The early Christian movement was revolutionary in its respect for women. Not only did the church recognise the fundamental equality of men and women, but women played a central role in church life. Paul was concerned, however, that the principle of equality was blurring gender distinctions that he felt it vital to retain. He wanted to preserve some expression of complementarity in gender roles whilst retaining an egalitarian culture. Paul was quite happy for women to be teachers and even prophets elsewhere, but here things seemed to be getting out of order. And, according to the first chapters of Genesis which Paul alludes to here, order is very important to God. To justify his instructions Paul cites the reversal of the order of responsibility established in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3. His comment about Eve being the one who sinned is referring to the fact that she took the lead in that case and Adam failed to meet his responsibility. The pain of childbirth was a consequence of the fall, and it is a powerful symbol of the fact that, since the fall, life involves travail and those who travail for the sake of life will be restored (i.e. ‘saved’). Through our modern cultural lens this passage seems awkwardly patronising to women, if not outright misogynistic. But perhaps our lens is blurring something that Paul wanted to keep clear. Paul’s respect for women, so abundantly expressed throughout his letters, is unquestionable. It seems, however, that the Biblical view of gender is as countercultural now as it was then.
Ask God to help you live more respectfully towards your opposite sex.
Read 1 Timothy 2:9-15
