Does
the statement in Galatians 3:28 mean that “in Christ” men and women are equal
in every respect and hence there is no fundamental difference in their
designated roles?
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28 NKJV). God does not care about one’s ethnic, social or
gender status, and He shows no partiality with regard to whom He offers
salvation (Rom. 2:11; 1 Tim. 2:3-6). A woman has just as much right to be in
Christ as a man. But created gender differences do not simply disappear. In
fact, the respective male and female roles were established in the Garden of
Eden and continue to be relevant in the Christian Age (1 Tim. 2:11-14). In the
church of our Lord both men and women share the benefits of salvation, and they
are equal in these higher things, but redemption in Christ does not eliminate
their divinely appointed functions, responsibilities, or positions (1 Cor. 11:3).
If
women are to “keep silent” and “are not permitted to speak” in church
gatherings (1 Cor. 14:34-35; 1 Tim. 2:11-12), wouldn’t this prohibit them from
singing or from making comments in Bible class?
In the context of 1 Corinthians 14, to “speak”
(laleō)
has reference to the exercise of spiritual gifts to lead the assembly (vv. 5,
6, 19, etc.). Instead of “speaking” as to lead the worship assembly, women are
told to be submissive (hupotassō) and remain “silent” (sigaō). But
to take this word in its absolute sense is to ignore the context. Paul had just
said to the tongue-speakers to “keep silent” (v. 28), and to the prophets to “keep silent” (v. 30), i.e. to refrain from using their gifts to lead
the assembly in certain circumstances. This obviously does not refer to singing
(v. 15), saying “amen” (v. 16), making a public confession (1 Tim.
6:12), etc. Women are merely forbidden to speak as to lead the corporate
assembly. The word translated “silence” in 1 Tim. 2:11-12 is hēsuchia and has reference to a
quiet, gentle disposition. A godly woman will not be authoritative, nor will
she seek a leadership position in the church, but will be submissive and
possess “a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious to God” (1 Pet. 3:4).
Simply making comments, asking questions, or even reading in a Bible class do
not violate these principles. However, a woman who stands before a mixed
assembly and at least gives the impression that she is leading does not
exhibit the attitude enjoined by these directives.
What
is meant by “let them ask their own husbands at home” (1 Cor. 14:35)?
To take this universally would exclude
unmarried women, widows, and those married to unbelievers (7:8, 13). The word
translated “husbands” is andras (literally “men”) and may refer to “their
own men” (i.e. husbands, fathers, brothers, or even ‘brothers in Christ’),
although it is possible that the women Paul particularly had in mind at this time were all
married to believers. It is reasonable to infer that at least some of these
women possessed spiritual gifts (cf. 11:5), which may have included the gifts
of interpretation and discerning of spirits (12:10). What was a spiritually-gifted woman to do when she questioned the message of a male prophet or
tongue-speaker in the assembly? Paul says “keep silent,” refrain from using
your gift, and reserve your questions for a setting outside the assembly. There
were things appropriate at home that were inappropriate at church gatherings
(cf. 11:22), and Paul dissuades women from the appearance of taking a lead in
the worship assembly.
Is
it permissible for a Christian woman to pray aloud in the presence of and on
behalf of Christian men in light of passages like Acts 1:14; 4:24; 12:12?
When Christians assemble together and pray
together, it is to be done in an orderly manner (1 Cor. 14:40). If everyone
spoke their personal prayers out loud at the same time, this would be
distracting and at least give the appearance of disorder and confusion. In the
assemblies at Corinth it seems that one person led the prayer on behalf of the
congregation (1 Cor. 14:16), and this person was to be a man (1 Cor. 14:34).
While one person was actually speaking aloud, all the rest of the church would
have followed his address to God with their hearts and minds, thus the church
collectively prayed together. The passages that mention men and women praying
together (e.g. Acts 1:14) say nothing about women actually praying on behalf of
men. It is important not to read into the text something that is not there, and
we must ensure that the overall context of scripture is considered.
