What about women saying amen in the assembly?

While nothing is said in the scriptures about this particular thing we believe it would be best for the women to keep silence in accord with Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 2:12


Where did the wives of Cain and Seth come from?

Apparently they married their sisters. Since there were no bloodline impurities at that point there would have been no health problems. Even many generations later Abraham was married to his half sister. Sarah was a half sister to this noble patriarch. As time went by and certain weaknesses developed in mankind it became a health hazard to marry one's close kin. Thus laws were passed in this country and some others to keep persons of close kin from marrying, but there was no such problem with the children of Adam and Eve.


My wife has been accepted to the LPN program. Her mother is a Mennonite and has been giving her a lot of grief about working. Our children are ages 5 and 4. She has waited to work until they were school age. Please give bible scriptures that supports women working...or should she not work. I work for the state as a child abuse investigator and it is hard to live on just my pay. However, if the bible speaks against it...she won't work. We just want to make it to heaven and do what is right. Also, if you have any pointers about Mennonites please give it to us. Her mother was raised in the C o C but was obsessed with holiness and doesn't like anything to do with the world. Her father is a Baptist...Yea, they get into some heated arguments. Where is the line, when you have done all you can do.
 

There is nothing in the scripture that forbids a mother working. There is a passage in Titus 2:5 that speaks of a wife and mother being discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. This does not forbid a wife and mother from working but it does indicate she has a great responsibility in the home. This is a matter for you and she alone to determine without mother's interference. The work of an LPN is a most noble work and vitally necessary. The point here is to determine how much time will the children be without parental oversight if both of you are working. Can one of you usually manage to be at home when the children are at home? Will they have good and proper care when parents cannot be at home with them? It is indeed hard in these times for a family of four to make it on the average salary of one person. Be sure you are not just seeking the luxuries of life but rather simply trying to provide the necessities as you make your decision.

As to the Mennonites, I know very little about their actual doctrine. However, I do know they are somewhat Calvinistic in their doctrine. Such cannot be substantiated by the New Testament. I know they shun anything modern as being worldly, but that is not what makes one holy. One can be just as devout and holy using modern conveniences as one can not using them. There is no virtue in holding on to the customs and practices of a century ago. Those things were modern at one time. The important thing is to put Christ and spiritual matters first regardless of whether we drive a horse and buggy or a modern automobile. Jesus and the apostles lived just like their contemporaries they were not peculiarly dressed or different in their customs from their neighbors. One can be just as ostentatious wearing old fashioned clothing and shunning modern conveniences as one can who dresses in ordinary present day attire, drives automobiles and uses electricity. In fact they draw more attention to themselves by their odd attire and peculiar habits than one does who dresses modestly in modern day clothing. The scriptures simply tell us to dress modestly. (Philippians 4:5; 1 Timothy 2:9)


I would like to know about women in the Bible and the gifts they possessed.

 When Bible women are thought of as possessing gifts, unfortunately most people only consider those who are spoken of as prophetesses as gifted.  Several of these are mentioned: 1) Miriam, Exodus 15:20, 2) Deborah, Judges 4:4, 3) Huldah, 2 Kings 22:14, 4) Noadiah, Nehemiah 6:14, 5) Anna, Luke 2:36, and 6) Philip's four daughters, Acts 21:9.  However, women would have been gifted in other ways because there was a diversity of spirituals gifts that were given, Romans 12:3-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-10, 28.  However, it must be remembered that women served other important roles in the church, and not just due to the fact that they might have had some spiritual gift.  Matthew 27:55 mentioned women who had ministered to Jesus.  A number of women are mentioned in Romans 16 who were important to the church and to Paul himself, including Priscilla, Mary, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, Rufus' mother, Julia, and Nereus' sister.  Not only that, in Titus 2:4 the older women are urged to teach the younger women.  So, gifts, what kind did they have?  Evidently they had several, but most notably, they may not have always been those that would have been of such a public nature; they just went about doing good, using whatever gift or talent they may have had in service to the Lord.


Does the Bible prohibit women from positions of authority in business and social settings?  Should a woman not be president of a company or advisor of a man in her business?

