Women's Place According To The Scriptures

by R. K. Campbell

Preface

We purpose in this paper to consider woman’s place in the family, in society and in the Church as outlined for us in the Holy Scriptures. Our inquiry will not be to ascertain what is the customary place which women have assumed and been granted in these spheres, or what is expedient, reasonable, or the teaching of the professing Church in general on the subject. Our concern is “What saith the Scriptures?” (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 4:30). We desire to inquire into what God has said in His Holy Word about woman’s place.

To those who regard the Bible as the inspired Word of God and profess to be governed by it, what God has said in the matter should surely be final and conclusive. For such who acknowledge the authority of the Scriptures we write and our appeal is to that Revelation of Truth alone. May the reader do as the Bereans of old, who “received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:10-11) .R. K. C.-Jan. 1947. Third Edition - 3, 000 - November, 1980

Introduction

Every thoughtful reader will agree that God has given woman a special and wonderful place in the family, in society, and in the Church, and that she is especially fitted of Him for this unique place which no man can properly fill. Scripture, from beginning to end, shows us woman’s special place in creation, in the fall of humanity, under the law in the Old Testament, and under grace in the Church of the New Testament. We shall see from the Word of God that woman has her own sphere of service and that it is a very blessed and necessary one.

It will be very helpful to a proper understanding of our subject if we first consider her place in creation, in the fall, under the law, and in the home. The discerning of woman’s God-given place in these spheres will give us the proper background to consider and realize her scriptural place in the Church.

I - In Creation

We learn from Genesis chapter 2 that man was first created, and then from Adam’s rib God made a woman and brought her unto man to be an helpmeet for him. In 1 Corinthians 11:8-12 the Spirit of God has recorded the following comment upon this: “For man is not of woman, but woman of man. For also man was not created for the sake of the woman; but woman for the sake of the man. Therefore ought the woman to have authority on her head on account of the angels. However, neither (is) woman without man, nor man without woman in (the) Lord. For as the woman (is) of the man, so also (is) the man by the woman, but all things of God” (New Trans.). Here is an exquisitely guarded and balanced presentation of the truth of the relationship of man and woman.

The very fact that woman was taken out of man proves her equality with him. She is not his inferior, but his equal, his helpmeet. There is equality, but with it diversity. Woman was made for man and to be with him at his side. God never intended that woman should be an independent creature apart from man, but that she should be associated with him, and that together they should be one flesh and typify Christ and His bride, the Church. Woman never shines more brightly than when fulfilling the object for which she was created, which primarily was to be man’s helpmeet.

However, we must notice the very fact that woman was made of the man indicates that man is her head. This is the deduction which the Spirit of God brings before us in the above quoted verses of 1 Corinthians 11, “Therefore (in view of her place in creation), ought the woman to have authority on her head (i. e. a token of the authority of man under which she stands) on account of the angels.” The apostle says, “I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man” (vs. 3). Because of this divine order in creation, woman is to recognize man’s headship and to have on her head the sign of his authority over her, that is, a covering on her head, especially when she prays or prophesies and when she is in the Assembly (vs. 5-10). The angels are to behold God’s order in creation and in the Church.

We will have more to say later regarding woman having her head covered; we merely refer to this now in connection with her place in creation and as to the consequent recognition of man as her head, which the head covering signifies according to Scripture.

In 1 Corinthians 11:14-15, the apostle refers to nature as a further evidence of the distinction between man and woman and of her proper place of subjection. “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that man, if he have long hair, it is a dishonour to him? But woman, if she have long hair, (it is) glory to her; for the long hair is given to her in lieu of a veil” (New Trans.). God has given long hair to woman and short hair to man as a distinguishing mark between them. It is natural for woman to have long hair and for man to have short hair.

Long hair is generally in Scripture a symbol of dependence, submission and of that modesty that becomes woman as “the weaker vessel” to which man is to give honor (1 Pet. 3:7). The passage before us in 1 Cor. 11 speaks of woman’s hair as her glory. A woman only manifests the glory and beauty put upon her when she abides in her God-given place of dependence and subjection and maintains her feminine character. The more feminine woman is, the more beautiful and pleasing to God she is. The more woman tries to appear like a man and to take his place, the more she loses her true beauty and virtue.

The expression “Doth not even nature itself teach you?” is capable of wide application to our present subject. The natural constitution and temperament of man and woman is quite diverse. God in His wisdom put great differences in the physical, mental and emotional make-up of man and woman. He has given man superior height, strength and reasoning equipment, and in happy contrast has given to woman natural grace, gentleness, and mental nimbleness, fitting her especially for the domestic circle. The Creator has most evidently so constituted them by nature to fill distinct and separate places, yet to be supplementary to each other.

Thus we learn from creation and nature that woman has a distinct place from that of man in society and we shall see that her God-given place in the Church is in harmony with her place in creation and nature. Yea, we will find that her place in creation fixes her place in the Church as well, and that her place in nature is illustrative of her place in grace, or of her relation as a Christian woman to God. The two are inseparable. God does not give woman or man a place in the Church which is contrary to their place in creation and nature.

