[../Contains/GoogleSq_Ad.htm]

 

19. In this section of this Bible study we will discover that 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 teaches us that the roles God established for man and woman at the beginning of his creation should be acknowledged and heeded by us New Testament Christians.  As we learn from 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 there had been a custom in the ancient city of Corinth that reflected the roles of man and woman in God’s Order of Creation.  That being the case, Paul taught the Christians in Corinth to abide by the Corinthian custom, because in reflecting the roles of man and woman the custom brought to mind the underlying divine facts that all Christians should recognize and understand, namely that the head of every man is Christ, and that the head of woman is the man.

1 Corinthians 11:2-16: Now I praise you that you remember me in everything, and hold fast the teachings just as I delivered them to you. 3 And I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies while having a veil hanging down from his head disgraces his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head; for it is one and the same thing with her having a shaven head. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, let her have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8 For man’s origin is not from woman, but woman’s origin is from man. 9 For in fact man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for man’s sake. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head because of the angels. 11 In the Lord, however, neither woman is apart from man, nor is man apart from woman. 12 For just as the woman is from the man, so also the man is through the woman; and all things are from God. 13 Judge within yourselves: Is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but if a woman wears long hair, it is an honor to her?  For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 But if someone is disposed to being argumentative, we do not have such a custom, nor have the churches of God.

In 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 Paul addressed a situation and custom that was unique to the ancient city of Corinth.  What Paul was stating in verse 16 is that if anyone wanted to argue about what he said regarding the head of man and woman being uncovered or covered there in Corinth, he and his fellow co-workers had no such practice and custom that they followed, nor did any of the other New Testament churches.  The covering or uncovering of the head and what it stood for in Corinth was a custom that was followed and practiced only by the citizens of Corinth.  It applied to the Christians in Corinth only because they lived there.  It did not apply to Christians who lived elsewhere.

1 Corinthians 11:2 states: “Now I praise you that you remember me in everything, and hold fast the teachings just as I delivered them to you.”  The church of Corinth was a young congregation of former pagans, who had been brought to faith in Jesus by the gospel that Paul had preached among them.  That young congregation was fraught with problems.  Because of all the problems in their church Paul had little praise in his letter for them.  But they were Christian believers in Jesus who were holding to the true gospel and the basic teachings of God’s Word that Paul had taught them.  For this he praised them in this verse 2.

After his word of praise in verse 2 Paul takes up the subject of the women in the worship service and what was proper conduct for them there in Corinth.  He specifically addresses the subject of their having their heads covered.  So far removed in time as we are from the custom that was followed in ancient Corinth, we do not know for certain what kind of head covering the women wore in public.  Generally the head covering has been understood to have been a veil of some type that covered the women’s heads.  The wearing of the veil by the women acknowledged in their Corinthian society the headship of the man over the woman.

1 Corinthians 11:3 states: “And I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”  This verse is the doctrinal basis of the practical instruction Paul gave to the Corinthians to abide by the custom in Corinth regarding the head being covered or uncovered.  In this verse 3 Paul speaks of the three kinds of headship that he wanted the Christians in Corinth to understand existed.

1. The headship of Christ over every man.  Christ is the head and leader of every man.  Every man is subject and subordinate to Christ, who is the head over all.

2. The headship of the man over a woman.  Every woman is subject and subordinate to the man who is her head.

3. The headship of God the Father over Christ according to his human nature.  As a man Christ was subject and subordinate to God the Father.

Note that the headship of the man over a woman is cradled between Christ’s headship over the man and God the Father’s headship over Christ according to his human nature.  Since the woman’s role with respect to the man is cradled between the man’s subordinate role to Christ and Christ’s subordinate role to the Father, there can be no doubt in that context that the woman has a subordinate role to the man.  And as Christ’s subordinate role to his heavenly Father was not a derogatory status to him, so a Christian woman will not consider her subordinate role to her husband or father a derogatory status for her.

Verse 3 upholds God’s created order for the role of man and woman as it was in the beginning and started on the 6th day of creation.

If the woman were a single woman living with her parents, her father was her head to whom she was submissive and subordinate.  If she were a married woman living with her husband, her husband was her head to whom she was submissive and subordinate.

