ACT 2

Hey family. How are we doing?

We are in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. No? We’re not in chapter 12. I’m pretty sure that’s what I’m remembering.

Alright, we are still in chapter 11. There are three more principles we didn’t quite get to in our time together last week.

Last week, we just began this conversation, and we focused in on one principle in particular that Paul has established in his writings – there is beauty and honor in being a woman. It is honorable to be a woman. God created man and woman in His own image, which gives us all an immense amount of dignity, honor, value, and purpose. This is a worldview level defining moment which those who do not hold to a belief in a creator struggle with greatly. What is the purpose of life? God has imbued us, how’s that for a fancy word – God spoke purpose into us as he breathed into our nostrils the breath of life. You have such inherent dignity, value, honor, and purpose.

We are His children. We are His sons and daughters. Ladies, you are a daughter of God. And there is beauty and honor in being a woman.

A DIFFERENCE IN GENDERS

We’ve already hinted at several, if not all, of the other principles last Sunday. So let’s just get right into it and I’ll remind you as needed of what we’ve already talked about and supply cultural clarifications if necessary along the way.

Last week we read verse 11, “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.”

There is beauty and honor in being a woman, and a part of that beauty and honor is that women are not men. Women are not just small men. There is a difference in the sexes. There is a distinctiveness of gender that should be celebrated and not eliminated.

Paul writes further on, “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.”

This is another particular cultural custom that again is not too unfamiliar to us. In the vast majority of cases, in cultures around the world, and throughout history, women have had long hair and men have had shorter hair. There is science to support why this is (nature teaches us), that women most typically grow longer, thicker, fuller hair while men can go bald in their thirties – or earlier. It’s only really within the last century of our culture that men having long hair has become quite common. So it’s not culturally distinctive for us anymore, but we get it, we understand. Paul is saying they’re are foundational differences between men and women. Let’s not eliminate those – let’s celebrate.

Because we need each other. Men and women are inseparable and interdependent. We can’t step into God’s blessing without each other. We need one another. So the second principle Paul points back to as he engages the culture of the Corinthians is just that, there is a distinctiveness of gender that should be celebrated and not eliminated.

Before we move on, I think there is value in not just agreeing with this, although in our current cultural climate I do believe there is value there. But there’s more to consider. We don’t have these particular gender identifiers anymore, head coverings and hair length. But most of us, generally speaking, want to be identified as men or as women, whichever is appropriate. There are certain identifiers in the way that we dress, in the way that we act, in the things that we say, in the us that we show.

What I don’t want to do is start listing things off because there is a much larger conversation about modesty which Paul is engaging in particularly with the Corinthians as women who didn’t wear a head covering in Corinth had a good probability of being a prostitute and these Corinthian believers were being called back into their former ways of life and worship. We don’t have time for that discussion.

I do want to give you room to think and apply this principle to your life in its most basic form. What are some ways our cultural context uses to identify and differentiate genders? What are ways in your own life, whether influenced by culture or not, that you have used to identify yourself as a man or a woman? In the way that you act? In the things that you say? In your choices? In the way that you dress?

I want you to evaluate these gender distinctives by this criterion alone, is it God-honoring? Is it God-honoring? Not, does it make you feel like a man. Not, does it further the cause of women’s rights. Does it honor God? Does it point back to Him and communicate this is what life is all about? He is what life is all about. If it doesn’t honor God, we let go of our rights. We lay them down. We make no use of our liberty if it harms our neighbor and does not ultimately honor God.

Jesus taught us a very similar lesson that Paul has been repeating to us through this final half of Corinthians, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). We give up our own way.

So those are the first two principles down. Two more to go and these are highly related because God sets the example. Paul establishes God as the example in all of life. And that’s what these final two principles are about.

THE GOD OF ORDER

Let’s read those opening verses again, “1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ…”

We are all seeking to imitate Jesus.

“2 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 is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.”

The head of every man is Christ.

This should not be new or controversial. We see this throughout the scriptures. We live our lives under the Lordship of Christ. We, as Christians, can’t only accept Jesus as savior without allowing Him to rule as our Lord. Just as love is an attitude that results in action, so also the crux of faith is a belief that motivates to action.

