You’ve heard of the noble Proverbs 31 woman.
You’ve heard of the intrepid Titus 2:4-5 woman.
But those wonderful and inspiring (as well as inspired) passages have been so twisted and bent out of shape that they are almost unrecognizable.
No wonder you have to fill every women’s bible study with a new expert explaining to you how to do it.
I’m here to call for something radical – other than a repudiation of the word “radical”. Please quit using it. It’s silly.
OK – where were we? I have a wife. She is a mark of favor from the Lord. She’s my noble Berean! My Acts 17:11 woman!
I have four daughters who are like the daughters of Job.
But my wife and I haven’t taught them to be Proverbs 31 women or Titus 2:4-5 women, according to the current usage of those terms. They’ve never worn denim burkas. They’ve never been taught to leave the room when the men are talking. They were taught about the Trinity, the nature of Christ, the doctrine of salvation and election. And they were taught that they were women of dignity and worth and value as daughters of God. They’ve been taught to find and use their gifts and abilities and learn to serve God wherever he calls them.
What we really need are churches full of Acts 17:11 women. Berea had a bunch of them (Acts 17:12) and they were famous throughout the world.
No more shallow theology for women. No more women’s bibles and women’s devotionals. No more sending the men off to learn about theology proper and sending the women off to learn how to homestead.
Study the scriptures, to see if these things be so.
When you are a good Acts 17:11 woman, you will be a far better and more God-honoring Proverbs 31 woman and Titus 2:5 woman, because you won’t care a fig about what the next best-seller says, what your favorite author says or what the fifties misogynist culture says – your only goal is to search the scriptures to see if these things be so.
Does the Son actually eternally submit to the Father?
Are women lesser than men? Does the Bible actually teach that all divorce is wrong? Does the Bible actually teach that covenants by nature are unbreakable?
Does the Bible actually teach that submission to your husband means that you have to allow yourself to be abused and degraded without murmuring?
Does the Bible actually teach that Jesus has a special message for your for each day of the week?
So here is my challenge. Be an Acts 17:11 woman.
Be an Acts 17:11 man.
In fact, be an Acts 17:11 person whatever God has called you to!
Perhaps if we had more Acts 17:11 people in the world, “Jesus Calling” wouldn’t even be a thing! How great would that be!
For those who didn’t want to be bothered to have looked up Acts 17:11 – here it is:
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Act 17:11 KJV)
(Did you notice the word “daily”…)
My Only Comfort 
Thank you for this post. This is such an encouraging ‘word’ for those of us who have been made to feel guilty for “asking questions” for clarification from the Word.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Amen!
This post is superb. I’m sharing it widely.
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I am so glad to have found your blog Providentially through a link to this article on The Aquila Report. It’s SO lonely to be at a church where Women’s Bible studies are often fluff instead of a deep study of Scriptures (or creeds or confessions). I have to tell you that, after having approached an elder with suggestions for other studies, it has been an interesting lesson of what I will not put myself through again. It’s so hurtful to be treated in a condescending way. Thank you so much for confirming in your article at just the right time what I have felt was right!
Soli Deo Gloria!
I feel particularly blessed that my tiny church’s Women’s Bible Study is theologically sound and deep. Frankly, it has more solid Biblical theology, accompanied by fervent searching of the scriptures, than most of the Sunday sermons!
Love this
This statement caught my attention. “Does the Bible actually teach that covenants by nature are unbreakable?” Really liked the article by the way. How does this apply to the marriage covenant? Asking for personal reasons. I was married for 40 years with two grown sons, one with disabilities.
It is common teaching in conservative circles that covenants are unconditional (can’t be broken) and they use the new covenant as an example. the application is (to these people) that divorce is wrong under every circumstance because it is a covenant – and therefore can’t be broken.
My only point is that the bible doesn’t teach that anywhere and if we searched the scriptures as we ought we would see that nowhere is it taught that a covenant is unconditional.
I wrote on it in a previous blog:
https://myonlycomfort.com/2017/12/29/on-unconditional-covenants/
Thank you for replying so quickly. I asked the question because of my marital situation. It’s a very long story but the bottom line is, my husband became depressed wouldn’t do anything to help himself. I made him go to his brother’s who had him picked up by authorities for help. I had done the same 2 times before. My husband would not come back home although I begged him to. He was gone for almost 3 years and committed suicide last September. My pastor at the time told me I was being disobedient to scripture by not divorcing him. I don’t agree. I have always believed marriage was a covenant between my husband, myself and God. Now that my husband has died the way he did, I feel guilty because I made him go to his brother’s. To be honest, I just didn’t know what else to do. Only one person from my church came to help my husband. My pastor only came once when I called and insisted he come to talk to him. When pastor came he wouldn’t go to my husband, pastor expected my husband to come and greet him at the door and begin a conversation with him. That wasn’t going to happen.
My question is, where does the covenant of marriage end? Was I wrong in making him leave? I was so very confused, abandoned by my husband and my church. Just didn’t know what else to do.
Thank you for your comments on this.
I do not know your situation, so I can only speak generally. I do not believe that a pastor has the right or authority to act as the omniscient busybody in everyone’s lives.
He doesn’t know everything. He might see grounds for divorce and may advise that way – that is his job. But to tell one that they are not obeying by not divorcing is not his call to make.
It isn’t mine to make either.
So here is what I say. You are too bound up by the opinions of men. I am so sorry for your husband, but ultimately only YOU lived with it and understand it and you did what you thought was right to protect his life – from what I can see.
You are not responsible for his suicide. That was his decision. Suicide does leave behind a lot of guilty survivors – that is natural. But it wasn’t your decision and you didn’t drive him to it.
So here is what I think from the scripture. Christ died to save his people from their sins. If you believe on his name, any and all sins that you did commit he has already washed clean.
He has also filled you with his spirit, along with every believer – and has sanctified your conscience. You know in your heart where you sinned and where you did not. If you have true guilt, confess it and be free. If you have false guilt, or guilt heaped by others, admit that it is false guilt and be free.
Christ would have us free. Slaves don’t abide in the house forever. The son abides forever, and now you are a firstborn son of God in Christ.
Abide in him, and he sets you free.
By the way, if I understood you correctly, you were abandon by your church for NOT divorcing your husband??
First time I’ve heard that one, if I’ve heard it correction.
Moral busybodies can’t ever make up their minds. they must pick at something at all times.