In Corinth having the head covered or uncovered during worship showed whether the man or the woman was abiding by the roles for man and woman or not.  Verse 4 states: “Every man who prays or prophesies while having a veil hanging down from his head disgraces his head.”  According to this verse 4, in a worship service if a Christian man had a veil hanging down from his head while praying or prophesying (that is preaching the Word of God or praising God in the Spirit), he disgraced his own head.  He disgraced his own head because he had only Christ over him as his head.  Such a man made a woman of himself, putting himself in the position of a woman who had not only Christ as her head but her man as well.  The man’s covering of his head indicated he had a human head over him besides the divine headship of Christ.  In the process of disgracing his own head he brought shame and disgrace upon Christ his head also.

Verse 5 states: “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head; for it is one and the same thing with her having a shaven head.”  In Corinth the Christian women wore a veil hanging down from their head to show that they recognized and accepted the headship of the man over them that God had established in his Order of Creation.  According to this verse 5, in Corinth if the Christian women appeared in the church’s public worship service praying or prophesying with their heads unveiled, they showed that they had rejected the headship of the man over them.  Their so appearing unveiled in public disgraced their husband or father who was their head, as well as their own heads and themselves.  For in Corinth the loose women of the city went around in public with their heads unveiled.  In this verse 5 Paul stated that the Christian women’s appearing in the public worship service without a veil over their heads was one and the same thing as having their heads shaven.  In Corinth adulteresses and prostitutes were compelled to have their heads shaved as punishment for their sin and immoral behavior.  Their shaved head was a symbol of the shame they bore for being such immoral women or prostitutes.  A woman who appeared in public with an unveiled head was viewed as bearing such a moral shame in the eyes of Corinthian society.  Her shame reflected on her father or husband.  Her father or husband was dishonored and disgraced in the eyes of all, because he was viewed as having either a daughter who was a prostitute or a wife who was an adulteress.

1 Corinthians 11:6 states: “For if a woman does not cover her head, let her have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then let her cover her head.”  In this verse 6 Paul says that if a woman appeared in the Corinthian church’s worship service and did not cover her head, she should have her head shaved as a sure sign of the shame she carried for dishonoring her own head, which reflected on her father or husband as well.

On the other hand, in verse 6 Paul says that since it was a disgrace for a woman to appear in public and to come to the worship service having her hair cut or shaven off, she ought to cover her head so as not to bring shame on herself, which would save her father or husband from shame at the same time.

1 Corinthians 11:7 states: “For a man ought not to cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.”  According to this verse 7 a Christian man should not appear in a worship service with his head covered because he is the image and glory of God.  In light of the creation account in Genesis 1 and 2, the male was created first in the image of God and for the glory of God’s name.  The male’s being created gave glory to God his Creator, from whom he came and by whom he was formed from the dust.  Therefore, the male should not cover his head, so as not to dishonor his God who had created him in his image.

According to verse 7, on the other hand, the woman and the female sex gave glory to the man from whom she was created, as Genesis 2 clarifies in stating the woman was created from the man’s rib.  The man is her head.  Therefore, the woman of Corinth should have her head covered, which gave glory to her man, whether her father or her husband.

1 Corinthians 11:8 states: “For man’s origin is not from woman, but woman’s origin is from man.”  Note that this verse 8 begins with the word “for”.  The word “for” tells us that what is said in this verse 8 is the reason or explanation for verse 7 stating that the woman is the glory of man.  Our understanding of verse 7 above, that the woman gives glory to the man because she was created from the man, agrees with the reason and explanation given in verse 8.

1 Corinthians 11:9 states: “For in fact man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for man’s sake.”  Note that this verse 9 continues the reason and explanation of verse 7 that the woman is the glory of the man.  The reason given in this verse 9 that the woman gives glory to the man is that she was created for the man; he was not created for her.

This verse 9 agrees with the words in Genesis 2:18 that God said he would make a helper “for him,” meaning for the benefit of the man.  The words “for man” in this verse 9 can be translated from the Greek text as “because of, or for the sake of, man.”  So both this verse 9 and Genesis 2:18 clarify that the woman was made for the sake of, and for the benefit of, the man.

1 Corinthians 11:10 states: “For this reason the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head because of the angels.”  Notice that this verse 10 begins with the words “For this reason,” which could also be translated from the Greek text as “Therefore.”  It tells us that what follows in verse 10 is the conclusion for what was stated in verses 8 and 9 as to why the woman is the glory of the man.  The conclusion that fit into the social custom of Corinth was that the woman should have her head covered to show her subordinate role to her male head, that he has authority over her, because the woman is the glory of man.

