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The Role of Women in the Church
Peter Ditzel
One
of our readers asked this question: "What is your position on women
teaching in the church or even speaking in church (e.g. praying, prophecying,
etc.)?" This
question, in one form or another, has been bandied about by churches for a
long time. Churches find it difficult to answer for a couple of reasons. Some
are too influenced with non-biblical concerns (such as contemporary ideas
about the role of women in society). Others are not using sound exegesis
(allowing the Bible to interpret itself) to examine the relevant Scriptures.
There is more to this question than pointing to a couple of Bible verses and
drawing a conclusion that has little to do with the Bible. There are several
Scriptures that must be honestly examined even if it means flying in the face
of political correctness. Of
the pertinent New Testament Scriptures that address this subject, the hardest
to be understood is found in 1 Corinthians 11. But a principle of biblical
interpretation is that unclear Scriptures must be understood in light of
clearer ones. Therefore, we will begin with the clearest. In
his instructions to the church at Corinth, Paul said, "Let your women
keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but
they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they
will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame
for women to speak in the church" (1 Corinthians 14:34-35). Notice that
in this one passage alone, Paul says in three different ways that women are
not to speak in church. First, he says, "Let your women keep silence in
the churches." Second, he says, "it is not permitted unto them to
speak." Third, he says, "it is a shame for women to speak in the
church." This repetition carries great force. I
will occasionally check a passage in the Revised English Bible, not for
literal accuracy, but as a sort of paraphrase/commentary because its modern
language is so direct. Notice verses 34-35 in this version: "As in all
congregations of God's people, women should keep silent at the meeting. They
have no permission to talk, but should keep their place as the law directs.
If there is something they want to know, they can ask their husbands at home.
It is a shocking thing for a woman to talk at the meeting." Who
can argue in the face of such plain language? Well, some will, of course, but
Paul anticipates this in the verses that follow. Going back to the King James
Version, we read, "What? came the word of God out from you? or came it
unto you only? If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let
him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of
the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. Wherefore,
brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all
things be done decently and in order" (verses 36-40). Paul's
mentioning of prophesying and speaking in tongues brings us to context. The command
that women are to be silent in church is at the end of a number of commands
that Paul gives concerning conducting the public worship decently and in
order. I won't quote all of chapter 14 (you can read it for yourself), but I
will summarize beginning with verse 26. Apparently, the Corinthian church,
unlike the other churches, was allowing anyone, at anytime during the church
service, to do certain things that he then lists. They were singing—not
congregational singing in which all are to sing, but what is often today
called special music. They had "a doctrine"—were teaching,
they were speaking in tongues, they were bringing a prophetic revelation,
they were interpreting tongues, and they were judging what was spoken (verse
29). In
the verses that follow, Paul gives instructions on how to correct this
chaotic situation. Basically, the remedy is that one person should speak at a
time, not more than three people should be allowed to speak in one service,
and women should be silent. Concerning the women, from this context, we see
that their silence means that they are not to sing in church outside of
congregational singing, they are not to teach, they are not to speak in
tongues, they are not to bring a revelation, they are not to interpret a
tongue, and they are not to judge the speaking. Further, Paul says that if
the women "will learn anything," obviously meaning if they have a
question about something said, "let them ask their husbands at
home" (verse 35). So, the silence of women also means that they are not
to ask questions in church. Now
we must ask, Upon what grounds does Paul base his instruction that women are
to keep silent in church? This is what he says: "They [women] are
commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law" (verse 34). Paul
appeals to the law. But what does he mean by "the law"? There is no
specific Old Testament law that says women are to keep silent. Paul's use of
the word "law" here does not refer to specific commands. He must be
using "law" in the same way that it was often used, to mean the
first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch (see, for example, Matthew
12:5; Luke 16:16; Acts 13:15). In other words, there is something in the
first five books of the Bible that Paul knows backs up his position
concerning women being silent in church. Precisely what Scripture he has in
mind, he reveals in another passage concerning women being silent in church. In
1 Timothy 2:11-12, Paul instructs the young pastor, "Let the woman learn
in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to
usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." The similarity
between this and 1 Corinthians 14 cannot be missed. Women are to learn in
silence with all subjection (the Greek word translated "subjection"
is directly related to the Greek word translated "obedience" in
1 Corinthians 14:34). But to whom are they to be in subjection? 1
Corinthians 14 relates women's obedience to their being silent in church and
learning from their husbands at home. This passage in 1 Timothy relates
subjection to learning in silence (we can assume from 1 Corinthians 14 that
this means from their husbands at home), not teaching, and not usurping
authority over men. Next, Paul tells us what specifically in the law supports
his position. "For
Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman
being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved
in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with
sobriety" (verses 13-15). As we suspected in discussing 1 Corinthians
14, Paul's citing the law to back up his position is not a reference to a
command, but to a general statement of fact about the Creation found in one
of the first five books of the Old Testament—Genesis. Because
of the creation order—Adam first, and then Eve, and because Adam was
not deceived but Eve was, women are to be silent in church and not exercise
authority over men. In Genesis 2:18-25, we read that Eve was made to be a
helper who was meet (fit) for Adam. Unlike Adam, she was not made directly
from the dust of the ground. She was made from a rib God took from Adam's
side. She was made for Adam, and she was made not entirely independent from
Adam. Paul
next writes of Eve being deceived by the Serpent, Satan. Because the English
does not do a good job of distinguishing some of the words used, I will
explain some of the Greek. "And Adam was not [apatao—deceived or deluded], but the woman being [exapatao—thoroughly beguiled or
deluded through persuasion] was in the [parabasis—overstepping
or act of going aside]. It
should be pointed out that neither apatao
nor its intensive form, exapatao,
is the word used to describe Satan's deception upon the entire world. When
the Bible speaks of Satan's deception of the world, the word is planao, which means to cause to wander
or go astray, to be or let oneself be misled, to wander about. Adam and all
the world since (including, of course, women) have been deceived in this way.
But Eve was also beguiled (2 Corinthians 11:3). But
why should Eve's being beguiled in the Garden of Eden cause Paul to say that
women should be silent in church? The answer must be that women in general
have a tendency to be more easily duped than men. Because of this tendency,
they are not to be teachers, or preachers, or hold an office (which implies
authority) in church. The Bible does balance things out. The very fact that
Adam was not duped, but sinned against God fully knowing what he was doing,
means that he was more culpable. Adam is more responsible for the sin by
which the world fell than Eve, and, in fact, it is usually called
"Adam's sin." Further,
Paul goes on to say in 1 Timothy 2:15, "Notwithstanding she shall be
saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness
with sobriety." This one sentence says much. Although Bible scholars
have often debated about the meaning of this Scripture, I believe that
interpreting it with 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, 11-12 gives as good or better an
understanding of it as any other: "For the man is not of the woman; but
the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the
woman for the man [this corresponds to 1 Timothy 2:13, "For Adam was
first formed, then Eve."].... Nevertheless neither is the man without
the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman
is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of
God." In other words, even though Eve was made for Adam and was formed
from his rib, men are born of women. This, I believe, corresponds to
"she shall be saved in childbearing" in 1 Timothy 2:15. And, Paul
goes on to say, everyone is from God. Even though woman is for man and from
man, her husband is not her superior as far as salvation. And God has
indicated this in the physical realm by having men born from women. Nevertheless,
to return to the main subject, we must remember that Paul clearly states that
women are to remain silent in church because of the creation order and
because Eve was deceived. <Previous
Next> Copyright © 2004 - 2006 wordofhisgrace.org Last
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