God's Word in Man's Language

God's Word In Man's Language

                                                                                       - A Journey

"The Word of God is infallible, but man's interpretation of that Word is not."  After thirty years all else is long forgotten from that course in sociology.  I believe the professor left our denomination soon after I left Calvin, but his words have remained with me. 

I still recall the impact of that statement, the newness of that thought for me.  As I went on to raise a family, I'd pull it out from time to time and pass it on.  Yet I have left it up to other women of the Christian Reformed Church to begin to look more seriously at the interpretations men have given Scripture.

I have been content with the status quo.  First valued as a daughter, then as a wife and mother, I have no axe to grind.  I have felt no call to be a pastor, no desire to be an elder.  My life is full.

During my first decade as a confessing member of the CRC,  I could not vote.  As I recall, even this didn't particularly bother me.  I did at times feel hurt on behalf of other Christian women or anger at husbands who might belittle them, but I always came back home for the most part unmoved.

Then in the late seventies a communication arrived entitled Women in the CRC.  This also failed to pique my interest.  I felt that if my Creator had established a helper role for women, I couldn't question His design.  And if generations of theologians had studied His Word and not changed their basic understanding of the role of women, it must be valid. 

Perhaps too, being deeply bonded to the church and heritage of my ancestors and confident in her solid teaching on the Word of God, I feared "Pandora's box."  What if I mustered up the energy to question?  What if my parent church has misunderstood a major teaching all these years?  How could I then be sure of anything?  And who was I to challenge theologians? And whom was I to trust?  So for all these years I've taken little interest in better understanding the role of women as designed by God.

Something, however, has changed all that.  Over the past several months I have been repeatedly confronted with articles, speakers, and books which interpret passages in a new and different way.  Explaining the ancient language and context in a manner which forces one to stop and re-examine.  These repeated confrontations were at first totally unsought and amazingly consistent, although completely unconnected as to source.

Finally my attention has been captured!  I find myself searching for answers, only be be left with more questions.  What does the Bible say?  What do the words mean?  As interpretations vary, which is reliable?  And how are we to grow?  I wonder how many other women find themselves somewhere along the path I have described.  More than ever I admire Laura Smit and others like her who have had the courage to face these challenging issues.  How we need the expertise and the unique insight of our female students of theology!  They are gifted women of integrity and talent, able to encourage us with respect and dignity.  Yet one by one we have lost them to be a blessing to other denominations while we still have so many questions.

Since time began, humankind has delighted in unlocking the secrets of God's marvelous creation, grasping each new concept only by first comprehending the truth which had encased it, excited to make each new discovery a foothold to a deeper understanding.  Should we then wonder that the gold mine of God's written revelation of Himself still holds deep veins of truth hidden in its labyrinth of language?

In the end, perhaps my convictions will not change.   But I cannot go back to burying the questions.  I must listen to the arguments and have opportunity to test them and hopefully to grow. 

Remember how you smile when children burst with enthusiasm at some new idea so commonplace to you?  I like to think God smiles that way as scientists and theologians and even I enrich our understanding of the truth.  To such a gentle God I pray for wisdom, for myself as well as for all the men and women of the CRC.  I pray that we will keenly seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we continue to pursue a fuller understanding of God's Word to us.

-JoMae Keuning Spoelhof
   April 1988


This piece was written in the Spring of 1988 and appeared in the 5/9/88 edition of The Banner.  It was also printed in the 1988 Spring issue of the Newsletter for the Committee for Women in the Christian Reformed Church.  This is the CWCRC version.  The Banner article was slightly edited.