Cultivating your character as a follower of Jesus
Andy Nagahara
8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
9 I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes,
10 but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
11 A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.
12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve.
14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
15 But women will be saved through childbearing--if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.
A. Why does Paul teach like this?
1) The unique situation of the church in Ephesus (8-11)
2) Paul's unreasonable interpretation for the Book of Genesis（13, 14, Genesis 1:27, 2:22, 3:6)
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man (Genesis 2:22a)
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)
B. Things that Paul is teaching to us here
1) What is the expected character to the followers of Jesus? (8-12)
2) What is Salvation? (15)
Summary
The Paul's order in the scripture we read today is invalid for us. But there is room for sympathy with Paul. No one can transcend their cultures and the period of time that they live. And Paul was no exception. For solving the problem in the church of Ephesus, he took the best way in his limitations. Regardless of sex, it is not allowed for anyone to threaten peace of the church by a selfish reason. All of us should listen to the warning that Paul gave in the first half of the today's text (8-10)
For Discussion
1) What can we learn from the Paul's order?
2) What kind of influence does Paul's misunderstanding give to the present-day church?