Paul will write at the beginning of chapter 12 in fact these chapters as literary units are so intertwined that a reading of the giftings and the interdependence of the body in chapter 12 could so meaningfully be interjected into what we’ve already talked about in our distinction and interdependence, but at the beginning of chapter 12 Paul writes, “I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

We don’t just declare with our mouth, but we demonstrate it with our lives, with the way that we live, that Jesus is King to the glory of God (Romans 10:9-10). James writes in his letter, “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7). We submit ourselves to God.

“We submit ourselves to God, we acknowledge His Lordship in our lives. We give up our own desires, hopes, and wants and choose to follow Jesus wherever He leads.”

“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians 1:15-20)

Jesus is the head. He has authority over the church. He has authority in our lives. We submit to Him.

The statement that Paul writes that might be the most strange, other than “because of the angels” which is strange for different reasons. But the statement that “the head of Christ is God” is perplexing to us. I mean we agree with it, because we never really think about it. Even in our discussions of the surrounding verses we never really stop and say, hang on a minute…

If we did, we would probably realize how strange that statement is. How can the head of God be God?

If we go back to Genesis, Jesus was there too just as we read last week with regard to men and women, “26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image… So God created mankind in his own image” (Genesis 1:26-27)

There is an equality and sameness that exists. I believe the trinitarian theological terminology is co-equal and co-eternal.

We see Jesus Himself confirm this over and over again, particularly in the gospel of John, since John’s purpose is to establish Jesus’ divine nature, and therefore the authority of His act on the cross and conquering of death to forgive sins and usher in new life.

John 1:1-3, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”

Jesus was there. Not only that, but Jesus is engaged with the Father in creation. There is relationship and there is order.

Later in John’s gospel, Jesus will just go right out and say, “27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30).

The Father and the Son are co-equal and co-eternal. There are no ways in which God the Father and God the Son are anything but equal, and in their case actually of the exact same nature. They are one God. How can God be the head of God?

But you know what, the more we went down this rabbit hole, we’d probably also realize it’s not so strange after all. Or maybe it’s still strange, but we’d perhaps realize that it’s been staring us in the face all along. Even in that passage in John 10 that we read, the first part of that passage says as “the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.” (John 10:24-26).

We don’t necessarily get it. We can’t always understand it. The whole idea of the trinity completely blows our minds. But we observe that there’s order within the Godhead, in that the persons of the trinity relate in ordered relationships. That’s the third principle for us. There’s order within the Godhead, in that the persons of the trinity relate in ordered relationships.

God is all about relationship, to such an extent that He Himself exists in relationship with Himself. The greatest call to life and freedom is that we can relate with Him, that He makes a way. God is relationship and that relationship is ordered.

Once again, we’ll read in a few chapters, “33 God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” God is not a God of confusion. He is ordered. In fact, that is perhaps the earliest identifier of who God is. In the beginning there was chaos and God spoke order into existence. And all of our sin, and selfishness, and foolish pride call us to de-create God’s created order.

There’s order within the Godhead, in that the persons of the trinity relate in ordered relationships.

AUTHORITY AND EQUALITY

The part that we have to wrestle with hard. If you were here last week, I mentioned that the argument in these verses that is given the most light is the least controversial part of what Paul is saying. Here’s what we have to wrestle with hard in our culture because we are programmed to believe contrary – you can have differentiation of authority in relationships without having inequality.

You can have differentiation of authority in relationships without having inferiority or superiority of dignity and value. Equality and authority are different conversations. Our culture can’t fathom the idea of that concept. To us equality means equal in every way, in every position, in every status. We already blur the lines between equity and equality. Why should we think we don’t also confuse authority and equality?

We do recognize that they are different things in the way that we live.

“When it comes to relationships, there's authority and submission. There's government. There's police force. There's authority in every corporation. There are bosses who hire people to work for them. That's an authority structure. There's authority within families. There's the same kind of authority and submission between God and humanity, and even between God and God-- Christ and God the Father.”

I hope that you see your children as equal in value, dignity, honor, and purpose as you. If you don’t see that equality then we might need to have another discussion. But that equality doesn’t reverse the ordered existence you have with them.

