I am constrained by the love of the Lord to write this,
after having recently interacted with some dear brothers who deny the privilege
which the Word of God gives to sisters to pray and to share from the Word of
God in the church.
Even though it is crystal clear from 1 Corinthians 11: 5
that sisters can pray and prophesy with their heads covered, some argue that
the first 16 verses of the chapter is not an instruction for the church
meeting, but a common instruction. Then we will have to say that even the
commandment for sisters to cover the heads in the same passage also is not a
commandment to be obeyed during the church meetings! If so, will the brothers
with this argument teach that the sisters need not cover their heads in the
church meetings? No. Then, even a small child will be able to understand the hypocrisy
in this!
[Let me just mention at this point what prophesying in the
New Testament is. It is speaking to others for edification, exhortation and
consolation (1 Corinthians 14: 3) based on the Word of God, according to the
heart of God and according to the need of the people of God. And it is not some
kind of fortune telling as in many pentecostal and charismatic circles (like
one would go to the Gulf countries or to the United States, or that so and so
has done some black magic etc!)].
Another amazing, but hollow argument is that during the time
a sister is praying in the church, she is like leading the church, which is not
permissible! Then, brothers with such an argument will have to restrict sisters
from praying even in their family prayers, because woman is not permitted to
exercise authority over man at any point of time!! (1 Timothy 2: 12). Thus that
argument also fails!
We read in 1 Corinthians 14: 24, 31 that Apostle Paul is
encouraging everyone (including sisters) to prophesy one by one even in the
church meeting. Peter quotes from Joel’s prophecy in Acts 2: 17, 18 unambiguously
that both sons and daughters as well as male and female bond-slaves would
prophesy.
Then the next natural, relevant question is why it is
written in 1 Corinthians 14: 34, 35 that women are to keep silent in the churches and that they are not permitted to speak in the churches. Anyhow, there
is no doubt that the Apostle who is writing inspired by the Holy Spirit (2
Timothy 3: 16) would not contradict himself in 14: 34, 35 what he had already
written in 11: 5 of the same letter.
Then let us examine a similar verse in 1Timothy 2: 12 about
women having to be quiet: “But I do not
allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet”.
From this we can understand that the instruction for sisters to be silent
in 1 Corinthians 14: 34, 35 is just to clarify that the Lord has not entrusted
the sisters the ministry of teaching doctrinal matters in the church or to take
up the leadership of the church. 1 Corinthians 14: 26 which just comes before
these verses, mentions about teaching (and not about prophesying – that is,
sharing from the Word of God). That also supports this interpretation.
Many people ask how sharing from the Word and teaching differs. Sharing
from the Word refers to sharing what the Lord has spoken to us through the Word
and during different life situations. Teaching refers to teaching the doctrines
of the Word like water baptism, Holy Spirit baptism etc. Women can teach women
(Titus 2: 3-5) and children, though not men. But as we saw, they can share from
the Word and testify and pray even in church meetings with their heads covered
(1 Corinthians 11: 5).
The same Apostle Paul,
whom many allege to be against women’s ministry, is the one who unhesitatingly acknowledges
in his epistles the names of many sisters like Phoebe, Prisca (Romans 16: 1-4),
Tryphaena, Tryphosa, Persis (Romans 16: 12), Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians
4: 2, 3), who were active in the ministry of the Lord! Although the Lord has
not given sisters the role of leading the church in terms of position (1
Corinthians 11: 3), gender is immaterial to the Lord when it comes to one’s worth,
value, usefulness as well as eternal reward before the Lord! “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus” (Galatians 3: 28).
Suppose, a whole family
with parents and children are gathered together in the house. And the father
says to the girl children: “You are not supposed to utter a word”. How painful it would be! Exactly same is the situation where sisters are restricted from
praying or sharing from the Word of God in the church! A real church is a
family. May the Lord use us to build in all parts of our land such churches
where sisters are not suppressed from fulfilling their call and ministry!
