Tuesday | 13 January 2026

The testimony of a godly woman

The apostle Paul addressed the conduct of Christian women in their houses and in the church. Whether they are married or not, he said that their behaviour is to be proper, demonstrating that they are women who are professing godliness with, and through, good works. 1Ti 2:10. Significantly, Paul did not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. This directive applied to a woman’s conduct in the church, as well as to the conduct of a wife in her house. In the same way that Peter directed a wife to conduct herself ‘without a word’, Paul instructed women ‘to be in silence’. 1Ti 2:12.

To ‘be in silence’ does not mean that a woman says nothing in the house; or that she is seen but not heard. Rather, it means that she should not usurp the God‑given authority of her husband in the house by presuming to instruct him on what he should, or should not, be doing as a husband and a father. As Peter said, this applies whether the husband is being obedient to the word or not.

When a woman conducts herself in godliness, she has an excellent and essential expression which overflows in testimony to others. As King Solomon declared, ‘She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness … give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.’ Pro 31:26,31. This communication is not based on her perception of good and evil, which is sourced from her own law. Rather, it is the expression of the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is sourced from the incorruptible seed of God’s divine life. 1Pe 3:4. 1Pe 1:23.