The Silent Majority

We Truly Appreciate Bro. Freeman for this wonderful essay and response to an intriguing, controversial and puzzling question. For more infromation about Bro. Freeman click on his picture for a bio. To view more essays and lessons by Graylon click on his subject title(s) below.

The Silent Majority

Subject Texts: 1 Cor 14: 34, 35; I Tim 2:11,12

With heated convictions, we dogmatically dismount at different levels from the precautious ladder of sexual equality in the ministry. If our inconsistencies were not so tragic they would at times be humorous.

We permit women to teach Sunday school but not mixed adult classes, though if that same women were a college teacher we would with no hesitation enroll in her class. Their testimonies are acceptable if the preacher pronounces the benediction.

As an individual truly committed to the bible as the inerrant word of God and one who turns to it as the only infallible rule of faith, I must ultimately settle all such issues on the basis of “Thus saith the Lord.” When our conclusions on this issue are drawn from the bible rather than church tradition, which we respect but do not treat as the final authority, we discover that this so called Silent Majority has a vital role within the kingdom of God’s dear Son!

Let us consider the often quoted but misapplied passage out of I Cor. 14:34, 35.

The passage occurs in a context dealing at great length with spiritual gifts. The gifts of prophecy and tongue speaking are particularly dealt with. It must be remembered that special revelations were given to the early church through the medium of inspired prophets prior to the completion of the New Testament record. The meeting contemplated in I Cor. 14 is one wherein such revelations were being received. The wives of those receiving the revelations being uninspired, were instructed to keep silent and to ask their husbands such questions as they had at home.

But the question is raised saying is the meeting contemplated in I Cor. 14 comparable to any convened in the church today? NO!! In the meeting under consideration in this chapter, brethren spoke in tongues, prophesied, and utilized the gift of interpretation. These were spiritual gifts limited in their nature to the apostolic age; hence, no longer possible in the church today. Since the completion of the New Testament and the consequent termination of miraculous divine revelation, no such meetings are held. I Cor 13:8

There are no prophets, hence no prophets wives. The passage is thus obviously class legislation, designed to apply to a specific group designated in the context. To extend the application and to seek to govern the church by it today is to commit exactly the same fallacy as those who advocate ”miraculous tongue speaking” in the church today who in effect see in I Cor 14 instruction governing the church for the usage of miraculous tongue speaking today. As a matter of fact, this passage-enjoining woman to be silent was not intended to govern all the meetings of the church, even in the apostolic age.

Consider in I Cor 11:5 Paul gives instruction touching the prophesying of women. And Acts 21:8,9 talks about Phillip the evangelist’s four daughters which did prophecy. Which is the Greek word PROPNETEUO to be a prophet to prophecy with the primary meaning of telling forth the divine counsels. To prophecy is to edify, and to edify is to teach. I Cor 14:3,4 “He that prophesied edified the church…” The women of I Cor. 11 and the daughters of Philip, thus exercised in some fashion the gift of prophecy and in some sort of gathering of the church, not the same as the characteristic of I Cor 14:34 but in some meeting arranged for the purpose.

Quite, obviously, Paul did not command women to do that in I Cor 11 what he forbade them to do in I Cor 14. Thus, two different meetings are contemplated, involving two different classes of women. The women of I Cor 11 were prophetesses; hence they had at times, a divine message of edification; the women of I Cor 14 were prophets wives and without inspiration. Without a message of edification they were instructed to keep silent. They were to inquire of their husbands at home. It is clear that the church had two meetings in which edification was done, one where women could and did speak; and one in which they could not.

It is significant that the church maintains this arrangement today, but not for the same concerns, since we neither have inspired women, nor meetings in which revelations are miraculously presented. Women may properly teach in a bible school arrangement where such activity does not involve the exercise of dominion over men 1 Tim 2:11,12.

No such meetings as that contemplated in either I Cor. 11, or I Cor. 14 are conducted today in the very nature of the case; women, all women, have access to the same divine revelation, the bible, which men have. Why then, should a woman ask a man anything today, seeing that she has available to her the same source of information he has, unless she recognizes that through study he has learned more of it than she has?”