Note: Verse 10 also states that in conclusion the woman ought to have her head covered as a sign of the male’s authority over her because of the angels.  God’s holy angels are present with his people in worship as well as in their daily lives.  The angels do perfectly what is God’s holy will.  They are offended by what is contrary to God’s holy will, and they will not be a party to it.  So as not to offend the angels and drive them away, because God’s holy will for the role of man and woman was being rejected and disobeyed, the woman ought to have her head covered as a visible sign of the man’s authority over her, which was in keeping with the social custom in Corinth at the time.

1 Corinthians 11:11 & 12 state: “In the Lord, however, neither woman is apart from man, nor is man apart from woman. 12 For just as the woman is from the man, so also the man is through the woman; and all things are from God.”  While the woman was originally made at creation from the man and for his benefit, these verses 11 and 12 tell us that now the two sexes of man and woman are dependent upon one another for their being brought into this world.  As woman originally came from man, so now man is born of woman.  And like everything else, they both come from God.

1 Corinthians 11:13 states: “Judge within yourselves: Is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?”  Given the divine role from creation of the headship and the authority of the man over the woman, and given the custom in Corinth that a woman’s head being covered showed her submissive, subordinate position to her head--whether her father or husband, this verse 13 called on the Corinthian Christians to conclude that it was not proper for a woman to have her head uncovered.  She should wear her veil that indicated she accepted by faith what was God’s role for her.

1 Corinthians 11:14 &15 state: “Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is a disgrace to him, 15 but if a woman wears long hair, it is an honor to her?  For her hair is given to her for a covering.”  These verses 14 and 15 again reflect the social morays present in Corinth at the time, which nature itself teaches.  People naturally understood that it was more proper for a woman to have long hair than for a man to have long hair.  A woman’s long hair was her glory.  A woman was ashamed to appear with a baldhead in public.  A man, on the other hand, customarily wore short hair and he did not feel the same shame if he lost his hair and became bald.

1 Corinthians 11:16 states: “But if someone is disposed to being argumentative, we do not have such a custom, nor have the churches of God.”  Paul favored observing the Corinthian custom of a woman wearing a veil to show her submissive role to the man over her, because that Corinthian custom harmonized with God’s will for the role of man and woman from the beginning in his Order of Creation.  However, a woman could show her submissiveness to the man over her in ways other than wearing a veil.  Thus, Paul said, no one should be contentious and argue that a woman must wear a head covering in public.  For the wearing of the veil was a social custom in Corinth, not a divine command that must be insisted upon everywhere.  Indeed, Paul said, he and his co-workers had no such custom and practice, nor did the churches elsewhere outside of Corinth.

This section of 1 Corinthians 11 teaches us that New Testament Christians should uphold the roles of man and woman that God established at creation.  So today we can serve God by faith as his Christian men and women by upholding the roles he has established from the beginning in his Order of Creation for men and women.

To summarize what we have discovered in this section of this Bible study: We have discovered that 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 teaches us that the roles God established for man and woman should be upheld by us New Testament Christians.  Man is the head of woman.  The custom in Corinth of a woman’s wearing a veil to show her submissive role to her father or husband should have been observed in the Corinthians’ worship services, because that custom did uphold God’s will for women to be subordinate to the men.  Today we can serve God by faith by upholding the roles of man and woman in his Order of Creation, which God established in the beginning.

20. In this section of this Bible study we will discover that in marriage God has made the husband the head of the wife, and God has given both the husband and the wife their table of duties to fulfill.

Ephesians 5:22-33: Wives, be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, who is himself the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church subjects itself to Christ, so likewise the wives are also to subject themselves to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 in order that he may make her holy, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 that he may present the church to himself glorious, not having a stain or a wrinkle or any such defect, but that she may be holy and blameless. 28 In this manner husbands are obligated to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself, 29 for no one at some time or other hated his own flesh, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 FOR THIS REASON A MAN WILL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BE ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great, but indeed I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, in this manner let each one of you also love his own wife as he loves himself, and let the wife see to it that she respects her husband.

Colossians 3:18, 19: Wives, subject yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered toward them.

Titus 2:4, 5:  . . . in order that they (the older women) may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, working at home, kind, subjecting themselves to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be slandered.