Even the Roman centurion confesses to the Lord that he is a man under authority. We are all under authority. That submission to authority does not detract from our equality as being made in the image of God.

You can have differentiation of authority in relationships without having inferiority or superiority of dignity and value.

Jesus again is the demonstration of this principle. God Himself is the demonstration of authority and submission while maintaining equality.

As the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. [Because] not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. 19Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does” (John 5:18-20).

Before His death, Jesus in the garden prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me, nevertheless not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

“When Jesus said, “Not my will, but yours be done,” He surrendered His own will to God’s, fully convinced that His Father knew what was best.”

“He was wholly submitted to His Father’s will. “My food,” He had said, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). “By myself I can do nothing,” explained Jesus, “for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30).”

Jesus was wholly submitted to His Father’s will.

Paul writes of this many times. In Philippians chapter 2 he instructs us to, “5 have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God…” (Philippians 2:5-8).

This, unsurprisingly, fits so nicely within the larger conversation of freedom and love that is taking place. Because the application is the same. In love we give up our freedoms. In love of the Father Jesus yielded to the authority of the Father.

We cannot walk away from this teaching concluding that this makes Jesus somehow inferior to the Father but rather in His equality submissive to the Father.

“He is not talking about superiority or inferiority. He's not speaking about intelligence, or emotional intelligence, or intellect. He is not speaking about equality or inequality. He is not speaking about one's ability or inability.”

Towards the end of this very letter, Paul will write some further strange words, “28 When all things are subjected to him (being God the Father), then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

“The Son of Man, Jesus is given all authority and power over the world (Daniel 7.14). But in the consummation of the ages, the Son himself [willingly] surrenders the Kingdom to and is subject to the Father.”

Because of all things, authority is given not taken. It is not earned. It is perhaps at times deserved. But it is certainly not taken. Authority is given by those who willingly submit.

You can have differentiation of authority in relationships without having inferiority or superiority of dignity and value.

HEAD

So those are our four principles that Paul has woven through these controversial verses. That there is beauty and honor in being a woman. That we should celebrate our differences because we need each other, men and women, we need you. He points to God and shows us equality and order. That in God there is a differentiation of authority without an inferiority of value. Therefore, when we are given authority we imitate Jesus and when we are under authority we imitate Jesus.

Overall we are to live our lives completely differently than the world around us. We don’t care about the things they care about. We don’t argue in the way that they argue. We can’t worship like the world.

Now, as we move into a discussion about the two interpretive challenges that I think are most prominent, we’re not going to enter into the realm of application. I’m not going to dictate how you should apply these verses to your life.

In verse 13, Paul says “13 Judge for yourselves”. This is not a black and white issue, judge for yourself. Don’t divide over this. In verse 16 he says, “16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.”

Do not divide over these gray issues. It’s going to require a laying down of our rights, but God is bigger than our rights. God doesn’t move through the loudest He moves through prayer. He doesn't move through agendas, He moves through surrender.

So Paul is saying wherever you’re at, whatever church you find yourself in, be all there. There are no perfect churches. God didn’t say find the perfect church and commit. He said you commit, and you figure it out together, you live life together.

Jenny Allen has a short little teaching series through 1 Corinthians and one thing she said was, “One of my greatest hopes for this generation is that we would grow up together. That we would mature, that we would show each other preference, that we would care more about others than we care about ourselves and our desires. And I think that would stand out in this day and in this culture. If we would just share well, if we just took care of each other, it would scream that we believe in God and there is a better way to live.”

So with chapter 11 there are probably two main translation questions to ask. The first is how do we translate head?

The word is κεφαλή and its most simple meaning is head as in your physical head that is attached to the top of your body. If you look up this word in any Greek to English lexicon you will see this as being the most common translation, and indeed of all the usages in the Bible the most common meaning is the physical head of a person or animal. So why the confusion, why the argument. It is because when used metaphorically as in 1 Corinthians 11 the traditional interpretation is headship as authority.

And you’ll see in these lexicons that that is an alternate meaning as well as with regard to rivers extremity, terminus, or beginning. And here is the disagreement, because in one more modern lexicon attached to this translation of beginning is the idea of source. And so there has been a more recent push in history for the Greek word to mean the source of something. Which would change the traditional interpretation of Corinthians and other passages to say that Man is the source of Woman just as God is the source of Christ.

