1 Corinthians 14:34 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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1 Corinthians 14:34

Comments

The subject here is the regulation of public worship. It is about didactic teaching or prophesying before the gathered church. It is not about what happens in Sunday school, or in personal conversation, or in the secular world. This is about the word of God in the public worship service. Ephesians 5:22 explains the basis of this: the headship of the husband in marriage. The wife must not teach the husband in the public meeting, but, for the sake of recognizing God’s order in marriage, neither must the unmarried woman teach the man. Many say that according to 1 Timothy 2:11, women should not pray in the prayer meeting, but others differ. Women may pray, but not teach. We see teaching as an act of authority. It is ruling the church. She may not teach in that context, but only in that context. It is one point that Paul makes about women contributing, but should not be extended beyond what he is discussing here. The context here is edification through the word of God of the gathered church, through tongues speaking, through prophecy, and in the church of all ages after the sign gifts have ceased, through the teaching ministry.He is bowing to teaching that occurred in the word much earlier, right back in the Book of Genesis, ‘It is not permitted unto them to speak’. The apostle’s principle is based on a long pre-existing principle and standard. ‘It is not permitted unto them to speak, but [and the translators have added to help us,] they are commanded [in italic] to be under obedience as also saith the law.’ When we examine the law – which is the first five books of the Bible – right back in the book of Genesis, we find even before the fall that Eve was to be the helper of her husband, not the leader of her husband. After the fall that was more specifically imposed upon Eve. So it stretches all the way back there. The apostle amplifies this in the pastoral epistles.

Application

Questions

Why will Paul not permit a woman to teach in the gathered church? Was it merely the culture of his day, or are women less intelligent? No, that is not the reason he gives. Is it the disadvantage of their gender? No, that is not his argument here, though that is brought in later. 1 Timothy 2:13 tells us that it is not a matter of superior, inferior, but of order and of a different order role. Part of the impetus for the Christian feminist movement is the wrong way that mail headship has been interpreted. It is been treated as male superiority. 1 Timothy 2:14 says that the woman was deceived, but that Adam was not deceived. This is given as a second reason for not permitting a woman to teach. The woman was deceived by the serpent; the man saw part of what the serpent was doing but he followed for the sake of the woman. But he too was deceived in that he did not see the full consequences of his sin. The fall came because God’s order was reversed. The one who was not qualified to take the initiative took it. If we reverse God’s intended order we will pay the price.

In 1 Peter 2:9 we are called a kingdom of priests. If all are priests, say some, all should take part in the sacrifice. In the Old Testament the priests led the worship, therefore we should all do so today: so it is claimed. But what about women? They too are priests to God, not just the men, and yet Paul forbids them to lead or teach. Anyway, is Peter talking about worship? No. He says what he means: the life of the Christian should show forth the virtues of him who called us – it is about witness.

Some argue that this command for women to be silent could not include normal prophecy, because we have examples of women prophesying in the New Testament, and women could engage in it. They take verse to mean women can speak but not authoritatively therefore prophecy is not authoritative. The assumption, draws a conclusion and then uses it to interpret Scripture. That is a bad way to proceed. Though there were women who prophesied in Acts, there is no evidence that they did so in the public meetings. We have to assume that they followed Paul’s instruction and remained silent there.

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Purpose

Introduction

1 Corinthians 14:34 Commentary and Bible Study