Serving in the Church, Part Two

Did Paul tell women to be silent in worship?

(Note that I use the King James Version throughout my writings unless otherwise noted.)

“We cannot contain God, separate Him, examine Him, or make Him fit into our rational thoughts and minds. The Logos is an example of this. He is the ultimate of what Man can become�"perfect in the sight of God and full of mystery. Thank God, that Christ lives and lives forever to make hearts joyful. To not see through the splitting of the veil is to miss the joy. To not see the mysticism in Him living in us is to miss the mark. To not see how He enchants and rules our lives is to miss the meaning of life.” I wrote this a few weeks ago and wanted to add one more thought. To not see the Logos within scripture is to lose the power of the Word. “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3).” Jesus is the “Word.” The Being of the Logos is His power.

His story has become our story. He is not words on a page, but “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).” The sword becomes dull if boxed in by us.

Let’s keep in mind that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (Second Timothy 3:16-17).” The importance of scripture can scarcely be overstated, but few would argue that scripture trumps Christ. It is Jesus who has all power. It is the Logos who is the sword.

The Logos is the power found in scripture, not the other way around. Scripture is more than a set of rules to follow. Scripture tells us the story of the Logos if we have ears to hear. The Story is the very meaning of our lives, our entanglement with Him as the vine and us as His branches.

Why is the study of First Corinthians, Chapter Fourteen so important? Chapter Thirteen speaks of love. Chapter Fourteen teaches congregations how this love manifests in worship. To quote myself again, “True love stimulates growth, production, and transcendence.” If growth is hindered, the church is not fulfilling the teachings of Christ nor the love of Christ.

This is why Paul never forbids prophesying or speaking in tongues. Only by discerning the Logos in scripture, finding the treasure, do we grow and thrive. The Logos is the abundant life-giver and is found when we ask, seek, and knock.

Forbidding speech has been common in the two thousand years following the life of Christ. Often, the clergy silenced the congregants, both men and women. The protestant reformation addressed many of these injustices but not all and not fully.

Christian women are often taught to give up all and sacrifice their needs and wants to make others happy. In other words, they are taught to silence themselves. I’ve adhered to this teaching for many years. Perhaps neurotypical people take this teaching with a grain of salt. This teaching is harmful and untenable but seldom do any speak to correct it. For the neurodivergent, of which I am one, the Church’s teachings are taken literally. We (or at least I) tried desperately to adhere to something never taught by Christ when I attempted to meet the needs of others�"my husband, my children, my church family, my mother, my father�"while keeping my own voice, my own needs and wants silent. I can tell you from first-hand experience that this leads to burnout. Health issues spiraled out of control. My body broke when my mind forced it into compliance. My mind broke, too, and disillusionment and bitterness set in. The promise from the Church is that sacrificing for our friends and families would make everyone happy, including us.

There is a kernel of truth and let me interrupt myself to say that the church has been the foundation of goodness since its inception. It concerns me that the Church’s relevance is being forgotten. To take a closer look at our teachings is necessary for us to bring God’s Kingdom into its fullness, the Way Christ intended. What do I mean by the Church? The Body of Christ. Teachings vary, of course, but many churches have not wrestled with these incorrect teachings from the past that sometimes continue today.

To teach obedience, total submission, and complete silence is not the Way of Christ. Yes, all of these have a purpose for a time but can become distorted if we are not careful. The reality is that the people who we blindly obey become bullies. Wives become exhausted trying to cater to unappreciative families. These incorrect teachings often shackle men also.

This is not the Way of Christ. Instead, we face problems squarely. We let our yea be yea and our nay be nay. We search for fair solutions that exalt and enrich each Christian. To find solutions, to impose order on chaotic lives, is the Way Paul teaches us in First Corinthians.

Gathering In

The following passage shows us this:

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. ~First Corinthians 14:36-40

The” word of God” is the Greek word “Logos.” In Ephesians, we read, “(Jesus) that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 11:10-12).” Why did Jesus come to earth and then ascend to the Father? To fill all things. Why? For His children to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Why? To edify the body of Christ.

The Logos fills all, and that all includes women. The blocking of the Logos hurts and does not edify. To block the Spirit is not the Way.

Who does Paul speak to? The entire church that Jesus fills. Does only one person hold the entire Logos? That would be impossible. All are filled with a measure of the Logos and it’s why all must speak and be heard, why all must learn to be silent. All must be filled and edified by the give and take inherent in good teaching.

