Article: The Valuable Role of Women in Church
This is an exposition of Romans 16 and 1 Timothy 2 on the vital and valued service of women in the church compiled from Pastor Noel's sermon on this subject preached on June 25, 2023.
Introduction: The Longest Roll Call
For those who have studied their Bibles for a long time, here is a question worth sitting with. If I asked you where to find the roll call of faith in the New Testament, where would you point us? If I asked where in the New Testament we would find a long list of Bible heroes and faithful servants of God, what chapter and verse would you name? Most would say Hebrews 11—and you would not be wrong. But you would not necessarily be right either, because there is another list, and a longer list, of Bible heroes in another place in the New Testament. Few people would guess it. The longest New Testament list of Bible heroes, I think, is found in Romans 16.
So let us all turn there, read it together, and see if something surprises us. Though it should not be surprising, we read something quite unexpected in this chapter.
Before we walk through the names, remember the setting. Rome was the capital of the great Roman Empire, and the church in Rome was one of the most strategic churches in New Testament times and in all of history. God ordained that the letter to the church in Rome would be the very vehicle by which he revealed the gospel in its fullest detail. This book is, in many ways, the cornerstone of what we know and celebrate about the value of what Christ has done for us. And yet it is precisely at the close of this towering letter that Paul pauses to name his fellow servants.
Romans 16.1–2 | I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church in Cenchreae. So you should welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may require your help. For indeed she has been a benefactor of many—and of me also. (CSB)
Phoebe begins the list. Paul wrote the letter of Romans from Corinth, and Phoebe was a servant (διάκονον) at the church in Cenchreae, a neighboring port city of Corinth. In addition to her service there, we believe she was given the very great responsibility of delivering what we call the book of Romans to the church in Rome. So Paul instructs the church to honor her as a faithful servant of the Lord and his church, and to provide her with whatever she needs for her continued service.
Romans 16.3–4 | Give my greetings to Prisca and Aquila, my coworkers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life. Not only do I thank them, but so do all the Gentile churches. (CSB)
Next come Prisca—short for Priscilla—and Aquila, a wife and husband. Does it strike you as odd that Paul would mention the wife first and then the husband? It is odd, and it was odder then than it is now. And it is not the only time it happens. Luke does the very same thing twice when he writes Acts 18:
Acts 18.18 | After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. (CSB)
Now, we do not want to read too much into this. The couple is mentioned with the husband's name first a few times in the New Testament as well. But it would be fair to assume that Priscilla played a vital role in the family's ministry to the church. I love the picture of that ministry in Acts 18. Priscilla and Aquila heard a gifted speaker named Apollos in Ephesus. Apollos taught Scripture, but he did not quite get it right. So what did this ministry couple do?
Acts 18.26 | He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. (CSB)
It seems that both Priscilla and Aquila—and note again that Priscilla's name comes first—taught the Scripture to Apollos. And returning to Romans 16.4, we see that this couple was well known to all of the Gentile churches. Their joint ministry, their partner ministry, was significant enough that every church was aware of it and was in some way impacted by their work.
Romans 16.5 | Greet also the church that meets in their home. Greet my dear friend Epaenetus, who is the first convert to Christ from Asia. (CSB)
A church met in the home of Priscilla and Aquila. And Epaenetus was the first convert in what we call Turkey today.
Romans 16.6 | Greet Mary, who has worked very hard for you. (CSB)
Mary was a common name, and we really know only two things about this particular Mary. First, she was a very hard-working servant in the church in Rome. Second, due to her role in the church, she was well known enough that Paul could simply say "Mary" and everyone knew exactly who he meant.
Romans 16.7 | Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews and fellow prisoners. They are noteworthy in the eyes of the apostles, and they were also in Christ before me. (CSB)
Here we have another husband-and-wife ministry team. If you look at how Paul typically used the plural word "apostles," it seems fair to say that this couple were itinerant missionaries.
