Keepers At Home

Could the Lord have picked a more controversial area in the church today to hit on? Then again the irony is that you may not see the controversy in it. Everywhere we turn, women are working outside the home. I have encountered women which work outside the home in almost every denomination. Some may ask, “What’s the big deal, can’t women work outside the home and still be keepers at home?”

Oh, I’m so glad you asked. That loaded question has an even more loaded answer, “No, and Yes.” I’m going to deal with the “No” first.

Biblically, women cannot hold a job outside of their home. Look at the whole passage in Titus 2, “ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. ” Notice that last phrase, “That the word of God be not blasphemed.” That little phrase with which the apostle Paul concluded this set of verses is all important to how we understand and derive our theology of whether or not women can hold a job outside of the home.
Remember that marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. When you apply the way that a husband and wife interact to Christ and the church, we see that there are tremendous implications. Would the church ever look at her Husband and say to Him, “I am not satisfied with what You are able to provide for me, therefore I must work my own way to salvation.” I would hope none of us would ever say those very words to Christ. If any person uses those words and persists in them, he or she will not inherit the kingdom. What about the reverse? Would Christ ever say to His bride, “I’m not willing or able to provide for you, go out and help support yourself and Me?” That is a blasphemous statement, but yet many husbands and wives today say those things to each, though perhaps not in those words. Unfortunately today, many husbands and wives are presenting blasphemous pictures of Christ and His church.

On one level Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that we are portraying the picture of Christ and the Church. Secondly, Paul uses the phrase, “that the word of God be not blasphemed” reminding us that how we act affects how people outside the church see us. If people outside the church see us exactly the same as they are perhaps with the exception that we attend church more often then they do, how are we being salt and light in this very dark world. We must remember who and whose we are! We must remember what we are portraying to those outside of Christ.

With such an emphatic “No” with such terrible theological implications, you may be wondering how in the world I can also say “Yes.” It is very easy, a woman can work outside the location of her house while not working out from under the authority of her husband. Proverbs 31:13-20 says, “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” She brings her food from afar. She gives to the poor. She perceives that her merchandise is good. She buys a field and plants it. All of these things can be done outside of the home, but even with all these things, she is under the authority and protection of her husband, just as the church is under the authority and protection of Christ in all things.
When a woman works outside the home, she is outside the authority of her husband. She must submit to the authority of the person who is over her at work. The Bible is clear when it says in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” This too has theological implications. The church is to be subject to Christ in all things. There is no area of our lives in which we can look at Christ and say, “Someone else told me …. I know this is against what you’ve told me, but I must obey them instead.” Yet many Christians, both men and women, who while they would probably never say it in so many words, say it with their actions and their disregard for the sufficiency of scripture to speak to each situation.

As Christians, we must not only accept the sufficiency of Scripture, but act on it even when it is inconvenient and sometimes frightening. It can be a fearful thing for a husband who doesn’t believe that he is making enough money to support his family to go to his wife and talk about her not working. It is not an easy thing for a wife to give up the security of that second pay check. These are things that God calls us to do. If we will walk in obedience to His word, God promises his blessings on us. Trust Him. Ultimately, He won't fail you.