One of the most divisive topics in the church today is what roles women can have in the church. This important topic will require us to look at the Bible, history, and geography. Before we start this lesson I want to stress that the Apostle Paul was not writing letters based upon cultural traditions as is sometimes taught. Paul's writings were standardized. What he taught to the Corinthians, he also taught to the other churches (cf. 1 Cor. 11:3, Col 3:18, and Eph. 5:22-24).
One of his most important teachings was about following him:
"Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me." - 1 Corinthians 4:16
"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 11:1
"Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample." - Philippians 3:17
"Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us." - 2 Thessalonians 3:9
By following Paul, we are following Christ. Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13) and he wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. We need to take what Paul said about women in the church seriously and with proper understanding.
Let's begin this lesson by looking at the city of Corinth. Corinth was a trade hub between the Romans, Asians, Greeks, Macedonians, and Persians. People would travel to Corinth by road and by sea. Corinth was an important city as traders traveling along the Ionian Sea would sail into Corinth and then use slave labor to haul their ships over land into the Aegean Sea. The use of slave labor to transport their ships in this manner would save the traders three days on their journey.
This city was also a hub for immorality and it had a great impact upon the church. We learn in 1 Corinthians that there were men having sexual relations with their step-mothers (1 Cor. 5:1), that people were getting drunk at Communion (1 Cor. 11:21), believers were not showing any sort of forgiveness and taking legal cases before unbelievers (1 Cor. 6:6), they were eating food sacrificed to demons and idols (1 Cor. 8:7), and other activities.
Remember that these were BELIEVERS that the Apostle Paul was writing to (1 Cor. 1:2)! He had taught them first-hand, and yet, they fell into sin more than any other church in his ministry because they did not stay focused on Jesus.
Between Corinth and modern-day Turkey is the island of Lesbos/Lesvos. Paul's ministry saw thousands come to Christ and many of these people that came to Christ were from Lesbos. History records that inhabitants of this island were called Lesbians and that it was a common practice for women to marry other women on this island as well as shave their heads.
With an understanding of the history of the Corinthian church and its members, it should become clear what Paul meant by "... every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven" (1 Cor. 11:5). Paul was essentially saying "don't go back to your old ways while trying to be a new creation in Christ" (cf. 2 Cor. 5:17).
Notice that Paul mentioned prophesying. This is one of the clearest verses in the Bible that shows that God speaks to women and wants fellowship with them just as He does with men. Remember that Christ died for the world (Jn. 3:16) - not just men. Priscilla and her husband Aquila witnessed and shared the Gospel together (Acts 18:26). Phebe served in the church at Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1). The Bible records the prophetess Anna in Luke 2:36-37.
However, just because God speaks to men and women, does that mean that we can have the same roles in the church?
Before we discuss specific roles, it is imperative to have a full understanding about women being silent in the church since there are multiple verses on the subject.
"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." - 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
If a person were to read that passage, and only that passage, they would conclude that women are not allowed to speak at church. Context is key though.
Look at the previous verse: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 14:33). The topic is confusion. Confusion in what environment? The physical building of the church! If you read 1 Corinthians 12-14, you will find that Paul is speaking of the manifestation of gifts and God's rules for using them inside of the physical church. Verse 23 talks about all members speaking at one time in tongues and an unbeliever believing them to be mad. Verse 27 removes the "madness" by saying that only three people at the most are allowed to speak and interpret. Verse 28 says that if there is no interpreter to "...let him keep silence in the church".
When you look at the entire context instead of just one verse, you will see that there are times when both men AND women are told not to speak. The reason is simple: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace..." (1 Cor. 14:33).
Recall what I mentioned above about Paul being consistent in his writings. One of the verses that I gave as an example was Ephesians 5:22-24. Timothy co-wrote six of the Pauline epistles: 2 Corinthians (1:1), Philippians (1:1), Colossians (1:1), both 1 and 2 Thessalonians (1:1), and Philemon (v1) and was the pastor of the church at Ephesus. When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was writing to the Ephesians. However, we cannot stop there as Acts 17 and 1 Thessalonians 3 show us that Timothy traveled around to the other churches as well. He was a missionary that planted churches and taught them sound doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16). The same doctrine as Paul.
I want to take a moment and recap because this is a lesson with multiple threads to follow:
1) We've learned that there is a context to the silence of women and that silence only refers to spiritual gifts within the physical church.
2) We've also learned that there were commands for silence for both men and women.
3) The Bible does not say that women must keep their heads down or that they are not allowed to sing or any such rubbish that is taught by some denominations. It is only within the context of spiritual gifts.
Paul gives a list of spiritual gifts in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.
"... or he that teacheth, on teaching." - Romans 12:7
"And God hath set some in the church... thirdly teachers..." - 1 Corinthians 12:28
"But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence." - 1 Timothy 2:12
One of the spiritual gifts listed is teaching. Does that mean that women cannot be teachers? Not at all! Titus 2:1-5 tells us what the are roles of men and women are supposed to be within the church:
"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."
Women ARE TO BE TEACHERS - just not over men. I want to be very clear here. Women are not to teach adult men. They can teach boys and girls and adult women, but not adult men. God laid out a specific order for us (cf. 1 Cor. 11:8-12 and 1 Tim. 2:13-15).
I want to end this deep Bible study with a focus on submission because that is what our roles come down to. The Bible is clear that we are ALL to be submissive to Christ "for it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God" (Rom. 14:11). Men have specific roles. Women have specific roles. God did not create us to be equal, but rather, He made us to each serve a purpose and NO purpose is greater than another (1 Corinthians 12:25-27).
I want to encourage you to not focus on what your definition of fairness is. If you are struggling with this, please remember what the Apostle Paul said to the Roman church:
"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" - Romans 9:20
Being a man does not make him superior nor does being a woman make her inferior. Can a man give birth? Can a man nurse a child with his body? We were not created equally, but we are loved equally by Jesus Christ.
We also need to remember that it wasn't fair that God Himself took our sins upon the cross, "but God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).