1 Peter 3:1-7 Wives, in the same way subject yourselves to your own husbands, that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 while they observe your chaste, respectful behavior. 3 Let not your external adornment be that of braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or dressing in fancy clothes, 4 rather let your adornment be the hidden person of the heart with his imperishable quality of the gentle and quiet spirit, which is so valuable in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner also in former times the holy women, who put their hope in God, always made themselves beautiful, by subjecting themselves to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah was obedient to Abraham, calling him lord; whose daughters you have become if you keep doing what is right without being struck with fear by any terror.
¶ 7 Husbands, in the same way live with your wives with understanding, showing respect as to a weaker vessel, the female, as also to a fellow-heir of the grace of life, so your prayers may not be hindered.

According to Ephesians 5:23 the role of the husband is being the head of the wife.

According to Ephesians 5:22 & 24 and Colossians 3:18 the role of the wife is to subject herself to her husband.  The words “subject herself” in the original Greek mean to arrange herself under.  The wife is to arrange herself under her husband.

The responsibilities and table of duties given to the husband according to the preceding verses are as follows:

Ephesians 5:25 & 29 state the husband is to love his wife self-sacrificially, putting her and her needs before himself.  The Greek word for “love” in these verses is the agape love in Scripture that gives and does what is best and right for the good of another.  The husband is to nourish and cherish his wife as his own body.

Colossians 3:19 reveals that the husband is to love his wife with the agape love and is not to be embittered toward his wife, meaning to feel bitter toward his wife as a result of things she has said and done.

1 Peter 3:7 declares that the husband is to live with his wife considerately in an understanding manner.  He is to understand she is a woman and a weaker vessel.  He is to understand her personality, moods, needs, and everything else about her.  He is to respect and honor her as being a co-heir of God’s grace and heaven with him.

Today we Christian men can exercise our faith to serve God in our marriage and home by loving our wives self-sacrificially, by nourishing and cherishing them, by treating them well and with respect, by understanding who and what they are and what their needs are, and by honoring them as our fellow Christian and heir of God’s grace.

The responsibilities and table of duties given to the wife according to the preceding verses are as follows:

Ephesians 5:22 & 24 state the wife is to subject herself to her husband in everything and to respect her husband.  She is to accept her husband’s leadership in everything and to respect him for the man he is, as he is, and for the role God has given to him.

Titus 2:4, 5 clarify that the wife is to love her husband.  The Greek word for love means to love her husband as a friend.  She is to love her children in the same manner.  She is to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind, and submissive to her husband, so others do not malign the Word of God.  The end of this verse expresses the concern that if others saw that the Christian wives did none of these things but were horrible wives, then those other people might malign the Word of God by saying something like: “Well!  If that is how God’s Word says Christian wives should be, I don’t want any part of God’s Word or the God who spoke it.”

1 Peter 3:1-6 reveal that the wife is to subject herself to her husband.  Her Christian chaste and respectful behavior is supposed to win over her unbelieving husband, not her harping and nagging at him.  Her beauty is to be her quiet and gentle spirit, in which case she would not be a complainer, or contentious, or an argumentative woman.

Today Christian women can exercise their faith to serve God in their marriage and home by subjecting themselves to their husbands, by respecting their husbands for who and what they are, by loving their husbands as a friend, by taking care of their home and children, and by having a gentle and quiet spirit.

To summarize what we have discovered in this section of this Bible study: In marriage God has made the husband the head of the wife and has given both the husband and the wife their respective table of duties to fulfill.  Christian men and women can exercise their faith to serve God by fulfilling their duties for their spouse.

21. In this section of this Bible study we will discover that in the New Testament the Lord has applied the roles of man and woman to his church.  The church is to follow the roles God established to uphold his Order of Creation, as it was set forth in the beginning when God created the male first and female second.

1 Timothy 2:11-15: Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over, a man, but to remain silent. 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman having been thoroughly deceived came to be in transgression. 15 But she will be saved through the bearing of children, if they remain in faith and love and holiness with self-control.

1 Corinthians 14:26-38: What, therefore, is to be done? As often as you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two, or at the most three, and one after the other, and let one interpret. 28 But if there should not be an interpreter, let him keep silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation should be given to another who is seated, let the first one keep silent. 31 For you all can prophecy one after the other, in order that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

¶ As in all the churches of the saints, 34 let the women keep silent in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak; but let them subject themselves, just as the law also says. 35 And if they wish to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or was it from you the word of God went out? Or has it come to you only?

