At
a recent pastor’s conference,
Bob Coy, a pastor of one of the more successful Calvary Chapels, stated
that we pastors needed to start to dress better when we preached. This
created quite a stir because Calvary Chapels have always been known
for their lack of emphasis on dress codes. We were casual, before casual
became cool. So when he told us pastors to start to wear nice clothes,
including a tie, many of the pastors took him to task for his remark.
The reason for
his admonition, he explained, was that most unbelievers, even though
they don’t want to dress up to come to church, they expect the
pastor to have his Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes on. So rather than being
a stumblingblock, which might hinder someone from hearing the voice
of the Spirit wooing them to come to Christ, he recommended that we
start to dress nicer.
Now, during the
summer time, to show you that it’s okay to dress in a manner to
beat the heat, I’ll wear my Hawaiian type of shirts. And if we
were located in California, I’d probably wear them every Sunday.
But since we are located in the South, where everyone expects the preacher
to wear at least a tie, I wear a tie, or a nice collar-less type of
shirt.
Whether or not
I wear a tie has nothing to do with my ability to preach. But I don’t
want it to hinder anyone’s ability to hear what the Spirit says
through my preaching. Then again, wearing a tie is a cultural issue,
not a biblical issue. In fact, in some parts of the world, a tie would
not be appropriate to wear. For it is seen as a sign that I worship
some kind of pagan god.
I shared this with
you to get you to see how the culture of the society you live in can
greatly affect what you are free to do, or not to do. We have to take
into consideration the culture of Corinth at this letter was written,
for that is the only way you can understanding the theological implications
of what Paul is trying to say. And, we always have to remember that
the greater principal that Paul has been teaching us is that we are
to glorify God with all aspects of our lives. Therefore, Paul wants
to make sure that when men and women gather for corporate worship they
do so in such a way that God is glorified in our midst.
At the time this
letter was written, the church at Corinth was probably the most awesome
church in all of Christendom. Since every spiritual gift was in full
operation, there was excitement everytime the people gathered for worship.
But there was also some disorder going on that was causing some serious
problems during the worship services. And as we will see this morning,
there was some confusion being created because some of women were refusing
to wear the headcoverings, that were normative in that culture, when
they gathered for worship.
Let me first give
you some historical background information about headcoverings. From
what I can find, in those days, only harlots didn’t wear some kind
of headcovering out in public. In fact, prostitutes wear forbidden by
law to wear some kind of headcovering.
If they went out
in public wearing a headcovering, they would be severely punished. That
meant that if you were to go and worship anywhere in Corinth, whether
it was at the church or at one of the pagan temples, you quickly knew
which women were the prostitutes from the Temple of Aphrodite. They
were the ones without a headcovering and wore very short hairdos.
Another reason
women wore headcoverings was to show that they belonged to their husband,
if they were married, or to their father, if they were single. We have
to remember that in those days, women had no rights. They were thought
to be nothing more than a man’s piece of property. To ensure that
women always knew their place in life, men set up laws that required
their women to wear a headcovering to show they were under his authority.
This is where the
gospel was revolutionary in terms of the freedom and equality it offered
to women. Christianity proclaimed that all people were on equal footing
before God, and that all believers were one in Jesus Christ. The local
church was the only community in the Roman Empire that welcomed all
people regardless of nationality, social class, gender, or economic
status.
Unfortunately,
some of the women flaunted their freedom in Christ, by refusing to cover
their heads in public worship. In doing so, their actions were both
culturally offensive, and confusing to nonbelievers who were trying
to understand what the church stood for in terms of values and relationships.
With that at as a background let’s look at v. 4.
From what I can
gather, this was not the problem. Paul uses this as an illustration
to lead up to the matter at hand in verses 5 & 6. Paul uses this
illustration to futher prove that the man is to be the one in authority,
whether in the home or in the church.
