To speak or not to speak!

We should always interpret verses strictly within its context because sometimes it can be used to mean something that it was not meant to, if we take it in a broader sense.

A classic example is with regards to the teaching regarding conduct of women. In 1 Corinthians 14 - women are to remain silent in the churches does not mean that a woman cannot preach or teach or prophesy. The context in that verse shows us very clearly that a woman cannot raise her voice and try to force her opinion (she may call it revelation!) in matters of church life. She is better off if she is able to get her husband to bring her the clarity that she needs! The context here is about order in a church setting.

In 1 Timothy 2, the context is totally different and the setting is not the church but in individual lives especially in a family context. Here Paul uses the singular tense. He maintains that a woman should not, in any way, show that she rules over a man either by teaching him or instructing him, thereby showing that she is superior to him. The context is strictly personal and most likely a domestic setting.

If we interchange the verses and use them out of their context, we can falsely conclude that a woman cannot teach or preach at all. What a loss for some of our ill-informed churches!