1 Corinthians 11:2-16 NKJV
Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.
13 Judge among 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 dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given [a]to her for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
There is a lot to unpack in this set of scriptures
I could probably preach on it for weeks
But we don’t have that kind of time tonight
Paul gives a lengthy example of what is expected of woman during a church service
This scripture brings about a lot of debates in theologians
On one side people use this scripture to say Paul is shaming the Corinthian church
As if he is mocking them for allowing women to even speak in a service
You might be asking, how do they get to that conclusion?
They base it off of
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NKJV
Let [j]your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. 35 And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
Their conclusion is since scripture can’t contradict itself, this must be what Paul is doing
But I don’t believe this is the case
What Paul is referring to is that woman were calling out questions to their husbands during service
Which led to a loud disorderly service
This scripture from Paul was for this specific purpose
Another view of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is that Paul isn’t just referring to woman
He is specifically addressing the hierarchy of God, Christ, Husband, and wife
This view comes directly from
1 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV
But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
This verse brings a very important, but difficult question to the interpretation of this scripture
Should the word man- Greek aner (an-ayer) be translated as husband
And the word woman-greek gune(goo-nay)be translated to wife
The first part of the scripture is clear, the head of every man is Christ
This is referring to men or at least all Christian men
But does the phrase, the head of woman is man accurately display the context of the verse?
I’m not sure that it does, if this is accurate that means that man is the head of all women
That would be Christian and non Christian men would have authority over all woman
Biblically a Christian woman would have to submit regardless if the man was her husband or not
The esv version translates this verse to more accurately
1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife[a] is her husband,[b] and the head of Christ is God.
If we look through scripture these words an-ayer and goon-nay when used together often refer to husband and wife
Let me show you a few scriptures
1 Corinthians 7:2-3 ESV
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.
Ephesians 5:23 ESV
For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
Titus 1:6 ESV
if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[a] and his children are believers[b] and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.
In all these verses it refers to husband and wife not man and woman
In context to the overall scripture this is the appropriate wording that paul was using
Also just a few verses later paul says For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man
This is a direct reference to genesis chapter 2
Eve was made from Adam and for Adam so that he would not be alone
Eve wasn’t made for Adam and all other men
It is a reference to the first marriage covenant between husband and wife
Even the illustration of the woman with a head covering refers to a marriage
The culture of Corinth at that time was that when a woman was married, she wore a head covering
The reason for this is that it shows submission to her own husband
With this information we can logically come to the conclusion that contextually paul means husband and wife
Now I will read 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 in a more accurate version
(ESV)
Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife[a] is her husband,[b] and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife[c] who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.[d] 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God. 13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
Now that I have given you some context to the scripture, it really shows nature and hierarchy of what God created in a marriage relationship and within the church
Here at faith and victory we all believe woman can be in ministry
But I wanted to give the context to what this scripture is saying
So how do we apply this scripture?
1 Corinthians 11:3 ESV
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife[a] is her husband,[b] and the head of Christ is God.
I’ve talked quite a bit about the women’s role
But I feel it is important to address the husband’s role as well
With Christ being the head of man, we have a huge responsibility that we must try to live up to
As a godly and biblical man, you must take scripture as the ultimate authority
Being the head of our wives isn’t always the easiest task
We can become frustrated, angry, and impatient with our spouse at times
But it is also an amazing gift that God has given us
I’m glad I’m not alone
If I didn’t have my wife, I probably wouldn’t even be able to feed myself
Lets see what scripture says
Ephesians 5:25-33 ESV
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.[a] 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Men I want to be very clear
The way you love your wife is not contingent on whether she fulfills her role
We have a command from God and we must be obedient to that
As a husband you have a great example to follow
The husband role is to reflect Jesus’ love for His church
We are His bride
Lets follow the example Jesus set
We must love our wives with a sacrificial love
Jesus’ love was sacrificial
He even died for us because of the love He has for us
He died for His bride
We must be willing to do the same
Christian men must be willing to lay their lives down for their wives
Not specifically in the instance of dying for her
But your life is no longer your own once you say I Do
You have to sacrifice your own self interest for the sake of your wife
Husbands must love their wives more than they love themselves
We must have a love that serves
If Jesus didn’t come to be served , but to serve
Then we must follow this example in our marriage
You need to serve your wife
That includes meeting her needs
And giving her your time
When your wife is in the room you should pay attention
Don’t constantly scroll your phone or day dream
Allow her to see that you are willing to serve the needs that she has
Believe me, women want to be heard, I know this because they like to talk
This actually convicted me while writing
I don’t believe I’ve served my wife to the extent that I could have, but I will now
A husband must also have a faithful love
You must be faithful to her
When you say I do its for life
Love her faithfully
Husbands need to be understanding and caring as well
We aren’t made the same
They need to be understood
Give them the time they deserve listen to the things they say
And care about them the way God intended you to do
Husbands need to have a sanctifying love for their wives
It is our job to lead our wives in godliness
We push them to grow, we hope they grow
Pray with them, read the word together
Worship together
It is an amazing thing to see your wife grow in godly character
Its exciting when they grow in their relationship with Christ
And you get to help lead them there
Which brings me to a love that leads
We must lead our wives in all reverence to Christ
You will be held accountable for how you lead them
You, as the husband, must understand that if Christ leads us
You must lead like Him
Make godly decisions, have a home that always puts Christ first
Don’t just sit around and do nothing
If you haven’t been leading your home, start now
And that’s not with barking orders
Saying “Im the boss, listen”
Lead you wife well and it will do good for you
If you lead your house well, usually your wife will follow suite
Then she can better fill her role as a wife
Ephesians 5:22-24 ESV
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
In our culture today people loathe the word submit
But it is biblical
It doesn’t mean the wife is a doormat, it does mean she has to follow as her husband leads
Just like husbands, wives will also be held accountable for how they submit to their husbands
The wife’s role is to be a help mate, which means, no matter how bad you want it, you aren’t the head
As a wife you are not to rule over your husband
You must allow scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide your heart
I know husbands can be a lot to deal with sometimes
But nonetheless, you need to submit
Only few cases would allow you to not submit
That is, if he is leading you sin
Or if the husband is abusive
What you can’t do is play out the abuse card
We all know what abuse is
But abuse is not, “oh my husband didn’t buy me everything I want”
Don’t do that
Wives need to come along side their husbands as a helpmate like the Lord intended
Here are some practical ways you can help your husband
Be a companion
God created eve in the garden because it was not good for man to be alone
So he created woman
As a wife you should enjoy spending time with your husband
Learn some of his interests, talk to him about them
GO out and do things together
Let him see you love him and want his companionship
You must love your husband
You make a vow on your wedding, till death do us part
If you are having a difficult time remember that you chose him for a reason
You loving your husband is a choice that you will make daily, its not a feeling
Love him when things are difficult or if he’s struggling
Respect your husband
Show him the honor that is due
Listen to what he says as he leads you
Don’t argue over every little thing or if you didn’t get things the way you wanted them
Its not the end of the world, let go of it and respect your husband
You should help your husband
You can give him advice when needed
You can comfort him in trials and the good
Don’t be a burden to him
And lastly, be devoted to him
Honor your marriage vows
You are in this until the end remain faithful to him
Do the role God assigned you to do
Even if your husband isn’t fulfilling his role, its your job to fulfill yours
Which in turn, can change him as well
One more thing to mention for both roles
Don’t deny your spouse intimacy, like married people stuff
Its wrong and it will destroy your marriage
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