Chapter 11:2-16 Christian household and Church.

Chapter 11:2-16 Christian household and Church. Head-coverings clothes or lack of effects the fellowship. Long hair. Who is the head? And who are we submitting to? Why be rebellious in the fellowship what movies?

Paul will continue his address and encourage and correct, first he praises the Corinthians that the remember Him and maintained what Paul has delivers to them from Jesus. Paul does instruct and clearly who Christ is and who God is and, what man and woman are in relation to Christ and God. Who is the head, the leader the one to submit to and follow? The text is less about hats that attitude of our hearts and our submission to Christ.  (I think all that try to take scripture seriously so be commended/ for doing that not mocked). (All will at some point say this is cultural; but when and what and are we are aware of our own culture biases when we come to scripture, - caution when someone say: the text says or mean something different; that what the text say).

2. As said before Paul takes time to praise the Corinthians for remembering him and keep the traditions that Paul had delivered to them. – In verse 3 Paul seems to correct or explain instruct the people’s relationships to God, Christ and one another. And Paul uses the word head.

3. Paul I want you to understand (meaning that they might not have – explains some of the issues – fractions, worldly wisdom, sexual immorality, unwillingness to submit to Christ and God and one another).

The head of every man is Christ (okay no man /believer is his own master Christ is = submission to Christ)

The head of every wife/woman is her husband (God – Christ - Husband - wife = wife submits to her husband, as Christ submits to God).  (This is God’s order – and Paul it pointing to it for peace, and joy, and to avoid rebellion). (Where there is not submission to Christ there is rebellion, sin.)

The head of Christ is God. (Our example is Christ that submits to God, for God’s glory, as Paul asked last week whatever you do, do it to the Glory of God). – the flow of the passage: Head of every man is Christ, and head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. – The promise that this talks about function and not value and worth.

(We can also add Children, submit to your parents, wife, husband, Christ God.)

4 Paul will now explain some differences between man and woman, - (I know not popular today or even then. Paul appeals to creation that men and woman are different and have different functions, they are not the same. (And to me that makes logical sense if men and woman are the same God would not have had to make 2 different “kinds” of people. Paul dose not put value or worth in here; but function/purpose. What then is the trespass if a man prayed or prophesies with his head covered, he dishonors Christ. (How? – Paul will get to that in verse 7) I am not sure totally, but this verse is why I and others take of our hats, wile praying. There is something about how God has made man that this is what is asked, to uncover to honor God and Christ, to reflect the image and Glory of God, in creation. And woman is asked to do it for the glory of man, to reflect God image as she is the glory of man. (Is the man treating his wife so she can do that?) What then is a play, will a man honor God or dishonor Christ?

5 Then addressed the wife that dishonors her husband, Christ and God, if she prays or prophesies with her head uncovered, it will be shame as if her head were shaven. – Okay, then what is at play, do all woman have to ware hats in church when praying? Well, it was normal for many women when I grew up, some of you also grew up in Churches or know churches that does this. I am not going to say they should change, why not, well because the structure in those churches is, they try to follow the bible and they have a system of I hope submission to Christ, and his word.

Then why are our practices different? Good question. The question from last time; is it really about meat? Today’s question is it really about a hat? I don’t think so, it is weather we will submit to Christ, and to Gods created order.

If we do not submit, as Christ did to God, we are in rebellion, and when we are in rebellion, we are idol worshipers, we exchange Christ with something ells. (My way power, sex, money, my wisdom, my rights, etc.) Paul continues to point people to Jesus, and encourage them to submit to him, and the way God created men and woman. Paul is restoring order in the fellowship with God’s order, as we have read there are many people wise in their sight, philosophers, justifying; what they see in culture to fit in to following Jesus. (Family structure, gatherings, political structure etc.) And Paul brings them back to how God made man and woman, and how the family is structured, - controversial then and now for some.

Idolatry will cover a man head, selfishness, bad attitude, fractions and sexual immorality, coming to the fellowship and praying and prophesying like that, and or say and pray things that are not true about God, and Jesus Christ, saying God did something, when he did not, false words, false pictures and so on, that one clam is from God but is not, that dishonors God, - and shows people; who the devil is more than who Christ is.  (If in worship together we show one another: who God as we worship – then doing the opposite we show who the enemy is, with faction, hurt, rebellion against, mother and farther, husbands, Christ and God.

We would like the opposites, worship of Christ, to the glory of God by the Holy Spirts power that we might understand and see Christ clearer and show it to others that come to worship).

Then for men it was a covert head, for woman and uncovered. If you are married do you ware a ring? Do you take it off, to confuse people? Do you tell people you are not married? Do you dress up as a prostitute? Do you try to get the attaint ion of other men? (The same questions for the men). In other words, do you try to avoid the cultural makers that shows that you are married?

