Last week’s study ended with the concept of God’s design for headship among the human race, especially as it pertains to the body of Christ. Headship in our text simply means authority over another as it relates to the role of that person.

And so when Paul say’s, "that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God", he simply means that there must be an authority structure for the sake of accomplishing God’s will as He has determined it.

This is not about superiority, it is about the role that each person has been given by God. And so, the man is subject to Christ as his head, the woman is subject to the man as her head, and Christ is subject to the Father as His head, as each is accomplishing what God has desired for mankind.

And so, when Paul writes to the Corinthians it seems apparent that there was a breakdown in this structure among these believers. For whatever reason, some men were not assuming their roles and authority as God designed it for them, and some women were not assuming their roles and authority as God designed it for them. He deals first with the men.

1CO 11:4 "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head."

Now, at first glance, as we read the English translation, we might think that Paul is talking about a hat that these men were wearing. And because we have a tendency to superimpose our cultural understanding of things on others, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

How does wearing a hat dishonor the man’s head, who in this case, is Christ? Well, to understand what Paul is saying we need a little background in the cultural setting of these days in this part of the world. In both the Greek and Jewish cultures of this day women were seen as inferior. Their role was truly subservient without much say in the way their lives were to be directed.

Though you and I as modern day Americans might see this as unfair this was the norm. And so, this is just how people dealt with the structure of their society. And there were particular ways of expressing such an authoritative structure which was also normal.

Women, for example, demonstrated their role by wearing veils out in public. The veil, which covered the face, was a normal part of life which no one questioned because it was a symbol in that society in Corinth which said to everyone that this woman fits in society and is accomplishing her role in society.

This was a cultural norm for this time and place; not unlike cultural norms we have today which most people don’t question, or for that matter don’t even think about, precisely because it is the normal and accepted practice.

For example, in our society no one seriously questions who goes into what public bathroom. If it’s got a little male figure on the front door women stay away. If it’s got a little female figure in a dress, men stay away. Even though the fixtures are essentially the same, with one exception for the men, there is nothing really feminine or masculine about any particular public bathroom.

So, why do men and women stay away from the others bathroom? Because our culture has set it up this way. You would feel culturally out of place if you men found yourself in the next stall to a woman in a public bathroom.

But Paul’s point is much more serious than what bathroom someone uses. His point has to do with the divinely appointed privilege and responsibility of who ultimately has the final authority and what the problems are if we try and change such a divinely appointed system. So, let’s try this again.

1CO 11:4 "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head."

The phrase, "with his head covered", or as the NASB puts it, "something on his head", could literally be translated, "having down from the head."

What this infers is a man wearing a veil which would not just cover his head, but would drape down over his head. In other words, it infers a man wearing a woman’s veil. In our culture it might be the equivalent of a man wearing a dress.

Now, I doubt that Paul is addressing a problem where men are acting like transvestites as they wear women’s clothes in public and at church gatherings. He’s simply stating the obvious about the roles of men and women as their culture understood things.

If a man were to come to church with his head covered in a veil Paul would say that that man has publicly denounced his manhood and the authority he has in that household and church as a man. But worse, he has dishonored his head, who is Christ, who has not designed man for a woman’s role.

And so, essentially, in that case, the man has total disregard for God who has given man his role. In our case this has to do with how men are to conduct themselves in the church. There may have possibly been some women who felt that they were better equipped to handle some of the spiritual duties of the church.

And that may have been true in some cases, but it didn’t give them the right to assume the role of the man, because that was given to man by God . And so, while these women felt compelled to play a different role in the church, both their culture and the word of God would say no to them as they tried to assume the role of the man who was to be a godly example.

1CO 11:5 "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head - it is just as though her head were shaved.
6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."

Just as man has a role in society and the church, so does the woman. And by the way, you’ll notice that Paul has no problem with the culture dictating certain norms for society, as long as those norms do not conflict with the word of God.

Paul is not teaching us that women today should come to church draped in veils. The church has tried to conform to this teaching at times in history, but even in those cases the culture dictated how they would conform. And in modern settings within the church women at one point came to church with some form of head covering, be that a hat or a doily on their head.

I remember growing up in the Catholic church years ago where women could not come into church without some form of head covering. Most women carried these little linen doilies they would pull out of their purses just before going into church. This was true of even Protestant churches to some extent.

Our culture today, by and large, doesn’t require such a thing. And so, if Paul were living in our culture today he would not force women to wear such coverings at church. But, he would not compromise on the more important issue of women submitting to their husbands, for example, as it came to the role and authority a man has been given by God.

Remember, he is teaching about the head of the woman, and the head of the man while using their literal heads as a metaphor for such authority.

So, how does a woman in the first century church in Corinth dishonor her head in church when praying or prophesying according to our text? She comes in with her head uncovered and through that cultural act she denies she has any authority over her, be that her husband, the elders or even Christ.