Incidentally, in Acts 12:12-17, before Peter’s arrival the only ones
specifically named in this prayer group are females (cf. Acts 16:13), and they
are then told to go report to James and the adelphois (“brothers”). But
whether this was an all-female prayer session or not makes no difference to
what the passage actually says and does not say.
In Acts 4:24, the context indicates that
this was the apostles praying rather than the whole Jerusalem church.
Peter and John had just been released from custody (vv. 19-21), and they
returned to their "own" (v. 23). Their own what? The New
International Version unnecessarily inserts the word “people,” whereas the New
King James Version uses the word “companions.” They prayed for boldness to
speak God’s word (v. 29) and to work miracles (v. 30); they were filled with
the Spirit and spoke God’s word with boldness (v. 31). Only the apostles are
recorded as working miracles and speaking God’s word for the first five
chapters of Acts. In Acts 4:32 a new subject begins, and the multitude of
believers is mentioned, but it is still only the apostles working miracles (v.
33).
There is a general biblical principle
which should govern our Christian activities: God has given the role of
leadership to Christian men, and women are instructed to have a spirit of
quietness and submissiveness (1 Cor. 11:3; 14:34-35; 1 Tm. 2:11-12). Notice
that this even applies to public prayer: 1 Tim. 2:8-13, “Therefore I desire
that the men [Greek andras in contrast to women] pray … Let a
woman learn in silence with all submission . . .” When one person voices a
prayer and others follow along in their minds, that person is actually leading
the thoughts of the group. God has not authorized women to lead men. Some
may reason that if the man is in a position of authority, he may therefore
delegate certain things for the woman to do. However, a Christian man is not
given divine sanction to delegate to a woman things which God would not have
her do (e.g. preaching). There is also the question of actual authority
and leadership, and perceived authority and leadership. For example, if
a woman stands before a mixed assembly to distribute communion, she might not
be in a position of actual authority or leadership, but it leaves the
impression (at least in the minds of some) that she is in such a position. But
a Christian woman must modestly show that she respects her God-appointed role
of submission and ought to do nothing that will leave the wrong impression with
others.
Does
1 Corinthians 11:5 suggest that women are allowed to lead prayers and preach in
a mixed worship assembly?
In 1 Cor. 11:4-13 Paul merely identifies
the activities of praying and prophesying without specifying the environment of
these activities. Notice that he is not necessarily discussing a setting where
there is both praying AND prophesying, but rather praying OR prophesying.
Neither praying nor prophesying is restricted in the NT to the corporate
worship assembly (Acts 13:1-3; 15:30-32; 21:10-11; etc.), and mentioning both
in the same context does not demand such a setting (cf. Rom. 12:6-12; 1 Thess.
5:16-20). When Paul first wrote this epistle, it was not divided into chapters
and verses as in our current English versions. The subject matter of what we
now call chapter 11 actually begins in verse 2, and nearly everyone agrees that
it was a mistake to mark the beginning of the chapter at verse 1. Moreover,
Paul’s original text did not have a chapter heading like, “The Corporate
Worship Assembly.” As Paul begins a new subject at verse 17 and introduces
matters relevant to the Christian assembly, there is no reason to reverse the
context to incorporate the previous discussion. Paul seems to be using the
example of men in this discourse as a means of contrast to point out his main
theme -- the conduct of women. Since women were not permitted to speak as to
lead in a mixed assembly (1 Cor. 14:34-35), the only legitimate setting for
them to exercise their spiritual gifts was in all-female gatherings (cf. Ex.
15:20-21; Acts 16:13; Titus 2:3-5). It is unnecessary to assume that Paul was
limiting these instructions to a mixed assembly, and in light of what he goes
on to write in 14:34-35, he is obviously not giving women permission to lead in
a mixed assembly.
Was
there a position in the early church for the “deaconess” (i.e. female deacon)?
