In I Corinthians 11:2, Paul praises the Corinthians for keeping the traditions (teachings)as he delivered them. Paul goes on to expand on the head covering. Apparently, the people at Corinth were not going far enough in their application of what Paul was saying. We must also remember that Paul wasn’t just writing about his own preferences, his likes and dislikes. He was writing under the influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” II Peter 1:21.

Beginning in I Corinthians 11:3, Paul gives us the logical order. Christ is the head of man, man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ. The woman was made to be a helper to man, this role has never changed. She was made to be an adornment, to compliment and bring completeness and fulfillment.

When women fulfill their God given roles, they are the glory of men. When women gratify their own sinful nature and desires, they are like rottenness to the bones of men. Proverbs 12:4 says, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

In the Apocrypha, Sirach 36:27 describes the adornment that a godly woman can be to her husband. “A woman’s beauty lights up a man’s face, and there is nothing he desires more. If kindness and humility mark her speech, her husband is more fortunate than other men. He who acquires a good wife gets his best possession, a helper fit for him and a pillar of support.”

In I Corinthians 11, Paul seems to be focusing on the fulfillment of those God-given roles of men and women. He seems to be pointing back to the Old Testament and the directives God gave for men and women. His goal is to keep the created differences between the man and the woman, his reference for the need of the head covering is just one example. He is also giving directions to maintain the purity within the body of Christ.

He didn’t want those who made a profession of faith in Christ, to live as if they were serving the devil. If people made a profession of faith in Christ, were baptized, and joined the local church, and then went on serving the world, the flesh, and the devil, they would be dishonoring God and trampling the sacrifice of His son under foot.

In verse 15, Paul says that a woman’s hair was given her as a head covering, she is to look feminine, different from the man. Because of the carnality within the church at Corinth, he also calls for women to where a cloth head covering. Does Paul’s directive to wear the head covering apply to us today? I don’t think the literal application of it does. But the principle behind it most certainly does and it will always be applicable as long as there are sinners in the church. Here are some closing points for us to consider.

1- Paul’s desire for the men and women at Corinth was rooted in Old Testament laws, commandments, and principles.

2- The distinctive differences between the sexes were to be maintained for the glory of God.

3- Paul was condemning those who came to church looking like a prostitute in the temple of Aphrodite. Wearing clothing to purposely arouse the interest of others in the local church was to be shunned.

4- Paul’s desire for women to wear a head covering was to promote purity and God honoring worship in the local church.

5- Christians are to be conformed to the image of Christ. We are to reflect the image of God to those around us, at home, at work, shopping, or in the local church.

6- The Glory of God was at the center of Paul’s message. Are we glorifying Him every day that He gives us?

Comments or questions, contact me at: thoughtsonword@gmail.com

¯¯¯

Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published three books, “Common Thoughts on The Word” in 2016 and “Eye of a Needle” in 2017 and “Common Thoughts on The Word II” in 2019. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book.