The way the word
“disgrace/dishonors” was normally used in the Greek world
of Paul’s day, and in the New Testament writings, it meant to do
something that you would most be ashamed to be caught doing. Normally
it was in connection with sins of sensuality. And the way Paul uses
the word here, he is saying that one of the most shameful things a man
can do is to wear a headcovering. And I’m not talking about wearing
some kind a hat, but rather some kind of veil that flowed down from
the head, possibly down to his waist. That’s because that kind
of headcovering was only to be worn by a woman. In other words, it is
disgraceful for a man, who is to be the head of his home, to wear something
that would cause others to think he is trying to act like a woman.
This is smart thinking
on Paul’s part for nobody likes a man who acts/dresses like a woman.
So when this part of the letter was read, the women would be saying
to themselves, “That’s sick!” But that’s exactly
the kind of reaction Paul wanted. For he wanted those same ladies to
see just how repulsive it is for them to do something that shows they
are trying to look like a man--v. 5.
Before we look
at the issue of the headcovering, I first want to address the issue
of women speaking in a worship service. In other words, I want to talk
a little bit about women’s role in the church. Even though this
is not has nothing to do with what Paul is talking about, you can’t
talk about this without the question being raised about the role of
women in church in general. So to those of you who want to know how
I am going to handle this, I’m going to handle it from how I intrepret
what the Bible says. I’m not saying I’m 100% correct, and
others are completley wrong, but until the Spirit shows me differently,
it is my position.
Many people say
that women shouldn’t be allowed to speak at all during a worship
service. Based on what Paul later says in ch. 14, it seems that these
ladies were out of order, not just because they refused to wear a headcovering,
but they were out of order for speaking at all. If that is the case,
then why doesn’t Paul merely tell them here to be quite?
You need to understand
that there are several schools of thought as to why Paul doesn’t
tell them to be quite. I don’t think it’s important to mention
them, because while their advocates are great Bible expositors, they
seem to throw out the rules of sound Bible intrepretations when it comes
to the gifts of the Spirit. And I think that causes them to be bias
to properly intreprete the passage in ch. 14, where Paul does tell the
women to be quite.
The school of thought,
which I, and all Calvary Chapels, tend to agree with, is that Paul is
saying that men and women were equally free to exercise their spiritual
gifts during the worship service. Including some of the vocal gifts,
like the gift of intercession & the gift of speaking forth a message
from God. God promised in Joel ch. 2 that after the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit both sons & daughters would prophesy. And on the day
of Pentecost, in Acts ch. 2, Peter says was starting to be fulfilled.
So it is only natural that we would start to see this gift, along with
other gifts of the Spirit working in the lives of women in the church.
And we see this happening in the book of Acts, of which the best example
is found in ch. 21, where Philip’s 4 daughters gave a word of prophecy
to Paul.
So to allow women
to uses their gifts, even vocal gifts, in a worship service, in no way
contradicts Paul’s later instructions in this letter. But let me
also say, that this freedom doesn’t give women the right to occupy
non-biblical roles in the church or in the home. Women are not to boss
their husband around at home. And according to Paul’s instructions
in 1 Timothy chapters 2 & 3, I don’t believe that women are
to be in any positions where they would have authority over men, like
a pastor or an elder.
That doesn’t
mean, I have a problem with a woman calling herself a prophetesses.
Or a problem with women, who have the gift of prophecy, exercising it
during a worship service. And I definitely don’t think that is
wrong for a woman to pray in public meetings.
I have never said
that women can’t ever say anything during the worship service.
When we were smaller, which allowed for a time of sharing, I allowed
some of you ladies to share some wonderful insights, and experiences
that blessed many people. In doing so, some of you ladies have shared
a word of prophecy. A word of prophecy is when the Holy Spirit speaks
through someone words that build us up, increase our faith, and fortify
our relationships in Jesus Christ.
I have no problem
letting gifted women minister to us in music, or letting a woman lead
us in a prayer. I even have asked Lynn to read Paul’s exhortation
concerning communion, because she has a great reading voice. Once, for
our Sunday morning sermon, we even had a lady share with us about the
time she spent in one of the Nazi concentration camps during World War
II.
