1 Timothy 2:9–12 is about women, and it is perhaps the most-discussed passage in the Bible. Modern thinking says that we should never separate the gender roles, and that the headship of man is demeaning to women.
I won’t settle a decades-long debate in one bulletin note, but I believe they are completely missing the point! If we mush womanhood together with manhood, we cheapen the beauty of each.
I am convinced after studying the Bible and history that Christianity has only strengthened the role of women in society, and modern thinking is what demeans women. 1 Timothy 2 is about the superpower of womanhood, when wielded right. Some of the Jewish traditions would demean women, but Christianity raised their spiritual status to complete equality with men in terms of value, worship, and spiritual privilege. Their roles are distinct, but so are employees and employers-, for example—the role of the employer does not mean he is spiritually superior to the employees.
In Scripture, women are constantly elevated in status, particularly when compared to how the cultures at large perceived them. Old and New Testaments record incredible acts of heroism from ladies, and it would be a shame for someone to buy the tired line that Christians don’t like women.
It seems that in 1 Timothy 2, some of the women were trying to push for some kind of total equality, flaunting themselves to be seen as powerful, and God had to call them back to see that one of their greatest superpowers was not force of will, but childbearing.
I am sensitive to those precious ladies in our church who could never bear children, and to others who have lost their mother, or who never had a great example of a mother. I realize that Mother’s Day can be a day of hurt more than celebration.
But, while I am sensitive to those in pain, I rejoice with all the moms today. God sees your role as incredible. I believe the clause in 1 Tim. 2:15, “she shall be saved in childbearing,” refers to the power of motherhood being strong enough to overcome the stigma of Eve’s deception (see v. 14).
Happy Mother’s Day, all you superheros! -Pastor Ryan