Honor in the Church

As Paul moves into his next section of the letter, he praises the Corinthians for following the traditions and teachings that he has taught them. This might seem strange to us since we’ve been reading about all the problems the Corinthians had and Paul’s correction of these problems. However, as most leaders know, you can’t have constant criticism, you need to have a few positive comments to go with them. So, it seems that Paul pats the Corinthians on the back before discussing their disorderly worship services.

The topic, their disorderly worship services, which are dishonoring to both God and each other will be the focus of chapters 11-14.

In once sense we will continue to see similar themes emerge. The Corinthians, like us, continue to struggle with their new found freedom and what that means for their engagement with the culture and their day to day living.

Paul is going to continue to remind them that as Christians, we follow the example of Christ, and Paul (1 Cor 11.1) and surrender our ‘rights’ for the betterment of others. We are to be constantly on the look out for those we may cause to stumble in their faith and for ways in which we might cause ourselves to stray from the faith - and we are to be very focused on making sure neither of these occur. Additionally, we are to look for ways to build others up instead of ourselves.

In doing this we show the goodness and greatness of God, thus bringing glory to Him and not ourselves. As Paul had said in 1 Cor 10.31 we are to do everything for the glory of God.

This morning, we’re going to read the text 1 Cor 11.2-16 in its entirely, actually we’ll start in 1 Cor 11.1, even though that is the conclusion to last week’s message, just for the sake of the reminder and the flow of the text. After we read the text we will look at the main points Paul is trying to get at along with some contemporary applications of the text.

1 Corinthians 11:1–16 CSB

1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ. 2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head. 5 Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered. 7 A man should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. So too, woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. 9 Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10 This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. 12 For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself 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 her hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

Problems in the Text

The first thing I want to mention by way of introduction to this text is that if you were a little confused, you are in good company - so is everyone else. In fact, this is the most difficult passage in the letter to understand.

Just a few of the questions that need to be determined according to Robert Nash are the following;

1 Corinthians (Proper Head Attire When Praying and Prophesying in Worship, 11:2–16)

(1) What exactly is Paul arguing against in these verses?

(a) Is he concerned with “hairstyle” or “head attire”?

(b) Is he concerned with both men and women or only women?

(2) Does he refer to “women” and “men” or “wives” and “husbands”?

(3) What does he mean by the word “head” (kephalē)?

(4) Why did Paul consider this to be a problem?

Each of these questions is fraught with difficulty and has varying levels of support from scholars. This is due to our lack of understanding of the situation in Corinth. This the lack of shared pool of knowledge. In order for communication to be successful both parties have to have a shared pool of knowledge. Take the example of two people that speak a different language. They have a very difficult time understanding each other and will try their hardest to find something in common to connect to in order to get the conversation heading in the proper direction.

Similarly, because this situation in Corinth occurred 2,000 years ago, even understanding Roman culture, Greek culture, Jewish culture, origins and backgrounds of words, etc. only helps to a certain point. At the end of the day, even the scholars give their best guess on this passage. So what are we, non-scholars supposed to do?

Look for the Main Point

You do what you should always do and what we strive to do from the pulpit - you look for the main point and focus on that. Keep the main thing the main thing. And despite all the uncertainty about many of the details in this passage, there are several points that are fairly universally agreed upon.

Paul begins with a word of praise to the Corinthians because they have followed many of the teachings of God, the traditions as they are called here. Paul is not referring to holiday traditions or man-made traditions. Rather he is referring to the fact that despite many of their failings the Corinthians were actually following many Christian teachings in their day-to-day lives. We are only hearing about the areas they were not following or were confused as to how to follow Christ in this letter.

The idea that the Corinthians were following the normal Christian beliefs and behaviors in other parts of their lives is recognized by Paul in 1 Cor 11.2 and in closing this section Paul mentions the practices of Christian churches again in 1 Cor 11.16 forming a kind of sandwich for this unit. Paul indicates that Christian churches in general have common practices because they follow the same Christ. This is part of the reason why you can go anywhere in the world and while the church service may not be exactly the same they will have similar components; music, preached word, prayer, time together, etc.

So as we get into the meat of the passage, we are keeping in mind that Paul is helping the Corinthians get in line with right beliefs and behaviors that are common or universal in the first century.

The first main section of the text is 1 Cor 11.3-6

1 Corinthians 11:3–6 CSB

3 But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head. 5 Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered.