I believe that
since Paul doesn’t tell the women to merely be quite, he is showing
us that women are just as equal in worth as men are to God, as seen
in the manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit. He wants us to know
that God can use women, just as much as he uses men to build up the
body of Christ. But at the same time we can’t let the philosophies
or the pressures of this world cause us to say things that either Scripture
doesn’t say, or cause us to ignore the things Scripture clearly
says. That is why I personally disagree with those who say that women
can’t take an active role in the church. But it is the same reason
why I personally disagree with those who advocate the ordination of
women as either pastors or elders.
Having said that,
let us get back to the issue at hand, headcoverings. Paul says when
a woman refuses to wear her headcover, she is trying to take upon herself
the role of a man. In other words, she is refusing to wear an article
of clothing that was symbolic of her being a woman who was under the
authority of either her father, or her husband. In doing so, Paul is
saying that she is no better than either a prostitute or an adulteresses.
That’s pretty severe talk from Paul.
In v. 6, Paul gives
us the other side of the coin. What Paul is saying here is that if a
woman is going to act like a man, she ought to look like a man, by getting
a crew cut. The word for cut off or shorn literally means to cut off
close to the scalp. Paul is not pulling any punches here. He is saying
that if a woman refuses to wear the headcovering, then she should go
ahead and look like a man in every way.
Paul is not necessarily
concerned about what a woman was putting on her head, but he was more
concerned with what was going on inside her head. The physical expression
of a headcovering was a way of expression an internal attitude of a
woman submitting to God’s ordained pattern of authority. But some
of the ladies in the church thought this was demeaning to women.
So Paul tells those
early feminists that if they wanted to act like a man, go ahead and
look like a man. Of course he is saying this with great sarcasm. For
he is not commending their behavior, rather he is condemning their foolish
attitude. Now in verses 7-16 Paul gives an explanation of this spiritual
principle of headship and submission. Let’s look first at verses
7-9.
The opening words
of verse 7 are some of the strongest words in the New Testament. Paul
uses these word to show that man doesn’t not have the option of
leadership. Or stating it positively, it is mandatory that a man look
and act like a man. He needs to make sure that he is not only the head
of the house, but also taking on the role of providing spiritual teaching
and guidance. In doing so, men bring glory to God.
But Paul also says
that it is the job of women is to bring glory to men. In Genesis 2 when
God created Eve, he took her from Adam’s side. The reason God created
Eve was to meet a specific need that Adam had. There was an incompleteness
in Adam. Therefore, God created Eve, not to be Adam’s doormat,
nor Adam’s boss, but to be Adam’s counterpart. God created
Eve to complete what was Adam was missing. And because of that, Paul
says a woman brings glory to her man when she helps him fulfill his
role as leader of the home.
The fact that God
created both Adam & Eve shows us that the priority of creation doesn’t
imply male superiority or female inferiority. Since it was God who uniquely
created both Adam & Eve, it shows us that men & women are equal
in their value to God. But despite the fact we are equal before God,
he still calls men & women to different positions of leadership
in the home & in the church. And when a woman submits to God’s
order of authority, not only does she bring glory to her husband or
her father, but even more importantly, she bring glory to God.
Paul goes on in
verse 10 to give us the crux of the whole issue. This is the verse that
many people use to say that even in today’s church women ought
to wear some kind of headcovering. They say that this is a timeless
principal because of the fact that angels weren’t limited only
to the early churches where the Greek culture was very prevalent. While
I don’t agree with their conclusion, I do agree with the fact that
angels are here today.
Right now there
are invisible angels who have been watching us while we have worshipping
this morning. In fact, I believe that it is real possible that some
of the visitors we have had in the past were angels. We just weren’t
able to recognize them.