Now, before we go further, have you noticed something that might surprise some? As Paul gives us the roll call of the key servants in the church at Rome, he is mentioning a great many women. If we are keeping score so far, we have four women—Phoebe, Priscilla, Mary, and Junia—and three men—Aquila, Epaenetus, and Andronicus.
The greetings continue:
Romans 16.8 | Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord. (CSB)
Romans 16.9 | Greet Urbanus, our coworker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys. (CSB)
Romans 16.10 | Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. (CSB)
Romans 16.11 | Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those who belong to the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. (CSB)
Romans 16.12 | Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord. (CSB)
Tryphaena and Tryphosa, whose names mean "delicate" and "dainty," are likely twin sisters, and they were known for their hard work serving the Lord and the church. Persis, too, was a woman commended for her hard work in ministry.
Romans 16.13 | Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother—and mine. (CSB)
Rufus was likely one of the sons of Simon of Cyrene, the man enlisted to carry Jesus's cross:
Mark 15.21 | They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus's cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. (CSB)
Rufus's mother—the wife of Simon of Cyrene—provided great care to Paul at some point, care so meaningful that Paul calls her his own mother.
Romans 16.14 | Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers and sisters who are with them. (CSB)
Romans 16.15 | Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them. (CSB)
We do not know more about these people, but notice that two are men and two are women.
Romans 16.16 | Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send you greetings. (CSB)
This is my focus verse this morning. Turn to the person behind you and pucker up.
The Point of the Roll Call
What is the point of reading all of those verses? These verses establish by example what has been apparent in every good church from Acts 2 to today: women are vital to the work of the church. Women have a place in the work of the church, and their service is valued right alongside the service of men. Paul makes no gender distinctions here as he lists the key people in the church at Rome. He did not put the men in one list and the women in another, lesser list. The plain truth is that the church at Rome would not have functioned without the strategic ministry of women—and that is at least as true today as it was then.
But read the very next verse, because Paul does not let us linger only in celebration:
Romans 16.17 | Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, (CSB)
Watch out. There are people who create divisions and obstacles contrary to Scripture—and on the subject of women's role in ministry, that is especially true. Notice that the verse says these divisions are contrary to "the teaching that you learned," the teaching once for all delivered to the saints:
Jude 3 | Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write, appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. (CSB)
Listen, church: there are some things in the Bible that are very difficult to discern and understand. If you just want me to confuse you, I promise I could blow your mind with unanswerable questions. But this question of the role of men and women in ministry, at least in my understanding of Scripture, is not that hard. And yet divisive people, on both sides of the debate, have lit their flamethrowers and created unnecessary conflict.
What This Message Aims to Do
So here is what I want to do today. I want us to celebrate the role of women in ministry, and we will celebrate it by defining it and clarifying it. And I want to point to Jesus, because Paul wrote:
Galatians 3.28 | There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. (CSB)
The amazing thing that should be capturing our attention is that we are one in Christ.
Ordinarily, I preach from just one passage of Scripture. Today will be a little different, as we will try to take in a broader scope of God's word.
One more thing before we jump in. I am not mad or angry. Our church is not mad or angry. And we are not mad or angry at people who hold a different view than the one we see in Scripture—and there may be some here today. There are things we should fight over in the Bible; as I said last week, I will not hesitate to call out a church that perverts the gospel. But on this issue, our time and energy are best spent empowering men and women to serve, not bashing those who differ.
Where to Begin
I want to handle this issue well. I want to be faithful to Scripture, humble and kind, fair and reasonable. This topic came up when several people reached out to me in the last few days about something an area pastor said about the subject. So I came to the church early yesterday morning and began to study and pray. My prayer was that I would have the gentleness of Christ and the mind of Christ. As for my studying—I knew what I believed and why, but sometimes the only way to have full confidence in one's own view is to hear the arguments of those who disagree. So I spent hours reading books and articles written by those who do not see this the way I see it. I took eleven thousand words of notes. And I want to share the fruit of that study with you.
