Question: Should Women Be in Ministry? (Part 6, Conclusion)

Question: Should Women Be in Ministry? (Part 6, Conclusion)
By Tommy Franks

Why did Paul write the following? “As in all the churches of the saints, women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home…For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church” (1Cor.14).

This is what we do know: During this time, women were allowed to pray and prophesy (1 Cor.11). During this same period, many women were prominent in the Church. Paul approved women in ministry. He encouraged women in ministry. We do know that Paul was addressing specific issues and various abuses in the Church …to include disruptive activities of some members. Therefore, this passage is probably directed at a specific problem that had occurred in the church at Corinth (1Cor.14).

This is what we DON’T know: What was the specific problem/issue that led him to say this about women? Could it have been a problem with some women disrupting church services by talking or asking questions to their husbands during the time of the worship service? The custom at the time was…Men sat on one side of the church and women on the other with a petition between them. Communication between husband and wife during the service would have been very disruptive to others. Could Paul have been requesting the wives to wait until after church or until they got home to address questions in reference to sermons, the service, or theology? I think so. I do not think it had anything to do with “keeping” women from their God-given gifts and callings.

Furthermore, slavery was a fact of life in Biblical times. Several New Testament passages urged slaves to accept their lot in life and be obedient to their masters. It was not because of any virtue in slavery (1 Cor.7)…but because there was no hope of reform at that time in history…and slaves would receive the reward for their patience in heaven. Those Bible passages were often used to justify slavery in the U.S. and other countries. However, today, the vast majority of Christians view slavery as a horrible evil and incompatible with the teachings of Christ. Most Christians do not believe God decreed that people should be enslaved.

Similarly, the suppression of women can also be seen. In fact, many of the passages urging women to be submissive are grouped with those urging slaves to obey their masters. Supporters of women's rights argue that the secondary status of women was not decreed by God for all time. Like slavery, it was primarily a concession to the realities of the Biblical-era society during the 1st Century.

John MacArthur says, “Scripture does not marginalize women or relegate them to second-class status. The Bible teaches that women are not only equals with men, but are also set apart for special honor (Gal.3, 1Pet.3). Husbands are commanded to love their wives sacrificially, as Christ loves the church…even at the cost of their own lives (Eph.5). The Bible acknowledges and celebrates the priceless value of a virtuous woman (Prov.12, 31, 1Cor.11). Jesus' disciples included several women (Lk.8), a practice almost unheard of among the rabbis of His day. He encouraged their discipleship by portraying it as something more needful than domestic service.
Furthermore, Christ's first recorded, explicit disclosure of His own identity as the true Messiah was made to a Samaritan woman (Jn.4). He always treated women with the utmost dignity…even women who might otherwise be regarded as outcasts. He blessed their children, raised their dead, forgave their sin, and restored their virtue and honor (Jn.8). Bottomline: He exalted the position of womanhood itself.”

To real Bible scholars, it should be no surprise that women were prominent in the ministry of the early church. On the day of Pentecost, when the New Testament church was born, women were there with the chief disciples…praying. Some were renowned for their good deeds…some for their hospitality…others for their understanding of sound doctrine and their spiritual giftedness.

John's second epistle was addressed to a prominent woman in one of the churches.
Paul recognized and applauded women for their faithfulness and their gifts.

One of our early church fathers (Tertullian) wrote an article entitled “On the Apparel of Women”. He said, “As believers who lived under the lordship of Christ, women were spiritually wealthier, more pure, and thus more glorious than the most extravagant women in pagan society. Clothed with the silk of uprightness, the fine linen of holiness, the purple of modesty, women have elevated feminine virtue to an unprecedented height.”

God created both men and women in His own image and made them equal custodians of His creation. The early Christian churches followed Jesus' lead and gave women much higher status and more privileges than was common to the rest of the world. When you look at Scripture, you realize that Christ admired women, approved of women in ministry, encouraged women, prayed for women, and never “put women down”.

Bottomline: Whether or not you as a Christian believe women should enjoy all the same rights and privileges as men in ministry…you will have to reconcile and resolve these matters in your own heart and soul. Your interpretation of Scripture may differ from mine…and that’s okay. The important thing is that we continue to look at Scripture in light of history, tradition, reason, doctrine, and what the Holy Spirit is saying to each of us in our own human spirit. The Word says, “Wherefore, my beloved…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil.2:12).