 There are no restrictions placed upon a woman in the business world other than what would be put upon any Christian businessperson.  Any Christian in the business world is to be honest, hard working, and fair in the treatment others.  Moral character must be displayed at all times, whether in dealing with others in the company, a boss, a subordinate, or customer, or in conducting business.  Lydia, mentioned in Acts 16:14-15, is an example of a businesswoman who was converted but was not told she needed to give up her business.  The restrictions that are placed upon a woman are in two areas.  The first is the home where the husband is the head of the wife and the home, Ephesians 5:22-24.  The other area is in the church where a woman is not to speak out, teach a man, or usurp authority over a man, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15.  Some try to deny the clear teaching of these passages by saying Paul’s regulations followed the custom of the day and do not apply to today, or that he was a single, prejudiced male.  However, the Bible is very explicit in 1 Timothy 2:13-14 that the restrictions placed upon woman are matters of creation and the fall into sin.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with culture.  This is God’s ordained order.  Also, to say that these passages merely reflect Paul’s opinion is to deny their inspiration.


In a society where it takes two income to makes ends meet, most women find it necessary to work outside of the home. Does the bible give any reference to women working outside of the home. And is it biblical wrong for women to do so.

No, there is nothing in the scriptures that condemn a woman's working outside the home. However, where there are children involved a couple needs
to give primary concern to the rearing of the children. The Bible is plain in its admonition in the rearing of children and that they should be
properly cared for. If both parents are working outside the home there is naturally a concern about proper guidance and education of the
child/children. In both the Old and New Testaments God gives parents the responsibility of properly caring for and training their children. Day care
centers are not the best answer and should only be utilized when there is no other better alternative. If children are under the care of a grandparent
while parents work that would possibly provide the guidance that the child needs. One has to look at each situation and determine what is best in that
situation. Look at the following scriptures as they point out the need for parental guidance of the child. Deuteronomy 4:9,10; 6:6-9; 11:19,20;
31:12,13; Ephesians 6:1-4


What are your thoughts on hymns that are written by women?
Do you believe that a hymn can be scriptural if it is written by a woman?

Also, do you think that hymns written in the last few years are as powerful and have a true spiritual meaning as those that
were written many years ago by what is considered to be the "masters"?

I see nothing wrong with hymns written by women. God has used women in various ways to do wondrous works. Remember Deborah who was chosen as a Judge of Israel, and in the New Testament apparently Priscilla led the way in teaching Apollos the way more perfectly. God has prohibited a woman or women in exercising authority over man spiritually in a public manner.  1 Timothy 2:11-15 When one writes the lyrics of a song one does not 
exercise dominion or authority over another, it is a quiet and unobtrusive way admonish and encourage another.

As far as modern hymns are concerned there are some that I consider very powerful and full of spiritual meaning, however, there are many that are 
shallow spiritually and do little to edify and the strengthen the worshipper.  Many of them are just simply catchy tunes with little substance in the 
lyrics.


 

Paul said that he suffered not a woman to preach, nor to usurp authority over a man. Two questions: 

1) In what way does a woman preaching usurp authority over a man. 

2) Was Paul speaking only of a woman preaching, or did he infer that there are other ways a woman could usurp authority over a man?

The text in question is 1 Timothy 2:11-14, and the word used there is actually teach. However, preaching would certainly be included because the prohibition is given in the context of the public worship assembly. 

1) The woman would be usurping authority in the sense of her becoming the spiritual leader, which God has not granted to her in a mixed assembly. In 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 the woman is forbidden to speak in the assembly. There is no exception to this. In verses 27-28 the tongue speaker is to keep silent if there is no interpreter present. If there is, he can go ahead. In verses 29-30 the prophet is to quit speaking if there is another prophet present who has a message. If not, he can proceed on. There are no ifs in regard to women; she is to keep silent in the assembly, period, in regard to teaching/preaching. The one exception would be her being allowed to sing. In this instance she is participating in the worship, not leading. 