I think the best place to start is with Scripture about Scripture:
2 Timothy 3.16 | All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, (CSB)
Where do we turn for the answer to this question and every question like it? Scripture. God's word is revealed; that is why we call it a revelation. The standard of truth, of right and wrong, of godly wisdom, is not what our culture approves, not what our personal sense of fairness or equity demands, not what we have experienced, and not how we feel or what we think. Sometimes someone will say to me, "Pastor, what do you think?" And I want to say, "Who cares?"—or, "It doesn't matter what I think." What matters is what God's word says.
Now, I happen to think God's truth about this subject is wonderful and beautiful, and that it honors the image of God in all of us. Some will disagree, and that is okay. But if we feel pushback on what the Bible says, we must stop and ask: do I really disagree on the plain interpretation of the Bible, or do I just not like what it says? I believe the plain interpretation honors the image of God in women. But even if it did not, truth is truth—truth is what God reveals in his word as true.
What Galatians 3.28 Does and Does Not Mean
Let us turn back to Galatians 3. This is a beautiful verse and great news, but we need to see both what it means and what it does not mean. Read it in context:
Galatians 3.27 | For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. (CSB)
Galatians 3.28 | There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. (CSB)
Galatians 3.29 | And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise. (CSB)
The focus here is Christ. We have all been clothed with Christ, we are all one in Christ, and we are all heirs with Christ of the promise. What does that say? It says that all people—Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female—have equal status and equal value because we are all in Christ.
But does this passage remove gender distinctions? We see in the Genesis creation account that the creation of distinct genders came from the mind of God, and it was perfect and wonderful. Genders are not the result of sin or the fall. In fact, the two genders reflect the image of God more fully than one gender would alone. Our world today is trying hard to erase gender distinctions, but that is always a rebellion against God and against his creation intent. And honestly, no one really believes this verse removes gender distinctions. Christians do not believe people are genderless. Genderlessness would mean there could be no Christian marriage. If you did away with gender distinctives and roles, you would have to do away with much of the New Testament, because gender is discussed throughout—you would have a hard time explaining Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, and 1 Timothy.
The Passage People Fight Over
Now we come to a passage over which many people fight: 1 Timothy 2. Remember, Scripture—not how we think or feel—determines truth, and Scripture generally means what it seems to mean.
1 Timothy 2.11–12 | A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. (CSB)
That is the nuclear-bomb passage. Let us break it down and see what the words plainly say, and then take up the issues it raises. "A woman"—previously Paul addressed men, and then he addressed women, so there are gender distinctives in God's truth revealed through Paul for the church today. "Learn quietly with full submission"—this pictures women listening and learning in some setting. "I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man"—at first glance, this seems a fairly easy-to-understand prohibition. There is, plainly, something that Christian women in the church are not allowed to do. As for "teach or to have authority over a man," because of additional verses we will look at in a moment, I think these two words, teach and authority, go together: a woman is not allowed to be in a position of authoritative teaching or preaching over men, since the common distinction between preaching and teaching is precisely authority. And then, to make things as clear as possible, Paul not only gives the instruction but clarifies it by pointing to its converse: "instead, she is to remain quiet."
So when the dust settles, what does this verse teach us? I want to find Bible answers to five questions:
I. How does this fit with other verses on the same subject?
II. How does this fit with what we see modeled in Scripture?
III. How does this honor the value of equality?
IV. What was Paul's reason for the instruction?
V. What is the most faithful way to understand this passage?
Bible Q&A on the Role of Women in Ministry
I. How does this fit with other verses on the same subject?
It is important to see how verses fit together, because the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. So what do we find when we look around the New Testament?
1 Corinthians 14.34–35 | the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but are to submit themselves, as the law also says. If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, since it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church. (CSB)
1 Corinthians 11.5 | Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. (CSB)
Notice the tension. While 1 Corinthians 14 says women should be silent, 1 Corinthians 11 speaks of women praying and prophesying in church. The Bible does not contradict itself, so the silence cannot mean complete, absolute silence—it must mean something more particular. In these passages, then, we see that women do play a role in worship, though that role has some limitations.
