“Let your women keep silent in the churches … they are to be submissive.”
Those words can stop a modern reader in her tracks.
For many women, the first reaction is confusion. For others, it may be frustration or even anger. Does God value men more than women? Is Paul saying women have nothing important to contribute? And how do we reconcile this passage with other Scriptures that clearly show women praying, serving, teaching other women, exercising spiritual gifts, and being fellow heirs of God’s grace?
The key is not to isolate one difficult verse from the rest of Scripture.
In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul was addressing a church marked by confusion, disorder, and the misuse of spiritual gifts. His concern throughout the passage was that worship be orderly, edifying, and conducted under God’s authority.
So what does “let your women keep silent” actually mean in that context? What does biblical submission have to do with worth, roles, and authority? And why is submission not something unique to women?
We’ll also begin the book of Isaiah, where God confronts His people for practicing outward religion while their hearts were far from Him. Judgment was coming—but even in those opening chapters, we begin to see glimpses of the mercy and grace He would later provide.
A few years ago, as I was reading about the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Booths, and all the animal sacrifices required, I thought about a funny thing that happened years before and how a sarcastic teenager reminded me about the cost of our redemption.
Also, what does a law about keeping our word have to say about God’s view of authority, and how do we demonstrate our obedience in this area to our children and others?
It’s one thing to talk about biblical submission when a husband is loving, gentle, and easy to follow.
But what if he isn’t?
What if he’s unreasonable?
Harsh?
Unsaved?
Disobedient to God’s Word?
Surely Peter couldn’t mean that a wife should still respond with respect and godliness in a situation like that.
Or could he?
And if he does, what exactly does biblical submission require—and what does it not require?
Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3 come immediately after his teaching about believers who were being treated unfairly.
Then he says:
“Wives, likewise…”
That little word matters.
But Peter doesn’t stop with wives.
He turns to husbands and gives them their own sobering responsibility: live with your wife with understanding, honor her, and remember that how you treat her can even affect your prayers.
So what does a Christlike response look like when the person you’re married to is difficult?
And how do we obey these passages without excusing sin, enabling abuse, or returning evil for evil?
Submission, it’s the “S-word” that raises our blood pressure and, sometimes, makes us wonder about God’s idea of fairness. What is submission, anyway? Is it unfair to women? Is it unrealistic? Did men come up with the idea as a way to keep women down? Or is it really a biblical concept? If so, what should it look like?
The Wife’s Role: If there is one aspect of marriage that is often turned upside-down in today’s culture, it’s the roles of husbands and wives. If there’s one issue that is usually part and parcel of marriage conflict, it’s the roles of husbands and wives. If there is one subject that is most often misunderstood, it’s this one.
The Bible has a great deal to say about wisdom and its flip side, foolishness. In this series we’re looking at what it means to be wise and, by comparison, what it means to be foolish and how to recognize...
