The Day It All Changed
I still remember the day it happened, over 40 years ago. At the time, I was young in the faith. Although I had attended church on and off for most of my life, I had never deeply explored what scripture says on any particular subject. As I began to delve into my newfound fascination with biblical truth, I stumbled across 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, a passage that discusses women being silent in the church. I’d never heard such a thing in my life, and I was understandably confused. This idea was entirely foreign to me, and I had never seen it demonstrated in any church I’d attended. My curiosity was piqued. What could scripture possibly mean with such a radical concept, and why had I never heard it before?
Seeking Answers from an Elder
I did what seemed prudent—I approached an elder of the church and asked him directly. Even in my youthful ignorance, I was taken aback by his cavalier and dismissive response. He simply said, “That was just cultural for their day; it does not apply to us.” I walked away scratching my head, pondering his response. The passage didn’t say anything about culture. In fact, it reinforced its message by referring to the law, not culture. It didn’t mention anything about speaking to a particular time or a specific church. It seemed like a very general statement. Even as green as I was, it appeared to me that this elder had used an arbitrary deflection to avoid a culturally uncomfortable subject.
A Shift in Approach to Scripture
From that time on, I began to approach scripture differently. I became far less concerned about what people told me scripture means and more focused on learning what scripture actually says. I was stunned to discover how opposing those two approaches can be. A pattern quickly emerged: the more the world around us felt uncomfortable with a subject, the more the church squirmed as well. It seemed that if something made the world uncomfortable, the church followed suit. I began to question why the church is perfectly fine with Paul’s writings on grace, love, and heaven, but when it comes to the differing roles of men and women, sacrifice, sin, and hell, suddenly otherwise solid Christians would dismiss or even mock Paul’s words. Some even went so far as to question Paul’s authority as an apostle or the inspiration of his writings.
The Problem with Modern Interpretation
Through my studies, I learned how the Mormon church originally held tightly to the doctrine of plural marriage until it became illegal in the United States. Conveniently, they then had a “new revelation,” and their doctrine changed. Christians are quick to mock the Mormon leadership for such a questionable maneuver, yet is it any different from what modern Christian pastors do from the pulpit every week?
My purpose in this blog post is not to debate or even address the meaning of the text concerning women’s silence. I will tackle that at another time. Today, I want to highlight how flippantly modern preachers, teachers, theologians, and scholars approach biblical truth and how easily they reject the obvious will of the Lord simply because they don’t like what it says. Equally disturbing are the absurd interpretational gymnastics and wild contortions many go through to validate their arbitrary rendering of Scripture.
Rule 1: Approach Scripture as an Empty Vessel
Nearly everyone has a tendency toward confirmation bias when studying the Bible. Our background, upbringing, personal biases, culture, era, and individual preferences heavily influence our approach to hermeneutics. The church or denomination we grew up in typically pours into our minds and spirits for decades. For example, if your family was Baptist, you likely have a strong belief in “once saved, always saved.” If you were raised Pentecostal, you might see everything in Scripture through the lens of the gifts of the Spirit, particularly speaking in tongues. Presbyterians might emphasize predestination, while Adventists might focus on the Sabbath.
I’m not questioning the validity of these doctrines; I’m simply pointing out that our background often clouds scriptural truth. And if we had the misfortune of being raised in a cult or a very liberal denomination, we face an even greater battle. So, what do we do? Before we even open the Bible, we should have a time of sincere and consecrated prayer. We must ask the Holy Spirit to remove anything that could cloud the truth of God’s precious word. Implore Him to remove your will, ideas, and carnal passions so He can truly reveal His perfect will and the meaning of a passage.
Rule 2: Be 100% Okay with What Scripture Says
When we approach the word, we must be completely willing to accept what it says, even if it grates against our modern, Western sensibilities. The culture and era in which scripture was written are drastically different from what we’re used to in modern America, making it difficult for many to make the leap. This is a huge problem and far more prevalent than you might think.