¶ 37 If someone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things that I am writing to you are the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone disregards this, he is disregarded.

Our Study Of 1 Timothy 2:11-15

The context of 1 Timothy 2 is about what is to be practiced in the church’s worship services.  First the chapter takes up the matter of the prayers in worship and the men leading the prayers.  Then the chapter takes up the matter of the women dressing modestly and appropriately in the worship services.  Next the chapter takes up the matter of who does the teaching and the exercising of authority in the church’s assemblies.

1 Timothy 2:11 states: “Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness.”  Notice that this verse begins with the words “Let a woman...”  The woman is being called upon to voluntarily exercise her faith and as a fruit of her faith to willingly do what is said in the verse.

1 Timothy 2:11 calls upon the woman to voluntarily receive instruction and to learn quietly.

1 Timothy 2:11 further calls upon the woman’s heart and will to quietly receive instruction and learning with an attitude of entire submissiveness.  She is called upon to fully submit from her own heart and will to having the men instruct her without having any resentment or objection to the men teaching her.

1 Timothy 2:12 states: “I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over, a man, but to remain silent.”  This inspired verse of the Lord’s apostle does not permit the woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man.

In Christ’s church the principle to be maintained is that a woman is not to exercise authority over a man.  The application of this principle is that a woman is not to teach in the church.  In teaching one speaks as the leader of the group.  In teaching the leader is exercising authority over the others.  Hebrews 13:7 &17 below clearly show that those who speak and teach the Word of God to others are the leaders in the church.  They do exercise an authority that the others are to obey and submit to.  Thus a woman teaching men is an exercise of authority over them.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, who surely spoke the word of God to you, and considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls, as men who will give an account, in order that they may do this with joy and not groaning, for this would be harmful to you.

1 Timothy 2:12 does not forbid all teaching in the church by a woman.  This verse establishes one situation in the church when a woman cannot teach.  That one situation is when a woman would be teaching a man or a group with men in it.  Outside of this situation a woman can teach other women and the children in the church.

The principle is that a woman is not to exercise authority over a man.  Teaching is not the only way a woman might exercise authority over a man in the church.  There are a number of ways a woman might exercise authority over a man.  For example: 1) When she is in charge of, and has authority over, some endeavor of the church that involves the men.  2) When she is in a position to establish policies that govern the whole congregation of men and women and what that church does.  3) When she serves on the governing boards of a church that run its various ministries and oversees the pastoral and teaching ministries of the church.  All of these examples would violate the principle of God’s Order of Creation that a woman is not to exercise authority over a man, and therefore, that should not be permitted.

1 Timothy 2:13 states: “For Adam was formed first, then Eve.”  Notice that this verse begins with the word “For.”  This word “for” indicates that what is stated next in verse 13 gives the reason and the explanation for the principle given in verse 12, namely that a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man.  1 Timothy 2:13 clarifies that what established the principle that a woman is not to exercise authority over a man was God’s creating the male first and the female second.  The chronological sequence in which male and female were created established God’s Order of Creation in which the male was the head and the female was his helper.  The church is to observe and follow these roles established by God’s Order of Creation.

1 Timothy 2:14 states: “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman having been thoroughly deceived came to be in transgression.”  Notice that this verse begins with the word “And.”  This word “and” tells us that this verse 14 is presenting an additional reason why verse 12 states a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man.  The additional reason is that the woman was fully deceived by the devil in the Garden of Eden and sinned first.  She then told the man, Adam, to eat the forbidden fruit.  As we discovered in our study of Genesis 3 in the pertinent verses of the Old Testament, this overturned and reversed the role of man as the head and the woman as his helper.  In Eden the woman had become the leader in telling the man what to do, namely to eat the forbidden fruit.  And on the other hand, the man had become the follower who failed to provide the leadership he was responsible for providing.  This reversal of the roles that took place in Eden verse 14 clarifies is not to be repeated in the Lord’s church.  Following God’s Order of Creation a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man in the Lord’s church.

1 Timothy 2:15 states: “But she will be saved through the bearing of children, if they remain in faith and love and holiness with self-control.”  The woman’s role from the time of creation was not being the head and leader but man’s helper.  She had the unique role of being the child-bearer.  Having stated in verses 11 & 12 that the woman is not to be the leader who exercises authority over a man, this verse 15 redirects the woman to fulfilling her role as the child-bearer.  Her bearing children in itself will not give her salvation.  She is saved through faith, which gives evidence of itself through its fruit of accepting the role of child-bearer that God has given to her and through its fruits of love and holy living.