As you might imagine, scholars have debated this over the years and many papers and journal articles have been written defending both sides and rebutting and arguing ad nauseam. So as a result of these papers theologians set out to determine what does this word head actually mean. If it can mean source then there has to be evidence in ancient literature that would suggest a reader in Paul’s time would understand this to be a meaning.

In one examination some 2,300 ancient uses of κεφαλή were examined and guess what – I’m sure the majority of them meant a physical head. Just as you might expect. But here’s the part that matters. The investigation found seventeen uses from Greek translations of the Old Testament and fifteen uses from other ancient literature where κεφαλή is interpreted to mean “authority over” or “ruler”. They found no undisputed uses that could definitively mean “source”. The two disputed references refer to Zeus as being the first and last and the mouth of a river being the furthest point of a river.

This may not seem very compelling to you, but these theologians thought it compelling enough to write to the editors of the single lexicon that lists “source” as a possible interpretation and the editor of the lexicon wrote back saying their research was very definitive and should be updated to eliminate confusion.

I also think that if we were to translate this as source then there creates some problems theologically between the relationship of God the Father and God the Son. I do not rightly believe we can claim that the Father is the source of the Son except in the sense that Jesus was sent by the Father but that would cause confusion in the discussion between men and women. Nor can we assert that the Father is the beginning of the Son for in their equality it should be evident that God in all three persons is the uncreated creator. Jesus is in very nature God. And so, Jesus is rightly named as the source of all things as He is also repeatedly given the honor of all rule and authority.

Therefore, we should most readily believe that the early readers of Paul and Paul himself used the word “head” to communicate authority and in such a way that the responsibility of glory, honor, and shame flows up. It is a high calling to steward and not to oppressively rule. And we’ll need to wrestle with that and determine for ourselves what is right.

WIFE vs WOMAN

The second translation issue is perhaps less controversial but does influence the meaning of our previous discussion just as it is influenced by what we’ve already talked about. And that is whether these verses are talking about men and women or husbands and wives. You may have noticed that in the version I’ve been ready the interpreters have decided to translate these words as husband and wife.

It is confusing because the first time the word “man” appears Paul uses a different word than the second time. So when He writes that “the head of every man is Christ” he is most definitely referring to men in general, and I would argue mankind as a whole. We are all under the authority of Christ, men and women, even if Paul is specifically setting up an ordered argument about men.

The second word Paul uses does also mean man, but when it is used in tandem with the word he chooses for woman the meaning is typically reflected as husband and wife. Not that there are no instances where they are used together to mean men and women, but it is often understood in their use together to mean husband and wife.

And this is significant for why Paul uses two different words and what he is trying to communicate in his argument. And is significant for our previous discussion about head vs. source, because if we were to favor an interpretation of source then these words have to mean men and women in general and not husband and wife specifically. But these words used together would most likely be understood to mean husband and wife and so source is again an unlikely translation choice. But what is most likely is that Paul is communicating very similar ideas to those he writes again to the Ephesians. There is consistency in his teaching to the various churches he ministers to.

OUTRO

There are of course more interpretive challenges to this passage. And I never even tried to address the “because of the angels” phrase for perhaps obvious reasons.

Wherever you land, and however this is applied, Paul is continuing to do the same thing he’s been doing and the same thing we’ll see him do in chapter 12 and that is tell us to not be “puffed up” one over the other. Even in his use of authority he never means superiority. But rather follow in his example as he follows in the example of Christ. And above all love.

“9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:9-18).

Resources (*the views expressed within the following content are solely the author's and may not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Mountainside Church):

https://midtowndowntown.com/sermons/haircuts-and-head-coverings

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/head-coverings-1-corinthians-11/

https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/head-to-head-about-1-corinthians-11/

https://www.gotquestions.org/because-of-the-angels.html

http://skipheitzig.com/teachings_view.asp?ServiceID=4733&q=high

https://irregularideation.blog/2018/09/01/the-unveiled-truth-about-1-corinthians-111-16/

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-interdependence-of-man-and-woman

https://abundantsprings.church/blog/how-does-the-bible-say-men-and-women-should-treat-each-other

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/06/16/redefined-as-a-daughter-of-god

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/god/what-does-it-mean-to-submit-ourselves-to-god.html#:~:text=Submitting%20ourselves%20to%20God%20means%20that%20we%20must%20be%20willing,(Luke%209%3A23)

https://www.gotquestions.org/not-my-will-but-yours-be-done.html

https://www.waynegrudem.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/does-kephale-mean-head-or-authority-over.pdf

Prayer

Hey family. Good morning. Good morning.

