“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.
Being a Pilgrim 