THE CURIOUS SEEKERS

Listen to this Article Few verses have been as hotly debated as Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:22-24 : “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” For some, these verses have been wielded like a club to enforce domination. For others, they have been softened into irrelevance. But what did Paul actually mean? These verses only make sense if we read them in the context of verse 21: “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Submission Flows From Mutuality The Greek text does not even repeat the verb “submit” in verse 22. Literally, it reads: “Wives, to your own husbands as to the Lord.” The verb is carried over from verse 21. That means the passage begins not with wives bowing to husbands, but with a mutual call to submission for a...

Listen to this Article   Another of the most debated passages on women in the New Testament is found in 1 Timothy 2:11-15 : “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet.” At face value, it sounds like a blanket, universal ban on women teaching or leading men in the church. But is that what Paul intended? It is important to hear these words from their cultural and pastoral setting , not as a muzzle on women’s voices, but as a contextual correction in Ephesus. The Ephesian Context Paul is writing to Timothy in Ephesus, a city steeped in the cult of Artemis. This goddess was served by women priestesses, and false teachings about gender, sexuality, and authority swirled in the church. Some women, newly converted, likely brought baggage from their religious background into Christian worship. Without proper grounding, they risked spreading error or using their influence in ways...

Listen to this Article Few verses spark as much debate about women in the church as Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 14:33-35: “Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says.” At first glance, this seems absolute. But earlier in the same letter, Paul affirms women praying and prophesying publicly (1 Cor. 11:5). How do we reconcile this? Did Paul contradict himself? Or is there more going on here? Let’s see what Paul is really addressing. The Problem of Disruption Corinth was a noisy, chaotic church. In chapters 11-14, Paul tackles disorder in worship: Divisions at the Lord’s Supper (ch. 11). Misuse of spiritual gifts (ch. 12). A lack of love in ministry (ch. 13). Everyone speaking at once in tongues or prophecy (ch. 14). Paul is not suddenly silencing half the congregation. He is correcting disruptions that derailed worship. What Kind of “Speaking”? The Greek word lalein (“to speak”) is broad. In conte...

When most readers come to 1 Corinthians 11, they immediately trip over the question of head coverings . Do men have to uncover? Do women have to cover? Is Paul laying down eternal dress codes? It's, however, important to slow down and ask a deeper question: What was Paul really saying about worship, men, women, and God’s glory? The Word “Head” (Kephalē) In verse 3, Paul sets up the framework: “The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” The “head” here is best understood as source/origin , not “boss” or “authority over.” Christ is the source of man (creation through the Logos). Man is the source of woman (Eve taken from Adam’s side). God is the source of Christ (in His eternal mission and incarnation). Paul is grounding the discussion in Genesis and creation order, not in social hierarchy. Worship and Glory The real theme is glory in worship. Paul writes that man is the “image and glory of God,” while woman is the “glory of man” (vv. ...