McD's and Uniformities

Many of you know that before I was in ministry, I worked in food service. I’ve been in management in my college’s Dining services, in Subway, in McDonald’s, and Chick-fil-A. My favorite, by far, was Chick-fil-A.

Each place I worked had a form of training: how do you run the cash registers, how do you make the food, policies and procedures. And so on.

Each touched on the culture of the company. The most detailed was Chick-fil-A. The company is so detailed that expect their employees to use certain words, like “my pleasure” because of the culture of the company.

Each place I worked had expectations on the uniform.

When you walk into McDonald’s, every employee is going to be dressed the same.

Subway is the same.

Chick-fil-A is the same, but with even higher standards.

The companies want everyone to know who their employees are by what they do and by how they dress.

When I worked at Chick-fil-A, I was the night manager. After our shift on Fridays, the crew and I would go out for milk shakes. Whatever restaurant we were at, people knew we worked at Chick-fil-A, because how we acted and because of how we dressed.

Our faith should be the same way.

We are those who confess to follow Jesus. Hopefully, there has been a time in our lives when we have turned from our sins and confessed Jesus as our savior, choosing to rest on his alone for our salvation, receiving that intimate relationship.

If we have done that, everything that we do, including how we dress, is defined by the Gospel. People should be able to look at us, at our choices of actions, words, and attire, and know that we are a follower of Jesus Christ.

The passage we are going to read today is one of the most hotly debated passages in the New Testament, both for translation and for application.

Let us read it, remembering to show grace.

1 Corinthians 11:2–16 NIV

I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Okay. Let’s get this over with. I am not here to say that all you ladies need to put on head coverings. That is not the point of this passage.

So, let’s hear a sigh of relief.

Thanks. Now that that’s over with, let’s pray.

Everything we do, including how we dress, is defined by the Gospel.

This passage is the meeting of three different concepts, all crashing into the subject of dress.

To apply this passage, we are going to look at three different questions.

Each question will be answer by looking at the historical background of the passage, the theological background of the passage, and then a modern day application of the passage.

The key to any Bible study is understanding the background of the passage and applying the principles and the truths to a modern day situation. That is what we are going to try to do without getting caught in the quicksand that is especially apparent with this passage.

Also, just as an aside, so many people focus on the female aspect of this passage. In fact, many Bibles have as a heading for this passage: women’s head coverings. However, Paul talks about men first:

1 Corinthians 11:4–5 NIV

So, why do so many people single out the women, when Paul is talking to both men and women?

Let’s dive into the questions:

1. Does how we dress show how God made us?

The first question is: does how we dress show how God made us?

God made two sexes, male and female. God made these sexes distinct. Not distinct in status, for we are equal before God, but distinct in function.

Let’s look at what is happening historically at this time.

A. Historical Discussion

The Corinthian church had realized the radicalness of the Gospel. In Roman society, Jewish society, basically all the societies, women did not have many rights. But then, Paul comes along, with the other apostles and proclaims something different.

Galatians 3:28 NIV

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Christian churches, women were radically lifted up.

In fact, where most polite societies would not allow women to address a public gathering, churches allowed women to lead the congregation in prayer and to engage in public prophesy. When Paul sent his letter to the Romans, it was a woman who delivered the letter and read the letter to the church in their church service.

Women were equal with men for the first time of their lives.

So, many women were saying, if we are equal with men, let’s dress like it.

Traditionally, In Christian churches, men would uncover heads during worship.

Women would cover their heads with the hood of their outer garment.

B. Theological Discussion

He points to creation, throwing out words such as

head,

image,

glory.

All sorts of words that cause many women to start screaming on the inside.

Let’s start by talking about head.

1 Corinthians 11:3 NIV

But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

There are many different ideas of what Paul is talking about with the word “head”.

Some people say he is talking about authority, such as the head of a company.

Some people say that he is talking about source, such as the head of a river.

Other people agree with me head is referring to foremost or preeminent.

This is the one who must bear responsibility. In the words of Jesus, the leader must serve.

The foremost in the group must protect the status and self-respect of the weaker for whom they must take that responsibility.

God created man and woman different in function. The man has a responsibility to care for and protect the woman and others in his sphere.

Let’s talk about image and glory.

1 Corinthians 11:7–9 NIV

Notice that Paul does not repeat the phrase image here. Man was made in the image of God. So was woman.

God created man as a way of bringing honor and praise to himself. O

ur existence brings glory to God. But, man is not complete.

We needed a companion who is like us but different, someone who is uniquely his glory.