2) Yes, there are other ways in which a woman could usurp authority over a man. She could seek to be an elder in the church. This would be prohibited as above because she would be put in a position to speak to a mixed audience, a thing that is forbidden her. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 both show that this position of leadership is for men only. Where this term is used in the New Testament of leaders in the church it always refers to men. God does not allow a woman to serve in this capacity. A woman could usurp authority over her husband by trying to take the lead in the home. The husband is the head of the wife, Ephesians 5:22-24, not vice versa. When a woman presumes to take that leadership she is going against God’s plan.


The scripture clearly indicates that God’s ordained order is that the head of man is Christ, the head of Christ is God, and the head of woman is man. In the word, God established man as the priest, provider, and head of his home. He is not to be the ruler or to be dominant, but man should follow Christ. If he is being led by the Spirit of God and is living according to scripture, he should be in a head-ship position. Could you explain how women are saying that God has called them to pastoral positions?

 Is there a difference between how the church is run and how the family has been structured? There appears to be a contradiction, or is it man’s attempt to do what he thinks is right based upon his interpretation of scriptures?

The Bible is very plain on this issue. 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 both forbid women to speak in the assembly. Feminists and those who support them generally say one of two things in regard to this matter. 

1) Paul was single and hated women. Therefore this influenced his writings, causing him to restrict women in their roles in the church. 

2) This was merely a cultural issue. Women were treated as objects in the 1st century and in order to keep down controversy in the church Paul took the easy way out and restricted women in their roles in the church. Because we don’t have such cultural hang-ups today it is all right for women to serve in the role of preacher. 

First, this casts doubts upon Paul being inspired by the Holy Spirit to write these letters. Are these two passages inspired or not? If they are totally influenced by Paul and not by the Holy Spirit, then what else of his writings need to be ignored? If they are inspired then Paul was not down on women and it was not a cultural issue; he was writing what the Holy Spirit moved him to write, and therefore the injunctions need to be obeyed. 

Second, this was not a cultural issue. 1 Timothy 2:11-14 could not be any plainer. This is a creation and sin issue. Adam was formed first and Eve was the one who was deceived. Thus, this is how God decreed the order to be. Man must not deviate from that pattern. Does this mean a woman cannot use her talents on behalf of the Lord? Absolutely not. In Titus 2:3-4 the older women are instructed to teach the younger women. Priscilla was certainly a partner with Aquila in serving the Lord, Romans 16:3-4. Dorcas was another woman who used her talents for the Lord, Acts 9:36-39. God does not allow a woman to preach or exercise any authority over a man in regard to the church, but there are multitudes of ways in which she can serve within the church.


In the epistle 2John is the letter talking about the church or is it  really addressed to a christian lady and her children?

My study of this question leads me to believe that the epistle of 2 John was addressed to a christian lady and her children. If the "lady" was the church, who were the children of the lady addressed? The elect lady had a sister who also had children. There is nothing about the letter to suggest that a church is figuratively designated. The elect lady was some faithful sister known to John.


What does the bible say about being a submissive wife?
How can a wife be submissive to a husband who is a nonbeliever?

Thank you for your question about what the Bible says about being a submissive wife. There are so many wives in the world today who just really don't care about what the Bible says about that subject. I hope this will help you learn God's will for Christian wives. Eph. 5:22-32 is the primary passage that deals with this issue.

        "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

    We can see from this passage that submission on the part of a Christian wife is very important and in fact, commanded. Society today has taken this issue and perverted it by claiming that God is discriminating between men and women; that somehow he has made women lower than men. This is simply not the case. As you can see, if you read further in this same
passage, Paul has almost TWICE as much to say to the husbands about loving and caring for their wives.

    Marriage is a two-way street, if you'll pardon the cliche. God never meant for women to be inferior to men. He simply assigned each of them a role in the family. These roles, when adopted by families, provide the formula for a fulfilling and loving marriage that is pleasing to God.

    As for the second part of your question, Pat, I'll refer you to I Pet. 3:1,2.
        "Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives...."

