a woman, Eve, in Genesis 3:15. This promise declared that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. This promise was ultimately fulfilled when Christ was born of a woman, the Virgin Mary, who had conceived by the Holy Spirit. Man had no part in the incarnation of the Son of God; rather it was a woman who was God's chosen vessel for this purpose.
   
   Women figure prominently in the history of the Kings of Judah. All of the kings, except wicked king Ahaz mentioned in Christ's genealogy in Matthew chapter 1, have their mothers' names recorded in the books of the Kings and Chronicles. After the introduction of those kings we read on almost every occasion, 'And his mother's name was...' Kings whose names do not appear in Christ's genealogy rarely have their mother's name recorded in Scripture.
   
   During our Lord's life and ministry, he was supplied with his temporal needs by the kindnesses of women. Luke 8:3 refers to two of these women, one of whom was Joanna, the wife of King Herod's steward, and there were many others. The Lord often dined with Mary and her sister Martha in their home at Bethany. In fact we are told more about that home and family than any others with whom the Saviour came in contact.

5. In the teachings of our Lord, women are often referred to. He illustrated his mercy in Luke 15:8, by a parable concerning a woman who lost and later found a piece of silver. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto leaven which a woman hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened (Matthew 13:33). In Luke 18:1-7, the Lord illustrated perseverance in prayer to God by a widow woman, who persistently requested justice from an unjust judge, until she finally obtained that which she desired. There are over one hundred references to women in the four gospels.

The church of God is described as 'the bride, the Lamb's wife' in Revelation 21:9. There are also other occasions in which the Bible compares God's church to a woman, for example in Galatians 4:26-27.

There are, however, two areas of contention regarding the position of women, namely, in the home and in the church. In these two areas, God's Word clearly states the position that women should occupy. Some may be ready to ask, 'Are you now going to tell us that women are inferior in certain respects after all?' Definitely not! The fact that God gives to one person a position which another has not, does not make the other inferior in any way. We would otherwise have to conclude that all who are not pastors or elders in a congregation are inferior.

What then does the Bible teach regarding the position of women in the home? From the first chapters of Genesis, through to the end of the Bible, we are taught that the husband is to be the head of his wife and family. This was first revealed even in the creation of Adam and Eve. Adam was created first, and Eve was made to be his 'help meet' (Genesis 2:18). Eve was made from Adam's rib; not from his head to rule over him, nor from his feet to be trodden down by him, but from his side, to be near him, as his companion, close to his heart. When Eve sinned, we read that the judgments pronounced against her include, 'in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.' (Genesis 3:16). The New Testament clearly teaches that in Ephesians 5:23: 'For the husband is the head of the wife', and in Colossians 3:18: 'Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.' It is noted that these chapters in God's word also stress the responsibility of husbands to 'love their wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it' (Ephesians 5:25).

The examples given of godly wives in the Bible illustrate the subjection of wives. For instance we read, that 'Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord' (1 Peter 3:6).

The second problem area is in the Church of God. May women be teachers and bear authority in the Church? We find in Scripture that women may teach from the Word of God privately. The woman of Samaria in John 4:28-29 testified to the people in the city of Sychar concerning the Lord Jesus. We notice in verse 28 that it was 'to the men' of that city she spoke directly, not only to the women there.

In Acts 8:3-4 we read how Saul committed both Christian men and women to prison, and as a result, they were 'scattered abroad' and 'went everywhere preaching the word'. This portion of God's Word clearly indicates that both men and women were active in spreading the gospel. The Greek word here translated 'preaching' is not the word commonly used in Scripture for public preaching; rather it means to spread abroad and publish the good news. All Christians, both men and women, have a duty to speak God's Word to whose whom they meet.

In Acts 18:26, we are told of how both Aquila and his wife, Priscilla, privately explained to Apollos the way of God more perfectly. In Titus 2:3-4, aged and godly women are commanded to instruct younger women how to live godly lives, and to be loving towards their husbands and children. Women are to instruct children. Timothy learned the Scriptures from his mother and grandmother. King Lemuel in Proverbs 31:1 acknowledged that he was speaking the 'prophecy that his mother had taught him'. The book of Proverbs twice exhorts children not to forsake the law of their mother as well as that of their father (Proverbs 1:8 and 6:20).

Women may meet together for prayer to God. Acts 16:13 records how Paul found a company of women who had met for prayer by the riverside near the city of Philippi. Clearly then, the Bible teaches there are those situations in which women have a right and a duty to teach the Word of God to others. However, the Scriptures emphatically tell us that women should not be public teachers or preachers, nor should they hold a position of authority in the church of God. 1 Timothy 2:12 states: 'But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence'. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 14:34, Paul says:

Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

Some people object to the quoting of these texts from the Epistles of Paul by claiming that he was expressing his personal dislike for women. But Paul was not opposed to women. Rather, he spoke very highly of them and acknowledged his indebtedness to them. In Philippians 4:3 we read how Paul entreated his fellow-labourer to 'help those women which laboured with me in the gospel.' Significantly he mentioned those women before Clement and his other male helpers. These women were Paul's helpers and 'laboured with' him. Had he been opposed to women, he would never have permitted them to be his fellow-labourers.

Romans 16 records the names of a number of Christians whom Paul commended to the church in Rome. Eight of those he mentioned were women, whom Paul commended highly. In verse 1, we are told of Phebe who was 'a servant of the church' at Cenchrea. Paul acknowledged her as a sister in Christ, and requested others to receive and help her. Verse 6 speaks of Mary 'who bestowed much labour on us'. Verse 12 mentions three women and their labour in the Lord. One of them, Persis, is affectionately called 'beloved' and Paul acknowledges how she 'laboured much in the Lord'. The claim that Paul disliked women and did not appreciate them is without foundation in the New Testament.