In Romans 16:1 Phoebe is called a diakonon
of the church in Cenchrea. This word is the accusative form of diakonos,
which is rendered “deacon” in Phil. 1:1 and 1 Tim. 3:8-13, and “minister” in 1
Cor. 3:5 and 2 Cor. 6:4. Is it proper, then, for a woman to serve as a “deacon”
or a “minister” in the church? When we understand what the word diakonos actually
signifies, there is no problem. Its basic meaning is “servant” or “helper,” and
in this sense every Christian is to be a diakonos (Matt. 20:26; 23:11;
Mark 9:35). Furthermore, the word diakonos is used in both a generic and
an official sense in the NT. For example, the word presbuteros (“elder”)
generally refers to someone who is older (cf. Luke 15:25; Acts 2:17) and even
applies to older women (1 Tim. 5:2). But the same word is also used in a
special sense, referring to the position of leadership in a local congregation
(Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). In order for a person to serve as either a presbuteros
(elder) or a diakonos (deacon) in the official sense, he must meet
specific qualifications, which, incidentally, clearly exclude women (1 Tim.
3:1-13). When applied to a Christian lady, therefore, whether the word diakonos
is rendered “deaconess” or “servant” or even “minister,” it does not change
the function designated by the term nor does it alter what a woman is allowed
or not allowed to do in the church. The terms diakonos and “leader”
represent completely different concepts.
How
can female leadership be unacceptable to God considering the account of Deborah
in Judges 4-5?
As the 4th chapter of Judges begins, we find the
Israelites in open rebellion against God and consequently suffering oppression
by Jabin, king of Canaan, and the commander of his army, Sisera (Judges 4:1-2).
“Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that
time” (v. 5). It will be helpful to consider what this “judging” entailed and
whether it sets a precedent for female leadership in the Lord’s church today.
There is a distinction between leading, prophesying, and judging. Miriam was a
prophetess (Ex. 15: 20), but she was not Israel’s leader. Abimelech was the
leader of Israel but not their judge (Judg. 9:2-6, 22). Samson and Eli each
served in the position of judge but apparently not as Israel’s leader (Judg.
15: 10-11, 20; 16:31; 1 Sam. 4:3, 18). Samuel judged Israel all the days of his
life (1 Sam. 7:15-17), even while Saul was leading as king (1 Sam. 10:1-24).
Sometimes leaders judged (1 Kgs. 7:7; Prov. 29:14) and judges led (Judg.
3:9-10; 11:11), but not always (2 Chron. 19:1, 5).
In the book of Judges most of the male judges
appear to have been leaders in Israel (cf. 3:9-10, 15, 31; 6:34; 11:11; etc.),
but in Deborah’s case we find a different scenario. Deborah was like “a mother
in Israel,” and “the children of Israel came up to her for judgment” (Judg.
4:5; 5:7). However, the text identifies Barak as Israel’s leader (Judg.
4:10, 14; 5:12, 15). When Deborah said that “the Lord will sell Sisera into the
hand of a woman” (Judg. 4:9), reference was being made to Jael who drove a tent
peg through Sisera’s head (4:17-24; 5:24-27). Deborah accompanied Barak (at his
request) as he led the army (Judg. 4:8-10), though she later sang: “My heart is
with the rulers of Israel” (Judg. 5:9). Regardless of the significance of
Deborah’s position in ancient Israel, it does not serve as a pattern for
Christian activity any more than multiple marriages, animal sacrifices, stoning
the disobedient, or other accounts of action recorded in the Old Testament. It
is important to consider what this particular account says and does not say and
to interpret it in view of the whole context of the Bible.
–Kevin
L. Moore
Related Posts: Let Your Women "Keep Silent", Woman Preacher?, Woman's Service
Related articles: Wes McAdams' "No Male and Female", Steve Higginbotham's Gender Justice
Related articles: Wes McAdams' "No Male and Female", Steve Higginbotham's Gender Justice
