“Radical Feminism, Male Chauvinism”—Pt. 1
(1 Corinthians 11:2-16)
Series: Chaos & Correction (1 Corinthians)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
•Take your Bibles and join me in 1 Corinthians, chapter 11 (page 772: YouVersion).
We are continuing our study of 1 Corinthians, preaching verse-by-verse through this book and picking up where we left off at the second verse of chapter 11. And at verse 2, Paul begins a new section of material.
He turns his attention away from the topic of Christian freedom and the limitations of that freedom, chapters 8-10, to the matter of public worship. And in chapters 11 through 14 Paul addresses three main areas relating to public worship. The first matter concerns the wearing of head coverings—and we’ll broach that topic in just a few moments—as we read verses 2 through 16. Then, Paul will address concerns about the Lord’s Supper, that’s verse 17 through 34. And then, Paul will discuss the matter of spiritual gifts, chapters 12 through 14. So that’s the “road map,” of where we are heading in the next several weeks.
Today we’re going to turn our attention to this rather obscure passage on the wearing of head coverings. One of the benefits of verse-by-verse expository preaching is that it forces the church to deal with difficult passages and doing so is always for the church’s benefit.
We’ll be studying this passage in two parts as there is so much here. I really don’t want to rush through this text, especially given the important theological underpinning that really governs the whole passage as we’ll see this morning, but let’s hear the entire passage.
•Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
2 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 to her for a covering.
16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
•Pray.
Introduction:
Well, this is one of those passages in the Bible that is ever so helpful to us in remembering that God created man and woman and that He created them as distinctly different from one another.
Man and woman are, of course, essentially equal in terms of what it is that makes them human. They are both created in the image of God, both equally important to God, both of equal value and dignity.
Yet, while men and women are equal in their essence, and equal in their worth or dignity before God, they are very different from one another and they have differing role relationships in both home and church.
Most people readily admit that men and women are different from one another. Our good friend Danny Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, relates a few humorous observations on the differences between men and women in his book, God on Sex. He relates the man to a dog and the woman to a cat. He asks the question:
Is it a cat? Is it a woman? Maybe it’s both! Why?
They do what they want.
They rarely listen to you.
They’re totally unpredictable.
They whine when they are not happy.
When you want to play, they want to be alone.
When you want to be alone, they want to play.
They expect you to cater to their every whim.
They’re moody.
They can drive you nuts and cost you an arm and a leg.
They leave hair everywhere.
Is it a dog? Is it a man? Maybe it’s both! Why?
They lie around all day, sprawled out on the most comfortable piece of furniture in the house.
They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but they can’t hear you even when you’re in the same room.
They leave their toys everywhere.
They growl when they are not happy.
When you want to play, they want to play.
When you want to be left alone, they still want to play.
They are great at begging.
They will love you forever if you feed them and rub their tummies.
They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a kiss.
They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time.
Men and women are remarkably different. And when the genders are blurred in any way, the result is disastrous. Our passage this morning and next week addresses the problem of gender confusion and the abdicating of biblical roles on the part of men and women in both home and church.
So I’ve entitled the message, “Radical Feminism, Male Chauvinism.” I chose this title because I believe that represents what happens when passages such as the one we are studying this morning are either ignored or wrongly interpreted. When we either ignore passages on men and women such as this one or we wrongly interpret them, the end result is either that of radical feminism or male chauvinism—or both.
We must always guard against ignoring biblical texts and, of course, wrongly interpreting them. Our society is rife with those who respond to preaching and teaching by saying, “Well, that’s just your interpretation.” Well, okay then what is your interpretation. We dare not skip over biblical texts. We want to deal with them honestly and straight-forwardly so it’s not enough to allow a person to dismiss a difficult passage by saying, “That’s just your interpretation.” The question is, “What IS the correct interpretation?” Is our interpretation the most reasonable, given careful attention to the original languages, biblical context, historical context, and so on? We are talking about the Word of God here so we really want to know, “What is the correct interpretation?” So this is our prayer this morning as we broach this topic of head coverings.