We’re going to get right into it, but before we do, let’s pray.

Father, we come in great need of You. We need you God.

Your word says that you resist the proud. You set yourself against the proud. But you give grace upon grace to the humble. And so Lord, we humble ourselves. We don’t want to set ourselves in opposition to you. We don’t want to stand over your Word with some false authority, but we want to sit under the authority of Your word. We want to be mastered by it.

We let go of our sin and foolish pride that your Spirit might change our hearts. By the power of your Spirit, by the truth of Your word, change us O Lord.

We don’t want to find ourselves in the same place as the Corinthians. We don’t want to be the cause of division. We don’t want to cause more harm than good. We want our gatherings to be filled with life and love. So help us Father.

We need You. May Your will be done in our lives. May you be glorified in our love.

In Jesus’ mighty name – Amen.

INTRO

Today is going to be a tough day. There’s just no getting around it.

This is one of those times in Scripture where there are just some things that are difficult to understand completely. Paul’s going to address several cultural items that might seem strange to us. He’s going to set up principles to point back to as he engages culture. Paul makes strange statements, like “because of the angels”, which some people have suggested interpretations for, but ultimately everyone kind of admits that this is the most confusing passage in all of Paul’s writings and no one really knows what it means.

It’s difficult because it is also a passage that has been used to justify all manners of abuse. And at the same time we can’t just change or ignore what Paul says because of this misuse or because we don’t like it. There’s a lot of baggage that comes with passages like these and it is so very hard to separate ourselves from this baggage.

It’s difficult because we in this room disagree with how these passages should be interpreted and applied. And while we love each other deeply, this is one of those topics that has with it the added weight of charged emotion.

We can’t avoid it either. Oh how I wish we could. But we are here. And what the last several months have taught me is that we can’t avoid what is difficult because it is hard. We must embrace what is difficult because that is how we grow.

I have mentioned how these last chapters form a repetition of literary units. So it is so tempting to group these three passages together and skip what is difficult for the sake of the greater lesson that Paul is trying to teach about the Way of Love. And maybe we should.

But we must remind ourselves that this is the Word of God. And all Scripture is good and for our good—even the parts we find uncomfortable. “We shouldn’t ignore or find a hermeneutical escape hatch for difficult passages, but instead humbly seek their true meaning and then joyfully submit to them.”

I will say that the argument that is given the most light within the church is probably the least controversial part of this passage, but we’re going to talk about all of it. And here’s how we’re going to do it; I am going to start with four principles that Paul repeats and upholds throughout his writings. These are principles that we should find as common ground, as a sure footing even though at least one of them is very counter to our culture, well more than one of them, but there’s one in particular that we have to wrestle with hard.

Then, after these principles, I will work through some of the more contentious parts and give interpretive reasons for where I land. All I ask is that we seek understanding from God’s word with humility. If ever we start with what we want the Bible to say or make a statement such as, “I could never believe in a God who would say or do that”, then we’re already setting ourselves up for disaster. So I pray we seek the Lord together in humility today and even in the way we disagree that Jesus would shine through. What a testament that would be to our world today which divides over everything.

BACKGROUND

But first, let me just remind you of where we’ve come from and what’s going on as we near the end of this incredible letter.

Chapter 8 begins a discussion of Christian liberty regarding food sacrificed to idols, and as we transition from the Who of Love to the Way of Love, we’ll see this conversation develop into a larger conversation about worship. The balance between freedom, the unchanging demands of God’s moral law, and concern for our neighbor recurs throughout each of these chapters.