II - In the Fall

Having seen from creation that woman’s place is one of subjection to her head and companionship with him, we will now consider what part she had in the fall of humanity in the garden of Eden, and what place she was given in consequence thereof. From the divine account in Genesis 3, we learn that the serpent tempted Mother Eve to take of the forbidden fruit, and that she was the one who took of it and ate thereof and also gave unto her husband, who likewise ate of it (vs. 1, 6). Because of this, God said to Eve, “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee” (Gen. 3:16).

Here we see the first woman, Eve, taking the lead and leaving her natural place of dependence. And instead of repelling the serpent’s advances, and seeking the help and protection of her God-given head, she acted in independence and was beguiled by the serpent into disobedience of God’s command. Therefore, God definitely pronounced that her place was to be one of subordination to her husband.

Furthermore, we are not even left to make our own deductions from these facts, for the Spirit of God refers to this deception of Eve by Satan in 1 Timothy 2:11-14, and gives it as a reason why women in this present Church age are not to usurp authority over the man. There we read:. “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

Here we have two reasons given why woman is not to teach in the Church. One is Adam’s first place in creation, implying headship, and the other, that the woman was deceived by the serpent. Adam was not deceived like the woman; he sinned with his eyes open and was more guilty than his wife, but it was Eve who was deceived. Such was her part in the fall of humanity, and since she proved herself a bad leader in this respect, in God’s wise government she is debarred from the place of authority or teaching in the Church. Thus, here we get the first and most powerful warning against woman taking the lead. It is surely a vivid warning signal at the very start of man’s journey across the sea of time.

As another has observed: “When women get out of their place, they appear to be the special prey of the devil. It is a woman in the parable, who introduced the leaven into the three measures of meal (Matt. 13:33) - type of the introduction of corrupting principles, which have permeated the Christian profession. It was a woman – Eve – who was ‘in the transgression.’

“They are ‘silly woman laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,’ who are led captive by evil men in the perilous times of the last days (2 Tim. 3:6). It is a woman – Jezebel – who stands historically in the Old Testament page as an example of all that is disgusting and wicked; who stands figuratively in Revelation as the example of ecclesiastical corruption and religious depravity of the worst type (1 Ki. 21; Rev. 2:20).

“In the present day the great majority of spiritist mediums are women; modern spiritism began with women – the Fox sisters in America. It was an hysterical woman – Mrs. White – who by her blasphemous pretensions has been the leader, and largely the inventor, of that wicked system – Seventh-Day Adventism.

“Christian Science – which is neither Christian nor scientific – owes its origin to Mrs. Eddy – a woman. (We may add that a survey of Christian Science Practitioners in a certain large city reveals that 75% are women. R.K.C.). Theosophy, as known in the Western hemisphere, was popularized by a woman – Madame Blavatsky; her work was carried on by a woman – Mrs. Besant” (A. J. Pollock).

To this list one might add the present-day Tongues Movement, with its attendant fanaticism, etc., in which women are the most prominent and enthusiastic leaders.

This is not indeed to slight woman, for morally she is generally of finer qualities than man and, as a rule, she exceeds him in affection and devotion to Christ. Nor is it a question here of woman’s ability, for it is gladly admitted that compared with man, she manifests no inferiority of genius, culture, tact, speech, etc. It is only positionally that man is above woman, and the point we wish to emphasize here is merely this: that when woman departs from her God-given place and sphere of service and takes a place of teaching and leading, she often becomes the special victim of Satan’s deceptions and the propagator of his falsehoods and heresies. This is the lesson we should learn from Eve in the garden of Eden and from woman’s subsequent history.

On the other hand, when woman abides in her God-given place, she is a most effective power for good, and her presence and power in the service of Christ are, under God, vitally essential to the success and continuance of the Church. The Bible is full of examples of godly, faithful and devoted women who performed great services for God in their divinely appointed spheres. Of this we shall have more to say later.

Gathering up what has been before us, we may summarize it thus: Because Eve was deceived by Satan and took the lead in the act of the first sin, as a consequence, woman was put, in the governmental dealings of God, in a place of subordination to man, and she is to learn in silence with all subjection and is never to exercise authority over man. This is what we learn as to woman’s scriptural place, because of her part in the fall of humanity in Eden. And this divinely appointed status remains unchanged in the present Church period of Grace. Furthermore, as has been pointed out, woman’s history has only proved the wisdom and justice of the circumscription of her sphere as imposed by God.

III - Holy Women of Old and Under the Law

The apostle Peter, in exhorting wives as to their behavior, speaks of the manner of holy women of old time, and gives the conduct of Sarah as an example. As these words, which the Holy Spirit has given us through Peter, are helpful in our present subject, we shall quote them here. “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the Word, they also may without the Word be won by the conversation (behavior) of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation (behavior) coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are” (1 Pet. 3:1-6).