Our Study Of 1 Corinthians 14:26-38

1 Corinthians 14:26-38: What, therefore, is to be done? As often as you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two, or at the most three, and one after the other, and let one interpret. 28 But if there should not be an interpreter, let him keep silent in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God. 29 And let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment. 30 But if a revelation should be given to another who is seated, let the first one keep silent. 31 For you all can prophecy one after the other, in order that all may learn and all may be encouraged. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

¶ As in all the churches of the saints, 34 let the women keep silent in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak; but let them subject themselves, just as the law also says. 35 And if they wish to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or was it from you the word of God went out? Or has it come to you only?

¶ 37 If someone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things that I am writing to you are the Lord’s command. 38 But if anyone disregards this, he is disregarded.

The context of 1 Corinthians 14 pertains to what is proper in the church’s worship services.  Verses 26-38 above are about speaking and being silent in the church’s services.  In the New Testament the immediate context shows that the Greek word for “speak” is used for one of three different kinds of speaking.  To understand verses 26-38 correctly, we need to understand what kind of speaking is being referred to.  From the following verses and their immediate contexts we will discover what the three different kinds of speaking are that the Greek word for “speak” depicts.

The first kind of speaking is speaking privately or personally to oneself, to another individual, or within a small group.

Acts 26:30, 31: And the king stood up, and the governor and Bernice and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had withdrawn, they began talking (Greek, speaking) to one another, saying, “This man commits nothing worthy of death or of bonds.”

2 John 12: Though I have many things to write to you, I do not wish to do so with paper and ink, but I hope to come to you and to speak face to face with you, in order that our joy may be made full.

3 John 14: Rather I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.

1 Samuel 1:12, 13: Now it came to pass, as she prayed much before the Lord that Eli was watching her. 13 Now Hannah, she was speaking (Greek Septuagint) in her heart – only her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.

The second kind of speaking is speaking collectively in a group or as a group.

Luke 2:15, 18: When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying (Greek, speaking) to one another, “Let us go then to Bethlehem, and let us see this event that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.... And all who heard it marveled concerning the things that had been spoken to them by the shepherds.

Acts 2:4: And they all were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit was enabling them to speak.

The third kind of speaking is speaking publicly to address a gathering of people.

John 7:26: And behold, he is speaking publicly and they are saying nothing to him.  Have the rulers come to know whether this man is the Christ?”

John 18:20: “Jesus answered him, “I on my part have spoken publicly to the world; I indeed have always taught in a synagogue and in the temple, where all the Jews come together, and I have spoken nothing in secret.”

Acts 18:24-26: Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by descent, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus, being mighty in the Scriptures. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he kept speaking and teaching the things concerning Jesus accurately, although being acquainted only with the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

Acts 21:39, 40: But Paul said, “As for myself, I am a man, a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” 40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the flight of stairs, signaled with his hand to the people; then, when a very still silence came about, he called out in the Hebrew dialect, saying, . . .

We have now discovered what the three different kinds of speaking are.  It is clear that the kind of speaking being discussed in 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 is public speaking and addressing the people gathered in the congregation.  The speaker in verses 26-33 is addressing the Corinthian congregation as a person who is leading and teaching others in the church.  This being the case, the silence that verses 26-33 call for is not being able to address the congregation and to speak as the one leading and teaching the others.

It is in this context of speaking publicly as a leader or being silent in the church as a listener and a learner that we read in 1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 about the women speaking and being silent in the church.  1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 state: “As in all the churches of the saints, 34 let the women keep silent in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak; but let them subject themselves, just as the law also says. 35 And if they wish to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.”  In light of the kind of speaking and silence being called for in verses 26-33, it is clear that verses 34, 35 are saying that the women are not permitted to speak publicly to the congregation as a leader and a teacher.  Rather, they are to remain silent in the church.

Notice that like 1 Timothy 2:11 & 12, 1 Corinthians 14:34 & 35 state “Let the women...”  The women are not being given a harsh command that tells them what their place in the church is.  Rather, they are being called upon to voluntarily exercise their faith and willingly do for themselves what is stated in the verses is pleasing to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 14:34 calls on the women to “subject themselves, just as the law also says..”  The term “law” can refer to the law of God that was given on Mount Sinai or to the Old Testament, often and especially to the Pentatuch – the first five books of the Old Testament that were written by Moses.  In this verse it refers to the Pentateuch, where in Genesis 1 & 2 the principle of the roles of man and woman were first established.

