Welcome to Series 4.   

Recap and Background 

 The book of 1 Corinthians moves between many different themes with each series. We studied the question of idolatry in Series 3, which was a major concern for Paul in terms of the Corinthians being involved in pagan ceremonies and eating food sacrificed to idols. Now, in Series 4, we change completely. Paul is focusing on a series of questions that have arisen concerning the public worship of the church in Corinth. It appears that there were many serious problems in public worship. There is a discussion in this episode concerning men and women together in worship, particularly husbands and wives. Paul goes on later to discuss the Lord's Supper, or the Communion, and how the Corinthians were making a lot of mistakes in the way they celebrated it. He also talks about relationships in the church and church unity, bearing in mind it was a very divided community. He spends some time talking about the use of spiritual gifts - miraculous spiritual gifts, like tongues, prophecy and healing, that the Holy Spirit gives the church members. In all these areas there are problems. 

Corinthian Culture 

In Corinth, as far as we know, there were about 100 to 200 people gathered in a church meeting that met regularly every Sunday. They were meeting mostly in the open air, probably in the courtyard of somebody’s house - someone who had a large house and was a member of the church congregation. Paul had reports sent to him which indicated that as the church came together, there were a lot of tensions and difficulties. The first difficulty that he addresses, is men and women at worship together, and particularly husbands and wives. 

This is a passage that has caused some difficulty for the Church in terms of understanding what Paul is talking about and interpreting it for today. It must be interpreted into the many different cultures that the Church is working in. We need to think carefully about the original context.  

When we read this passage, we find that Paul is teaching about women wearing head coverings. What does he mean by this? First, the head coverings were probably scarves that covered some, or all of a woman's hair. Secondly, we need to ask ourselves the question, ‘Which women were wearing these head coverings and why were they wearing them?’ The custom in ancient Greece and in ancient Rome was for married women to wear a head scarf as a sign that she was married, and she would wear a head scarf when she appeared in public. This means that single women, young girls and widows, generally speaking, did not wear these head coverings. This was a sign of your status as a married woman, and this sign carried honour in society. It enabled everyone to identify your relationship, your family and your status within that family. Paul discovered that the women in the Corinthian church, having found freedom in Christ and discovered the gospel, had started the practice of taking off their head coverings when they appeared in public, and particularly when they were in public worship. They took off their head coverings thinking they didn't need them anymore: ‘We have become Christians; we have become free of our culture and we can carry on like this’. The question was, what was Paul going to say about this?  

Another thing to remember is, in the background of this passage are the cultural traditions about hair in ancient Greek and Roman society. All societies distinguish between the hairstyles of men and women in general, and usually men's hairstyle is shorter, and women's hairstyle is longer. This applies to almost all cultures across history, and all cultures in the ancient world that Paul knew about. This was the general custom. He makes some comments about the length of hair for men and women. There was another very important symbol in their society, which Paul refers to here - the situation where a woman's hair was shaven off. This took place in Corinth and other similar cities, as a sign that a woman was a prostitute in that culture. We need to remember these cultural symbols when we look at this passage: the symbol of head covering worn by women who were married, the general tradition and culture that women wore longer hair than men and men wore short hair, and the shaving of a woman's head if she was a prostitute. Paul had all these things in mind. 

The reason that he raises this issue is because the women in the church decided that they were no longer going to wear their head coverings in the church context. Paul was interested in this, because of the question that dress codes in any culture is a matter of honour or shame. How we dress, which will vary between cultures, is interpreted in a particular culture in a particular way, and it is very easy to give offense in the culture by the way you dress. If you give offense to other people in your culture, then this can cause a problem for the reputation of the church. In the ancient world, honour and shame were very important issues, and they were often linked to the clothes that people wore.  