These words are very clear in themselves and need no comment. Sarah, whom we would judge from the Old Testament to have been a woman of vigorous and masterful personality, stands as an example of holy women of old who abode in subjection unto their husbands and manifested a chaste behavior. This clearly gives us the position of woman in relation to man, and the practice followed by godly women of old.

In connection with the preceding, we would make a brief reference to woman’s place under the law. When the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Assembly and instructed them as to woman’s place in the Assembly, he said they were “to be under obedience, as also saith the law” (1 Cor. 14:34). It is not a particular passage or precept that he refers to, but the whole tenor of the Old Testament. Throughout the dispensation of the Law, we find woman’s place to be that of subjection and obedience, and not of leadership or authority.

Thus we see clearly that Creation, the Fall, and the Law, all unite in pointing out the place of subjection as woman’s divinely appointed position.

IV - In the Dispensation of Grace

With the foregoing scriptural background of woman’s place in Creation, in the Fall of humanity, and under the Law, and the attendant instructions bearing on her place in the Church period, we may now consider her place in the present dispensation of Grace, as given in the New Testament and as pertaining to the sphere of the home, the public and the Church.

In the Home

Since the home naturally comes before the Church in moral order and in order of time, as ‘it is the foundation of all society, it is proper that we first consider the special place that Scripture gives woman in this most blessed sphere. This will also help us to better see the divinely prescribed position given to women in the Church. For her place in the home and in the Church are necessarily in harmony with each other, and if a woman learns to take her proper place in the home, she will most likely discern her proper place in the Church.

The basic relationship of the home is that of husband and wife, and then, if children are given, there is that happy affinity of father and mother and children. In this delightful relationship of a wife, or a wife and a mother, a woman occupies a very important and influential place in the home. A home is not a real home without a godly wife or mother.

We have previously referred to the place which God gave to Eve as Adam’s helpmeet. Brought to him by God, she took her place at his side as his wife and helpmeet of God’s providing. She was created to be his partner and the companion of his bosom – one flesh with himself. Man having been created first, he was her head, and when the Fall came, God definitely said that she was to be subject to her husband’s rule. She was, however, not to be trampled upon by him, but to be at his side in equality with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him. This is woman’s special place in the marriage relationship as ordained of God in creation.

But from the Fall to the Cross we hear nothing of woman’s right place in creation. “The heathen had degraded her into being man’s slave. By the law she was protected from being trampled on under certain circumstances (Exod. 24; Lev. 18:18); yet, she never had, under the Mosaic economy, her proper place with man. But after the manifestation of the Second man (Christ), and the accomplishment of His work of atonement, the original order of creation is again adverted to, and woman regains her true place with man” (C.E.S.).

This proper place we find set forth in Ephesians 5:22-23. Here husbands are told to love their wives as their own bodies and as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it. And wives are exhorted to submit themselves unto their own husbands, as unto the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church. Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ, so the wives are to be to their husbands in every thing. While the husband is to see that he loves his wife even as himself, the wife is exhorted to see that she reverence her husband.

This is God’s order for man and wife in the home in this dispensation of Grace. Though the wife is to be tenderly cared for and regarded in highest love by the husband, she is to own him as the head of the home and to be subject to him and reverence him as her husband. She is to do this “as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22), recognizing the Lord behind her husband, as the One from whom her husband’s authority is derived. She is also to remember, that in her submission unto her husband she is a type and reflection of the Church’s subjection unto Christ its head. Wondrous privilege indeed!

In 1 Timothy 5:14 the younger women are told to “marry, bear children, guide the house.” Guiding and ordering the household is woman’s special work but the husband is the responsible head of the house. A woman who assumes the headship of the house, to the contempt of her husband, will surely be unhappy and wretched, and will certainly reap the bitter fruits of her own rebellion in the lawlessness of her children brought up in disorder. Though women today demand liberty and equal rights with men, and feminine submission is unpopular and cast aside to a great extent, it is still God’s command and desire that wives be in subjection to their husbands as the head of the house. Without this there can be no true home-life and joy and blessing.

Having seen woman’s position in the marriage relationship and in the home, we may now consider her service in this blessed sphere. Much of a woman’s time is spent in the home doing the commonplace duties of life, and a great service is thereby rendered unto God. For Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as to the Lord... for ye serve the Lord Christ.” In caring for the needs of her husband and children and in keeping up the home as a place of refreshment, cheer and shelter in a world of trouble, a woman fills a very important place indeed.

The mother is truly the center and the heart of the home. The attractions of home depend largely upon the attitude and spirit of the wife. A prudent wife that manages her household in wise and thrifty economy and graces the home with love and cheerfulness is a great blessing to her husband and children and to all that enter her home. A husband’s success or ruin in life often depends upon his wife’s conduct in the home. Many men largely owe their position today in life to the wisdom and sound judgment of their wives.

The practice of that true Christian virtue of hospitality is largely made possible in the home by the wife. This is a most valuable and needy service in the Church and certainly brings a rich reward of present and future blessings. In this way women have a real part in the work of Christ – opening their homes for the Lord’s servants and for the Lord’s people, and for the unsaved too, that they might hear the gospel and be saved. Aquila and Priscilla inviting Apollos to their home and teaching him the way of God more perfectly is an example of such service (Acts 18:26).