Others have supposed that Paul was influenced by the widely accepted opinions of his time when he said that women should not teach or bear authority in the Church. But Paul emphatically denied such human influence. In Galatians 1:12, he declared that the gospel which he preached 'is not after man'. 'For neither I received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ'. If Paul was influenced by the opinions of his time on this matter, then we must ask, on how many other matters was Paul only expressing the common beliefs and practices of his day? Those who claim that all the writers of the Bible (including Christ himself), expressed the widely accepted views of their day, deny the divine inspiration of the Bible, and discredit its teaching.

Some may ask whether Acts 2:17-18 implies that there were women teachers in the Church. In those prophetic verses we are told that when God's Spirit would be poured out, 'your sons and your daughters shall prophesy'. Similarly, we read of the four daughters of Philip 'which did prophesy' (Acts 21:9). These verses clearly teach that women did prophesy after the day of Pentecost. However, there is no evidence that they did so in the Church, or that they ever held the position of a pastor or elder because they prophesied. It is also evident that they did not exercise their prophetic gifts before men. Act 21:8-11 records the visit of Paul and his company to the house of Philip, whose four daughters prophesied. These daughters did not exercise the gift of prophesy before Paul and those who were there assembled. In verse 10 we are told that after the company had tarried many days, Agabus, a man from Judea arrived, and it was he who publicly exercised the gift of prophecy, declaring how Paul would be bound by the Jews and delivered to the Gentiles. The Book of Acts shows that women did have spiritual gifts; but, in harmony with the rest of Scripture, such gifts were not used to teach publicly in the church, or to exercise authority over men. 1 Corinthians 14 emphasises this fact. This chapter speaks of those spiritual gifts which were present in the Corinthian church. In that same chapter and context, in verse 34, Paul forbade women to speak, thus clearly indicating that they were not to use publicly the gifts they possessed.

From an objective view of the Word of God, it is evident that men are the only ones called by God to preach and have authority in the church. The Lord Jesus called and ordained twelve apostles, all of whom were men. All the preachers and teachers mentioned in the New Testament were men. All the priests and Levites in the Old Testament, whom the Lord appointed to conduct the ceremonial worship and to teach the people, were men. So also were the elders of Israel who were the heads of families and of tribes. There is not a single instance of a woman pastor or elder in Scripture. Nor is there any instruction or command from God to ordain women to those positions. The New Testament only speaks of one woman teacher (Revelation 2:20-23). These verses refer to the wicked Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess and who had been allowed to teach in the church at Thyatira. Those verses pronounce judgment upon her and her evil actions, as well as on those who followed her.

It is evident from the Word of God that women cannot hold positions of authority in the church, because of the qualifications required for those who are appointed to be pastors and elders: 'the husband of one wife', 'one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity' (1 Timothy 3:2, 4).

But may a woman hold the position of a deaconess in the church? Some believe that Phebe was a deaconess in the church at Cenchrea and that therefore women may be appointed deaconesses. The word deacon ('diakonos' in Greek) refers to one who renders service and is used in Scripture to refer to the role of serving in some way, as well as to the position of a deacon in the church. For example, in Matthew 22:13 we read, 'Then said the king to the servants' ('deacons' in Greek). Matthew 23:11 says: 'He that is greatest among you shall be your servant' (deacon). John 12:26 says: 'If any man serve ("diakoneo") me, let him follow me.' These and many other instances refer not to the position of deacon in the church, but to the act of serving the Lord and serving our fellow-men.

However, when we examine the qualification for the office of a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, it is evident that the office of a deacon belongs only to men. They must be 'the husband of one wife, ruling his children and his own houses well' (verse 12). Women may be the servants of Christ and may serve in the church as Phebe did in the church at Cenchrea. But the office of a deacon belongs only to those men who meet the qualifications stated in the Word of God.

One further question is often asked: What happens if there are no men available, or if they refuse to perform that which is their duty? Should the work of God cease under such circumstances? The Scriptures refer to instances where this actually happened. In Judges 4 and 5, we read of Barak who refused to go into battle against the Canaanites unless Deborah went with him. Deborah told Barak that the outcome would not be to his honour, seeing he was so fearful. The Lord used Deborah to defeat the armies of Sisera, and later Sisera himself was slain by a woman, Jael (Judges 4:21). Although the Lord used these women to overthrow the enemies of Israel we are not to imagine that women were ever appointed as generals to lead Israel in battle.

Similarly in 2 Kings 22:14-20, we are told that Huldah announced the Word of God to Josiah, the king of Judah. However, we are not, from this instance, to conclude that women were to be anointed as prophetesses among God's people. These instances are recorded in Scripture to demonstrate that when those who are appointed to a position fail or refuse to perform their duty, God may use others who are not normally called to perform that task. They are exceptions and are not to be made a rule of action for our day.

We have noted that the Scriptures emphasise the importance and dignity of women, that they are equal to men, both as recipients of salvation and grace, and in godliness and faithfulness. They also have many duties which they may perform in serving Christ. Nevertheless, the Scriptures make it plain that women are not called to be pastors, elders or deacons. While they may and should teach God's Word in a private capacity, they are not called to be public teachers of the Bible in the church. Some churches and individuals have refused to accept the plain teaching of Scripture, and have acted contrary to what God has said in this matter. Regardless of this, it is the duty of all those who claim to be followers of Christ, to live in obedience to his Word, both in their private lives and also in the Church of God.