Twisted Scripture - Week 9

1 Corinthians 14:34-35

In today’s world, it is difficult to discern what our roles are in our lives, in our homes, and in our churches. Today’s passage is a sensitive one, one that is very polarizing, and one that is very easily misunderstood without its proper context. We know from Scripture that women have value in the sight of God, and that while they have roles that differ from men, they are not viewed as less important or valuable than a man. So why did Paul say this? Is he a sexist? Is he a misogynist? In order to truly understand what he is trying to say, once again, we must look at the passage in its entire context.

I. What is the Context of this Passage?

The Epistles to the Corinthians were written by Paul to the church at Corinth. Paul spends a vast majority of the First Epistle correcting some things in the church that needed correction. Corinth often gets a bad reputation for being a church full of problems, but in all reality, every church in the world has its issues. Corinth in particular was full of baby Christians who just needed to be pointed in the right direction.

In Chapters 12-14, Paul deals with the subject of Spiritual Gifts in the church.

In Chapter 12 he talks about how we are all members of the same body. We may all have different functions, talents, and abilities, but we are all necessary for the body to work as it should

In Chapter 13 he talks about how love is the supreme thing. The Corinthians loved to brag about their spiritual gifts and how some were better than others, but Paul said that their gifts meant nothing if they weren’t coupled with love

Now here in Chapter 14, Paul deals with how Spiritual Gifts should be used within the church services. The Corinthians weren’t using their gifts properly during worship services because they misunderstood the purpose of Spiritual Gifts, so Paul had to take some time to correct this. His main point in chapter 14 is found in 2 different verses:

v. 26b “Let all things be done unto edifying”

v. 40 “Let all things be done decently and in order”

The Corinthians were misusing their Spiritual Gifts. They were making the gifts about themselves and therefore were seeking to get gifts that would edify themselves the most.

The specific gift almost everyone wanted was the gift of tongues. They thought being able to speak in this unknown language meant that you were more spiritual than others.

But Paul said that the gift that they should desire MORE than tongues is the gift of prophesy, because the gift of tongues mainly only benefitted the user, and not the hearers.

The entire reason God gives us Spiritual Gifts is so that we can edify one another. He does not give them to us to be selfish and only edify ourselves.

Tongues are only understood by the one speaking them unless an interpreter is present.

Tongues were meant to be used mainly in private settings when someone was alone with God in prayer. They were not typically used in worship services with other believers present.

But prophesy can be understood by everyone who hears it.

Paul’s instruction was as follows: If you are going to speak in tongues in a service, you MUST have interpreters present. Otherwise, keep it to yourself. Secondly, no more than 2 or 3 people should be speaking in tongues during a worship service. The service isnt about spiritual gifts, it is about worshipping the Lord.

He gave a similar instruction to those with the gift of prophesy as well.

Why is Paul giving these instructions? Because everything needs to be done decently and in order (v. 40) and when things are not that way, they cause chaos and confusion. And God is not the author of confusion (v. 33)

II. What is this Passage Really Saying?

So now we get to the passage in question. If we look at these 2 verses by themselves, it is easy (especially for ladies) to get offended or turned off by what is said, but to fully grasp it we must examine what Paul has just said in the verses prior.

He literally just got done telling the MEN of the church to “keep silent” if they cannot perform their spiritual gifts in a way that is orderly and edifying to the rest of the body and here he uses the same verb that he used with them. He is not saying something new.

So essentially, Paul is saying something very similar to the women of the church “Don’t be disruptive during the worship services”

The verb for “speak” is not the verb for just general speaking. It speaks of the manner of which they speak. It means “endless chatter” or “arguments” or “disruptive speech”.

Lets be honest here, women (in most cases) are more “chatty” than men are.

Paul is not prohibiting women from speaking at all in the church services, as a matter of fact, back in Chapter 11, he says that women are allowed to prophesy and pray during services if done appropriately.

Why did Paul feel the need to address this? Wouldn’t the instruction of “dont be disruptive” be an obvious instruction for them? Paul had to address it because it was a prevalent problem in Corinth.

This also may have stemmed from women who thought they had a spiritual gift and were anxious to use it and therefore were causing disruptive outbursts in the church services.

V. 35 = Here Paul is saying that if a woman has a question, or an argument, or just needs some general clarification on something being said or done during a service, it needs to be done at home under the wisdom and guidance of her husband. Do not disrupt a service and cause chaos and confusion.

But this also places a responsibility on the husband. He better know how to answer those questions because he is to be the spiritual leader of the home.

So in conclusion, NO. Paul is not saying that women cannot have any part in a service or say anything in a service. Everything he talks about here and in the verses prior are to drive home the point in verse 40 “Let all things be done decently and in order” WHY? because “God is not the Author of Confusion” (v.33)

III. How Can We Apply This Passage?