One of the most valuable services of a mother in the home is the training of children. This is her special work, since she spends more time with the children than the father, and exercises a powerful influence over their lives for good or bad. Notice how often the mother’s name is given in the books of Kings and Chronicles in connection with the various kings of Israel. The Spirit of God thus points out to us what was probably the most important factor in the moulding of the character of the men who ruled God’s people – the mother.

The foundations of character are laid in the home training of children, and a mother’s hand is the instrument which God delights to use in laying them. The mother’s most important and divinely-appointed work is at home with her children, and she should devote herself wholly to their care, training and upbringing. If a mother neglects this momentous work at home, or leaves it to others, and seeks to do service for the Lord in other spheres, she leaves her work undone and will surely fail to rightly accomplish someone else’s work to which she has not been called. The training and teaching which children receive from their mothers in their young years of tender sensibilities is most influential upon their whole after life and will leave an impression upon their young, plastic and receptive minds and hearts which cannot be erased. How important, then, is the work of mothers in the homes. May it not be neglected.

Thus we observe and must declare, that it is in the home circle woman finds her special sphere in which to serve and glorify God. It is here in the more private domain of her own that she shines the brightest and exerts the most influence for good. Domestic life, which is often despised and forsaken by women today, is the place she is best fitted to fill.

We do not mean by this that there is no service which woman can do, or that there is no work which she can perform in assembly life. We merely state that the home or domestic circle is preeminently the sphere of woman’s service. And in this home sphere, we see that her scriptural place is one of subjection and submission to her husband.

In the foregoing we have mainly considered the position and service of married women in the home sphere. The unmarried will, however, find a real field of Christian service in the domestic circle also. They too can serve in temporal things, care for children, the sick and the aged, or make coats and garments like Dorcas (Acts 9:39).

Public Teaching

In connection with woman’s part in the fall of humanity in Eden, we have already quoted 1 Timothy 2:11-14, and noted the governmental restrictions therein put upon women. It will be well for us to again have those verses before us in conjunction with our present phrase of the subject. “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

These verses apply to a wider sphere than that of the gathered Assembly. They speak of proper conduct as between man and woman, and would include any public testimony, where both sexes are present. They refer to public teaching of mixed audiences, for exercising authority over man is spoken of. Woman is never to set herself up as a teacher or teach in meetings of mixed sexes, for then man is at her feet as a learner, which is reversing God’s order.

Man was first formed and is God’s representative and head and should maintain his rightful position. as leader and teacher. And because Eve took the lead in transgressing and was deceived by Satan, manifesting that she was a poor leader, in God’s government women are barred from taking the place of authority and teaching. They are to learn in silence and subjection. A woman, then, is never to take a public place as a recognized teacher of God’s Word, or to teach in the Assembly or anywhere in mixed audiences where she takes a place of equality with or set over men, for then she is usurping authority over man.

We find, however, that Titus 2:3-4 instructs elder women to be “teachers of good things,” and “that they may teach the young women,” etc. Here elder women are given the right to teach, but the sphere is defined as pertaining to young women and the teaching is rather of an informal character on practical subjects pertaining more to the home and family (verses 3-5). Helping ignorant women on Scripture and free intercourse with them on the Word is quite proper. One would encourage sisters to labor diligently for the Lord in such spheres. Even the quiet communication of the gospel in conversation with men is proper for a woman, if done in a modest, becoming way.

Such work, of course, may slip into formal teaching, and then a woman is out of her place. If she sets up a regular public teaching lecture on Scripture, even if only women were present, we believe it would be taking the place of a teacher and a violation of 1 Timothy 2:12, “I suffer not a woman to teach.”

Teaching the Bible to children and praying and singing with them is also a proper and valuable service for women to be engaged in. Such work begins in the home and is continued in the Sunday School and in Children’s Meetings. The public Sunday School is simply an enlargement of a family gathering, removed from the home to larger and more convenient quarters. Therefore it would be quite proper for sisters to teach Sunday School classes of children or young women, especially when they are in charge of brethren under whose direction they serve. When young brothers or any brethren are part of a Sunday School, we believe it would be against Scripture for any sister to be the superintendent of the School, for that would be exercising authority over the man.

Our prayer is that more faithful women might be active for the Lord and encouraged to work in these spheres, which we have spoken of as woman’s proper domain. They are greatly needed and the work of the Lord languishes for the lack of the services of devoted, energetic sisters. May the Lord richly bless every woman engaged in proper work for Him.

In The Church

1 Corinthians14:34-38 gives us clear instructions as to the woman’s place in the gathered Assembly. “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. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.”

Here it is plainly laid down that a woman is not to speak in the Church. The expression, “in the Church,” or “in the churches,” is used five times in this chapter and it always means the gathering of Christians in assembly, the coming together of the whole Church. In such an assembly meeting women are not to speak at all, but to be in silence and under obedience.

