1 Corinthians 11:1-16 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Corinthians 11:1-16. Let’s go!
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV)
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
On verse 1: Paul tells his church in Corinth to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ. That’s the direction we should all aim to walk in, that as we do our best to follow Christ’s example, may we give those in our care a good example for them to follow also. For we all need people in our lives who can model for us what it looks like practically to follow Jesus Christ. Of course, no one gets it perfectly right, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn something from others. Take the good things you see from the lives of the leaders God has placed in your life and apply them to your own life. Incarnation (Christ living in us) is often sparked by imitation, that is, we can become more like Jesus by seeing how others follow Jesus and by following their example.
1 Corinthians 11:2 (NIV)
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.
On verse 2: Here Paul is likely responding to a letter from the church in Corinth in which the church has mentioned that they are trying to keep to Paul’s teachings. Paul commends them for this, despite the fact that Paul sees a number of serious problems in the way the church had been behaving.
What can we learn from this? As a parent, as a leader, as a teacher, you may see a whole bunch of problems in your child, your team, or your student whom you are trying to lead. But take a hint from Paul’s example and go out of your way to commend and encourage your child, team or student in the things they are doing well and not just harp on all the problems you see. Remember that pleasant words promote instruction (Proverbs 16:21).
1 Corinthians 11:3-16 (NIV)
3 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head–it is just as though her head were shaved.
6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Does not the very nature of things 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 long hair is given to her as a covering.
16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God.
On verses 3-16: What is all this talk about head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11:3-16? Should Christian women today have their heads covered when they go to church?
Back in Paul’s time, it was customary both in churches as well as in Corinthian society in general for women to wear head coverings. But in Paul’s church in Corinth, some of the women were taking off their head coverings while leading the church in prayer or prophecy. Maybe it was their way of expressing their newfound freedom in Christ. Regardless of the reason, people in the church were confused by this and asked Paul if this was okay. Paul said no. His point was that by publicly taking off their head coverings (something that women generally did not do in that culture), that female leader was distracting and confusing the people in the church.
Not only was it distracting and confusing for people in the church, Paul says that by taking off their head coverings, these women were also dishonouring their husbands. Keeping her head covering on was one way that a Christian woman in Corinth could show that she was submitting to God’s authority and her husband’s authority over her.
How should we apply this passage to our lives today? This passage is considered by many scholars to be one of the most difficult passages in the New Testament to interpret. Some Christians interpret this passage literally as laying down a universal command to all Christian women even today to cover their heads when they pray in church. Other Christians see this passage as laying down a rule that was specific to Paul’s day and culture. To me this topic of head coverings is a disputable matter, one that is not a matter of life or death, and one on which Christians are free to have different opinions. Keep in mind that this is the only place in the New Testament that specifically talks about women using head coverings, whereas much more important topics like salvation and love are explained and emphasized over and over in the New Testament. The amount of attention we give to an issue like head coverings should probably be proportionate to how often an issue like this comes up in the Bible, which is not very often at all. That said, here are some things we can learn from this passage:
– Remember that how we act and even the way we dress can have an impact on others. Especially if you’re trying to lead people to Christ, act and dress in ways that don’t distract and confuse people. Instead, act and dress in ways that allow people to relate to you. In other words, unless there’s a real need to be different, be normal! As Christ’s disciples called to lead others to Jesus, let’s be different in all the good and necessary ways, not in ways that confuse and distract people from what’s most important.
– Just as Jesus submitted to His Father, we are to practice submission to the leaders God has placed over us. Remember this: submission does not mean inferiority. Jesus submitted to the Father out of love and humility so that there would be unity and harmony starting from the top down. But Jesus is not inferior to the Father. In the same way, when the Bible tells wives to submit to their husbands, it’s not because women are inferior to men. Men and women are both made in God’s image and are equally precious in God’s sight; they just have different roles to play in a marriage and family.
Wives, remember this, your role as a help mate to your husband speaks of the strength, the value and the ability God has placed in you. In fact, when Genesis 2:18 uses the term “help mate” to describe the role of the wife, it’s the same term the Old Testament uses to describe God as our helper. So your role in your husband’s life is to be the helping presence of God in your husband’s life, a reflection of the Holy Spirit to your husband. May you and your husband together give God great glory in how you serve one another and relate to one another.
Praise God. When we submit to God and to one another in the ways His Word tells us to, the result is more peaceful relationships, a stronger and more united body of Christ, and maximum love in our lives. It might sound ironic since people sometimes associate submission with weakness, but the fact is that submission to God-given authority is one of the most powerful things you can do. It’s submission to God’s design, not rebellion against it, that sets us free.
Holy Spirit, please give us insight into how we best should interpret and apply Your Word, including this passage of Scripture. Especially as we seek to lead a dying world to Jesus, may we dress and act in ways that don’t distract or confuse people, but that help us speak a message that unchurched people can respect, relate to and resonate with. Please help me to submit in all the ways You tell me to submit, knowing that where there is godly submission there is power and blessing. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
