Treacherous weather once again has given us a 2-hour delay. Please bless the time we have together this morning, Father. Amen.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (<<click here to read the passage)
I hope you were intrigued by yesterday’s post and have joined me for further thoughts on the legitimacy of women speaking in the church.
I had begun to share the Church of the Nazarene’s stand on the topic with all the Scripture to support it. So, we will continue.
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Acknowledging the apparent paradox created by Paul’s instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:11-12)
Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly.
…and to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:33-34 – previously noted), we believe interpreting these passages as limiting the role of women in ministry presents serious conflicts with specific passages of scripture that commend female participation in spiritual leadership roles
(Joel 2:28-29;
“Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
Acts 2:17-18; 21:8-9;
‘In the last days,’ God says,
‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on my servants—men and women alike—
and they will prophesy.
The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Romans 16:1, 3, 7;
I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea.
Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in the ministry of Christ Jesus.
Greet Andronicus and Junia, [a woman] my fellow Jews, who were in prison with me. They are highly respected among the apostles and became followers of Christ before I did.
Philippians 4:2-3),
Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
and violates the spirit and practice of the Wesleyan-holiness tradition. Finally, it is incompatible with the character of God presented throughout Scripture, especially as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
I think their statement on the topic is comprehensive and brings to light what is of utmost importance.
But before we leave this passage, it would be helpful to also shine some light on what Paul is trying to communicate here.
Taking a cue from my Life Application Study Bible in the context of Corinthian culture at this time, women were not allowed to confront men in public.
As all people are want to do, some of the women who had become Christians thought that their Christian freedom gave them the right to question the men in public worship. Again, this is a cultural thing. By breaking with the commonly held mindset of the time, they were causing division in the church.
Also, unlike our culture, women did not have access to formal religious education as did the men, and women may have been raising questions in the worship services that could have been answered at home without disrupting the services.
I agree with the statement that the purpose of Paul’s words was to promote unity, not to teach about women’s roles in the church.
May we, as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, lift one another in prayer overflowing with love to further His Kingdom in every way we can. Amen.
Jan 23rd, 2024, Tue, 5:45 am