II. How does this fit with what we see modeled in Scripture?
Do we see women in Scripture taking leadership roles in ministry? Yes, and abundantly so. We have already seen in Acts 18 where Priscilla and Aquila privately instructed Apollos about Scripture. We have seen the list of women who ministered in the church in Rome, and there are similar lists in some of Paul's other letters. Deborah was the leader of Israel in Judges 4. Miriam, the sister of Moses, composed a psalm for Israel to commemorate their escape from Egypt:
Exodus 15.20–21 | Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out following her with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. (CSB)
Esther saved the nation of Israel through her bold faithfulness inside a foreign palace. Women were the first people Jesus charged with the wonderful ministry of testifying to his resurrection. And the prophetic promise poured out at Pentecost included daughters as well as sons:
Acts 2.17 | And it will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all people; then your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. (CSB)
Luke 8.1–3 | Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her); Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and many others who were supporting them from their possessions. (CSB)
Acts 21.8–9 | The next day we left and came to Caesarea, where we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. This man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. (CSB)
And yet, alongside all of this, there are some things we simply do not see in Scripture. There are no female priests in the Old Testament. There are no female Disciples or Apostles. There are no female elders or pastor-teachers. And there are no examples of women teaching in public. This lack of examples is even more significant when you read the New Testament and see all of the women who held significant roles in Jesus's ministry, Paul's ministry, and the early church.The silence is not the silence of a Bible that overlooks women—it is the silence of a Bible full of women who served in every capacity but one.
III. How does this honor the value of equality?
When I talk about these issues, someone will inevitably ask about equality. How does this support equality? If equality is the highest virtue, how does this fit? I will not spend a great deal of time here, because it could easily take up an hour, but this is a good example of how our thinking today is not in step with the thinking of Christians in the New Testament.
We hold the virtue of equality high, and in many ways rightly so. Equality—and even equity—has become the banner of American life and, for many, the single most valued virtue. I am not saying that is altogether bad. But hear me: it is a cultural thing, a contemporary thing, and largely an American or at least a Western thing. You will not even find this issue discussed in the New Testament. In the New Testament, the only equality questions that would have been considered are how we are equally sinful, equally lost, and equally died for. This could be a much longer discussion, but let us simply keep in mind that our modern American hyper-focus on relative equality is not the normal way people have thought about life through the centuries. While that focus has had real benefits, equality is not the most important virtue in life—and it is often perverted to harmful or even evil ends.
IV. What was Paul's reason for this instruction?
I told you I read as much literature as I could from people who disagree with my understanding of these verses. There were basically just two arguments brought against a plain reading of the passage. The first is trajectory hermeneutics, which I may speak about at another time, but which I seriously doubt anyone listening to me would embrace. The second is cultural contextualization, which essentially says that Paul gave the 1 Timothy 2.11–12 instruction to deal with problems in that culture, or perhaps even in that single church in that culture.
Well, could that be true? There are clearly some instructions in the New Testament that carry a cultural dimension, such as Paul's counsel about food offered to idols, or even the holy kiss:
1 Corinthians 8.10 | For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, won't his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? (CSB)
So could 1 Timothy 2.11–12 likewise be merely a cultural matter? No. Look at the passage again and read two verses further:
1 Timothy 2.11–12 | A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. (CSB)
1 Timothy 2.13–14 | For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed. (CSB)
Paul roots the admonition of verses 11–12 in two reasons, and neither is cultural. First, the order of creation. God created man from the dust, and then God created woman in the context of her relationship to man—"For Adam was formed first, then Eve." And 1 Timothy is not the only place Scripture points to the order of creation as relevant:
1 Corinthians 11.8 | For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. (CSB)
1 Corinthians 11.9 | Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. (CSB)
1 Corinthians 11.3 | But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. (CSB)
If someone does not like this hierarchical system, it is likely because he or she does not know what a sinless hierarchy is like. Second, the way the fall took place. Now, Paul is not saying that women are more easily deceived; those who suggest this are reading too much into the passage—note the aorist tense of the verb. Paul is simply saying the sins of Adam and Eve were different. Eve sinned because she was deceived; Adam was not deceived, but did what he knew was wrong.