In 1 Corinthians 11:15 the apostle speaks of a woman praying or prophesying. This passage permits such activity by a woman, but does not indicate where it was to be exercised. The 14th chapter distinctly says such ministry of women is not permitted in the Assembly, but that there she is to keep silent. It is quite evident, then, that it is outside of the Assembly that a woman is to pray and prophesy. Acts 21:8-9 speaks of Paul’s company coming to the house of Philip the evangelist and that he had four daughters that prophesied. It would certainly seem from the context that they prophesied at home and not in the Assembly; this was quite in order.

It is important to notice that this prohibition of women speaking in the Assembly is not just the word of the apostle Paul – a bachelor, as some would speak of him, but that these things are “the commandments of the Lord” (vs. 37). And if any one would be spiritual and pleasing to the Lord, he or she must acknowledge that this is the statute of God. It is simply a matter of obedience to God’s expressed will. To try to reason around this plain scripture, as so many do, and go on in self-will and disobedience, shows that the heart is not willing to do God’s will, and that His Word is not respected.

The Corinthians, as also many today, may have thought themselves free to do as they pleased in this matter. The apostle therefore says “What! came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?” (vs. 36); that is to say, Have you authority from the Lord what you shall do in this matter? The Word of God has not come from you... but to you. They were therefore to submit to the commandment of the Lord by the apostle.

It is sometimes said that the word “speak” in this passage means to “chatter,” gossip or whisper during service, and that this was what the apostle was prohibiting. But this is a very erroneous and misleading statement which is not at all correct. Young’s Concordance shows that it is the Greek word “laleo” which is used here and in the whole chapter. It is translated “speak” throughout this chapter and 241 times in the New Testament. It means to talk or speak. Thus in the same sense that the prophets are to speak two or three (verse 29), the women are not to speak in the Assembly. It is the same word in both cases.

Others would say that this prohibition of women speaking in the Assembly applied only to Corinth where the women were quite ignorant, loud and brazen and unable to take part publicly. The first statement is quite wrong and the second is mere assumption. The beginning of this Corinthian epistle shows us that Paul addressed it, “Unto the Church which is at Corinth... with all that in every place call upon the name of Christ Jesus our Lord” (chap. 1:2).

Surely this is decisive. The instructions given in – this epistle are not of mere local application, but are also addressed to all professing Christians everywhere. And in the very passage under discussion the apostle speaks of women keeping silence in the “churches.” He does not say “in your church,” but “in the churches.”

Woman’s place is one of subjection and retirement in the Assembly and not of leadership. Man is comparatively the mind of humanity, and woman is the heart. The heart is in the chest, hidden from view, while the head is outside and public. Those who take part publicly in the Church take a place of leading in the Assembly, whether in prayer, praise or ministry, and this place of leadership is not given to women.

Many do not realize that even if one prays publicly, that is leading the gathered Assembly in prayer. It is not merely an individual praying. That one is the mouthpiece of the Assembly in prayer or in praise. Therefore, for a woman to pray in an Assembly prayer meeting or in a mixed meeting would be taking a place of leadership contrary to Scripture. In 1 Timothy 2:8 the apostle says, “I will therefore that men pray everywhere.” This unlimited liberty in prayer is not given to women.

In this respect we can also learn from Hannah, in 1 Samuel 1:9-17. This godly woman prayed in the house of the Lord, when worshippers were assembled. Notice it says of her, “she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard” (vs. 13). To have audibly prayed in that mixed company was not proper, yet she could pray in her heart and God heard and answered. So also today women can likewise pray and praise in their heart in the gathered Assembly and join in the “Amen” to public prayer and praise.

Covering Her Head

In the beginning of our paper we briefly alluded to the matter of woman having a covering on her head while praying or prophesying and when in the Assembly. We will now consider this more in detail.

The apostle gives instructions as to this in 1 Corinthians 11:3-16. There we read: “But I wish you to know that the Christ is the head of every man, but woman’s head (is) the man, and the Christ’s head God. Every man praying or prophesying, having (anything) on his head, puts his head to shame. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered put her own head to shame; for it is one and the same as a shaved (woman). For if a woman be not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if (it be) shameful to a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her be covered. For man indeed ought not to have his head covered, being God’s image and glory; but woman is man’s glory. For man is not of woman, but woman of man. For also man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man. Therefore ought the woman to have authority (i. e. a token of the authority under which she stands) on her head, on account of the angels... Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman should pray to God uncovered? (New Trans.)

From these scriptures we see that God has established a certain headship and order which He desires we should recognize and observe. It is not just a matter of custom for men to have their heads uncovered and women to have theirs covered in the presence of the Lord. There is a real scriptural reason and significance to this order.

God is the head of Christ, Christ is man’s head and man is woman’s head. Since man is the image and glory of God and Christ is His head, it would be a dishonour and a shame to Christ his head, if he would have his own head covered when praying and prophesying (speaking publicly). Christ’s glory is to be seen and not covered.