The behavior of Christians at Corinth was not edifying the church, and Paul sought to remedy that. He said that no one was to continue speaking for long periods of time; no one was to be disruptive. All spoke; all listened. This is orderly. What did Paul say to those who did not wish to listen? Let him “be ignorant.”

So, who covets to prophesy? The entire church, all brethren, men and women. Who does not forbid? The entire church, all brethren, men and women.

Paul never silenced anyone in Corinth. Instead, he taught the Corinth Christians (and us) to keep speech “decently and in order.” We see again and again throughout scripture that God uses the unlearned, the unlikely, and even the unacceptable to teach great truths. Anyone who has a willingness to be the Lord’s handmaid is worthy of honor and respects. Jesus was born to a young woman with no expertise, no doctorate in parenting, nothing but a willingness to be the Lord’s handmaid. Jesus chose unlearned fishermen to be His disciples. From the Old Testament, God chose an unlikely shepherd boy to be king. These are the “least” among us who become great.

Here’s the Thing:

Man despises the unlearned, the unpolished, the unimaginable; God does not.

The biblical motif is that God sees the hearts of the lowly and raises them to stand on level ground at the foot of the cross. God sends His promise of the Spirit of truth. This promise is the Logos. No matter the person’s qualifications or lack thereof, each Christian has a measure of the Logos within.

The clanging cymbals of distraction often drown out the Logos. To learn properly, we must be still and silent. This is being present in silence and silent in presence and is not imposed but chosen.

As we study and struggle, God guides us to His wisdom. Many have forgotten the Way to learn in community with our brothers and sisters at the feet of Jesus. Rules of service are needed so that the Logos is heard and seen.

Reaching Out

In Chapter One of First Corinthians, we find why Paul wrote the letter. “For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you (verse 11).” It was the house of Chloe who brought the problems to the attention of Paul. A woman, whose house probably served as the gathering place for God’s people. She had concerns about the unruliness of the church and requested Paul’s help.

“Follow after charity (i.e. love), and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy (verse 1).” Paul speaks to the entire church and tells them to desire to prophesy, to speak while they followed after love.

Speech was never the issue in Corinth. Instead, disorderly conduct was. Those in Corinth spoke over one another, interrupted, and failed to yield the floor. To fail to listen is to fail to love. Their behavior was the issue, not their speech.

We have seen previously that the word translated as silence means to “hold their peace” and in verse thirty-five, “speak” means “to continue speaking.” The Bible, as we know, does not say that women are to be under obedience to men. Roman law was in play at Corinth. Let’s read the entire passage covered last week and this week with these clarifying phrases in parentheses: 

Let your women keep silence (their peace) in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak (by the Roman authorities); but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the (Roman) law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to (continue) speak(ing) in the church. What? came the word (Logos) 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 34-40 (phrases in parentheses added by me)

Here’s the Kicker

The words that allowed women to speak in ordered freedom were later used against them to revoke that freedom.

Oh, the irony!

Canceling, forbidding, and forcing is not the Christian Way. All Christians must walk in community with their brothers. To do so, honor and respect must apply to both men and women.

Why weren’t the men reminded of proper behavior as often as women in Paul’s letters? Probably they did not have to be. As most know, Christianity grew out of the Jewish synagogues where the men were trained in proper behavior; the women were not.

Also, remember that wives model the role of “body” in marriages. Men often treated women as “mere body” with no “brains.” Sometimes women acted (and still do) as only body. Jesus came and “turned the world upside down.” He showed men that women were more than mere “body.” Two thousand years later, we still struggle with the correct feminine expression of mind, body, and soul, but, perhaps, we are learning.

Winding Up

If First Corinthians 14 is read as some Christians read it, Paul said: desire to speak (verse 1); speak (verse 26); forbid to speak (verse 34); covet to speak (verse 39); don’t forbid to speak (verse 39), with the “forbid to speak” trumping anything else Paul wrote.

That is illogical. And Paul is not illogical. Neither should we be.

Settled bodies, quiet and submissive, give Way to orderly minds. This is the only Way to know God and for God to know us. God is our source, where we have descended from, and our home with God is where we ascend to. Jesus is our alpha�"our beginning, our sending forth into this world, and He is our omega�"our end, our homecoming in heaven. Let our Way home be a continuing search for the great treasure of the Logos.

Amen.