How many times have you heard someone say, “I’m not going to serve a God that [fill in the blank]”? I’ve heard comments like, “I’m not going to serve a God who sends people to hell,” or “I refuse to worship a God that allows children to be abused.” Sadly, these statements often come from people who claim to be Christians, some even expressing their love for the word of God. So, what happens when these folks come across passages that challenge their personal sensibilities?
For example, what happens when someone lands on 1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet [in the congregation].” Most people in modern Western churches would immediately recoil at the thought, unwilling to entertain the idea that women may have different roles in the church than men, roles that require them to be in quiet subjection.
When confronted with such teachings, they have only a few options:
A) They must arbitrarily decide, without any biblical or extra-biblical evidence, that scriptural truth was modeled after and formulated to follow the culture, rather than the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They must embrace the idea that biblical writers held culture in preeminence over the will of God. This claim can be easily refuted scripturally, but it also places them in the untenable position of unilaterally deciding what passages, in the Bible, apply to all mankind throughout the ages and which ones don’t. They have effectively promoted themselves to the role of the sole arbiter of truth.
B) They must embrace the equally impossible position that Paul was speaking specifically to one or two churches because of the behavior of a few women, or that he wrote these things because women in that day were uneducated—claims I’ve heard many times. But again, these views lack any scriptural support. They are entirely speculative. Moreover, they must contend with the fact that in 1 Timothy 2:13-15, Paul clearly states the only two reasons for his writing:
1) Adam was created first.
2) Eve was deceived.
To inject any other motive behind his writings is baseless and heretical.
C) The favorite tactic seems to be scouring the Bible for an exception to the rule. Some try to argue that if Priscilla was a preacher and church leader, it somehow erases the clear and repeated guidelines of Scripture. But even if we could somehow make the Bible say that Priscilla was a pastor, what have we accomplished? It would only suggest that God’s word is unreliable and contradictory, which undermines the entire foundation of our faith.
Rule 3: Don’t Twist Scripture
When studying the Bible, we must understand that no amount of contorting or twisting will make scripture mean the opposite of what it clearly states. Educating ourselves on the original languages, context, culture, and times can deepen our understanding and insight into the nuances of the text, but it will never change the foundational meaning. In my own experience, when I first began to study scripture seriously, I felt directed to put away all commentaries, study Bibles, and other resources and simply study out of the King James Version along with a Strong’s Concordance. For many years, even while pastoring a church, that’s all I used. Once I felt the release to include other study material again, I found that what I learned in those years aligned well with the more conservative and credible resources.
Rule 4: Be Critical of What You Hear
Be super critical of what you hear, whether it’s from your pastor, favorite radio preacher, a beloved Bible teacher, or even a mentor. Question everything. Be a biblical Berean. Even after decades of studying scripture, I still learn truths that never occurred to me, simply because I stopped mindlessly accepting what I’d always heard. And let me caution you: don’t ask the preacher or teacher about it—dig into it for yourself.
Just a few years ago, I was listening to a sermon on biblical gender roles. The pastor repeatedly referred to husbands as the “spiritual leaders” of the home, a label so commonly used that it enjoys near-universal acceptance in contemporary Christian circles. To my great shame, in over 30 years of pastoral ministry, I had never questioned that terminology. But on that day, it hit me, and I asked what I should have asked the first time I heard the phrase: where is that in scripture?
In that moment, I realized that the term “spiritual leader” is nothing more than a qualifier. Qualifiers are tags added to a statement or term to negate the meaning of the message. When we add the word “spiritual” before “leader,” it creates a false impression that the man is only the leader in spiritual matters and that if he is failing in spiritual leadership, in the subjective opinion of his wife, she is under no obligation to submit or obey him. A concept that is completely alien to proper bible exegesis.
My purpose in writing this blog post is to challenge all of us to study God’s Word more diligently. We must strive to set aside our confirmation biases and approach Scripture with open minds and hearts, ready to uncover the immense treasures and truths it contains. Let’s be willing to embrace what the Bible teaches, even when it challenges our modern culture or personal preferences.