    As a single man, I can't pretend to empathize with a wife whose husband is a non-believer. I can't give you an answer from that point of view.   Neither can I give an answer from the point of view of the unbelieving husband. I can simply show you what the word of God has to say on the subject and according to the above passage, submissiveness of a wife to her husband is unconditional. In the realm of influence, I can't think of a relationship where one person has more influence over another person than the relationship between husband and wife. If a husband or wife is married to a non-believer, it is a golden opportunity to win that person to Christ.  Obviously, this may not always happen right away, (or even at all), but sometimes fruit takes a while to grow. Be patient and prayerful and God will work out his will in your life.
I hope I've answered your question, Pat. God bless you.

Is it Biblical for a women to preach in the Church. What if that woman is married?

No. Women are forbidden to exercise authority over men. (I Tim. 2:11,12.)  One of the qualifications of an evangelist is to rebuke with authority.   (Tit. 2:15) Women are, therefore, stopped from serving in the capacity of evangelists. There is, however, an essential difference between TEACHING and PREACHING. One cannot preach (acceptably, at least) without teaching; one may, however, teach without preaching. Women are commanded to teach.  (Tit. 2:3,4.) In doing so, they do not preach; hence, do not violate the prohibition above set forth.


 

How were women treated and, what roles did they play in the Jewish Religion?

Indications are that oriental women are never regarded or treated as equals by the men. However, the wife is seen as one who exerts tremendous influence for good or ill over her husband. And he showed great respect for her in most cases. Sarah was treated by Abraham as a queen, and in matters of the household, she ruled in many ways.

The tribute to a Hebrew wife and mother in the Book of Proverbs indicates she was a person of great influence with her husband: "The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her" (Prov. 31:11). "She openeth her mouth with wisdom" (Prov.31:26). "Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also; and he praiseth her" (Prov. 31:28). The position of Hebrew women was far superior to that of heathen women, long before Christianity had its origin among them. Under the patriarchal administration, the father is supreme in command.

When the law of Moses was given to Israel, the authority of the parents, and especially the father, was still recognized.


What is your opinion on women praying in a prayer group that consists of 8 to 10 men and maybe 6 to 8  women, sometimes more women than men. Is this practice even allowed by the scriptures?  I feel I will usurp authority over the man and will dishonor  my headship if I participate; however, I do not want to cause any problems over this. Maybe I have missed something. I find no women ever prayed in presence of men. Even at the temple, they had to lay their offering "at the door". When women were praying at the river and some of the disciples came, it never says the women continued to pray.

 

It will be difficult to answer your question in the confines of this Internet response. I suggest you try to get a copy of a commentary by Jim McGuiggan on 1 Corinthians. It is an excellent book and has just about the best treatment of this subject I have seen. However, I will try to give you some pertinent information in case you are unable to secure a copy of the book.

From Acts 16:13 and 1 Corinthians 11:5 we know that there were women who had the gift of prophesy. For God to have given them this gift and then restricted their use of it to their private devotions would probably have caused a great deal of controversy. But, 1 Timothy 2:11-14 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 both forbid the woman to speak in the assembly. In fact, if you look at the context of 1 Corinthians 14:26-35 there are no exceptions to this. In verses 27-28 the tongue speaker is to keep silent if there is no interpreter present. If there is he can proceed on. In verses 29-30 the prophet is to quit speaking if there is another prophet present who has a message. If not, he can proceed on. There are no ifs in regard to women. Do we therefore have a contradiction here? No. What could possibly make the difference? The men being present. In Titus 2:3-4 older women are instructed to teach the younger women. This could have been done one on one, but it could also have been done in a group. What a great place to exercise their gifts! In Acts 16:13 we read of Jewish women gathering for prayer. What a great place for them to exercise their gifts!

In view of all of this, then, would it be permissible for women to pray in the presence of men, in a mixed class? No. You say the women can pray in the group. The same permission granting women the right to pray in a mixed group also gives them the right to teach. And, if you want to take it far enough, since the Lord's Supper and the collection are not taken on Sunday evening, and the Lord's supper assembly seems to be the thing Paul deals with in 1 Corinthians, then a woman could pray, preach, or whatever on Sunday night. However, Paul nowhere distinguishes as to what kind of assembly might be intended, even though Bible classes as we have them probably would have been unknown. The presence of the male excludes a woman praying, preaching, teaching, or leading in any way in any mixed assembly of adults.