Paul begins with “but” or in some translations “now” demonstrating that he is moving from praise to the problem on hand. And we immediately are thrust into a host of problems. The first thing I want you to notice is the repeated use of the word head in 1 Cor 11.3. Although there is much debate about whether Paul is using the word to refer to source (head waters, source of stream), prominence or preeminence, or authority/hierarchical structure what we can quickly see as the argument progresses is that this has something to do with honor. This is evident from verses 4, 5 and 6 - all of which refer to dishonor or disgrace in the CSB translation.

Honor in the Church

Thus the relationship between man and Christ, man and woman, and Christ and God in verse 3 is related to honor in verses 4-6.

And this honoring, in the situation in Corinth had to do with head coverings. So at times in the text head literally means physical head and at other times it is some kind of metaphorical usage referring back to verse 3.

It is also most likely that Paul goes back and forth, referring sometimes to men or women in general and other times to man and woman as married. Unlike English, the Greeks did not have a separate word for husband or wife so the context simply determined if the man or woman being talked about was married or not.

Here, based on what was going on in the culture of Rome in the first century and the manner in which Paul writes it seems that the women were doing something related to their heads that was dishonoring their husbands. Now again, their is debate as to whether Paul was specifically talking about having their hair up on their head versus hanging down or whether Paul was referring to wearing a loose cloth draped over their heads (not a veil over their face).

Paul then moves to the next section of the text 1 Cor 11.7-12 in which he argues from Genesis, and elsewhere that men should not cover their heads but women should. He argues this based on creation and God’s design.

So what I want to do this morning is help us key in on the main point - which has to do with honor - specifically honoring each other in corporate worship while honoring God in all that we do (1 Cor 10.31). And, I want us to see how the root issue of confusion for the Corinthians continues to be an issue of confusion for us today in our culture and even in our churches.

As we dive into this, we’re going to head to Genesis. As we go there, let’s not forget that the Corinthians have been struggling with how to deal with their new found freedom in Christ. And this struggle has manifested itself in several different ways. Some have thought the body no longer mattered and thus they could do whatever they wanted to with the body. This resulted in all sorts of sexual immorality (chapters 5-7, 10). This also resulted in being a stumbling block to others. Others viewed the body is not being important but went the opposite way - basically starving it. They no longer saw any reason for sex, even if they were married. They basically cut the body off from life. These two competing views on the body were both based on a gross misunderstanding of the design and nature of the body.

The Foundation: Image Bearers

This continues to be part of the root issue with head coverings as well, so back to Genesis we go!

Let’s start with Gen 1.26-28

Genesis 1:26–28 CSB

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

Here we find that God has made mankind in his own image and likeness.

Here we find that God has mandated, out of the blessing, that mankind be fruitful and multiply.

Here we find that God has made mankind to rule over, have dominion but not dominate all of the earth.

Here we find that God has made mankind, both male and female, in his image.

Genesis 1:31 CSB

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

Here we see that everything that God made was good, in fact after making mankind it was better than good, it was very good. This is going to be critical.

After Gen 1 we get to Gen 2 and sometimes people (and scholars) are confused as to why their are “two creation stories”. It’s very simple, Gen 2 is a zoomed in account of day six of chapter 1. In fact this zooming in (and out) continues to occur throughout the Bible. When you get to the genealogies of Gen 5 and Gen 10 these genealogies act as hinges connecting the stories but they also bring our attention to a new person, family or situation by zooming in on them after skimming through thousands of years of other people’s lives.

Genesis 2:7 CSB

7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Here find that God is the source of life for mankind.

Genesis 2:20–22 CSB

20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.

Here we find Adam exercising dominion by naming the creation of god.

Here we find Adam without a human companion.

Here we find God proving Adam with a suitable helper, made from his own side, not just the ground.

This is the passage Paul was alluding to in Corinthians about Eve being made from Adam.

So let’s recap a few points

God made everything good

God made humans in his own image and likeness

God made Adam first

God made Eve from Adam and she was similar to Adam (she was human) but she was different

God blessed humanity and told them to be fruitful and multiply. This required both the man and the woman working in unison. This would result in lots of image bearers representing God all over creation. All pointing to God as creator and honoring him for his greatness and goodness.

God gave humans the right to rule/have dominion as a steward/manager in place of God himself, to be a reflection of God himself.

These two chapters alone have huge ramifications, not just for the foundation of Paul’s arguments in 1 Corinthians but for all the chaos that our own culture is dealing with in regards to identity.