But the woman was created for man and of man and she is the glory of man, therefore her head must be covered when she prays or prophesies, for man’s glory must not be seen, especially in the gathered Assembly. Christ’s glory and not man’s is to be displayed there.

Furthermore, verse 10 says that the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels. That is, she should have a covering on her head as a sign of the authority of man to whom she is subject. When a woman wears a covering on her head in the presence of the Lord, it is an acknowledgment that the man is her God-given head. A woman that comes into the presence of the Lord without a head covering shows thereby that she wants to be like the man and that she does not want to take the subject place. She dishonours her head, though she may not be conscious of it. It may be done in ignorance, but this is what it means.

The angels are spectators in the Assembly and they should see God’s order observed there. They see order in heaven and in all creation and they ought not to see disorder amongst Christians. The seraphims cover themselves in the presence of the Lord (Isa. 6:1-3), and they look to see women doing the same in obedience to God’s Word. God purposes that “the principalities and powers in heavenly places” might learn “by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10-11). This “wisdom of God” is the mystery of Christ and the Church, which is typified by husband and wife, one the head and the other subject to him (Eph. 5:22-32).

Covering one’s head applies to unmarried women as well as to married women. Woman in general and man in general is spoken of in these verses of 1 Corinthians 11. Numbers 30:3-5 teaches that a woman in her father’s house in her youth must be subject to his authority. Her vows could only stand if her father allowed them. Likewise a wife’s vows were only valid if her husband allowed them. So a woman is to acknowledge the authority of her father or her husband or man in general when in the presence of the Lord. This her head-covering is a token of.

Shame of uncovered head - “But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered puts her own head to shame: for it is one and the same as a shaved (woman). For if a woman be not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if (it be) shameful to a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, let her be covered.”

When a woman’s head was uncovered or shaven in the Old Testament, it was a mark of shame, as is seen in Numbers 5:18, where a wife was under suspicion by her husband, and in Deuteronomy 21:10-13 regarding a beautiful woman taken captive by an Israelite. So here in 1 Corinthians 11 the apostle says that if a woman prays or prophesies with her head uncovered, it is the same as if her head was shaven. And since having her hair cut off or shaven is a mark of shame, she should have her head covered. She must have no marks of shame upon her in the presence of the Lord. She is not to appear before God as one who is suspected of being unfaithful to her husband. The covering on her head would indicate that she owns him as her head and enjoys his fullest confidence.

In passing, it is well to notice from these verses in 1 Corinthians 11 that it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off, but “If a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her” (vs. 15). These words of Holy Writ should settle the question of “bobbed hair” for any godly woman. Should a woman cut off any of her God-given glory and throw it away? To do so is shameful and an act of rebellion. Could such an one wipe the Lord’s feet with her hair as the devoted women in Luke 7:38 and John 12:3 did?

Long Hair Not a Covering - Our Authorized Version says in 1 Corinthians 11:15, “for her hair is given her for a covering.” From this some teach that a woman’s long hair is her head-covering and that no other covering is needed. But this phrase is incorrectly translated and does not give the meaning of the original scripture at all. An altogether different word in Greek is used here than the one correctly translated “covered” in verse 6. There the word is “katakaluptespho” and means “to cover up, covering one’s head.” Here in verse 15 the word is “peribolaiou” and means “that which is thrown around” (Liddell and Scott Lexicon).

Thus the New Translation correctly renders this phrase “for the long hair is given (to her) in lieu of a veil.” That is, long hair is given to a woman by nature as a veil cast around her. It is not the covering for her head which the apostle is insisting on in the foregoing verses. If man’s glory is to be covered in the presence of God, as we have previously explained, then surely woman’s long hair which is her personal glory, must be covered in His presence also.

First Paul sets forth the difference between man and woman and says that man should have his head uncovered and woman should have her’s covered. Then he further appeals to the sense of propriety and comeliness, based on the different constitution of man and woman by nature, as another reason why she should have her head covered and appear differently than man before God. “Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you?” (verses 13-14). Even in nature God has given woman long hair as a veil to conceal herself. That which is becoming to a woman, then, is to cover her head when she prays to God.

No Such Custom - “If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God” (verse 16). The apostle had declared the mind of God in this matter and if any were going to contend about it and argue, he simply adds, “We nor the churches of God have no such custom as you contend for.”

It is often in little things like this, of covering or uncovering one’s head, that the state of heart is manifested, and a test is given as to whether one’s will is subject to God and His Word, or whether it desires instead to go against the Word and according to the fashions and order of the day. Customs may change, but the principle of God’s Word in this and other matters abides.

V - Examples from Scripture

We have seen from various passages in the Bible that woman’s place in the Church is not a public one, but rather the private sphere of manifold activities for her Lord and Saviour. As we were previously considering what women are not permitted to do, let us observe from Scripture the various positions or offices which were not given to them.

The sixty-six books in the Bible were all written by men. Not one woman was chosen of God to write any part of the Scriptures. No woman was appointed as a Levite or priest to serve in the tabernacle or temple in the Old Testament. No woman was chosen by the Lord as one of the twelve apostles; all were men. In addition to the twelve apostles; seventy were sent out by the Lord. Of these we are not told that any of them were women. There were “seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom,” chosen in Acts 6 to serve tables and look after the widows. Not one woman was chosen.

