The Biblical View of Women in the Church (2)

Does the apostle Paul only speak about the place of women in the home, and therefore only about married women? We cannot say this when we consider that the Greek word used by Paul for women means “females.” And in Corinthians 14, the apostle connects this principle with the church and with public worship. What he says about women holds for all women of the congregation, married and unmarried. In verse 23 he says expressly, “If therefore the whole church be come together,” meaning old and young, married and unmarried. He then sets forth some principles for public worship.

Paul teaches that everything should be done with order, as we read in verse 33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” And then in verses 33 to 35 he speaks about the place of women in public worship, saying, “... as in all churches of the saints. 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.”

Paul states that it was the custom in all the churches that the women remained silent. He speaks very strongly about this. He does not say, “I think it is better,” or “it is nice,” or “it is my desire.” No, it is not permitted; it is commanded that they be silent. It is a dishonor, a disgrace, a shameful thing for women to speak in the church. And Paul does not say “married women,” but “women,” using the Creek word for “female.”

It is very clear that Paul did not allow women to speak or to preach in the Christian church. Calvin’s view about verse 34, where Paul so strongly forbids women to speak in public, is as follows: “This, however, we must understand as referring to ordinary service, or where there is a church in a regularly constituted state. For a necessity may occur of such a nature as to require that a woman should speak in public. Paul has merely in view what is becoming in a duly regulated assembly.”

Many will say that Paul was an anti-feminist, that he was an old bachelor, and that he did not like women. But we must take into consideration that Paul’s words are inspired by the Holy Spirit. These are not words of the apostle Paul, but words of God. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine ...” And to say that Paul did not like women is also wrong. If we read all the epistles of Paul, we will notice that he had a tremendous appreciation and great respect for God-fearing women. In Romans 16 he sends his greetings to many people in Rome, and among them are the names of many women for whom he expresses his deep appreciation. He writes about Phebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church of Cenchrea. He then sends his greetings to “Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus: who have for my life laid down their own necks.” He mentions a certain Mary, who had cared for him, and the mother of Rufus, who, he says, is also my mother.

In the letter to the Philippians he mentioned Euodias and Syntyche and called them his fellow helpers in the Lord. And what respect he also had for the mother and grandmother of Timothy, Eunice, and Lois! No, Paul was not an anti-feminist. He had no difficulty in adjusting to the society of women. He spoke of them with great respect, and sometimes in terms of discreet affection or frank commendation. The argument that Paul was an anti-feminist is contrary to the facts.

In the Roman and Greek societies the women held an oppressed position, but this was never true among the Christians. Christianity has freed women from oppression and their position of dishonor. In speaking about women in the church, Calvin acknowledges the great service of God-fearing women, but adds—“But the office of teaching is a superiority in the church and is consequently inconsistent with subjection. She cannot therefore have authority to teach in public.”

There is also another portion of Scripture where the behavior of women in the church of Christ is spoken about and this is in 1 Timothy 2, especially verses 9 through 12. There we read, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

Paul gives the women instructions as to how they are to conduct themselves in public and especially in the church. Their dress must be sober. A woman’s head should be covered in public worship to show her submission to God, the angels, and her husband. And why? They should not come to church to draw attention to themselves, but should come to worship God, and therefore Christian women certainly ought to be careful about the way they dress when they come to church.

Braiding or broidering the hair in Paul’s day meant to put great amounts of jewelry in the hair. But Paul says that the beauty of a Christian woman ought to be good works and not the outward appearance. Real beauty is not skin-deep; it is much deeper than that. True beauty is spiritual and pertains to Christian character. What kind of works does Paul mean? He means those works which consist in serving others, loving and obeying her husband, relieving the afflicted, properly training children, guiding the household, being hospitable, obeying God’s commandments, and believing in Christ.

Having spoken about these things, Paul continues to say what he has already said before, “but I suffer not a woman to teach,” meaning, in public worship. And he also explains why, namely, because Adam was made first. Adam was the head of the covenant of works and not Eve. Therefore Paul wants the women to be silent; they may not speak in the gathering of the congregation. Calvin says of 1 Timothy 2:12, “Not of instructing their family, but the apostle Paul excludes them from the office of teaching what God has committed to men only.” To man is given the leadership and the woman must be in submission.

It is not a matter of culture or custom, but is the very plan, program, and purpose of God in creation, and this order holds also for re-creation. The Lord’s clear teaching is that men, and not women, are to rule, not only in the home, but also in the church.

Rev. C. Harinck is pastor in the Gereformeerde Gemeenten at Oostkapelle, The Netherlands.

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