So there’s a building that’s taking place. Paul is leading us somewhere. There’s a goal in mind. It’s not just a bunch of random questions or concerns he’s addressing. He’s got a point in mind that is woven through these chapters. When we get to chapter 14, he’ll start off by writing, “follow the way of love.”

So as we have come through these various, potentially discordant subject matters we are arriving at a place to say what’s the use if we don’t love. That is what Jesus said would differentiate us in this world, how people would know we are His. Love is the mark of the true disciple. Jesus said, “35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). And Paul will write toward the end of this chapter, “16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.” We have no desire to divide, but a strong desire to love. So as we commune, as we worship, as we utilize our gifts, as we pursue Jesus for each other, we must love or else none of it matters.

THE HONOR OF BEING A WOMAN

With all that stored up in our hearts, here are the first few verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 11. “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”

This is a very important verse to begin with. Some may say that it rightly belongs with the section we finished last week. And in some regards maybe it does provide a nice conclusion to what we’ve been talking about. After all, the chapters and verse numbers in our modern Bibles don’t exist in the original languages. So, at times, they may seem arbitrary. But maybe we can believe that just as God inspired the original authors to write these words of life, He can also guide and direct how these words are delineated with chapters and numbers.

And here is a very important and very famous verse of Paul’s tucked amongst some of the more confusing ones. “Paul has been speaking about the fact that he willingly gave up certain privileges that he had so that he might share the gospel to different people groups. And so he used himself as an example of showing love, so that, though I have the right to practice certain things, I withhold from that. And so he says, ‘Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.’”

He’s pointing back to his calling as an apostle and saying follow me–do as I do. “9 It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. 10 We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment” (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).

Those are words that Paul wrote all the way back in chapter four and it seems as though he hasn’t strayed too far from the point seven chapters later. For all of the status, and honor, and glory that you are after. We are cursed, and persecuted, and dishonored–and we endure it with joy! I don’t seek my own good, but the good of others. I don’t lift myself up to positions of authority, but encourage and uphold others. And I want you to follow me in that calling. I want you to imitate this same style of life.

Let’s keep reading, “2 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 is her husband, 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 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.”

So, there’s a lot to unpack in these five verses. There’s a lot of cultural things going on, some we know, some we don’t. What is of utmost importance for us to understand first, and what Paul believes wholeheartedly, is that there is beauty and honor to be recognized as a woman. Being a woman is not something you should be ashamed of or a wrong to be corrected. It is honorable to be a woman.

“Men and women are equal before God. We are created in the image of God. It's not like man is in the image of God, and then woman came later on, and she is not. The Bible says "God created man in His image; in the image of God created He him; male and female He created them." So there was an equality in Genesis 1, all the way from the beginning.”

What Paul is doing, is something he’s been doing this whole time, he’s writing against culture and simultaneously he’s creating and upholding culture. The problem for us is that there were a lot of cultures in Corinth. Corinth we talked about a bit as being the Vegas of the old world, but on steroids. It was very hedonistic in the sense that there were lots of opportunities and very little restrictions.

Some of us heard Sean MDowell speak recently and he shared the illustration of speaking with youth who grew up in the Church, were from Christian families, and went to Christian school. He asked them their definition of freedom. And their response was that freedom was to be unhindered in doing whatever you want–being unchecked in your pursuits. And as he pressed into this question with these youth from Christian homes, he discovered that in the way they viewed freedom the only thing that God brought to the equation was consequences. Freedom is still doing whatever you want, but now if we add God we have consequences. Corinth culture was full of freedom.

Of course there was also Greek culture, Roman culture, Jewish culture, and others. So there were a lot of mores which Paul certainly had in his mind, which the Corinthians understood, and we don’t as much.

This whole idea of head coverings is one, where we can make some guesses as to what the distinctive was, because we have some modern references but we don’t really know for sure. What we can piece together is that a way that a woman would identify herself as a woman, especially as a married woman, was by wearing some sort of veil or head covering. It was a distinguishing feature to say I am a woman. And Paul is upholding this distinctive, why?

There are Greek and Roman cultural practices and historical events going on that perhaps Paul had in mind, but the most obvious reason is because of what we already know about Corinth. Corinth was a huge city set amongst hills. On one particular hill was a very large temple to aphrodite. Every evening the thousand or so prostitutes would process down the hill into the city to sell themselves and the only women that did not wear a veil or a head covering were typically prostitutes.