There were many witnesses mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15 to prove the resurrection of the Lord. Names of individual men are given, but there is no mention there of a single woman. This is very significant, as Mary was the first individual to see Christ risen and was sent by Him with a wonderful message to the disciples. Here, however, her name is omitted from the list of witnesses. Is not this a strong proof that Scripture does not give women a place of public testimony?

Bishops, deacons and elders were appointed in the early Church and described in 1 Timothy and in Titus. They were all men; no woman was among the number. We read of no woman evangelist, pastor or teacher in a public sense in the New Testament. No woman is named as performing a public miracle. There are two witnesses in Revelation 11. They are prophets, not prophetesses or a prophet and prophetess; both are men. Surely the absence of women in these various public positions would show us that such is not her sphere of activity.

We shall now pass on to the positive examples in Scripture of godly women and their acceptable service for God.

Miriam

In Exodus 15:20 we read: “Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord,” etc. This was a good service. She led the women in a song of praise to the Lord; she did not seek to lead the men. Here her service was quite acceptable, but later on when she led Aaron in complaining about Moses, she was stricken with leprosy for her sin (Num. 12).

Women of Exodus 35:22-26

In connection with the building of the tabernacle, we read that women came with men, who were willing hearted, “and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold .... an offering of gold unto the Lord.” “And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them up in wisdom spun goat’s hair.” Thus they had a wonderful part in the building of the sanctuary for God.

Deborah

She was a prophetess, a married woman, and judged Israel in a day of declension (Jud. 4). Israel was in a very low condition and Deborah was raised up, when the courage of man had utterly failed, to break the yoke of foreign oppression. It is in times of declension that woman comes forward and is a sign of the low condition of things. However, we must notice how even Deborah sought to keep her proper place. She dwelt under the palm tree and Israel came up to her for judgment. She called Barak and told him to go forth against Sisera’s armies, as the Lord had commanded. When Barak would not go forth without Deborah, she consented to go along with him, but told him the journey would not be for his honor, for the Lord would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. Her words would indicate that if it was a matter of shame for Barak that a woman should slay Sisera, it was not less a matter of shame that a woman should be forced by the men’s backwardness to judge Israel. Her faith and courage inspired and helped Barak, who was evidently a timid man. Thus sisters can help timid brethren. Deborah did not lead Barak, but encouraged him on and went with him.

The Woman of Shunem

We read in 2 Kings 4:8-37 of this “great woman.” Her special care and hospitality towards the prophet Elisha is spoken of. She suggested to her husband that they make a special chamber for the prophet, where he could turn in any time he came along that way. Her faith and confidence is noted too.

New Testament Women

In two great respects God has honored woman beyond man in the N. T. (1) Christ was born of a woman, the virgin Mary. (2) The Lord, after His resurrection, appeared first to a woman, Mary Magdalene. These two women have a wonderful place in connection with the Lord. Mary was spoken of as “highly favored” and “blessed among women,” and Mary Magdalene is noted for her affection for the Lord and was privileged to carry a wonderful message from the risen Lord to the disciples.

Anna the prophetess “served God with fastings and prayers night and day...and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Lk. 2:37-38). Such service is open to any sister today and is much needed.

Luke 8:3 speaks of certain women, who were healed of evil spirits and infirmities, as being with the twelve who followed the Lord, and that they “ministered unto him of their substance.” This was a blessed service indeed.

Martha received the Lord into her house and served Him, while her sister Mary sat at His feet to receive His words. Another time they “made him a supper” and Mary anointed Him with costly ointment for His burial (Lk. 10:38; Jn. 12:1-3).

In connection with the death of the Lord, we read of “a great company of people and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.” And afterwards they followed on and “beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid” (Lk. 23:27, 55). Then upon the first day of the week they came early in the morning to the sepulchre with the spices and ointments which they had prepared for the body of the Lord. Such was the devoted service of women towards the Lord in life and death. Personal, loving devotedness shines out here as the special service of sisters.

In Acts 9:36-39 we read of Dorcas who was full of good works and almsdeeds. Upon her death, the widows came weeping and showed the coats and garments which she had made for them. What a blessed service she rendered unto the poor. In Acts 12:12 we learn that Mary the mother of John Mark had opened her home for a prayer-meeting, and in chapter 16:13 we see women gathered together for prayer at a river side. We also see Lydia opening her home to the apostle Paul and those with him (chap. 16:15) .