In this difference man ‘glories’ in her.

God created women distinct from man, for in this distinctiveness, she has the ability to complement man with an incomparably richer reality which is irreplaceable.

Man and woman, when they willingly choose to glory in their roles as leader and complement, showing who God is in a way nothing else in society and nature does.

God the Father and God the Son are both equally and completely God.

They are equal in status but different in function. But the Son willingly chooses to follow the Father and complement him. This is not something which is imposed, but something which is chosen.

In the same way, man and woman are the glory of another.

This would not be possible if “the other” became “the same.” (Point to Maggie) And it would be impossible for man or woman to glory in another human person if they were not accorded dignity and respect as a fellow human being of equal status in the Gospel. (Point to Maggie)

Hence, I say and Paul asserts, that man and woman are equal in status under Christ, but we have different functions. Those different functions glorify God, because they mimic him.

C. Modern Application

What does this mean?

Does how we dress show how God made us?

Do we dress distinctively has a man, if we are a man? Do we dress distinctively as a woman, if we are a woman?

We could talk about Deuteronomy 22:5, but we are not going to.

God created us as man or woman and he is glorified by what he created, by our bodies.

So, we are to show by our dress how God made us.

I know some conservative families who are very concerned about modesty. However, they are so concerned that the women dress like men.

This should not be. God created us different, and we should dress to show that difference, because God’s glory is shown in the difference, just as it is shown in our roles.

I know some people have some objections to extreme applications of what I have said. Keep listening.

First question: Does how we dress show how God made us?

2. Does how we dress show whom God made us?

Second question: Does how we dress show whom God made us?

Before Christ, we were all horrible sinners. After meeting Christ, we still have the ability to be horrible sinners, but Christ is working on us so that we can be holy even as he is holy.

Does how we dress show who we were before Christ or who we are after Christ?

Let’s look at the situation in Corinth.

A. Historical Discussion

Clothing was not something that was just worn. It made statements about the person.

1 Corinthians 11:4–6 NIV

Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

What in the world?

Before we talk about that, we should look at the verses toward the end of the passage.

1 Corinthians 11:14–15 NIV

Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

So many Bible scholars have been thrown into a loop because Paul switches from dress to hair and then back to dress.

In Corinthian times, specifically Roman society, both dress and hair made statements about the person.

Let’s talk about men.

The author Horace, who wrote around 8 B.C., therefore a few years before Christ was born, said that certain male attire and hairstyles were considered effeminate.

They were markers that this guy was a homosexual.

Other clothing styles and hair styles were markers that this man was sexually loose.

Through his clothes and his hair style, he was putting up a billboard saying: if you want me you can have me.

The styles also pointed toward religious beliefs.

Archaeological evidence shows that men covering their heads in the context of prayer and prophecy was a common pattern of Roman religion.

By careful attention to their dress, Christian men were to show that they were not following the sexual excesses of their culture and that they were not worshiping the gods of their culture.

Interestingly, the Jewish men did not start covering their heads in prayer until after the time period of Paul’s writings. They used head coverings to distinguish themselves from Christians.

Clothing styles and hair styles made statements about the person, specifically their sexuality and their religion.

Let’s talk about women.

Head coverings at this time were very important out in society.

Respectable Roman women wore the head coverings as a protection of their dignity, of their status as women not to be propositioned.

A historian by the name of Rousselle notes that the head covering was “a badge of honor, of sexual reserve, and a mastery of the self.”

What about hair? At this time, there were basically three messages that a female’s hair sent:

Long, loose flowing hair was associated with undisciplined sexuality.

A shaven head was associated with sexlessness or celibacy.

Shortened hair, or covered hair, was associated with restricted sexuality.

Just like with men, Christian women were to show that they were not following the sexual excesses of their culture, and they did this by paying careful attention to their attire.

Why?

B. Theological Discussion

Because it dishonors the head.

1 Corinthians 11:3–5 NIV

But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.

1 Corinthians 11:11–12 NIV

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

Everything we do, everything we say, everything we wear, points back to God. If God has set a free from the sins of our past or the sins of our culture,

why should we dress as if we were still wallowing in them?

C. Modern Application

Great question.

Let’s talk about today, very briefly.

As one commentator wrote:

“In any culture, believers must strenuously avoid whatever forms of dress or grooming potentially communicate to the non-Christian world sexual misconduct or idolatrous worship.”

