Paul knows that the believers at Corinth are eager to develop and display their spiritual gifts. He understands it can be very exciting for a person when the Lord reveals something to them, so he reminds the church that everything in the church services is to be done in an orderly way. It's not helpful to anybody if they all start talking at once. It's not respectful to their fellow believers or to the Lord. Also today we are going to look at a statement regarding women for which the Apostle Paul has hotly criticized. But we are going to look at Paul's statement in context, and I believe we will see that he has been unfairly criticized.
"What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up." (1 Corinthians 14:26) Imagine attending a church service where everyone wants to teach or prophesy or sing all at the same time. Who could listen to each individual person? Who could receive any word of encouragement? I would probably run out of the building with my hands over my ears. I think listening to a mess like that would make anyone feel irritated and unsettled. Paul knows people are excited about serving the Lord and about using their gifts for Him, but they have to remember that the Lord is not honored by disorderly conduct in the church.
"If anyone speaks in a tongue, two---or at the most three---should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God." (1 Corinthians 14:27-28) We enjoy variety in our lives, don't we? If an entire church service consisted of nothing but speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues, we would probably either fall asleep or get so bored we'd go home. A good church service consists of a variety of worship methods because the Lord created us all as unique individuals. Some of us enjoy music the most. Some of us enjoy preaching the most. Some of us enjoy praying the most. Some of us enjoy testimonies and words of encouragement the most. There ought to be some of all these good things in our services.
"Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace---as in all the congregations of the Lord's people." (1 Corinthians 14:29-33) Paul instructs them, "Use good manners. Take turns. Don't try to talk over top of each other. You are able to control yourselves; don't lie to yourselves and say things like, 'When the Spirit takes hold of me I can't help it, I have to speak!' This is not true. You are able to control yourselves and to wait for your turn. God wouldn't tell you to behave in a disrespectful way in His church."
Now we get to the controversial portion of our passage today. "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) The silence of women is another custom, such as the custom of the head covering, that was observed in Paul's day. In his day, women were considered loose and ungodly if they tried to draw attention to themselves in public. This was true in Israel, in Rome, in Greece, and in most developed nations of Paul's time. "Good" women dressed and behaved modestly and conducted themselves in public in such a way that no one could find fault with them. A woman who spoke up in church to ask questions and to debate with the speakers would have been looked upon as a woman of poor character. We have already seen, in 1 Corinthians and in the book of Romans, that Paul recognized women as apostles, deacons, and prophets, so I don't think he is saying women can't contribute anything to church services. We have to take verses 34 and 35 in context, and that context has to do with orderliness.
We've already learned that Paul has a great deal of respect for the contributions women make to the church. But evidently some of the women at Corinth were interrupting the orderliness of the services to ask questions. In a time when it wasn't considered necessary to educate women, it's understandable that the women might have questions. Many women hadn't been taught to read, so they couldn't very well study the Scriptures on their own. It also wasn't considered very necessary in most cultures to give spiritual instruction to women, so the women didn't have much of a spiritual background to draw from when trying to understand the Scriptures. Paul, because he is speaking to Christian households, instructs the women to save their questions until they get home and can ask their husbands. The Christian husband is supposed to be the spiritual leader of the home and, if he is being the kind of man he ought to be, he should be capable of answering his wife's questions. Men were given more education in those days than women. Men were given more spiritual training in those days than women. This put the men at an advantage, but it also laid a heavy yoke of responsibility on them. If they failed to help their wives to grow spiritually, they were going to have to answer to God for it. Even in our own day when men and women are educated equally, it is still the responsibility of the Christian man to set a spiritual example for his wife. It is still the responsibility of the Christian wife to respect her husband enough that he is the first person she consults when she needs encouragement in her faith.
Paul points out that all the churches of Christ operate in an orderly way and that the Corinthians don't have the right to change things up. "Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command. But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way." (1 Corinthians 14:36-20)
I like the way the KJV summarizes the passage we've studied today, "God is not the author of confusion." (1 Corinthians 14:33a) Confusion is what we would have in church if everyone tried to teach or prophesy or sing or ask questions all at the same time. Believers would not grow in their faith and understanding in an environment like that. Unbelievers who visit the church would be turned off by the disorder and would march straight out the door, possibly never to return. Anything we do in the church must be judged by at least these two standards: Does it glorify the Lord? Does it minister to others?
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