Women
WOMEN
Another Cause of Sin: Attitudes toward Women
Matthew 19:3-10; Galatians 3:28
The economic and political order is largely the result of male organizing. And in the organizing, woman has been fitted into it largely on the basis of a sex-being, and she is supposed to be treated and to act as such. Woman has, in general, accepted this false mentality and has given herself to the petty business of being attractive to the male. This has been the cause of much sin in human society. . . .
Woman, in driving this new force called freedom, is making a wreck of many a fine reticence, many a strong trait. But we cannot stop until woman arrives at the place where Jesus placed her as a human personality and not a mere sex-being. She must be given an equal place and an equal tasks in the reconstruction of the world.
Victorious Living
(Week 24, Tuesday)
The Highest Open to Woman
Galatians 3: 27-29
The Holy Spirit makes both sexes equal. There had been a specially sacred [gender], the male [gender]. “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” (Luke 2:23; see Exod 13:2). That was as far as Judaism went, but the Christian faith went beyond this; a woman as a woman received the highest gift of God—the Holy Spirit—and if this is true, then all the lesser gifts must be open to her. “All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women. . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:14; 2:4). . . .
Then something happened; the Holy Spirit came upon a woman equally with a man, and that planted the equality of woman in an experience of God. If the highest gift of God is open to a woman, then all the lesser gifts of God, must be open to her too. This outflanked all the arguments of antiquity about man’s superiority, and placed man and woman on the basis of equality before God and hence in all the rest of life. No wonder Paul sums up the Christian attitude in these words: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). To take any other attitude was to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
The Way to Power and Poise
(Week 13, Wednesday)
Inferior Status of Women
Luke 8:1-3; Acts 1:14
Growth in social consciousness should wipe out of our civilization all remnants of social inferiorities that are still there, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously.
For instance, Paul gave the Christian position regarding the structure of a Christian society thus: “In it there is no room for Greek and Jew [social distinction], circumcised and uncircumcised [religious rite distinction], barbarian, Scythian [cultural distinction], slave, or free man [social, economic distinction]; Christ is everything and everywhere” (Col 3:11 Moffatt). And in Gal 3:28 (Moffatt), he adds: “There is no room for male and female [gender distinction]; you are all one in Christ Jesus.” That is the Christian position—clear, positive, sweeping. And in Peter’s speech at Pentecost, he said: “Your sons and daughters shall prophesy”—note “and daughters”—(Acts 2:17, Moffatt).
But in 1 Cor 14:34 (Moffatt), Paul enjoins something else: “Women must keep quiet at gatherings of the church. They are not to allowed to speak . . . as the Law enjoins.” Note that he appeals to “the Law” for authority. Is he falling into the very thing he told Galatians they were doing? It seems so. Every time Paul tried to put woman in a subordinate position, he appealed to the Old Testament, not to Jesus. Note: “but woman represents the supremacy of man. (Man was not made from woman, woman was made from man; and man was not created for woman, but woman for man” (1 Cor 11:7-9 Moffatt). Here he turns back to the first creation for corroboration for his position—the first creation—not to the new creation in Jesus where “there is no room for male or female.” Again in 1 Tim 2:12-14 (Moffatt), he says: “I allow no woman to teach or dictate to men, she must keep quiet. For Adam was created first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, it was Eve.” Here he turned to the first Adam for the sustaining of his position—the first Adam—not the Second Adam, Christ. His Christianity slipped a cog. And that slipping back to the pre-Christian thought has caused much confusion. Paul says that sometimes he was not inspired; he was speaking on his own. This was one of the times. And the ages have suffered because of it.
Growing Spiritually
(Week 44, Friday)
And the Ground Was Level for the Women Too
Acts 1:12:14
But this gift of the Holy Spirit was not only open to men as men; it was open to women as women—“with the women” (Acts 1:14). Here were women taken into the very center of privilege and opportunity. Women received the highest gift of God, the Holy Spirit. That opened everything down the line. At Pentecost, women not only received the Holy Spirit on the same basis as men, but they proclaimed that gospel on the same basis as men, “your sons your your daughters shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17). . . .
There was equality of standing before God and equality of opportunity before persons; there was equality! And that equality of opportunity extended to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The last thing we see of Mary is that she was praying for the Holy Spirit on the same basis as the rest. She was in her place along with the rest.
The Word Became Flesh
(Week 28, Wednesday)
Mark 1:16-20
[Jesus] did not argue the worth of womanhood and the necessity of giving women equal rights; he treated them with infinite respect, gave to them his most sublime teaching, as to the woman at the well, and when he rose from the dead he appeared first to a woman.
The Word Became Flesh
(Week 51, Tuesday)