Breaking Tradition: The Controversy Over Women Preachers (1 Corinthians 14:34-35)

Breaking Tradition: The Controversy of Women Preachers”
1 Corinthians 14:34-35

INTRODUCTION:
Back in January, the Washington Post had an article titled, “The Wealth Transfer from Baby Boomers Mostly Benefits Women.” The author pointed out that today - as of 2024 - women start more businesses than their male counterparts. In almost 50% of households, women nowadays earn as much or more than their husbands. Among single adults, women own more homes. In about 6 more years, women are going to be controlling much of the $30 trillion in wealth expected to be in the hands of baby boomers.

The Bible does not put limitations on what a woman can do, how much she can earn, etc. when the discussion is about what goes on outside the home and the Lord’s church. Truly, those who want to allow women to lead God’s people in worship are breaking tradition, but they are breaking inspired tradition, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (see 1 Cor. 11:2).

But the problem we are facing in the 21st century is that both men and women are coming to believe that if a woman can be a CEO or the president of the United States, then she can also lead the Lord’s church and be the leader of her family.

But let’s put this discussion first of all in the context of these few questions:

Do we love Jesus Christ?
Do we believe that to respect Jesus Christ, we have to respect His word?
To respect His word, don’t we have to respect the limitations Jesus has placed on the home and on worship?
Isn’t, according to the Bible, love connected to respect and obedience?

When Satan tempted Eve (and Adam too) in the garden of Eden, God had given Adam and Eve one relevant command: Do not eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan came along and said, “It is okay to eat of the fruit.” Two commands diametrically opposed to each other. Two commands. One choice.

WHAT MAN SAYS:
I will not spend much time dealing with what man says. Suffice it to say that the effort that man makes to twist and distort the word of God knows no bounds. Man will say things about the word of God - just like Satan did in the Garden - which simply are not true. Jesus said Satan was the “father of lies” (John 8:44) and those who are trying to open up the worship of God to female leadership are lying about God’s word.

I am just using one writer as an example, specifically it is Charles H. Talbert in his commentary on the Gospel of Luke. He tries to “prove” that women can be leaders in the church by giving lots and lots of examples of women doing things in the NT - like prophesying as in the case of Anna in 2:36-38 - which were not in a public leadership role in the church of Jesus Christ. To prophesy in a private setting like Anna did in Luke 2 is not the same thing as preaching publicly as people are doing today.

Keep in mind that “prophesying” is the same thing as teaching, but with direct guidance of the Holy Spirit. But just because someone teaches that does not mean they are teaching publicly.

Mr. Talbert, for example, states that women were engaged in public prayer in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 and 1 Timothy 2:8-9. First, 1 Corinthians 11:4-5 does not say at all that women were praying in public. Secondly, in 1 Timothy 2, which we’ll look at in just a moment, Paul specifically says that women cannot pray in public! He has distorted the word of God in exactly the same way that Satan did in Eden.

Mr. Talbert also confuses inherent value with roles. He says that since women are equal with men based on Galatians 3:27-28, then women can preach publicly. But that is confusing apples and oranges. Yes, Galatians 3:27-28 does say that women are of equal value to God in Jesus Christ. But that does not mean they have the same role in the church of Christ that men have.

Instead of listening to what man says, let’s show our respect for Christ and listen to what He says…

1 CORINTHIANS 14:34-35:
First, let’s understand the context. The Corinthians had miraculous gifts and some of them had the ability to speak in foreign languages (“tongues”) and they believed that they were more important to the work of Christ than others.

So, Paul writes three chapters to discuss this matter, which Cody will study further in his Sunday morning class in a few months. But, in chapter 12, Paul teaches that all Christians are members of the same body of Christ; we just have different roles. The key word in chapter 12 is “unity.”

In the famous chapter 13, Paul says that the Christians who were arguing over which miracle was better need to remember that the greatest gift is “love.” He says that miraculous gifts would come to an end when the completed word of God - the Bible - came into existence. But the key word for chapter 13 is “love.”

Finally, we get to chapter 14… Notice in verse 5 that Paul says he would like for everyone to be able to speak foreign languages - Josh Dykes would love not to have to learn Romanian in order to share the gospel in Romania! - but it is far better to just teach the Gospel (“prophesy”). Because, notice the end of verse 5, “the church may receive edifying.” Notice again in verse 12: “seek to abound for the edification of the church.” In fact, “to edify” or “edification” are used 7 times in this one chapter. So the key word of 1 Corinthians 14 is “edification” or “encouragement.” What we do in worship should be for the encouragement of each other.

