Many people claim to be prophets these days, yet misuse and abuse of this title abounds. What does the Bible say about those called to this responsibility? Paul encourages the entire congregation at Corinth to prophesy (1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1-3,5, 39). In his exhortation to evaluate prophesies in 1 Cor. 14:29, “prophets” seems to mean anyone who has received a revelation and has prophesied, or who can prophesy.[i] While all may prophesy, Paul seemed to make a distinction between people who regularly demonstrated an ability to accurately prophesy and others who simply prophesied Continue Reading
Does the Apostle Paul Tell Women to be Silent in Church?
There's a puzzling passage of Scripture in 1 Corinthians 14:33b-36 which may have caught your attention and raised some questions. Right after instructions regarding the use of spiritual gifts in church gatherings, the text says: “Like in all the churches of God’s people, the women should be quiet during the meeting. They are not allowed to talk. Instead, they need to get under control, just as the law says. If they want to learn something, they should ask their husbands at home. It is disgraceful for a woman to talk during the meeting.”[i] What does Paul mean by this sudden Continue Reading
What Did Paul Mean by “Word of Knowledge?”
In most books about the gift of prophecy, you’ll run across the term “word of knowledge,” followed by stories of people receiving detailed information from the Holy Spirit they would not have otherwise known. But what did Paul mean by this term? In 1 Corinthians 12:8, Paul lists “word of wisdom” and “word of knowledge” among the spiritual gifts distributed by the Spirit. He neither defines the terms nor uses them elsewhere, and may have coined them spontaneously.[i] Modern Pentecostals and Charismatics have understood these terms to mean divinely revealed insight into the how and Continue Reading
What Shall We Make of Paul’s Teachings on Head Coverings? (Part 2)
What does 1 Corinthians 11:3-16 tell us about male/female relationships? Is Paul concerned with male headship in this passage? Using a literary device called a chiasm, Paul argues from the creation account in verses 7-12.[i] While it is often assumed Paul is explaining how male headship came about, he is in fact talking about a man’s relationship to God. Plus, Paul's emphasis is not on man being God’s image, but on being God’s glory, a word not found at all in the Genesis account. Nothing in this text refers to its introductory statement, which makes the view that male headship Continue Reading