Among the many names cited for personal commendation in Romans 16, are found those of various women. Phoebe was a servant of the Church at Cenchrea and had been a succorer of many. Priscilla with her husband Aquila were Paul’s helpers in Christ and laid down their necks for his life. Now at Rome their home was evidently the meeting place of the Assembly, for Paul says, “Greet the church that is in their house.” Mary also had bestowed much labor upon Paul and those with him.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he asked that they “help those women which labored with me in the gospel” (Phil. 4:3). That they did not preach with Paul, we may be sure from what he wrote elsewhere, but they were identified with him in the trials and conflicts of the gospel. They helped him in every possible way, perhaps opening their homes for the gospel, exercising hospitality, seeking out souls, praying with these, inviting them to hear the gospel, and in many things that women can do a great deal better than men. And Paul valued such service of women and spoke of them as laboring with him in the gospel. How blessed. Such valuable service in the gospel is still open to women today. They can sing the gospel and thus help in open air meetings and wherever the gospel is proclaimed. They can visit the sick and give out gospel tracts too.

What a great field is open to women to serve the Lord in. The foregoing examples of acceptable service by various women of old should encourage sisters to labor diligently for the Lord. Their work is just as important as the public service of men and is remembered by the Lord and will be rewarded by Him.

Surely, then, from what has been before us in these papers on Woman’s Place, we must conclude from the Scriptures that her place is quite distinctive from that of man’s and that it is not scriptural for woman to do that which is definitely man’s work for the Lord. Sometimes Galatians 3:28 is quoted to prove the contrary. “There is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” This verse, however, is not speaking about conduct and order in the Church, but is a statement about the redeemed family of God and that there is no difference, as regards salvation and grace, between Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female. From other passages we have seen that God’s order in creation still abides in the Church.

VI - Adornment and Dress

Before concluding our paper on Woman’s Place According To Scripture, we feel constrained to add a few remarks as to the important matter of her adornment and dress. God has also given us instructions as to this in His Word, and the widespread, shameful, present day departure of women in general from these scriptural injunctions necessitates that attention be drawn to what God has said on the subject. In 1 Timothy 2:9-10 we read: “That women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair (plaited hair - N. Trans.), or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”

Many women, even some sisters, are following the styles of the world as to their dress and adornment and are found with short dresses, dresses with low necks and no sleeves and bare backs, slacks, shorts, painted face and nails, bobbed hair, gaudy garments, and most immodest bathing suits. Beloved sisters, are these things in accordance with the above Scripture? Is it modest apparel? Would shamefacedness, sobriety and that which becometh women professing godliness, characterize such things? Assuredly not. Never were the fashions in so-called Christian lands so degrading to women, immodest and conducive to the stirring up of baser lusts and sin.

The testimony of one young man about women’s present day dress is: “It is the clothing that neither reveals, nor conceals, that brings the imagination into play and does the havoc: why don’t girls wear enough to cover themselves?”

Dr. Perry M. Lichenstein, physician of Tombs Prison in New York City, who is in a position to speak authoritatively on the causes of crime, has said the following: “The so-called crimes of passion are increasing alarmingly, and will continue to do so, in my opinion, until the principal cause is eliminated. This, it seems to me, is the present style of dress, which to say the least, is immodest. Rolled stockings and similar styles have a direct bearing upon crime incitation, no matter how innocent the wearer may be.

“And even if immodest clothing does not always lead to serious crime, it certainly offers a very direct and suggestive appeal to sex, and stimulates those baser impulses which slumber in the human breast. It is certainly safe to say that there would be much less crime today, far fewer homes whose happiness has been blasted forever by unfaithfulness, fewer divorce trials, and especially less violations of maidenly honor, and far fewer transgressions of the sins of chastitiy, if every one ‘of these underworld styles could be thrown into the deepest hell, where they were conceived. Remember, the girl who dresses in an alluring way cannot condemn anyone but herself if the lure of her dress brings her the treatment which is usually accorded to women of questionable morals.”

The foregoing by Dr. Lichenstein was written many years ago. Today, as this booklet is prepared for a second edition in 1974, moral conditions in the world have greatly degenerated. The shameful lack of proper adornment among women has become increasingly worse. With the widespread use of the miniskirt and the exposure of the female form in sexual appeal, crimes and attacks against women have greatly increased.

As skirts began creeping upward in 1964, the rate of forcible rape crimes increased each year after a previous five year decline. In five recent years in the U. S., the increase in rape rate was 68%. In England the increase in sex crime during the same period was 90%.

God hates exposure of the sex-related parts of the human body. When the prophet Isaiah warned Babylon of coming Judgment, he foretold how God would strip her naked and so expose her shame before the nations. “Make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the river. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea thy shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance” (Isa. 47:1-3). Modern women are thus uncovering themselves to their own utter contempt and so exposing their shame, even in assemblies of Christians.

The Laodicean Church is counseled to buy “white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear” (Rev. 3:18). While this is spoken in a spiritual sense, it would seem that it is also needful for these words to be spoken literally to many today. The first thing that Adam and Eve did after they had sinned was to make coverings for their nakedness. Now mankind seems to delight in uncovering as much as possible of their nakedness. And what a sad thing it is to see that women seem to be the leaders and the greatest offenders in this dreadful thing. How true are the words of Zephaniah 3:5, “The unjust knoweth no shame.”

Beloved sisters, let us heed Romans 12:2, “Be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” May we also remember 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which we have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

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