From what Paul
is telling us that the reason why angels are watching us, or have even
visited us, is so they can learn what submission is all about. Therefore,
the timeless principle of this verse, is that when women come to worship,
that they come with the attitude that they are under someone’s
authority, whether it is their husbands, or their fathers, or the leaders
of the church.
Underline the word
“ought.” This word shows that this attitude is mandatory.
Because there are angels watching our worship service, it is mandatory
that women display an attitude that they are under the authority of
their God-ordained head. In those days, it was the willingness to wear
a headcovering.
Throughout all
of history there has always been signs to show that people are under
someone else’s authority. In Isaiah 6:2 we see that angels covered
their faces with some kind of covering to show that they were under
God’s authority. But in today’s American culture, we have
no symbols of submission. The closest one perhaps is seen in marriage
when a woman takes her husband’s last name. That might be seen
as a symbol that she is under her husband’s authority.
Because there is
no universal sign of authority is why I believe that the timeless principle
is not the wearing of some kind of headcovering, but rather having an
attitude of submitting to the authority figures God has put over our
lives. Let me also add that although this passage deals with women in
corporate worship, the tense ending of the word ought indicates that
the attitude of submission is to be carried with you when you leave
the worship service as well. For I believe that what Paul is saying
is that they are angels watching you all the time.
So ladies, you
are to always have an attitude of submission at home to your husband,
if you are married, or if you are single and living at home, to your
father. If you ladies want to wear a hat to worship service, that’s
your choice. But don’t do it if what’s on your head doesn’t
match what’s in your heart. I have met some ladies, who wore hats
to church, but the hat didn’t mean a thing. For as soon as they
left the worship service, they threw off the hat and wore the pants
at home.
If what you wear
on your head doesn’t match the attitude that is in your heart,
don’t wear one. The truth of the matter is that since “God
does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but
the LORD looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:1) he doesn’t care
whether or not you are wearing a hat to church. But what he cares the
most about is if you carrying in your heart an attitude of acceptance
towards those people he has placed in authority over you.
Next, Paul emphasizes
the interdependence of men and women--vv. 11-12. This mutual dependence
of the man and the woman is grounded in creation. The first woman, Eve,
was originally created from the man. But from that point on, every single
man is birthed by his mother. None of us would be here today if it wasn’t
for our mothers giving birth to us. But what Paul wants us to see is
that neither men or women should consider themselves better, or treat
the other with contempt or condescension. What we’ve have to come
to grips with is the truth that neither sexes can get along without
the other.
Women are an essential
part of God’s plan. Because of that, men, you can’t take verses
3-10 and uses them as a club to brow beat your wives into submission.
We can’t use these verses to establish a male domineering society
where we once again start to treat women as our property. Instead, we
have to couple those verses with verses 11 & 12 to ensure that we
treat women with respect. Nowhere in Scripture does God give men the
right to abuse women just because they are the weaker vessel. In fact,
nowhere in Scripture does God give any leader the authority to abuse
people.
So let me ask you
men a couple of questions. Are you treating your wife as though she
is your partner? Are you asking her for her opinion? Or are you merely
demanding that she carry out your every wish without having the right
to voice her concerns?
Men, you need to
realize that your wife is the best asset God has placed in your life.
God has given her to you to help you fulfill his plan. He has given
her to you to show you your blind spots. He has given her to you to
show you your sinful habits. If you will start to value her insights
& listen to her suggestions, I promise you will reap more rewards
than you every could have imagined.
Now let’s
look at the second argument, in which Paul appeals to common sense--vv.
13-15. The nature that Paul is talking about is our inner nature. Paul
says that we have built within us certain instincts, certain psychological
perceptions, that give us our sexual identity. From the beginning of
creation, God has created men & women so differently that there
would never be any confusion when it came to distinguishing whether
or not a person is a man or a woman. And from these internal things,
he has given us the ability to discern what sort of external things
are appropriate for a man or appropriate for a woman.
For instance, no
one wants to see a man walking around wearing high heals and a dress.