We have a very good illustration of this in the teaching of Jesus, in Matthew 22. Jesus tells the parable of a wedding banquet, where a man invited many people to come to a wedding banquet that he was putting on. One man came in, and he did not wear his wedding clothes. He did not wear suitable clothes for the wedding, and he brought upon himself shame by the things that he was wearing. The master of the banquet expelled him. He was angry with him for showing disrespect. Showing disrespect through the clothing you wear was a very important issue in the ancient world. It is a very important issue in some modern societies in different parts of the world. That is what Paul was concerned about in this particular episode.  

The Roles of Husbands and Wives 

 “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 realise that the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered, dishonours his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head. It's 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, for it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved. Then she should cover her head.” 
1 Corinthians 11:2 - 6 NIV  

The women were involved in public worship alongside the men. They were praying and prophesying, but they had taken off their head coverings and this brought confusion to people. Were they renouncing their marriage with it, saying that they were free to have relationships with other men? Paul was very concerned that this was the impression they were giving. Were they showing disrespect to their husbands? Yes, they were in that culture. Although the women were freely participating in the church life - they were praying, prophesying, contributing - they were showing disrespect by taking off the head covering as a symbol of their marriage. 

Paul, in dealing with this, discusses a theological issue. He explains that in marriage, there is a relationship between a man and woman and of a particular responsibility for the man within that marriage relationship. He explains the following: God the Father is head over Jesus Christ. The Father and the Son are equally God, but the Father is the leader of that relationship. It is God the Father who sent the Son to the world. ‘Christ is the head,’ says Paul, ‘over the man,’ meaning the husband, in this situation. Husbands are called to obey Christ in loving and serving their wives. Paul makes this point very clear in Ephesians 5, when he is discussing the role of husbands in marriage. He makes the connection between the husband’s relationship with the wife and Christ's relationship with the Church. Ephesians 5: 25, ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her.’ The husband is under the authority of Christ and must demonstrate the same love to his wife that Christ displayed towards the Church. Christ is head over the husbands, and the husbands are head over their wives, in the sense that he is given the responsibility for leading the family in obedience to Christ. 

This is not about power. This is about responsibility to serve and to guide the family members towards the path of obedience and discipleship - to guide his wife and his children. Husbands are given this responsibility. Paul says ‘Husbands need to honour Christ,’ and to honour Christ means you don't wear a head covering if you are a man - that will confuse everybody. Wives need to honour their husbands by wearing the public sign of their marriage, which in his culture was the head covering. In modern cultures, in many parts of the world, the principal sign of being married is a wedding ring. It is very good that Christians should wear wedding rings to indicate their loyalty and their commitment to their marriage partner. I have my wedding ring on, which I have worn every day for the last 42 years.  

Paul is concerned about the importance of respectful behavior in a culture of honour and shame, and he is very afraid that the church will get a bad reputation if people hear that the wives in the church community are no longer loyal to their husbands, and maybe they are having relationships with other men. Paul is afraid that this is the impression they are giving. So, he says, ‘Wear your head coverings, showing sign of respect to your status as wives in marriage.’ 

Genesis Basis for Marriage 

“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 woman came from man. So also, man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.” 1 Corinthians 11: 7 - 12 NIV

Paul goes back to the creation account to explain the underlying reality of the relationship between men and women, and the partnership between them. He is thinking about the early chapters of the book of Genesis, and we must think carefully about the verses that Paul has in mind, as told in Genesis. In Genesis 1: 26 - 28, God makes it clear that he has made male and female, man and woman equally in his own image. They are of the same status before God, and they are designed to be partners together, to reproduce and to fill the earth. That is a wonderful truth that we need to hold on to. But in Genesis chapter 2, there is a more detailed account of the creation of male and female, Adam and Eve. It is this second account that Paul has in mind in this passage when he points out something which we may not think is very significant, but which Paul understood to be important, and that is that Adam was created first. He is described here as ‘the glory of God’. That is, he is to give honour to God in a special way. Eve was created from Adam, and she is his glory in the sense that she honours him as her partner from whom she came. This story of Adam and Eve and their creation is very important in Paul's mind. 

