9th entry - Truth

At FCC last Sunday (12 Feb), an interesting perspective about the Holy Bible was shared with the congregation. Citing 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:33-35, the pulprit speaker talked specifically about what we should make of Paul's intructions/advice in today's context.

• 1 Timothy 2:11-15 - "11A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. 12I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. 15But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety."
• 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 - "33For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints, 34women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. 35If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church."

The speaker then questioned whether verses in the Bible such as the 2 mentioned above should be taken literally and whether they are still relevant today. He gave examples of how scriptural verses had been cited by people to justify slavery, discrimination and exploitation, even cruelty, war and violence. Throughout history, he implied, many problems arose because people did not interpret the Bible and simply lifted scripture, usually out of context, to support their own ends. One of the conclusions I gathered from the message is that responsible Christians need to exercise spiritual discernment.

Many churches and Christians, including myself, believe that the Bible is the absolute and undeniable true, living and unchanging Word of God, but few can agree to the extent to which the Bible should be interpreted or taken literally. On one extreme, some Christians believe, among other things, that to avoid misinterpreting the Bible, it is best not to interpret it at all. On the other extreme, some Christians (like the speaker I was referring to above) not only believe that the Bible can be interpreted, but also that it is wrong not to.

My own view is that above all, the Bible is a beautifully-written record of God's perfect Love and will for His Creation. Although it is the work of Man, this compilation was inspired by God. What I think is amazing is that while there are aspects of the text that are tied to the cultural, historical and political context at the time the verses were written, the truths in the text can and should apply beyond any given context and period of time. Rather than wasting our time questioning factual inconsistencies or historical inaccuracies, or debating contextual applicability issues, it seems prudent to invest our time learning the biblical principles in order to do God's work.

I also know that the Bible is a powerful tool of spiritual warfare. Each verse committed to memory can be a sword that a believer can draw in faith at times of need to help himself as well as others. Used in this way, we not only need help from God through the Holy Spirit, but also a fair bit of diligence in learning scripture, perserverence in prayer, and discernment in ministering the Word.

To me, it is all right that different people arrive at dissimilar conclusions about the same text. Our paths and callings in life are different (even if our experiences are the same, our perspectives about the same experience may be different), so this will have an impact on the way we perceive and use the Word of God. What is not all right to me is for people to impose their own conclusions on others.

A sound knowledge of the context in which the various scriptural texts were written can be helpful. My understanding of Paul's reasons for advising the church on the need for women to be silent during worship is that women in those days were typically not properly educated, at least not spiritually or intellectually. Hence, for a woman who is not learned to teach someone, it would be like the blind leading the blind, resulting in more harm than good. Moreover, Paul was setting rules of orderly worship and authority where previously there were none - his advice is based on the fundamental principle that we should submit to the leadership and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ and come to worship God with reverence and love. In my view, the standards of propriety and orderly worship as well as the status of women in society may have changed since Paul's time, but the principle of worshipping God with reverence and love remains unchanged.

I believe that the Bible is the Truth. And the basic truth is God loves us, and desires for us to love Him too. If we truly love God, we will want to read about how He saved His people from slavery because He loved them; how He fought battles for them against insurmountable odds; how His heart broke countless times due to our winful disobedience in sin; how He forgave us time and again, and desires to be reconciled with us through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To me, this Truth is the most important Truth of all.