1 Corinthians 14:35 states that: “And if they wish to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.”  This verse clarifies that the woman’s speaking in the assembly of the church as the leader who is teaching and exercising authority is improper and disgraceful.  Her speaking publicly is improper and disgraceful because it is contrary to God’s Order of Creation governing the role of the woman in her relationship to the man.  Thus her public speaking ought not to be done.

1 Corinthians 14:35 also clarifies that it is improper for women to ask questions in the church’s assembly when a public discussion is taking place, such as in a meeting that governs the congregation or sets its policies.  They should rather ask their husbands at home if they want to learn something about what was being discussed.  The term “husbands” in this verse 35 is literally “men.”  This verse can be understood to mean that the woman should ask her men folk -- her husband if she were married, or her father or brother if she were unmarried.  What is stated here does not apply to women participating in Bible studies, in which they too are being instructed in God’s Word and can ask questions for their spiritual growth.

1 Corinthians 14:36 raises the question: “Or was it from you the word of God went out?  Or has it come to you only?”  Paul raised this question to rebuke those who would set aside the role of man and woman in the church.  The point Paul was making was that the Word of God did not come from those individuals, nor were they the only ones to really know what God’s Word said.  In fact, the opposite was true.  They did not really know what it said.

1 Corinthians 14:37 states: “If someone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things that I am writing to you are the Lord’s command.”  For the sake of those especially who wanted to ignore and reject the role of man and woman in the church, Paul asserted in verse 37 that those individuals should recognize that the things he wrote to them regarding the women not being permitted to speak in the church were the Lord’s command.  Paul himself did not assert the women should not speak in the church; God commanded it.

Since what Paul said he wrote was the Lord’s command, which upheld God’s Order of Creation, this command of the Lord did not apply only to the church in Corinth; it applies to the church of all ages, even to our churches today.

1 Corinthians 14:38 states: “But if anyone disregards this, he is disregarded.”  This verse 38 reveals that if anyone disregarded that what Paul had written in these verses is the Lord’s command, then that person himself is disregarded as being one of the Lord’s people in harmony with the Lord’s will on the role of man and woman.  Since that person ignores the Lord’s command, he himself and what he says will be ignored.

1 Corinthians 14:34 states: “As in all the churches of the saints, 34 let the women keep silent in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak; but let them subject themselves, just as the law also says.”  At the same time 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 state: “Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. 12 I do not permit a woman to teach, nor to exercise authority over, a man, but to remain silent.” The doctrinal content of these 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy verses are identical.  Both verses are saying the same thing but in different words.  To the Corinthians Paul wrote that a woman was not to speak publicly as one intending to teach and build up the church.  To Timothy Paul wrote that a woman was not to teach.  To the Corinthians Paul wrote a woman was not permitted to speak publicly but to subject herself.  To Timothy Paul wrote a woman was not permitted to teach or to exercise authority over a man but was to learn with entire submissiveness.  The doctrinal content is the same.

Today Christian women can exercise their faith to serve God in the church with respect to God’s roles for man and woman.  As a fruit of their faith they can accept their role of being silent in the church and not teaching or exercising authority over the men in the congregation.

Today Christian men can also exercise their faith to serve God in the church with respect to God’s roles for man and woman.  As a fruit of their faith they can fulfill their responsibility to be the teachers and leaders in the church.

Today Christian men can fail to exercise their faith to serve God in the church with respect to God’s roles for man and woman.  They can do so by failing to provide the leadership they are expected to provide and by leaving that responsibility fall upon the women in the church.

Today Christian women can also fail to exercise their faith to serve God in the church with respect to God’s roles for man and woman.  They can do so by not accepting their role to be submissive and silent in the church and by promoting a power struggle with the men for control.  This happens when they demand equal voting rights and the right to serve in positions of authority in the church.

To summarize what we have discovered in this section of this Bible study: In the New Testament the Lord has applied the roles of man and woman to his church.  The church is to follow the roles God established in the beginning by the order in which he created the first male and female.  In the church the man is to hold the position of leadership and authority.  It is his responsibility to do the teaching and the exercising of authority.  On the other hand, the woman as a fruit of her faith is to accept her submissive, subordinate role in the church.  She is not permitted to speak publicly in the church to teach or to exercise authority over the men in the church.  That is disgraceful, for that is contrary to God’s Order of Creation regarding the roles of man and woman that God established in the beginning.  She is to be silent and learn.  She can teach and exercise authority in situations where men are not involved, namely among women and children.  By faith we can serve God in the church by accepting and carrying out the role God has given us as a man or a woman.

