“women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.” 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (NIV).
I have been a Christian for almost 30 years, and I always resented these verses when I came across them. I just couldn’t understand why God would want to silence women. I knew that society was quite different in that place and time, so maybe it was only meant for then and there.
This week, however, I came to understand it in a new light. I will try to explain it, so you can understand it, too. I will first have to give some background of basic Christian theology, just in case you are not familiar with it.
1. The man is supposed to be the head of the house and family. This is a God ordained position. He is to be the LEADER. If he does it with love, the rest of the family will happily follow his lead.
2. The man is to love his wife and give himself for her as Christ gave himself for the church! See Ephesians 5:25. This means he would sacrifice himself to take care of her and lead her.
So, my big revelation is this:
Women should be silent (even today in many cases), because they should ask their husbands or mentors if they have a question. This gives the man an opportunity to lead spiritually. If he doesn’t know the answer, he should be willing to investigate until he finds it. Then he can share it with his wife and others who might need the information. This gives him the opportunity to grow along with his wife. If she takes the lead spiritually, it will make him less sure of himself, and make her prideful. She will then begin to feel like she is the spiritual leader. It follows that she will usurp his leadership in other areas, because she will also lose respect for him. For some reason, in today’s society, many men are perfectly willing to let the woman take the lead and be the teacher. This is not the way God intends it to work. If the man is the spiritual leader, the family will follow his lead in other areas as well. By turning to her husband, and letting him be the one to answer her questions, it will help the couple become unified. They will grow together.
I hope this helps those of you who have questions on this same subject. I tried to make it quite clear, but I’m sure it can be clearer. I welcome your comments on this blog.