In the first century Paul is attempting to help the Christians understand that how they dress and how they act can bring honor or dishonor to both their husbands/spouses and the church of God, thus ultimately on God himself. Because the church is to be a lighthouse of good news to both its members and those outside its covenant community this matters.

Because the church is to reflect the goodness and greatness of God this matters.

Thus Paul instructs the women in Corinth who are praying or prophesying to demonstrate honor to their husbands and the church of God by having their head covered - whether that’s how they have their hair done or a cloth on their head we will leave alone for the moment.

Now, verse 1 Cor 11.10 is notoriously difficult to interpret as well

1 Corinthians 11:10 CSB

10 This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

It is possible, based on the literal reading of the Greek text, that Paul is saying that woman should exercise their own authority/freedom by having a covering on their head. This would fit with the context in Corinthians that we continue to see wherein ‘freedom’ is often abused rather than used for the honor of others and God.

Paul is concerned that the Corinthians have missed the goodness of God’s distinction in the sexes. There was a difference in how they were created. There was a difference in their natural design. There was a difference in how they related to each other. There was a difference how they looked. Paul says, although in Christ there is neither male or female - we are all on equal footing in Christ - we are still different and we don’t need to ignore those differences, in fact those differences are good and part of God’s very good design. So to blur those distinctions, to erase or eliminate those distinctions is completely contrary to God’s good design and thus is dishonoring to God himself, in addition to being a stumbling block to the church of God and those outside the church as well.

So while I’m not here this morning to urge all the women to put their hair a certain way or to put a cloth on their head I am here to remind you that God made you a woman and that means there are distinctions, differences and that is a good thing - not to be flaunted but to be used for the benefit of others, to build up, to complement, to fulfill the calling of God, both in your household and in the household of God.

While many of the abuses in chapters 5-7 may have been more likely to have been done by men, in Cor 11.2-16 it is the women who were causing the confusion and being misled by the culture. It seems pretty clear that whatever the nuance of the context in the first century Paul is saying their should be a difference in appearance between men and women and that married women should not act like unmarried woman but rather should be devoted and honorable to their husbands.

In the 21st century the way the confusion of gender differences shows up is a bit different. While the issue of fidelity to one’s spouse and distinctions in appearance continues to remain, with the continued advances in science, technology, philosophy, along with the continued decrease in the of authority of the church and God’s revelation as recorded in the Scriptures, we now deal with additional issues of gender identity and confusion that much of the church doesn’t know how to deal with.

Thankfully, we are always left with some amount of guidance from Scripture. Paul has broached the topic for us. Moses, in Genesis, has provided the foundation.

And we, in the 21st century must be wise enough to both honor God and his word in our application of these truths to our own times.

The same theological truths that undergirded Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians need to determine how we respond in our context as well - and they are foundational principles from Genesis.

Emotions, feelings, society, etc. should not be the locomotive of our decision making. We try to teach our kids at a young age that the proper response to feelings of anger is not to lash out with their fists, that crying is ok but you shouldn’t cry over everything, that sharing is caring....and then we grow up and suddenly we don’t feel masculine so we must really be feminine inside or we can’t decide so we are neither...

But God, in his compassion says,

dear child - you were made in my image and likeness, to represent me wherever you go

dear child - you were made distinct from animals and formed to fit with another human, you were made as a male or a female so that, should you so choose to form a union with the opposite gender, you can fulfill my mandate to be fruitful and multiple, leaving a legacy of image bearers and managers that reflect the goodness and greatness of God

dear child - you don’t need to be confused, listen to the voice of your loving Creator, who sent His only Son to die for you, so reunite you with me, despite any sins you have committed

dear child - do not choose the lies of the enemy or the culture, I have shown you the truth, choose it, guard it, don’t let go of it

dear child - surround yourself with other image bearers of God that live to honor God and honor others, who choose to surrender their own rights for the greater good and glory of God

When in Rome do as the Romans do…not so for Paul...

men=all men or married men

women=all women or married women

head covering=hair or veil

head=source or authority/heirarchy

1 Corinthians Explanation of the Text

The issue to be dealt with is this: given that the husband is “head” of his wife (and so has some authority), how should this be reflected in worship when all come together and all are involved in worship?