Are women allowed to preach before the congregation?

This question is very relevant in our society today. We live in a culture which tells us that women can do anything men can do, and most of the time better. But the fact remains that sincere Christian women will be concerned with what the Bible teaches and what God intends for our her role to be. In the final analysis, that will be all that really matters.

I Timothy 2:11-14 qualifies the role of women in teaching. The presence of Christian men is the factor which prohibits the women from teaching in the assembly.

In Titus 2:3-4 the older women are instructed to teach the younger women. This could be done one on one or in the group of women. In Acts 16:13 we read of the Jewish women gathering for prayer. What an excellent time for the older women to teach the younger women. 

The presence of Christian men excludes a woman from praying, preaching, teaching or leading in any mixed assembly of Christian adults. However, I have observed over the years many Christian women who have "preached before the congregation" some of the most convincing sermons of all by the lives that they lead in service to Christ and to their fellow men. There are so many areas for which women are uniquely suited for service that one need never be idle in the work of the Lord.


Please discuss the meaning in 1 Cor. 11 of "covering." Must women today wear their hair long (or wear hats), and men wear their hair short?

When Paul dealt with this issue in the church at Corinth he was dealing with a cultural matter, not one related to Christianity per se. The whole issue revolved around the woman honoring her head, that is, her husband. Paul’s general rule for the church was that a woman was not to exercise authority over a man. "But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence," 1 Timothy 2:12. The order of vs. 3 is to be maintained at all times – the head of the woman is man, the head of the man is Christ, the head of Christ is God. For the culture of Paul’s day in Corinth the veil and/or long hair were signs of her submission. Therefore, to remove the veil or cut the hair was to symbolically reject that authority.

In addition, according to A. T. Robertson (Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume 4, p. 160), morally loose women in Corinth did not wear a veil. Also, to shave the head, vs. 6, was, 1) a practice of the temple prostitutes of Aphrodite, and, 2) a designation for a woman who had committed adultery. Thus for the woman to remove her veil or shave her head put herself on very low ground, dishonored her husband, and brought reproach upon the church. The veil and/or long hair have no such meaning for our culture today. Also, for a woman to wear a hat in worship, or cover her head with a doily or handkerchief, in no way whatsoever is an equivalent of the veil of Corinth. In order to do that a woman would have to wear something 1) that would completely cover her head, leaving the eyes only visible or 2) that would cover her whole body. This is what the veils of 2,000 years ago did, and in some cultures of today do. For a woman to wear a hat or handkerchief in place of the veil of Paul’s day would be equivalent to practicing sprinkling for baptism. (There is nothing wrong with a woman wearing a hat to worship, it just isn’t an equivalent to the veil.) However, there is an application to be made from Paul’s teaching for us today. A woman should do nothing that would dishonor her husband or the Lord’s church. And since Paul mentions men in 1 Corinthians 11, the same principle would apply to them as well.


Is it wrong to wear any jewelry like earrings, necklaces, bracelets etc.  Are we allowed to wear gold, silver. This is a big problem for me.  Some people I know say that it is wrong.  Others say it is ok.  It is really bothering me.

One passage of scripture especially deals with this question. In the 1 Peter 3:1ff the Bible has some things to say to wives regarding their behavior. Included in that admonition are these words, "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," 1 Peter 3:3-4.

Some teach that the Bible, based on this passage, condemns the wearing of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, etc. Some even include makeup. However, based on these verses, one would also have to say that the Bible teaches that one cannot wear clothes! That is what is said in this verse. Some versions translate the word "apparel" as "fine clothes," "fine apparel," or "beautiful clothes," thus distinguishing them from other types of clothing.

However the Greek word has a root meaning of "to put on" and was used in reference to the putting on of a dress. More specifically the garment referred to would be the long outer robe that was worn in those days. Nothing in the Greek warrants making such a distinction. Thus these verses must be looked at in context. The Bible is saying that the emphasis should be on the inner person, not the outer person. Jewelry is not wrong in and of itself.

But, jewelry is like so many other things that can be made wrong if the wrong emphasis is put on them. One can wear jewelry and still be a faithful servant of God, fully acceptable in His sight.