What Paul is saying is that she is demonstrating a rebellious attitude. And if a woman in that time and place had done that she would have known that she was demonstrating such an attitude. There would have been no way she could have done this accidentally, any more than a woman today could accidentally go into a man’s bathroom which was clearly marked.

To demonstrate the way in which the woman has spiritually dishonored her head, or husband or elders, for example, Paul goes on to give a parallel, once again using the cultural norm of his day by comparing the uncovering of her literal head to a woman who had shaved her head in verses 5 and 6.

"..... it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head."

Paul says, "O.K., you want to show your rebellion against the norm of God’s plan and the cultural norm? Then you might as well go all the way, because what you have essentially done is to show yourself as one who has truly gone against all Godly and cultural norms."

The cultural norm was to have your head covered in public and at worship settings with the church. But if you women want to assume the role of the man, then you might as well look like one. If you’re not disgraced in your culture with leaving your head uncovered, then try this on for size. Crop your hair as close to the scalp as a man, or shave it off completely.

In those days, there were women who did just that. But in that culture everyone knew what they were. They were prostitutes. And so, Paul puts this whole problem back into the laps of these women in the church by asking them if they are willing to be shamed in such a way.

If they are not willing to be disgraced in this way of shaving their heads then do what is right by wearing the veil in public and at times of worship in public. But more important, be willing to submit to those men who are in authority over you, first your husband, and then those authorities in the church which have to do with the advancement of the church through the gospel of Jesus Christ, Pastors, elders and deacons.

This by the way, is the reason that Pastors, elders and deacons are to be men, according to the word of God. It has nothing to do with men being better than women because we know that there may be godly spiritual women who could probably handle such positions. But because God has ordained that men be in authority over women in such matters, we see clearly in the letters Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus that such leaders must be the husbands of one wife, not the wives of one husband.

The issue of Pastors, elders and deacons being men only is another issue which we’ll deal with at another time, but in the case before us it certainly may have been an issue as some women were vying for the authority that belongs to such leaders.

What Paul is doing here, and what the Holy Spirit is giving us in this portion of Scripture, is to show that the Lord knows what is best for His church. And as it relates to the roles of men and women in the home and in the church, God has the final word and it’s always best as long as it’s carried out according to His word in love.

This is why it’s so important to understand that though men have been given such authority it is always meant to be done in the same way Christ loves His church. For example, we see this as Paul teaches the church in Ephesus what the husband’s role is.

EPH 5:25 "husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself."

If men abuse their authority and role as husbands and leaders then they will be held accountable to their head who is the living Christ and Creator and God.

But this also works the same way for women. If they will not submit to their head then they also will be held accountable to the head who is over both men and women, who is Christ.

In fact, Paul puts this into perspective as he gives us a glimpse into how God views the roles of men and women.

1CO 11:7 "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man."

Notice that Paul says that man is both the image and glory of God, whereas woman is shown to be the glory of man.

Now, women, please don’t lose sight of the context. This is not a cut to women or is it meant to degrade women. Remember, Paul is elevating women and trying to keep them from disgracing themselves as they fulfill the role their creator has given them. Women are, in essence, the glory or crown jewel of man.

And so, when Paul says that men are the glory of God and women are the glory of man it has to do with their respective roles before God. As it relates to the church man is seen to be both the image and glory of God.

What this means is that an image is an exact representation of something. Now obviously a man is not a true representation of God and is therefore not God. But in so far as God is head of man, man is the image of such authority over woman.

And then Paul goes on to explain how this works in the natural order of things as God created them.

1CO 11:8 "For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man."

Paul is using the creation account and simply repeating what is known to be true as to how God brought man and woman into this world. And through the creation account Paul is teaching God’s intent as to the role of man and woman, especially as it relates to Christ’s church.

Man did not come from the woman. Here Paul means the first man. The first man came from God as He took the dust of the ground and formed man and breathed into man life. But God makes it clear that man needs a helper, a companion to make him complete.

GEN 2:18 "The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

He then took a rib from man and used that portion of man to form woman. But the woman was formed for a very specific purpose and that was to be a part of man.

GEN 2:21 "So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man."

And so, Paul uses this creation account to put the order of things into perspective when talking about authority and roles of both men and women. And this is why he can say that man was not created for woman, but woman for man. That was just God’s order. Woman followed man in the order of creation.

And it is for this reason that women are to understand their roles with men and it is this reason that Paul comes back to his original argument that if God has placed women in a role of submission, then they should not violate that role from God in the way they demonstrate that role in public worship.

1CO 11:10 "For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head."

In the culture of Paul’s day the sign of authority over a woman was the veil. And this didn’t mean that Paul was excluding the spiritual sense of their role. In other words, Paul is not saying to women that as long as you wear this veil on your head you are truly being submissive to God and men. Other wise we get into a works oriented approach to worship.

The outward sign is simply meant to demonstrate an inward reality. Paul wants the hearts of these women to understand that God loves them so much that He has given them a very special place in the church. It just doesn’t happen to be an authoritative place over a man.

