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The role of women within Christianity is one of the most misunderstood and disagreed about topics amongst Christians. Even for people exploring Christianity, misunderstanding around the Bible’s view of women can be a huge stumbling block to them making a decision to follow Jesus. Throughout the three parts of this blog post, we’ll discuss women’s roles related to discipleship, ministry, and marriage/family.

I hope it provokes you to dive into God’s Word for yourself, talk these things out with trusted spiritual leaders in your life, and form your own conclusions from Scripture. If you’re not yet a Jesus follower, I hope it helps you see the true heart and character of the God of the Bible, especially when it comes to women.

Christian Women and Discipleship

In both her book and viral blog post, Stop Calling Me Beautiful, Phylicia Masonheimer, addresses the tendency of some Christian women’s ministries to be light on theology, leaning toward a self-help, surface level faith. Unfortunately, this is the experience of many Christian women when it comes to discipleship.

But did you know that Christian women are not less called than men to rigorous study of Scripture and doctrine? Did you know that Christian women are not less called than men to be wholehearted, mature disciples of Jesus?

Let’s look at something we can learn from 1 Timothy 2:11. Ironically enough, this verse is often used wrongly to limit the participation of women in ministry or devalue their ability to contribute to theological conversation.

Women should learn quietly and submissively. (1 Timothy 2:11)

Here’s why this statement is a big deal. In a cultural context where many women did not have the same educational opportunities as men and were typically not seen as intellectually capable, theologically or otherwise, God makes a powerful statement through the apostle Paul. Women should learn.

Side-note: The whole “quietly and submissively” part is not as big of a deal as we make it. Any student in any context in their day would be expected to learn with an attitude of respect and cooperation toward their teacher and the environment they were in. We see the same value expressed in 1 Corinthians 14 when Paul is teaching about how to use spiritual gifts in church in a way that is helpful and honoring of the environment and one another.

Then and now, God wants His daughters to learn and live the Scriptures as devoted followers of Jesus, just like He does for His sons.

Here’s another biblical moment where the heart of Jesus for the discipleship and theological education of women shines through.

 …Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what He taught. 

(Luke 10:38-42)

Often believers read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 as a reminder not to neglect personal relationship with God as we devote ourselves to serving Him, and that is part of the application of the story. But there’s a bigger principle here that we sometimes miss. Mary took the posture of sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to Him teach. That posture was one taken by disciples of rabbis, a position reserved for men.

Martha rebuked Mary not only because she needed some help from little sis to get dinner ready. Martha rebuked Mary because she was breaking a cultural norm by positioning herself as a disciple of Jesus. Even more stunning? Jesus affirmed Mary for doing it. What a profound statement!

Growing as a disciple of Jesus and student of His Word will take work, but it’s worth it. The Holy Spirit will empower you and teach you as you endeavor to know Jesus more. He will meet you as you seek Him and you will grow in love for Him.

To my brothers and sisters, particularly those in roles of spiritual leadership:

As you disciple and minister to women you have a responsibility to make sure you are not feeding them a spiritually deficient diet. Rather, make sure you are rigorously equipping them in a knowledge of Jesus that is both intimate and personal as well as biblically and theologically rich. In fact, you can’t truly have one without the other.

Christian Men and Women Learning from One Another

Before we close out this blog post, let’s lead into the next part of our discussion, which will be about the role of women in ministry. The following principles apply to both situations of discipleship and various other ministry situations.

There is a biblical and practical place for one-on-one and small group discipleship amongst people of the same gender–especially when it comes to more vulnerable and personal matters of working faith out in real life. But we also have to remember something.

Brothers, you need to learn and be encouraged in faith by your sisters in Christ, not only by your fellow brothers. Sisters, you need to learn and be encouraged in faith by your brothers in Christ, not only by your fellow sisters.

In the Church I think we have more of a grid for women benefitting spiritually from the examples and Bible teaching of men, but what particularly strikes me when I read the Bible is the verses that acknowledge the spiritual influence of godly women on Christian men. (Romans 16:13; 2 Timothy 1:5; Acts 18:24-26)

Sure, there will be different contexts and expressions to walking this out, but the value remains the same. Whether it’s through a blog, a sermon, a small group Bible study and discussion, a word of spiritual encouragement shared amongst friends, or simply the example of our lives, we need to make space in our lives for Christian brothers and sisters to learn from one another and celebrate that as a good thing.

We’ll unpack what all this means for ministry service and leadership in Part 2.

Resources:

• Stop Calling Me Beautiful and The Verity Podcast by Phylicia Masonheimer
• How to Get Better at Reading The Bible & How to Study the Bible
• Chance The Rapper and Why You Need to Know the Bible for Yourself

Let’s Talk: Has this discussion reshaped your view of what it looks like for women to grow as disciples of Jesus according to the Bible? How so? Discuss this post in the comments below.