The Corinthians, we know, were already struggling to separate themselves from the culture they lived in. In their churches, there was a bit too much Corinth and a bit too little Christ-likeness. So there’s a tendency in the culture which results in confusion in the worship. Again, Paul is writing against culture. He’s clarifying worship.

There are these two ways a woman could identify herself. Paul is saying you don’t need to shave your head and look like a man, you don’t have to hide or be ashamed of your womanhood, in fact, that would be to your detriment, “15 [for] if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.”

It is glorious to be a woman. You don’t have to hide that aspect of your identity or be ashamed of it. Glory in it. You have so much more honor and value than to be used as an object of pleasure and desire.

Let’s skip down a few verses to verse 11, “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.”

This is a very important balancing point for Paul as we’ll see a little later, because the foundation of his discussion through this chapter is on equality. This will become much more evident as we focus in on God’s ordered existence. In the same way that God the Father and Jesus are equal, so too are men and women. We are not independent of one another. We need each other. There is, rather, an interdependence that exists across the genders and this distinctiveness should be celebrated and not eliminated. Men and women are inseparable and interdependent. We can’t step into God’s blessing without each other. We need one another.

John Chrysostom was the Archbishop of Constantinople in the fourth or fifth century and a father of the early Church. He wrote these words., “In the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. . . . Each one of the two is the cause of the other, God being the cause of all.”

We are all made in the image of God and given an inherent dignity, purpose, value and honor. Men and women are united and equal in Christ. Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, “26 [we] are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 [We] have been united with Christ in baptism [and] have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are [His] true children” (Galatians 3:25-29).

Paul’s not saying a new thing here. He’s not saying there’s no distinction between men and women. In the same way he’s not telling slaves to walk up to their masters and say we’re the same. What he is doing is repeating what we’ve already read in 1 Corinthians chapter nine, when he says, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

We are here together as men and women, different but united in our shared identity as in Christ. We are His sons and daughters. We are His children. Women, you are the daughters of the most high God.

This past week, we read with the kids the story of the woman who had suffered from bleeding for 12 years. As the crowds pressed in around Jesus, in her desperation, she reached out in faith and touched the hem of His robes and was healed.

Jesus stopped and turned saying who touched me. Well, lots of people were touching Jesus. But Jesus knew that there was power in this touch. He healed this woman in an instant because of her faith. And when she bravely stepped forward He said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace” (Luke 8:48).

This woman was more than sick. She was an outcast among the people. She probably wasn’t even supposed to be in that crowd according to the law. But in one act, He elevated her position and restored her dignity. He said I see you. You are valuable. You are not alone. You are not isolated. You are not a label. You are mine. You are a daughter of God.

There is beauty and honor to be recognized as a woman.

INTERMISSION

Can we just stop?

I’m going to have to apologize.

As much as I hate to do it, and I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to put a pause on the rest of chapter 11 and save it until next week. We’ll just have to throw a “to be continued…” on the rest of our time. Don’t you just hate that? That’s why I could never get into the show “Lost”. At the end of every episode you were left with 42 new questions and no answers.

So, sorry. You’re going to have to come back to find out about the other three principles and the interpretive problems to overcome in these verses, because we’re going to stop there for the day and practice the principle that Paul has called us to by honoring our women and saying we see you, we lift you up as women that have been created in the image of God, we value you, we love you, and we are so blessed that you are here with us.

Resources (*the views expressed within the following content are solely the author's and may not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Mountainside Church):

https://midtowndowntown.com/sermons/haircuts-and-head-coverings

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/head-coverings-1-corinthians-11/

https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/head-to-head-about-1-corinthians-11/

https://www.gotquestions.org/because-of-the-angels.html

http://skipheitzig.com/teachings_view.asp?ServiceID=4733&q=high

https://irregularideation.blog/2018/09/01/the-unveiled-truth-about-1-corinthians-111-16/

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/the-interdependence-of-man-and-woman

https://abundantsprings.church/blog/how-does-the-bible-say-men-and-women-should-treat-each-other

https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/06/16/redefined-as-a-daughter-of-god