Behaviour in Church

Posted on by korgrocker

“Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says. If they have any questions, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is improper for women to speak in church meetings.”
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NLT

In today’s UK society, women and girls are under attack and often feel unsafe and marginalised. If we pick up a newspaper, it won’t be long before we find an article or report about a crime, or attempted crime, against a woman. And if that is not enough, we now have the offence of men wanting to be women, in many cases, to get access to a woman’s personal space. But treating women in this way is nothing new. Misogynistic behaviour is rife today, as it has been since life began. Patriarchal societies that mistreat women are still with us in other parts of the world, and immigration to the UK has brought with it some of the problems they experience. And because of the way men treat women, the feminist movements have grown, and they have been successful in pushing back the boundaries that some men want to penetrate. In recent years, it has been the feminists who have fought for the rights of women. At the same time, Christians have stood by, apparently paralysed by indecision and the reluctance to offend, even though the Bible is clear about how men and women are the only two distinct sexes, and how they should treat each other. 

But here in our verses today, Paul writes that “Women should be silent during the church meetings”. What did he mean, because earlier Paul said, “But a woman dishonours her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head” (1 Corinthians 11:5)? So it seems that Paul was contradicting himself, on the one hand he taught how women should pray and prophecy in public, and on the other he said that women should stay silent. So we have to dig a bit deeper and consult scholars who have themselves puzzled over 1 Corinthians 14:34. 

The consensus seems to be that Paul was referring to married women, wives, and their chatter in the meetings, perhaps following prophecies. This would be in line with Paul’s teaching on submission in Ephesians 5:24, “As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything”. But then the next verse in Ephesians 5 says, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her”. In the order of submission, perhaps the men in the church, who also failed to remain silent in the meetings, would have been told to do so by the church leaders. The leaders themselves, of course, would have been accountable to Jesus Christ Himself. In 1 Corinthians 14:33, we read, “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people”. 

“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace“

Paul suggested that wives wait until they return home before asking their husbands about prophetic words delivered during the church service. But what about the single women, the unmarried and the widows? Or those wives without saved husbands? The thrust of Paul’s instructions would be that they should ask someone about issues raised, but not in the meeting itself. But regarding the men with questions, they should bring theirs to the church leadership for resolution, if necessary, returning to their wives with the answers needed. So, in the interests of order in church meetings, it is important that both men and women keep silent when they have questions or disagreements. These occasions should be resolved between them, and if necessary, with the help of the pastor. 

One thing is certain, however. Men should not use 1 Corinthians 14:34 in a way that belittles or is harsh toward women in the church. Love is the driving force. Remember what we read in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged”. We believers, both men and women, have a duty of obedience to Christ because, in the end, it is all about Him. We look to Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, for guidance and assurance. He died for us at Calvary, paying the ultimate price so that we can be in His presence forever.

Dear Lord Jesus. Yes, it is all about You, Lord. Whenever we take our eyes off You and look at ourselves, we will soon get into trouble. Please forgive us for our sins, we pray. Amen.

Punishment and Discipline

Posted on by korgrocker

“Some of you have become arrogant, thinking I will not visit you again. But I will come—and soon—if the Lord lets me, and then I’ll find out whether these arrogant people just give pretentious speeches or whether they really have God’s power. For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power. Which do you choose? Should I come with a rod to punish you, or should I come with love and a gentle spirit?”
1 Corinthians 4:18-21 NLT

There were some intransigent believers in the Corinthian church, arrogant people who thought they, and not Paul, knew what was best for themselves and their fellow believers. Apparently, they were great talkers, giving “pretentious speeches”, but without offering anything like the Holy Spirit’s power in their lives. So Paul gave them a choice, like any parent would do to a naughty child – punishment or change. In those days, apparently, children were disciplined with a “rod”, as was the case in this country up until relatively recent times. I can remember when I was at primary school, the headmaster kept a cane in a corner of his office, and, although only rarely used, it was a remarkably good deterrent. In Scotland, the teachers had a leather strap, or tawse, used for the same purposes. Today, legislation against smacking has been implemented, but a public display of physical punishment has been rare for many years. But Paul was never going to return to Corinth wielding a big stick. He was speaking metaphorically, of course, but making the point that there is such a thing as discipline for believers.

In Hebrews 12:5-6,  we read, “And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child””. I don’t know about you, fellow pilgrims, but I can’t remember recently ever hearing a sermon based on these verses. Hardly something we would like to hear from the pulpit, I’m sure, but these verses are in the Bible for a reason. So, why would God ever need to discipline us? In the case of the Corinthian church, perhaps divine discipline was required to focus the minds of the rebellious talkers on the basics of their faith, with a view to changing their thinking. And so it might be with any believer. We all have a tendency to continue in sin and rebellion against God, and sometimes God allows something to happen that puts a stark choice before us. He pushes us to a point where we have to decide to follow Him, regardless of the potential pain and His ways, or continue in sin, taking the easy way out. But what choice do we make? A true Christian will submit to the disciplining process and come through all the stronger for the experience. Sadly , though, many will abandon the faith, the pull of sin and the world too strong to resist. It is difficult to know what form God’s discipline will take until it happens, but the Holy Spirit will reveal to us what we need to know and do.

The writer to the Hebrews continues, “As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?” (Hebrews 12:7). Even without physical punishment, a child growing up in a loving home will experience some form of discipline and punishment, such as the loss of privileges. As the old Proverb says, “Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them” (Proverbs 13:24). Sadly again, this proverb, containing so much sense, is rejected because of its reference to a physical remedy, and missing the whole point that discipline has a root in love. The next verses in Hebrews explain the reason why God disciplines his children. “If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?” (Hebrews 12:8-9). The last thing God wants is the prospect of having a spoilt, rebellious child joining Him in Heaven, and so He brings discipline through His love and grace.

Back in the Corinthian congregation, what would Paul’s threat of a rod of punishment look like? The implication is that he could use a demonstration of the Spirit’s power to bring about correction and change. We know that Paul moved in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and they were demonstrated to the church there in Corinth. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, “And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God”. The contrast was stark. Paul used the gifts of the Holy Spirit to give authenticity to his preaching, but the arrogant Corinthians preferred to talk with “pretentious speeches” without power. The signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit were widely known in those First Century days. And even in my life as a believer, I have been in congregations where a word of knowledge has publicly exposed something that is wrong in a church or even calling out someone in the congregation, resulting in much soul searching and squirming in seats!

Paul said to his Corinthian “children” that he would come either with a rod or “with love and a gentle spirit”. But in reality, his love for the people there would have underpinned anything he had to say and do. God never acts in a harsh way, and it is always with love that his discipline is delivered. And so it was with Paul.

So, fellow pilgrims, are any of us going through a difficult time at the moment? Is God seemingly far away, and our prayers difficult and unanswered? Are we struggling with an issue that we seem to be unable to overcome? Well, it is always possible that through our circumstances, God is disciplining us. We need to get on our knees and repent and ask for His forgiveness, bringing before Him the issues that we are finding so difficult, praying for guidance and a straight path through our dilemma. Hebrews 12:11, “No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterwards there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way”. And the previous verse reminds us that ” … God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness”. God desires children who are righteous and holy, like His Son, Jesus. There is no other way we can enter Heaven overburdened with the worldly baggage of sin and unrighteousness.

Dear Heavenly Father. A sobering thought this morning, and one which our souls recoil from experiencing. But we thank You for Your love and discipline, because it prepares us for life eternal with You. Amen.