Women, Called and Serving in Leadership

Are Women to be Silent in the Church?

July 9, 2008 on 1:00 pm | In Women in Ministry | 5 Comments

1 Corinthians 14:33-35

In this section of 1 Corinthians Paul is answering question asked of him by the Corinthian church.

1Corinthians 7:1 Now concerning the things about which you wrote,

In Verse 33 Paul is ending his answer to the Corinthian church concerning the use of tongues and prophecy in the church.

In Verse 34-35 Paul turns to the next question asked of him by the Corinthian church.

1Corinthinans 14:34-35 The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

Paul begins by QUOTING their question.

What ‘proof’ do I offer that Paul was restating their original question?

Paul was an excellent and exceptional student of the LAW as a Pharisee – he would most certainly know THERE WAS NO LAW that stated a woman must be silent in the temple!! THERE WAS NO LAW which did not permit a woman to speak in the temple!! Women were allowed to pray in the temple. Anna live in the temple and prayed continually. Samuel’s mother prayed in the temple, her prayers were so fervent that Eli thought she was drunk.

Paul begins his answer to the Corinthian church in Verse 36. He begins the verse with a word which has been defined by Greek scholars as an “emotional rebuttal and expletive of disassociation. This word’s closets English equivalent is “What?”, “Nonsense!” or “No Way!”

Paul used this small (and often not translated) emotional rebuttal and expletive of disassociation twice in Verse 36. (This Greek word is used 49 times by Paul in the book of 1 Corinthians. It is often not translated because it carries more of an emotional meaning than intellectual.)

1 Corinthians 14:36 Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?

Verse 36 translated with this Greek word of emotional rebuttal and expletive of disassociation should read as, “What”, “Nonsense”, “No way” “Was it from you that the Word of God first went forth?” “Nonsense”, “No Way” “Has it come to you only?”

Paul was NOT silencing women in the church – he instead spoke a strong rebuttal to those who would!!!

Under the Law?

The church in Corinth was not walking in spiritual maturity but was still operating as babes in Christ. I believe this spiritual immaturity was addressed by Paul as he strongly responded to them that they were incorrect in their opinion that women were to be silent in the church.

They were incorrect and immature in their thinking because they were trying to place women back under the law – they were trying to place women back under the law which had been completely fulfilled already in Christ!

Many do not understand the significance of Jesus’ first appearing to a woman, Mary Magdalene, and His instructions given to her to go tell His disciples that He was risen from the dead. Many today have underestimated what Jesus was establishing.

Jesus by first showing Himself to a woman established women’s use in preaching the gospel and women’s use in the church. Women were free to serve Jesus fully without constraint.

Jesus could have gone to His disciples and showed Himself to them first. Yet, He purposely showed Himself first to a woman – I believe He did so to establish and show the change that had taken place at His resurrection and His fulfillment of the law – women serving in the church without constraint.

Jesus who fulfilled the law in all respects appointed 12 male disciples – who became the first apostles – He did so in order to fulfill the law in all respects. At His resurrection after He had fulfilled all of the law Jesus established a new way. He established and showed this new way when He chose to not show Himself first to His disciples but to a woman and told her to go and tell.

Jesus as a Jew knew women’s testimony was not taken or used as a credible witness. He was establishing a change as He told Mary Magdalene to go and tell – Jesus sent her as His witness!! Jesus sent her as a credible witness of His resurrection!! He established and showed a new way – women used as credible witnesses of His gospel.

Absolute Command?

If Paul had been making an absolute command for women to be silent in the church in 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 he would be contradicting the Holy Spirit who said, “your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” in Acts 2.

If Paul was making an absolute command for women to be silent in the church, then all women must be absolutely silent in the church. No woman would be allowed or permitted to speak one single word in the church.

If we are to apply this verse ‘exactly as it says” then women must NOT open their mouths in church ever – not one word are they ever permitted to speak.

Not only can they not speak in the church, they can not sing and they can not teach Sunday school in the church. Each of these requires a woman opening her mouth and uttering words.

If we take this verse “exactly as it reads” all women must NEVER utter a word in the church. A woman must be absolutely silent in the church at all times.

Almost all church denominations have put aside such a literal interpretation of this Scripture as nonsense. They have done so because of clear Scriptural indications made in the Bible through other Scriptures of women being allowed to speak in the church.