To the Brothers and Sisters who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Should the sisters be completely silent in the church? The answer is "no." Everyone in the church should not always be silent in the church in terms of singing praise, giving testimonies, making church announcements, and praying. Some Christians believe that my interpretations imply that my understanding of "silence" from 1 Corinthians 14:34 means that sisters in the church are not permitted to speak at all! I want to make it clear that I do not support such a view, because in cases of prophecy, men are called to be silent too.
It is also not my view that 1 Corinthians 14:34 is irrational. Some Christians believe that 1 Corinthians 14:34 is irrational when it states, "Let the women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but let them subject themselves, just as the law says." First of all, I want to make it clear that 1 Corinthians 14:34 is from God. I also want to make it clear that Paul is an Apostle, because 1) he saw God, 2) he also heard God, and 3) he was recognized as an Apostle from the other 11 Apostles, who also saw and heard God. Many non-Christians do not believe that Paul is an Apostle, because 1 Corinthians 14:34 seems irrational. Some boldly believe that only Jesus' words in the New Testament are from God, while Paul's writings are his opinion, not inspired words from God.
I am trying to address the issue that Paul was not being irrational when he said that women in the church should be silent. We have to understand the context of the passage in which Paul makes the command that women should be silent. In context, "silence" is not referring to praying, making church announcements, singing praise, or giving testimonies. If the word "silence" meant that all forms of speaking in the church were not permitted, then men should also be "silent", according to 1 Corinthians 14:28:
1 Corinthians 14:28 is about 6 verses away from 1 Corinthians 14:34, where the word "silence" is used. It is very clear that both men and women should be silent in terms of prophecy. Prophecy is not preaching. It is very important to understand this point. Whenever a pastor preaches, he is preaching from the Bible. He is not preaching from hearing audible voices from God, or else it is prophecy.
In this particular passage, the word "silence" is used by Paul to represent a restraint from a particular kind of speaking, prophecy. "Silence" in this passage clearly does not mean a restraint from all forms of speaking in the church, such as praying and singing praise. Likewise, just because Paul commands women to be "silent" in 1Timothy 2:12-14 does not necessarily mean that women should refrain from all forms of speaking. The word "silence" must be understood in each passage's context. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul commands men to be silent. One should at least keep an open mind in considering that Paul may issue a command of silence to women in 1 Timothy 2:12-14 in certain circumstances, also for good reasons.
In what context should sisters in Christ be silent? "Silence" in 1 Corinthians 14:34 is not in the same context as "silence" in 1 Timothy 2:12-14. According to the context of 1 Timothy 2:12-14, she must be silent by not exercising the right to teach and have authority over a man within the church.
And I do not permit a woman to TEACH or to HAVE AUTHORITY over a man, but to be in SILENCE. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." (emphasis is mine) 1 Timothy 2:12-14
Thank you for your prayers.
Grace be with all those who incorruptibly love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Following the will of God,
Joseph Yosuk Lee
http://www.josephylee.org
Table of Contents
Introduction on the Issues of Feminism