22. In this section of this Bible study we will discover that women may serve in the church in a variety of ways that do not violate God’s roles for man and woman in the church.

Titus 2:3-5: Similarly older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not slanderous, not enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 in order that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, working at home, kind, subjecting themselves to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be slandered.

Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5 & 3:15: Acts 16:1: Then he (Paul) came to Derbe and to Lystra. And behold, there was a certain disciple there by the name of Timothy, a son of a believing Jewish woman and a Greek father, 2 who was well spoken of by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium.  2 Timothy 1:5: I have had the remembrance of the sincere faith in you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that also dwells in you.  2 Timothy 3:15:  . . . and that from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Acts 18:26: And he (Apollos) began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Acts 9:36: Now there was in Joppa a certain female disciple by the name of Tabitha, which, when it is translated, is called Dorcas. She was abounding in kind deeds and was continually making charitable gifts.

1 Corinthians 11:5: But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head; for it is one and the same thing with her having a shaven head.

Titus 2:3-5 show that women may be actively serving in the church by teaching other women.

Acts 16:1 and 2 Timothy 1:5 & 3:15 tell us that Timothy’s father was a Greek unbeliever.  His mother was a Jewish Christian who believed in Jesus, as was his grandmother Lois.  Timothy learned the Christian faith and the Scriptures from the time he was an infant, not from his unbelieving father, but from his believing mother and grandmother.  This is an example that shows women may actively serve in the church by teaching the children.

Acts 18:26 indicates that Priscilla and her husband Aquila were evangelists.  Since Priscilla was named first, she especially was recognized for her work.  This is an example that shows that women may serve in the church as evangelists.

Acts 9:36 presents Tabitha as an example of how women may be actively serving in the church.  The women may be busy serving with charitable acts of kindness.

1 Corinthians 11:5 reveals another way in which women might serve in the church.  Even in Corinth, where the roles of man and woman were visibly recognized through the women’s wearing a veil, Christian women were able to participate in the church in praying and prophesying.  If we were to make a thorough study of how the terms prophecy and prophesy are used in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, we would find that prophesying was either receiving a revelation from God about some future event and proclaiming it as the word of God, or preaching the word of God, or being filled with the Spirit and uttering and singing praises to God.  With this understanding of what the term “prophesies” could mean in 1 Corinthians 11:5, and keeping in mind what other portions of the New Testament say about women not speaking publicly to teach the Word of God and to exercise authority over the men, we can understand that women could have been active in the apostolic church of the first century by prophesying if and when the Lord gave them a revelation that he wanted her to share with others in the church.  Or, we can understand that women could have been filled with the Spirit to utter and sing God’s praises in the church with others.  These special outpourings of the Spirit with his gifts came to an end with the demise of the apostles at the end of the first century, however.

To summarize what we have discovered in this section of this Bible study: Women may serve actively in the church by teaching women and children, by sharing the Word of God with others as evangelists, and by performing charitable works of service.  Women may serve in other capacities also where they do not exercise authority over men.

Pertinent passages: None.  There is not a single Bible verse that says how the role of man and woman applies to society and the world.

The fact that there are no Bible passages that apply the role of man and woman to society and to the world in which we live tells us that God has made no specific application of the role of man and woman to society and the world.  In Eden with the creation of the first male and female the role relationship of man and woman applied to society as well as to marriage and the church.  Since the fall into sin, however, human society and the world do not observe this principle nor do they heed the Word of God that teaches it.  The Word of God does not apply the roles of man and woman to the world’s society because the world pays no attention to what the Word of God says anyway, and the Word cannot be forced upon the world.

To sum up what we have just discovered in this section of this Bible study: We recognize that according to God’s Order of Creation the roles of man and woman applied to all men and women beginning with the first male and female at creation, and that the roles applied to society as well as to marriage and the church.  However, we also must recognize that Scripture has not shown how the roles can be applied to society after sin entered the world.  Since Scripture has made no clear applications of the roles of man and woman to society, we must be careful not to insist on how the roles must be applied to society either.