“Indeed, Romans 1:21–27 identifies the theological core of unbelief as idolatry and the ethical core as sexual sin. Behavior, mannerisms, clothing, or hairstyles that suggest that a person is sexually unfaithful to his or her spouse, promiscuous, homosexual, or the devotee of some non-Christian religion or cultic or occult sect are entirely inappropriate for Christians, particularly in church.”

Put simply,

men and women are not to destroy their proper self-respect and respect in the eyes of others by taking part in worship dressed like they are sexually available right after service.

We must dress like we are worshipers of Jesus Christ, in holiness.

Which will look differently in each culture and area.

So, our questions:

Does how we dress show how God made us: Showing that we are male or female?

Does how we dress show whom God made us: Leaving our sin and the sins of our culture behind?

Last question, which has a weird word in it:

3. Does how we dress show wherefore God has made us?

Does how we dress show wherefore God has made us?

Wherefore is an older term that means: purpose or reason.

A. Historical Discussion

The Corinthian church, as we have discussed in other weeks, was obsessed over their knowledge.

1 Corinthians 11:16 NIV

If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

If they reasoned it out, they figured it must be true. Their exulted their knowledge over and above their love for each other, over and above their need to show the Gospel to the community, over and above a priority of glorifying God.

We saw it in the food sacrificed to idols.

We saw it in their sexual immorality. We saw it in the way they treated husband and wife relations.

They were pretty messed up. Just like us.

The Corinthians, both men and women, said: Hey, this is what we know:

We are equals in Christ.

We have freedom to do whatever we want to, in Christ. Therefore, we can wear whatever we want to wear. It doesn’t matter.

Doesn’t it?

In Roman society, someone’s dress, specifically the female’s, had an impact on the status of another, specifically one’s father or one’s husband.

So, when a woman at this time stood in a public church service to pray or to prophecy, dressed in a way that created an object of attraction to be sized up by men, or dressed in a way that offered cryptic suggestions to men, she brought shame to others.

The Corinthians, consistently when faced between other’s opinions or other’s good and their own freedom said,

I don’t care!

What’s the correct response?

B. Theological Discussion

The correct response is to imitate Christ. Christ willingly gave up his rights in order to seek the good of others.

Paul speaks of this in Philippians

Philippians 2:3–4 NIV

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Why? Because Jesus did.

Philippians 2:5–8 NIV

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

Jesus willingly gave up his rights as God himself, as dweller in the throne room of Heaven, in order to see the good of sinful humanity.

The salvific relationship between God and Christ has nothing to do with self glory, or with the affirmation of self at the expense of everyone else.

This is also not a forced giving up. He willingly chose to give up his rights so that others might live. He loved, which meant he gave up his freedom.

We are saved because Jesus gave up his freedom, his rights.

Paul writes to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 11:7–10

A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.

We already discussed most of this verse. I want to drill in on verse 10.

Paul says that a woman ought to have authority over her own head. Your translation might be worded a little differently, but this is the essence of the verse.

Women and men have the freedom to wear whatever they want to wear. However, our faith is about giving up our rights.

Paul tells the Corinthians: What you wear brings glory or shame on someone else. Have the self-control, the authority over your own head, to give up your right to wear whatever you want, so that you can bring glory instead of shame on someone else.

He continues:

1 Corinthians 11:11–12

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

In other words, if you will not give up your rights in order to show love to someone who is your equal in Christ, give up your rights in order to bring glory to God. Because he is worthy of all things.

C. Modern Application

What does this mean for today?

Well, we don’t have to worry about head coverings or hairstyles. But, we still should be concerned about shame and honor.

What we do goes back on someone else.

What I wear reflects back on my wife, and vice versa. What I wear reflects on this church. What I wear reflects on my God.

Unfortunately, everyone and every culture has a different understanding of the line between dressing according to my gender and dressing according to the sin of my culture.

Instead of touting freedom to do whatever I want, I should ask:

does this bring glory to God, honor to my brothers and sisters in Christ, and an avenue for showing the Gospel. That will look differently in every culture and in every situation. Instead of reacting in ignorance, we need to act according to truth, for the glory of God.

If you would like specific discussions on this, please let me know. Maggie and I have had a lot of conversations already.

So, everything that we do, including how we dress, is defined by the Gospel.

People should be able to look at us, at our choices of actions, words, and attire, and know that we are a follower of Jesus Christ.

Does how we dress show how God made us: Showing that we are male or female?

Does how we dress show whom God made us: Leaving our sin and the sins of our culture behind?

Does how we dress show wherefore God made us: Do we show the Gospel by giving up our rights for the good of others.

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