So when you take all four verses together, it is clear that this is not some culture-specific issue. You may not like that conclusion, and if so, just hold on, because I am not finished—but whether I like it or not is a different matter. If we are going to be people of the book, the whole book, then it seems to me we must allow this passage to exclude women from at least some kind of ministry.
V. What is the most faithful way to understand this passage?
So what exactly is this passage prohibiting? To answer that well, there are two things we must be clear about.
First, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts—supernatural enablements—for people to minister.There are many such gifts: leadership, teaching, exhortation, evangelism, giving, hospitality, shepherding, and more. And the Bible teaches that God gives these spiritual gifts to men and to women. I read a great deal of theology written by women and benefit mightily from it—I have recently read books by Susan Foh, Jen Wilkins, and Rosaria Butterfield. Men and women share all of these gifts.
Second, the Bible says that there are ministry offices in the church.
Ephesians 4.11–12 | And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, (CSB)
Notice first the purpose for these God-ordained offices: to equip the saints for the work of ministry—that is, teaching, training, and supporting—and to build up the body of Christ—that is, managing, leading, and overseeing. Now let us look at one of those offices in particular, the pastor-teacher. The Bible uses three different words interchangeably to refer to this one office: pastor (ποιμάνατε), or shepherd; elder (πρεσβυτέρους); and overseer (ἐπισκόπους). Each word highlights a role. As pastor, or shepherd, he feeds and protects the flock, which includes being the primary recognized teacher of the church. As elder, he provides spiritual leadership, discernment, and direction, a word that itself implies maturity. As overseer, he sets the vision and the strategy for the church.
1 Peter 5.1–2 | I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory about to be revealed: Shepherd God's flock among you, not overseeing out of compulsion but willingly, as God would have you; not out of greed for money but eagerly; (CSB)
The office of pastor-teacher is clearly an office of authority. To be sure, it is secondary authority, under Christ; it is supervised authority, under the church; and it is evaluated authority, measured against the Scripture. But it remains an office with Bible-sanctioned authority.
Now return to our focus verse:
1 Timothy 2.11–12 | A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet. (CSB)
This verse is talking about the office we call pastor—pastor, elder, overseer. Different churches may choose to implement the details of this in different ways, and the Bible has more to say about it than we have time to cover this morning. But the bottom line, at least with this 1 Timothy 2 passage, is this: the person or persons in a church charged with the role and function of pastor—elder, shepherd, overseer—of both men and women is to be a qualified man. And while, admittedly, the devil is sometimes in the details, and churches have some freedom in how they implement this faithfully, I believe in principle that a woman can serve in any other role and position in a church. There are other issues to weigh—biblical, cultural, and practical. But if we look at the question in a vacuum, the answer seems fairly clear.
Conclusion
A Word About the SBC
Now let us talk about the SBC, because we are an SBC church. The SBC is certainly not perfect. I have some serious problems with some things going on right now, and the convention has had its dark days. But I think the good far outweighs the bad—think of the missions and the education we share in. We are genuinely invested in the SBC. I heard a pastor last week criticize the convention and then mention that his church gave one thousand dollars to it last year. Well, our church gave multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars last year. I know what I am talking about. Those who do not should stop talking.
You may have read in the news or heard from others that the SBC "kicked out" a church for having women pastors. Well—yes and no. The SBC has held this view, that pastors, elders, and overseers are to be male, since its inception in 1845. So when a church today changes its understanding and chooses a different view that it knows is contrary to the long-established SBC position, it is not so much that they were kicked out as that they left. If a church wants to leave the convention, then it should leave; every church is free to choose the churches it associates with. Consider Saddleback, the California church founded by Rick Warren. Three years ago it decided to change the view it had held and championed for decades. That was certainly its prerogative—but instead of simply leaving, it tried to get the entire SBC to change along with it. That is just divisive.