What exactly happens in the story? Adam is created from the dust. Here is a miraculous creation of a man from just the dust of the earth. He is placed, according to the story, in the Garden of Eden, a special place where Adam is to live and to work. He is given two commands. The first command is to look after and develop the garden, to cultivate it. The second command is not to eat of a particular tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that exists in the garden. Adam is given these two important commands on his own. He is given a moral responsibility to obey God. That is what Paul has in mind when he is writing this passage. Adam was created first, then Eve was created from Adam and brought to him, and they were drawn together and as one, they became husband and wife. What happened in this situation is that she came alongside him to help him fulfill the commands that God had given: firstly, to reproduce; secondly, to cultivate the garden; and thirdly, to obey God by not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 

We notice here that Adam had received two of those commands specifically on his own. Eve came alongside him, so she shares the responsibility, but he has a greater responsibility to ensure the obedience to God. She shares the responsibility he already has. Paul has this very clearly in mind. He believed the partnership between men and women in marriage would be strongest when both the husband and the wife respect the fact that he must take the lead in finding the best way to obey God; he must take that responsibility, not turn away from that responsibility, not become selfish, or exploitative, or abuse his wife, nor take all the power to himself, but rather serve her by pointing them both to obedience to God. Marriage is a great symbol of that partnership.  

Paul goes on to say that man is not independent of woman, and woman is not independent of man. We need each other. Just as Eve came from Adam in the first place, so every subsequent man comes from his mother's womb and is totally dependent on her. We are made to be interdependent together, but in that interdependence, Paul says, the husband in the marriage has a particular responsibility to lead spiritually, sacrificially, unselfishly - to lead his wife to the right path of obedience for them and their family, and any children that they may have. 

Hairstyles that are Culturally Acceptable 

“Judge for yourself. 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's a disgrace to him. But 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”. 1 Corinthians 11:13 to 16 NIV

Paul is referring to hairstyles and encourages men and women to choose hairstyles that are culturally acceptable in their situation. Notice here that Paul also says that people may want to be argumentative; they may not like what he is saying. They may be contentious, but he points out ‘We have no other practice, nor do the churches of God’. In other words, wherever Paul went, taught the same things about marriage and the man's responsibility to lead in marriage and the woman's responsibility to be an active partner with the man, and to respect that relationship as God had designed it to be. It wasn't something he was just teaching to the Corinthian church, and only relevant to them. It was relevant to every church in Paul's day.  

This teaching, which is sometimes found to be confusing, or concerning, or difficult to understand, by some people, is in fact fairly straightforward, if we remember that the issue is about marriage, and also if we remember that head covering was a symbol of marriage in their culture but may not be the symbol of marriage in your culture. For example, in India, a woman's status as a married woman is usually traditionally indicated by a necklace or a toe ring, or a nose, or a bangle - not a head covering. In many societies today, the primary indication in public that you are married is through a wedding ring. In Tibet, the symbol is wearing of an apron. There could be different symbols in your culture. The head covering symbol is specific only to those cultures where it means that it is a sign of a woman being married.  

Reflections 

First, we can reflect on the Genesis account of the creation of man and woman, in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2. 
It is clear here in 1 Corinthians 11, and elsewhere in Paul's teaching, that he thinks that Genesis 2 and the way that Adam and Eve were created, is spiritually significant for the relationship of husbands and wives, and men and women in church communities. It is worth going back to those chapters, especially Genesis 2, and reading them carefully again. 

It is also worth remembering that Paul develops the ideas found in this passage in Ephesians 5:22 - 23, when he teaches on marriage. If you want to study this further, compare that passage in Ephesians with this passage in 1 Corinthians 11. 

The final reflection is this: there is nothing more powerful for the Kingdom of God than men and women working together, and not in competition. This is always hard to achieve in every culture, and it is quite clear there was a problem developing in Corinth. There are problems concerning this in every culture. Usually, the main problem is men exploiting their power and opportunity selfishly. Paul continually argues against that, calling men to be servants of the church and servants of their family.  

Thanks for listening to this episode, and I look forward to welcoming you back as we continue through this series on public worship in Corinth.