man/woman=man/woman or

Headship=origin, source of life (relational), authority (submission/hierarchy), metaphorical

man/woman

Husband/Wife

Father/Jesus

Pastor/Member

voluntary submission

diff role does not mean diff status with God

equal but diff roles

authority does not mean one is inferior

representative relationship (woman represents man/husband and reflects him)

there is no flaunting (not based on knowledge, spirituality, social status, gender, authority)

the heirarchy Paul is talking about continues all the way up to God the Father

Paul Gardner (ZECNT) writes

1 Corinthians Explanation of the Text

With arguments from creation and nature, Paul now discusses how husbands and wives should pray and prophesy within the gathered worshipping community in such a way that public respect is paid to the nature of their relationship in which the husband is the head of his wife. Again, it is important to note that as Paul discusses head coverings, he is discussing how women will participate and not if they can participate. In this sense Paul is far removed from those in Judaism who would have forbidden a woman to take part verbally in corporate worship

redemption in Christ does not reverse or remove the authority God has determined since creation

Anthony Thiselton (NIGTC)

The First Epistle to the Corinthians V. Freedom, Status, Reciprocity, and Respect for the Other in the Ordering of Public Worship and in Attitudes toward “Spiritual Gifts” (11:2–14:40)

Love modifies “freedom” and “rights” if the good of the whole is thereby better served, and especially if the gospel is more effectively promoted (cf. 9:19–27)

The First Epistle to the Corinthians (1. Mutuality and Reciprocity: Self-Respect, Respect for the Other, and Gender Identity in Public Worship (11:2–16))

The relation between God and Christ in this epistle entails both “order” and differentiation on one side (cf. 15:28) and mutuality and reciprocity on the other hand (Thiselton).

Garland writes

1 Corinthians Explanation of the Text

The perspective Paul brings to the question of covering the head and what does or does not bring honor is drawn both from Genesis 1:27 and 2:18–23. God created both man and woman in his image. Yet Paul’s point is more subtle. The man, who was created first and was in God’s image, was brought into being by God to bring glory to him through serving, living, and acting for him in the world where he was placed. Woman, who was created second and was also in God’s image, was brought into being by God to be a “helper fit for him [the man]” (Gen 2:18 ESV). God created her “from man” (ἐξ ἀνδρός) and for the purpose of serving the man. She was to bring “glory” to him through being with, enabling, and serving him. Thus the creation of woman was designed to bring glory to the man because, first she came from him (thinking of her being taken from his rib) and secondly because she was created for him (v. 9b; διά with the accusative gives cause).

unveiled=removal of head covering, having short hair, having hair that is let down

why unveiled is wrong=dishonor/shame, lack of distinction between genders, authority in marriage

Greek culture, Roman culture, social customs in dress, hair up = married, loose hair = loose woman?

Throughout 1 Cor dealing with extremes; because I’m a Christian I can do what I want as the body doesn’t matter (temper freedom with responsibility in how you impact others), because I’m a Christian I am ‘other worldly’ and the body doesn’t matter. Two responses, both wrong, both view the body as unimportant - one leads to excess, the other to rigid restraint.

1 Corinthians Explanation of the Text

Barrett helpfully comments, “Obediently to be what God intended them to be is the highest glory that human beings can achieve. To wear her hair long, in a womanly fashion, is an outward sign that a woman is fulfilling her role in creation.”55 Appropriately and modestly dressed, this long hair that is her glory therefore truly brings glory to her head, her husband, for it reveals she is a wife, and it reveals her chosen way of humility in the congregation whereby she refuses to flaunt her “authority

angels=guardians of the created order/honor and glory (don’t distract by your appearance, angels who may be tempted by women,

Power

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Volumes 1–5 ἐξουσία

In contrast with the LXX, the vb. ἔξεστιν is freq. in the NT, with more than 30 occurrences (all but 5 being found in the Gospels and Acts; the exceptions are 1 Cor 6:12 [2×]; 10:23 [2×]; 2 Cor 12:4).

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Volumes 1–5 ἐξουσία

The noun ἐξουσία occurs over 100× in the NT

New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Volumes 1–5 ἐξουσία

The relatively rare vb. ἐξουσιάζω, “to have authority / power,” occurs only 3× (Luke 22:25; 1 Cor 6:12; 7:4), while the compound κατεξουσιάζω, “to lord it over [someone],” is attested for the first time in the NT and in only one context (Matt 20:25 par. Mark 10:42; subsequently it is used almost exclusively by Christian writers).