Should a Christian wife work outside the home?

Is it right for a wife to be employed outside of the home?

Some have taken the expression, "keepers at home" (Titus 2:5) to mean staying at home. M. R. Vincents "Word Studies in the New Testament" disagrees with this and indicates it means of the household." There is support for translating the expression "workers at home." The other words in this series of descriptions are moral characteristics: discreet; chaste; good. The verses surrounding it are primarily the same. Rather than a command for a woman to stay at home, Paul seems to be addressing her character. In a similar setting in 1 Timothy 5:13, 14, where young women are to "guide the house," this responsibility is a preservation from idleness, wandering from house to house, and being a busybody. Wholesome character in a young wife will keep her focus on her responsibilities in the home. The principle of 1 Timothy 2:15 likewise directs a sister to her domestic cares. If, therefore, a sister manages her home (1 Timothy 5:14) and cares for her children (1 Timothy 2:15), working outside her home does not violate the teaching of these passages. Her industriousness is commendable. She is carrying on the traditions of the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 and joins that noble sister who with her husband, was a tentmaker.

On the other hand, a sister who places equal or greater value on her career than on her home and family has stepped outside Scriptural guidelines.

D. Oliver
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