Paul gives instructions for the use of miraculous gifts in the church - which means “assembly,” the worship assembly - in this chapter. Notice in verses 27-28 that if anyone speaks a foreign language, he should have an interpreter; otherwise, he should remain quiet. And there should not be more than 3 people in a specific assembly who is speaking foreign languages.

You should also not have more than one man speaking at the same time (ver. 31). Why? Because of the nature of God… God is not a God of confusion but of peace.

This brings us to the limitation Paul - guided by the Holy Spirit - sets on women in worship. Notice verses 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. 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.”

When Paul uses the word “church” here, he is referring to the worship assembly as the context makes clear. Notice how Paul words this limitation and how many different ways he words it:

The woman are to keep silent in the churches.
They are not permitted to speak.
They are to subject themselves [to the leadership of men].
It is improper for a woman to speak in church.

In four different ways, Paul says women are to remain silent; they are not allowed to speak. He uses the definite article in verse 34: “the women” so he is talking about the whole class of women, not just women false teachers as people today want the text to teach. He also uses the definite article with the word “churches:” “the women in the churches / assemblies must be silent” (that verb is an imperative). So Paul is not talking just about the assembly in Corinth. He is talking about all assemblies of all churches of Christ everywhere for all time. At the end of verse 35, Paul states: “for shameful it is for a woman to speak in an assembly.”

Mr. Talbert actually wants to say that Paul is stating the position that some in the church in Corinth were taking and Paul was not teaching his own position on the matter. Do you see how man distorts the simple teaching of the Word of God? It is instructive that Paul writes immediately at verse 37 that the commandments he writes are the Lord’s commandments.

Let’s go to the other major text: 1 Timothy 2…

1 TIMOTHY 2:8-15:
Again, we need to look at the context… In verse 1 of chapter 2, Paul begins by talking about prayer. “Pray for everyone,” Paul says, especially your leaders. Let me point out that the word for “men” in verse 1 is anthropos, which is “mankind” in general - male and female.

Now, in the context of prayer, notice in verse 8, Paul writes: “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” The word “men” in this verse is specifically the Greek word for “males.” Paul says, “males ought to pray in every place.” In other words, if the church comes together as the body of God’s people and they pray, then men are to lead those prayers.

Women have their role to serve in the church of Jesus Christ, but it is not in a leadership role. Notice in verses 11-12:

“A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

Just like Paul said to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 14, here Paul says to the church of Christ in Ephesus that women are to receive instruction quietly and with submissiveness. Then in verse 12, Paul broadens the limitation God placed on women - he’s not just talking about leading prayer now. “I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but [to emphasize his point yet again], to remain quiet.”

So women cannot pray in pubic when Christian men are present; they cannot teach over a Christian man; they cannot in any way “exercise authority over” a man - which means women cannot lead singing. That is one of the fundamental sins of so-called “praise teams.” I talked with one woman on a praise team a few years ago and she identified herself as a “song leader.” It is unfortunate that her blatant disregard of the writings of Jesus Christ was hidden from her own eyes.

The people who want to allow women to lead in worship state that Paul is arguing against female false teachers - but that is not in the context. Not in any way, shape, or form.

Women have their role and men have their role.

And it is disrespectful to Jesus Christ to distort His teachings and pretend like Jesus does not limit what women can do.

WHAT WOMEN CAN DO:
I had a lesson on this same theme back in 2020 which is still on our YouTube page and I spent more time on what women can do in that specific lesson.

Can women teach men? Yes, they can. We have the example of Priscilla and Aquila - a husband and wife team - who taught Apollos in Acts 18. But that was a private conversation; it was not in a worship assembly.

As we have pointed out in 1 Corinthians 11:4-5, women were prophesying in the first century. They could teach men if it was outside of the assembly. In the OT, there was Deborah, who was a prophetess (Judges 4) and there was Huldah in 2 Kings 22, who also shared a word from God with Josiah - but it was not in a public worship assembly.

In the NT, Philip, the deacon, had four daughters who all prophesied (Acts 21:8-9) but don’t make the text say more than it says. They prophesied, yes, but the text does not say that they prophesied publicly in a worship assembly.

And, of course, women can teach other women and children as we see in Titus 2:3-5.

Take home message: Let’s respect the word of our Savior and limit our roles to the authority He has given to us and serve Him where He allows.