Moreover this silence enjoined on women of 1 Cor 14:34,35 was absolute in nature. The Greek word SIGAOO translated silence here is also found in I Cor 14:28 “But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church. . . “ That word SIGAOO means to keep silence, to hold one’s peace, keep close.

Now those who attempt to apply I Cor 14:34,35 to the church today, admit that women may sing and to this extent not remain silent but insist that they are stopped from speaking in any other fashion. Yet the bible says speaking (LALEOO) to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Eph 5:19 LALEOO means to utter a sound, to emit a voice, to make one’s self heard, to put words together. But as we have observed, the meetings contemplated are different, being that they are command to do in one what they are forbidden to do in another. So in the interests of consistency, brethren should either stop the women from singing and audibly confessing or else concede the truth regarding the non-applicability of this passage to our day and time. 1 Cor 14:34,35 does not apply to the church as she exists today, and when the passage was written it only had limited and very specific application!

If to this the objection is raised that such a view 1 Cor 14:34,35 removes restrictions which holds a women in her place which keeps her out of the leadership roles. Thinking that next we will be advocating women preachers! That type of attitude is based upon a lack of understanding of God’s book. May a woman preach the gospel today? NO. Women are forbidden to exercise authority over men I Tim 2: 11,12 “Let the women teach in silence with all subjection but I suffer not a women to teach, nor to usurps authority over the man, but to be in silence.”

One of the qualifications of an evangelist is to rebuke with all authority 1 Tim 2:15. Women are, hence,

stopped from serving in the capacity of evangelist. There is however an essential difference between teaching and preaching. One cannot preach, acceptable at least, without teaching. One may, however teach without preaching.

Women in Tit 2:3,4 are commanded to teach. But in so doing do not violate the prohibition set forth. But someone says wait a minute didn’t Paul forbid a women to teach” 1 Tim. 2:11,12? If so, it is wrong for a woman to teach English grammar in the public schools! “Oh, but Paul meant that she is forbidden to teach the bible. Well in that event she is forbidden to teach bible stories to her own children at home. Oh, no. That’s not what he meant; he meant that she cannot teach the bible publicly! She may then tech the bible privately! Well the passage not only forbids her to teach but it prohibits her from usurping authority over the man. If she cannot do this publicly, can she do it privately? Brethren are hardly ready to concede this. What type of teaching does this passage forbid, seeing that a women may indeed be involved in teaching. The word “teach” in this passage is from the Greek ‘DIDASKO’ defined by Thayer to mean to deliver didactic discourse. One cannot preach without delivering a didactic discourse. (From whence we get our word dynamic). Therefore women cannot preach.

She may however teach without delivering a didactic discourse. Remember Priscilla of Acts 18:26, how she assisted in teaching Apollos more perfectly the Word of God.

And just for your added consideration, it is quite significant that the Holy Spirit in selecting the word for silence in 1Tim 2:11,12, did not use the one in 1 Cor 14:35 which is SIGAOO designating total complete absence of all sound, but the word SIGE which denotes quietness and meekness.

We have earlier noted that I Cor.14:34,35 is obviously class legislation, designed for a specific situation. But if there are yet those which are disposed to think otherwise, and to urge the application of this meeting to all women today, they should stand and explain how the following women can learn anything “from their husbands at home” Single Girls – Widows - Women whose husbands are not Christians - Women who know more than their husbands about the Word and the Lord’s church.

Let us remember there is a work for women, they are not the “Silent Majority,” but a vital force in the church.

Rom 16:1,2 “I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, which is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea. That ye receive her in the lord, as becometh saints and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you, for she have been a succourer of many” (Prostatis a word of dignity evidently chosen instead of others which might have been used and indicates the high esteem with which she was regarded.

Note what Paul says in his closing remarks to the Philippians in Phil 4:3 “And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women who labored with me in the gospel.”

In our vain effort to silence women we would do well to remember the many women who Paul recognized as his associates, helpers and co laborers: Dorcas, Lydia, Pricilla, Mary, Tryphena and Tryphosa, just name a few.

Thank God for the silent majority: Last at the cross Mk 15:47. First at the Tomb John 20:1. First to tell of Resurrection Mat 28:8