Paul address this in verse 6, and appeals to the church to not be rebellious, even saying if you are you should shave your head, and look like a prostitute, if you chose rebellion. Instead submit to you husband, as Christ submits to God.

7. What is man and what is woman, - Man is the image of the glory of God, -woman is the glory of man. Okay Paul what do you mean, - 8. Woman was made from man, and 9 for made for the man, here we see function, woman was made to be a helper to man, he needed a companion and a helper, Man was to submit to God, and lead and love his wife, that she would be his glory for others to see, what God had created in woman.

10. The order should be restored, and woman’s function in creation as under Christ and her husband. And that is visible in in words and actions and physically as well. – That people that join the fellowship will not see many rebellious women, looking like prostitutes even when married or gossip, slandering their husband, and setting them self above Jesus Christ.  (The same goes for men and Children – when people come to worship, do they see men submitted to Christ serving their family as Christ served the church, Children submitted to their parents or – chaos and rebellion and idol-worship. Do they and we show Jesus Christ to others in our fellowship and worship times or do we show the devil?). It should be clear who is submitting to who – also so other that come to the fellowship can see.

11+12 What is our relationship in Christ as men and woman, we are deepening on one another, to worship, to serve to complement one another that Christ is glorified, again pointing to creation and now to how we are created; and summing it up this is all from God, this is God’s order of the family. Submit to Christ, to husband, to parents, as Christ dose to the father.  

13-16 Paul asks them to judge, - you have to know this, - God’s structure is good; don’t confuse it.  Woman is covered but her husband and her hat/hair as symbol of that – ring or others today. Paul then addressed why men should not have long hair, asking the question does not nature teach you that a man wears ling har it is a disgrace for him? – (Why the long hair - from nature it is a feminine glory to have long hair, - and Paul writes we should all see that from creation and nature – this in not totally obvious in our culture, - but who is dishonored the man is himself, for adopting what is famine from creation. Which is a little funny because most people in the west did it to rebel against God, Church and their parents and so on and today, people that what to be very masculine heavy metal has long hair, and Paul say that Gods created order clearly shows that this is famine).  

But the woman’s hair is her glory and given for a covering. (Men should not look like woman and woman like men and both should not dress as prostitutes).

Paul ends with – “if you are one who want to argue about God’s order and plan for men and woman, - we don’t have such practice – and nightery do the other og God Churches. – (Again, what is your motivation to rebel is it Christ Jesus or yourself?)

It comes down to do you trust in God, have you submitted to God (daily), are you living a life where the goal is to imitate Christ?  (If not, you are still in rebellion against God, - repent at submit to God – as Christ Jesus did as he made a way for us to be forgiven from our rebellion and sin, knowing better that God, setting our self above the fellowship, doubting that God is good. Gods showed his love for the world as he sends Jesus to show who God is, to live, die, for sin and rebellion Christ submitted to God for our good and God’s glory, that we might submit to Christ, and follow Jesus, and live for the glory of God and the good of others).  

Here we get to the core is; worship services and the fellowship a place where Christ it the center of worship? Not my will, and what songs I want to sing. Or I only want to go if there is kids-church, or if this person is speaking, or cooking, or so on… I will only join if they come. What is our hearts altitude towards God? God does not know what he is talking about…. I don’t care about the rules not running, screaming – I am God, I deicide even when it hurts others, are we then submitted to Christ? Parents, husband – Christ and God? Or are we just worshiping our self?  

The question would be why do you do something? (For the glory of God and good of others – or to get you way, and rebel against God and others because you know a better way) Whatever we do, not to give God glory and for the good of others; we do to worship ourself and our cause or self-justification - a kind of Pharsailcalness rebellion, saying God got this wrong. I know the right way.

I had a friend that said I like to ware provoking clothe to get a reaction, or say things to get a reaction, I have my rights and God is an oppressive and mean, -

Some examples:

Shaving you head because you are for abortion – and what to show the Pop he is wrong. (Used as punishment by Roman law, if a woman was unfaithful – used after 2 world war, on woman that had cooperated or had German boyfriends).

Growing long hair to show rebellion against parents and social structures –

Making you cause the ultimate cause, climate worship – people worship   

Should you put on a hat – well it is a lot easier to put on a symbol – that it is to live it out. – Et is easy for a man to take off his hat and pray that it is to submit to Christ and live for him. The same for woman – easy to put on a hat, hander to live it out.

Should a man have long hair, the question why? And do you understand creation order or do you wish to rebel agist it.

Men should not look like or try to me woman, and woman should not try to be and look like men.  -And all should submit to Christ as he submitted to God. And all of this should be clear in the fellowship and in worship.

We should not somehow make worship about what we look like or dress a way that attracts attention away from Jesus to us. – Modesty, A followers of Christ we are not to show off what we got – our life is about following Jesus, not pointing to ourself but to Jesus.

Share the gospel – all of us has failed this, - only Jesus Christ submitted perfectly to God. And made a way for us to God.