And what I want to do today is look at just the first couple verses of the passage because it is from these verses, particularly verse 3, that we find a theological principle that undergirds everything else in the passage. In fact, verses 4 through 16 are an application of a theological principle in verse 3. Verses 4 through 16, the matter of head coverings, is an application of the biblical and theological statement that Paul makes in verse 3.
So before we can be clear about what should or should not put on our heads, we must first be clear about the thinking going on in our heads! Does that make sense?! Before we can be clear about what should or should not be put on our heads, we must first be clear about the thinking going on in our heads.
Hear a Word of Commendation (2)
Paul begins with a word of commendation. He says in verse 2:
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
In the New Living Translation, Paul says, “I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.”
So there’s this word of commendation. While there is much “chaos in Corinth,” there are a few things to commend about the church. Not all is bad. The church had done some things well. The very fact that they have written to Paul asking for his help in addressing some of their challenges is certainly a commendable thing.
And yet it seems inescapable to conclude that Paul is sort of “buttering them up” here, speaking a word of commendation before returning to some of the problems going on in the church. Maybe it’s Paul’s way of saying, “Now, I’m going to address a few things here that you guys really need to work on. You’ve been good to work on other things, now let’s work on these things.”
So the word of commendation in verse 2 turns to a word of correction in verse 3. That’s the second main division here:
Heed a Word of Correction (3)
Again, our sermon series title comes to mind. Our study of 1 Corinthians is entitled, “Chaos & Correction,” because Paul addresses the chaos in the church with the correction of God’s Word. Heed a word of correction.
Verse 3 is the key verse of this passage. We’ll spend the rest of our time studying this one verse because again, it underpins everything else that follows. Yes, Paul is going to talk about whether head coverings should be worn and we’ll talk about that as well, but we’re going to hone-in on verse 3 so that we understand the theology that precedes and informs the application in verses 4 and following. Verse 3:
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.
Let’s read that aloud together, verse 3:
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.
Now, I want to invite you to write this statement down. I think it is enormously helpful. I wish I had it up here on the wall for you. Listen to this statement first and then write it down:
**The way men and women relate to one another in home and church reflects the way God relates to Himself.
Let me say this again, “The way men and women relate to one another in home and church reflects the way God relates to Himself.” The trinitarian God, Father-Son-Spirit relates to Himself in a way that is to be reflected in the relationship of man and woman. We’ll note that as we look more carefully at verse 3:
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.
Note in verse three that there are three people under authority: man, woman, and Christ. Do you see that? There are thee people under authority: man, woman, and Christ.
Question: Is authority good or bad? How many of you say good?
Authority is not to be confused with “Authoritarian” or “Authoritarianism.” To be “authoritarian” is to abuse one’s power and so to become overbearing, or domineering, or to threaten blind submission.
Authority is not to be confused with authoritarian or authoritarianism. Some of you may be moving ahead of me now in your application, understanding why I mentioned “male chauvinism” as part of the sermon title. Authority is not to be confused with authoritarianism.
Authority is not bad. Authority is good. We all live under authority.
Imagine a society where all citizens rejected the authority of the police. Imagine a school where all students rejected the authority of their teachers. Imagine a company where all the employees rejected the authority of their supervisors. Imagine a family where all children rejected the authority of their parents.
Authority is not bad. Authority is good. We all live under authority and it works. And it works because it is intrinsically part and parcel of God’s created order. God is a God of order, not disorder (1 Corinthians 14:33).
So again there are these three people in verse 3, three people under authority: man, woman, and Christ. Each has a proper relational role with respect to authority.
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.
Let’s study these relational roles in reverse order. First:
Know the correct relational role of GOD (Authority over Christ)
God in this verse is understood as God the Father. And God the Father is in authority over God the Son. The Son, Christ, submits to the Heavenly Father.
