Fully Devoted: The ChurchSample

Did Paul Hate Women? 

Some people today have written Paul off as a relic of the past because of some of the things he wrote that seem to be pretty anti-women. There are even a number of well-meaning Christians who don’t even like Paul because of the way they’ve thought about some of the things he wrote. 

So, did Paul really hate women? Or are we missing something? 

To start, let’s remember some of the principles we’ve talked about and used on this journey to help us become better Bible readers: 

1. The Bible is God’s Word for us, but it wasn’t originally written to us. 
2. The Bible is meant to be read literately, and not just literally. 
3. The Bible is meant to be read in passages and not just pieces. 
4. The Bible was written to transform us and not just inform us. 

These four principles will help us read some of the more challenging parts of Paul’s letters in ways that will show us just how much Paul valued and elevated the status of women in the middle of a very patriarchal culture. 

One of the pieces of Paul’s writings that has most contributed to the view that Paul saw women as less than men is this: 

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 NIV 

If this is your first time reading that piece of the Bible, then you might also find yourself tempted to agree with the conclusion that Paul didn’t honor the contributions of women. Hopefully though, at this part in the journey you’ve learned that what the Bible says, at face value, is not always the same as what the Bible teaches. 

So, let’s take a step back and look at the broader context of what women actually did, to see if that can shed more light on this one piece. Remember, the entire Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. Because of this, when we run into pieces that are more difficult, we can look to the rest of the Scriptures to guide us toward answers that are good and true. So, with that in mind, what does the rest of the Bible show us?

If we go all the way back to the beginning, we see that God made all of humanity, men and women, in His image. And He gave all of humanity, men and women, the responsibility of ruling over creation on His behalf. 

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28 NIV 

Throughout the Israel portion of the biblical story, we see women play significant and influential roles in God’s mission. Miriam and Huldah were both prophets. Esther was the Queen of Persia who used her influence to save her people. Another woman was a judge, Deborah. Before there was a king in Israel, Judges were appointed by God to lead the people during times of crisis and war. Deborah was one such judge. Not only that, but Deborah is called a prophet. 

Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. Judges 4:4 NIV 

Then, if we jump ahead to Jesus, we see Jesus including women in His ministry in ways that would have been unprecedented. During Jesus’ day, women were seen as less than men in almost every area, which caused the practices of Jesus to stand in stark contrast to the assumptions of His culture. In Luke 8, we learn about several women who were supporting Jesus and His ministry financially. In Luke 10, Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus learning from Him, and she’s celebrated by Jesus for it. Then, at the scene of the empty tomb, Jesus commissions Mary Magdalene to proclaim the good news that He had risen from the dead to His disciples! 

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:10 NIV 

Finally, if we look at the other things Paul wrote, we see him follow the example of his Lord Jesus in how he sees women. Throughout his letters, Paul mentions thirteen different women: Lydia, Chloe, Nympha, Apphia, Mary, Persis, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Priscilla, Euodia, Syntyche, Phoebe, and Junia, who all played important roles in the early church and advancing the gospel. Some of these women were missionaries, others deacons, and some apostles. No matter what their role was, they all had a significant part to play in the early church. 

Paul’s mention and praise of these women would have been incredibly countercultural in his day and age! He would have been seen as a radical by many of his contemporaries. But he understood that in the Kingdom of God, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).

Because of this evidence, it seems wise to hold the words of Paul in 1 Timothy with humility. Loads of theories have been put forth to try to explain the context of Ephesus and the Ephesian church that Paul was writing to in order to shed light on these difficult words. And while we cannot know for certain what prompted Paul to write these words to Timothy, we can use wisdom and look to the rest of the biblical story to help us see that Paul, just like his Lord Jesus, saw women as fellow coworkers, created, called, and commissioned by the God of heaven and earth to play a vital role in the mission of the Church.

Journaling Questions 

• What verses stood out to you the most in today’s reading? Write them in your journal. 
• What questions do you still have about this topic? Write them in your journal. Process with people you trust. 
• How does remembering the whole biblical story help you wrestle through this or other topics that may be confusing or difficult? What’s one way you can encourage yourself and others to remember the story this week? 

Memory Verse

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28-29 NIV