absent today, specially among those who profess to have these kingdom gifts. No

wonder we read of excesses from time to time. Satan can have a "field-day" when

Christian gatherings are not directly controlled by a rightly-divided Word, and the result

is deception, confusion and division.

The Corinthian were further told that prophecy must be controlled as with tongues,

and while it was possible that all could prophesy, if the Spirit willed, yet it did not mean

that all would necessarily take part in this activity (verses 30 and 31). And then follows

the important statement:

No one could plead that he was compelled to speak by the Holy Spirit. When one

sometimes reads that a Pentecostal leader or speaker was dominated by the Holy Spirit

and was not able to keep silent (e.g. Edward Irving, one of the founders of the modern

Pentecostal movement), one can be assured that such experiences do not come from God

but from the old deceiver of mankind.

Paul now reverts to the attitude of women in the assembly and we must be careful that

we do not interpret the verses to conflict with what has already been said in chapter 11: 5.

Apart from inspiration, one would not expect a logically-minded man as Paul to

contradict himself. In the eleventh chapter it is not the gift that women are using which is

the point at issue, but how they are dressed for the occasion.  Acts 21: 9 shows that

women prophets existed, though possibly rarely.

What Paul is now going to say is that, apart from the teaching given in chapter 11:,

women should be silent in Christian gatherings, in just the same way as the male tongue

speaker or prophet was enjoined to be silent, all being in the interests of peace and good

order. If this was not so, then uncontrolled discussion and argument would take place

which would become heated and give the enemy an opportunity of taking control and

spoiling the witness. Such discussion should take place at home and not in the assembly.

Whether discussion should ever be allowed in a public meeting is indeed a difficult

one to settle.  We have seen meetings ruined by this.  On the other hand if love and

self-controlled prevails, then such discussion can prove helpful. No rigid rule today can

be laid down on this point, but we may be assured of one thing, that no Christian woman

who is versed in God's truth will ever want to push herself into a position that is not

according to his will. The relationship of the sexes in God's sight has already been dealt

with, and this should be the dominating factor in any problems that is related to a public

Paul now reminds the believers at Corinth that they should consider Christian practice

generally. They had no monopoly of the gospel, Divine gifts, or truth as a whole.