In our culture the sign of authority is a little more vague and in fact I believe is one which lacks a clear outward sign as it did in Corinth. Paul is not teaching that 20th century women living in the U.S. need to start wearing veils. Because in our culture it would not be a sign of conformity, it would actually be a sign of shame as though women had something to hide.

But how do women show such submissiveness today? The answer is quite simple as it would have been in Paul’s day. Simply love Christ by being submissive to His will. And if His will is that women submit to men in an authoritative environment in the church and in the home then that would be the best course of action to bring honor to God in that way.

This does, however, raise the issue of women in authority in the society-at-large. And this is probably going to be tougher for Christian women in our culture, because our culture accepts a woman’s authority in the workplace, for example, unlike it did 40 or 50 years ago.

Our culture may change and women may play a greater role in society, but when a woman has been given such authority in the workplace it is going to be harder for her to give up a certain amount of authority as it relates to her marriage and the church if she doesn’t have a biblical handle on the way God has ordained such authority in those spheres.

By the way, when we look at verse 10 of our text we might wonder what Paul means when he says the reason women should cover their heads includes angels. What does this mean? Well, the answer is, no one seems to know. There is a lot of conjecture, but no one can conclusively give an answer.

One such answer might include allowing the angels to view the way in which God has worked in the life of mankind, and in such an example they give glory to God when they see women giving glory to God as they submit.

Remember that angels are not omniscient or all-knowing, and so they are constantly learning new things as they experience their world and ours as they serve the living God and witness the grace of our Lord in our lives and give Him glory for that as well. They love to see Jesus at work in the lives of men and women.

1PE 1:12 "It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things."

And so, Paul in our text might be reminding women that whether they realize it or not angels are learning about submissiveness in the lives of people as they watch and take notice of women who love the Lord in their submissiveness. It may be that simple.

But, despite the submissive role of women it is never meant to mean that they are inferior to men, or that they are door-mats, or that they are without usefulness as they work in the role God gave them.

1CO 11:11 "In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God."

Even Paul knows that just because God ordained woman for man the truth is that man needed woman and woman needed man, and as they serve each other in the roles God gave them the Lord is glorified.

Man can not say to woman that he doesn’t need her because she came from man’s rib, nor can woman say to man today that she doesn’t need him because she bore them. Paul reminds us all that everything comes from God and He alone is to receive all honor and glory.

With that in mind Paul wraps up this section by repeating what he has already touched on earlier regarding cultural norms of their day.

1CO 11:13 "Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice -nor do the churches of God."

In Paul’s day it would have been improper for a woman to pray to God in public with her head uncovered, and everyone knew this and accepted it. But women don’t have to wear veils today in our culture to pray to God publicly.

The same is true of a man with long hair. Up until about 2 years ago some of you know I had long hair, down past my shoulders. I didn’t cut it because of this passage, nor is this passage teaching that for our culture, despite the fact that some people like long hair on a man and some don’t.

Paul is referring to a cultural norm of his day where, not just the length of a man’s hair, but the way in which it was styled, showed a man to be trying to break conformity with what it meant to be manly.

I doubt that Hulk Hogan, the mega-wrestler, would be accused of being effeminate, and yet he has had long hair. And yet, if you quaffed Hulk Hogan’s hair with braids and bows, someone might immediately begin to wonder. Now, our culture would say you’ve stepped over the line, and so would Paul.

In our culture long hair on a man has come in and out of vogue over the last 200 years. Look at some of the paintings of George Washington or photos of General George Custer.

Under certain circumstances when Jews took a vow, such as the vow of a Nazarite, they would grow their hair long, even during Christ’s day and Paul’s day.

However, hair or lack of it, is not the bottom line here with Paul. It’s conforming to the image of Christ and honoring our Head, who has all authority in heaven and earth, and humbling ourselves before Him with our entire lives, be that in or outside of the church as we live in this society to the glory of God.

Each of us has a role in the kingdom of God. We are not to fight that, which is why Paul concludes in verse 16.

1CO 11:16 "If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice -nor do the churches of God."

Paul says if you want to buck God’s system you’ll have to go somewhere else other than the church. But just keep in mind that such conformity to the things of this world, which would dishonor Christ, is nothing short of contentiousness.

And of course, contentious means to be quarrelsome, or being fond of strife. Paul says, that if you are not willing to conform yourself to Christ and His will, then you are one who will find your life being full of strife as you fight or kick against the goads, which is to fight against God’s prompting in our lives to lead and direct us.

As Paul said earlier in this letter... "Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than he?" (1CO 10:22)

May we never find ourselves fighting against God, but may we flee to Him and cling to Him by faith as we honor Him with our lives in whatever role we have as either men or women.

It’s true that, in a spiritual sense, "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (GAL 3:28)

But in our oneness there is still diversity of gifts and roles. May we seek to know the difference and walk in Christ as those servants who will be found faithful and will honor Him in all things including our roles as men and women in the church.

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