So when you hear someone say that the ten thousand Baptists who met at the convention did not talk about missions, evangelism, or Jesus but were too busy attacking women in local churches; or that the SBC is attacking our minister; or that the SBC does not affirm women—well, I want to be as charitable as I can, so I will just call that ignorance. None of those statements are even remotely true. The SBC is a group of churches rallied around the Bible and a couple dozen long-held theological distinctives, who pool their money for missions. If a church wants to be part of that, good. If a church does not want to be part of that, fine. Just quit throwing hand-grenades.
A Word About FBC Nacogdoches
Well, what about us? At FBC Nac we have one male pastor and three male associate pastors. We have six others who serve as full-time ministers, five of them men and one a woman—and honestly, she is probably the best minister we have. Not counting ministry interns, who are probably half men and half women, we have two part-time ministers, one male and one female. Let me be plain: there is no value difference between any of our twelve vocational ministers.
Church, we can do better. I can do better. I hope one day we will have many women serving as ministers on our church staff, and we will be better off for it. We embrace and value the contributions of women in ministry here. We include women in our worship services. Our children's minister, Melanie, taught a brief Bible lesson in our worship services two Sundays ago and did a wonderful job. We have women pray, read Scripture, give testimonies, sing, play instruments, and lead the choir and orchestra. But we reserve the office of pastor, elder, and overseer—title andfunction—for qualified men. And we do so only because, and exactly because, we believe that is what the Bible teaches. I know some terrible things have happened in some churches in their treatment of women. That is terrible. That is inexcusable. We should condemn it everywhere it occurs. But that is not a reason to be less than faithful to God's clear instructions.
Men, Women, and the Gospel
Now let us talk about men and women and the gospel. Why are there men and women at all? God could have successfully made mankind all one gender if he had wanted to; the creation of woman was part of God's plan, not an afterthought. The male and female genders were God's good idea, and they serve a good and godly purpose. Consider how richly they preach the gospel:
A. Together, the two genders better communicate the image of God.
Genesis 1.27 | So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. (CSB)
B. The trust and submission of a wife to her husband imperfectly yet beautifully pictures how we love Christ.
Ephesians 5.24 | Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. (CSB)
C. The sacrificial love a man gives to his wife is an imperfect yet beautiful picture of the love of Christ for us.
Ephesians 5.25 | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her (CSB)
D. The pastor-elder of the local church is an imperfect yet beautiful reminder of how Jesus is our true and perfect shepherd.
E. Our monogamy is a picture of our exclusive love for God and his jealous love for us.
F. A woman's devotion and allegiance to her husband is a reminder that there is a greater husband in Christ. As Wendy Colgan has helped us see, the whole storyline of Scripture moves this way: the judges point us to Christ the greater judge; the kings to Christ the greater king; the priests to Christ the greater priest; the prophets to Christ the greater prophet—and Charlie, the faithful husband, to Christ the greater husband.
Here is the beauty of all of this: it is not ultimately about men and women and the roles we play or do not play. It is about Jesus. So if our focus becomes what do I get to do, what can I not do, how can I be equal, then we have missed the point not only of gender differences but of all the other differences God has woven into us—stronger and weaker, more or less artistic, more or less wired for leadership, more or less musically inclined, more or less able to teach, greater or lesser in resources, extrovert or introvert.
The point, the beauty, of our differences is that all of them can be leveraged to glorify God. If God has gifted you to be a leader, be the kind of leader who reminds people of the leadership of God—that is why he gifted you that way. If God has gifted you to wash people's feet, be the kind of foot-washer who reminds people of how Jesus humbled himself to serve mankind—that is why he gifted you that way. If God has gifted you with wealth, be the kind of wealthy person who reminds people of the love and generosity of the Lord—that is why he gifted you that way. If God has gifted you with poverty, be the kind of poor person whose life reminds people that our greatest riches are in Christ—that is why he gifted you that way. And if God created you male, embrace your gender as a tool the Lord has given you to point people to the glory of God. And if God created you female, embrace your gender as a tool the Lord has given you to point people to the glory of God.