Now, it is vitally important that we remember that God is One. He is one in essence and yet three in personhood. Whatever it is that makes God, God, is found also in Father, Son, and Spirit. So the Son is not inferior to the Father. The Son is equal to the Father, equal in essence.
But while the Son is equal to the Father, each one has a varying relationship role. They relate to one another differently. So they are essentially equal and functionally different. They are of the same substance or stuff, but have different roles. God the Father is—last part of verse 3—is “the head of Christ.” God the Father is head over Christ and Christ, then, submits to the Heavenly Father.
The Son is not inferior to the Father. Nor is the Father superior to the Son. They are essentially equal in essence and dignity and glory. Each has, however, a different role. Keep this in mind as we now look at the second part of verse 3:
Know the correct relational role of MAN (Authority over Woman)
As God the Father is in authority over the Son, so man is in authority over woman. Now, even as I say that, I feel some may be more influenced by our culture’s radical feminist position that “calls foul” here.
The popular complaint is, “But man is not superior over woman!!” And the Bible agrees. Man is not superior over woman just as the Father is not superior over the Son. Both are equal in essence, yet have different relational and functional roles.
And again, Paul is speaking here of the relationship of men and women in both home and church.
So a man relates to his wife, for example, the way Christ relates to the church. As “head” of the church, Christ loved the church. Christ loved the church and died for the church.
Ephesians 5:22-33:
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
28 So husbands ought to love their own 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 the Lord does the church.
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
So again, a man relates to his wife the way Christ relates to the church. As “head” of the church, Christ loved the church. Christ loved the church and Christ died for the church. That’s how men are to lead their wives.
Ligon Duncan said, “Leadership that will go so far as to die for the one led is easy leadership to follow.”
So the correct relational role of man in both home and church is that of headship or authority.
The husband is to be the spiritual leader of his family. Paul roots this very principle in the order of creation. This truth is further demonstrated by what Paul teaches later, down in verse 9, where he says, “Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.”
We’ll treat that more fully next time, I just want you to see that much like 1 Timothy 2, Paul anchors the role relationships of men and women in both home and church in the creation order of Genesis 2.
So again, the correct relational role of man in both home and church is that of headship or authority. Now the third relational role in verse 3:
Know the correct relational role of CHRIST (Authority over Man)
First part of verse 3:
3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ,
So man submits to Christ, woman submits to man, and Christ submits to the Father. There is a hierarchy in marriage.
**The way men and women relate to one another in home and church reflects the way God relates to Himself.
Now, we will flesh out this teaching more fully next time as we follow Paul’s application of what he says in verse 3 to verses 4 and following.
For now, think of this:
The way Christian men and women, particularly Christian husbands and wives relate to one another shows forth the glory of God. Christian husbands and wives are painting a picture for the world to see. Christian husbands and wives are illustrating the relationship of the holy trinity.
Men, are you leading your wives biblically? Are you leading your wives in a way that pictures Christ’s loving leadership of the church? Ladies, are you honoring your husbands and honoring the male leaders in the church by lovingly submitting to their leadership?
Men, do you pray with your wives? Take her by the hand and ask, “How can I pray for you today?” Lead your family in daily devotions. It’s not her responsibility. It’s yours. Show that you love and honor her by doing things around the house for her, doing the dishes every once and awhile, dating her like you used to do, remember that?
Ladies, ask your husbands to lead in prayer. Tell them that you are trusting that God will speak to them and guide them. When you have a Bible question, rather than coming to your pastor, ask your husband for help. These things show that you are trusting their leadership.
Isn’t it wonderful that when you look at verse 3 you see Christ mentioned at both ends of the verse—at both the front end and the back end?
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.
So that women look to Christ as their example of what it means to submit to their husbands and men look to Christ as their example of what it means to lead their wives.
•I leave you with that this morning as you stand for prayer.
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