When you see that, it turns your stomach. And for the most part, while
men enjoy looking a woman who has a buffed body, but not many men get
turned on by looking at a woman who has a body like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
She may be attractive to some, but not to most men.
The outward characteristic
of our inward instincts of our sexual identity that Paul talks about
here is the differences between the lengths and styles that men &
women wear their hair. Since the Greek word in the text for long hair
doesn’t say exactly when hair becomes too long or too short, I
think we’d be safe to say that what Paul is saying is that however
you wear your hair, it shouldn’t make a man look like a woman,
or a woman look like a man. Since God has given the authority to the
husbands & fathers to make the decisions in the home, ask your husband,
or ask your father if the length & style of your hair is appropriate.
And since the length of hair is not established in the Bible, I don’t
see where the leaders of the church have the right to make the decision.
But if some of
you men start coming to church looking like you just stepped out of
a beauty parlor, then I might be inclined to say something to you. Or
if all of a sudden one of you men started to wear your wife’s/daughter’s
clothes to a worship service, I definitely would have to say something
to you.
The fact that Paul
says a woman’s hair is her glory, shows us that when a woman’s
hair is cut and styled like a woman’s hairdo, rather than a man’s
hairdo, it represents a natural headcovering that God has given her.
So if a woman will look like a woman, and act like a woman, then she
doesn’t need to wear some kind of headcovering. Because if she
will wear her hair longer or at least have a distinctively feminine
hair style, it will symbolizes in some way her submission to the lordship
of Jesus Christ, and her willingness to follow the men that God has
put in authority in her life.
What it all boils
down to is that women are not to display a rebellious attitude towards
their husbands, or their fathers, or to the leaders of the church. Ladies,
please don’t walk around with the attitude that your husband may
be the head of the house, but you are his neck, and you can turn his
head anyway you want. And the way that was being expressed in Corinth
was seen in the fact that some of the ladies were refusing to wear a
headcovering.
Paul concludes
by showing us that this is a universal solution to a cultural problem--v.
16. Paul anticipates the objection to what he’s just taught, and
he declares that none of the other churches in the world will recognize
any other foundational principles of leadership then the one he has
set forth in this passage. While I can’t say with 100% certainity
that all the other churches were dealing with the subject of authority,
through the issue of headcoverings, nevertheless, I can say with 100%
certainity that all the other churches taught the principle of the headship
of God the Father over his Son, Jesus Christ, of Jesus’ headship
over mankind, and man’s headship over women. They were all teaching
that God created men & women differently and that we should embrace
our sexual identity and act accordingly.
The main point
of this passage is that there are timeless spiritual principles, but
there are different applications to them that may vary within different
cultures. Please understand that the cultural manifestations of the
problems are not universal, but the solutions are. Paul is not advocating
that all women have to wear hats, or even have long hair. Neither is
he advocating that all men have get a crew cut. What he is advocating
is the way you act, and the way you look should never cause confusion
as to what sex you are. We don’t want to end up looking like Michael
Jackson, where when someone looks at you they wonder what you are. Neither
should the way you look, or the way you act show you are in rebellion
to the authority figures in your life.
Let me conclude
by asking you that if Jesus were to ask you to make any changes about
the way you look or the way you are living your live, would you do it?
At the marriage feast at Cana, Jesus’ mother said to the servants:
“Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:5) That’s submission.
Is that the attitude of your heart this morning?
In the culture
we are living in today, never has there been more valuable words then
the ones we have looked at this morning. Since women have raised themselves
to unbiblical positions of leadership, and since men have advocated
their biblical positions of leadership, it is no wonder that we are
seeing a move towards complete chaos, and the destruction of the family.
What Paul is asking us to do is no more popular today then it was back
then. But God’s order of authority and the sex he created you are
perfect. So to say that you approve Paul’s message, submit to God’s
order authority. To say that you approve Paul’s message, embrace
your sexual identity by looking and acting like the sex God created
you.
Let’s
pray
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