Text: 1 Timothy 2:11-14; Titus 2:3-5
In the topic I linked to, it seems good to point out the Scriptural standards regarding such activities. As highlighted here, the way marital headship shows up in the greater Church has been well defined. As it is written women are not to teach (or prophesy) before the men in the church gathering. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 speaks to this issue too, but the clearest Scripture for the purposes of today is:
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. (1 Timothy 2:11-14)
But in the Scriptural sense, women are given a teaching responsibility. To take on such a responsibility is parallel to the men taking on such responsibilities in the eyes of the Lord (James 3:1; Hebrews 5:12; Revelation 2:20). That responsibility is dictated in our main text today Titus 2:3-5:
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)
The chief responsibility of teaching women in terms of marriage itself and the activities relating to marriage falls on the aged woman in Christ who teaches. This can be the woman towards her children or the woman that attains a goal of teaching before other women in the church environment.
1. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God set a proper holy example of following God before other women. (Titus 2:3)
The effectiveness of any kind of ministry a woman undertakes relates to the example that she sets out in marriage as well as what she allows before the women she is discipling. As it relates to the teachers, these things are the goals that all women in Christ need to be attaining to, and should be bringing up the younger women in. It is much like the case of those men that aspire to be elders, deacons, or teachers (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13). The ones that are in these places should be there only for the reasons of their spiritual maturity in Christ, not because of the need of a warm body. The things that are spoken of with regards to women in Scripture (Romans 16:2; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 3:11, 1 Timothy 5:5-10, 1 Peter 3:3-5) should be more true than false of her in example. She should aspire to be holy in her standards before God and her actions should follow that out in every way.
These include what is listed in the verse as well – a woman should not be a slanderer, or enslaved to wine or any other thing. She should be apt to teach in both her words and actions and have a superior understanding of what it means to live the commandments of Christ out in truth. Such a woman is required in maturity to be a master of all the things she is to teach in her own life towards her own husband. Hence, the things she is to teach apply equally to her own behavior as to the behavior of those she disciples.
2. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to be sober and temperate in all things. (Titus 2:4a, 2:5a)
Sober as it appears here means to be temperate of mind (Titus 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). The comparison of the state between a drunk person and a sober person can be useful for understanding this concept, as the idea is similar. A sober person is not heated by their passions or emotions to the point where he/she is ruled by them and act out in them. A sober person exercises sound Godly judgment in all things despite what he/she is feeling at the time. A sober person is a self-controlled person in all things.
A discreet or temperate person engages moderation in appetites and desires. She recognizes what is honorable and good and engages in those things, but does not reject good things or overindulges in those things. We can get a good definition out of the issue of alcohol again. A temperate person does just enough without overdoing it. A temperate person is not extreme in their speech or actions to be loud or violent. Moderation in everything they do is the goal.
3. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to love their husbands and children. (Titus 2:4b)
These points should go without saying, but unfortunately we live in times where there is a difficulty in understanding these things. A good wife is out for her husband’s best interests and doesn’t seek to tear him down at every opportunity. She seeks the best honor and interest for her husband before him and others through her actions. She is not wanton in the things she does. She sympathizes and helps when distress and afflictions of all kinds comes upon the family. She is not of ill-nature towards her husband or her children in anything she does, including having sex with her husband, and seeks peace and harmony in all things as it relates to her family (1 Timothy 5:14). As it relates to children, she is not loose or over-indulgent with them, for not giving proper discipline in raising them is hating them (Proverbs 13:24).
4. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to be chaste or pure. (Titus 2:5b)
This is one that will relate to most of us today, since the evidence is all around us it’s not happening. The aged woman is to teach the younger women to be restrained so to keep the marriage bed undefiled. This goes for how modest her dress is in public and actions in public towards other men of any kind. A pure chaste woman doesn’t flirt or do anything sexual with men who are not her husband. In less genteel language that most will know, the older women are to teach the younger women to not be sluts in either appearance or action.
5. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to be keepers of home, or to not neglect what she is to attend to at home. (Titus 2:5c)
She is not to be out and about doing other things at the neglect of what needs to be taken care of or bettered at home. The passage of Scripture colloquially referred to as the description of the Proverbs 31 woman (v10-31) speaks clearly about how this is to come to pass. 1 Timothy 5:13 and Proverbs 7:10-12 speaks of the opposite in regards to the result of the neglect of proper focus on the home.
6. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to be good or to do good works. (Titus 2:5d)
This is self-explanatory. (1 Timothy 5:10) She is to do good works and become known for them.
7. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God teach other women to submit to their own husbands. (Titus 2:5e)
Talked about here in more depth.
8. The women who have an effective marriage ministry before God are concerned about the witness that those involved presents for Christ in the world by how they are as wives. (Titus 2:5f)
I preached this part of Scripture here.
In conclusion, Scripture gives us the criteria by which a marriage ministry is judged on whether it is of God or not. In looking at these points, it is easy to see that (most?) all of them are courting the work of Satan instead of the work of God. This is especially true in seeing the results of Churchianity in the character of women.
Men are seeing these women fall short in these areas as well, and are finding these feral women distasteful for marriage consideration. When all that is available are women who are odious in some way, is it any wonder that single men aren’t marrying these women (see pt 4)?
This article would make an excellent sermon outline… If you could find an evangelist willing to stand in a pulpit and preach it.
Second thought… It’s an excellent outline regardless of whether a man would have the courage to preach it.
I recommend checking out http://lorialexander.blogspot.com for an example of a good marriage ministry.
@okrahead That was the mindset that I took on this one – the intention of preaching that particular Scripture. Of course as with many things in Scripture, I would be surprised if any one would actually preach this at any church on Sunday.
@jsr Thanks for the link. The few posts I’ve seen there have been interesting reading. Perhaps the most interesting so far is this one. I know it’s hard to find good figures and they used 30% on the 700 Club, but it seemed low. 82% seems to be closer to reality in terms of the number of women who use porn than 30%. I’d like to know where she gets that figure, though. And yet it always seems to be the men who have the problem and not the women…
A couple of observations from the trenches here:
I’m a Ladies’ Tuesday Morning Bible Study group survivor. I can tell you that all a woman has to do to lead such a group is to have accepted Christ. She doesn’t have to prove that she is doing any of the things listed in the OP. That is why most churches’ Women’s Ministries are a den of Team Woman hamsters. At this point, it would be better to have men leading Women’s Ministries.
Second, if an older woman such as myself were to attempt to council the younger women not to dress like sluts in church, she would at best be laughed at for being old fashioned and at worst might get in trouble for being judgmental. Oh how I would love to hear a pastor, just once, mention modesty from the pulpit.
Our pastor mentioned modesty yesterday. He mentioned it in passing, but the message was clear and unambiguous,.
Broken record here. I think that what you describe is part of the reason men are not marrying.
Separation of church and state.
The state now controls the ridiculous divorce laws – in which the man stripped of his wealth by what is nothing more than an over-priced hooker – with the state as her pimp.
I am eagerly awaiting to hear why no “churchians” put a stop to the government meddling in the affairs (marriage) of men and women…
I’d have to say, the reason I did not marry – is because I saw too many of my male relatives lose much money, and have a hateful witch on their back hounding them for even more money.
That is something that the state has fabricated.
Why was it never stopped?
Why do so many “churchians” still propagate it with a “you go grrrl” attitude?