Epistles (written)

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

 For man is not from woman, but woman from man. 1 Corinthians 11:8

The details of the creation of man and the subsequent creation of woman from man are recorded in Genesis chapter 2. They confirm points which are pertinent to Paul’s argument. Man was created first by God, directly from the dust of the earth. After this, woman was created for the help and benefit of man. Her creation came about from man, not from the dust of the earth. And her creation was not for her own benefit, but for the benefit of the man.

Three citations from that Genesis account will show this –

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

“And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.'” Genesis 2:18

“And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. ²² Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” Genesis 2:21, 22

It can be seen then that just as Eve stood in relation to Adam, all women stand in a general relationship to all men. In other words, there is order even in this issue which prompts thought and implies a hierarchy.

Life application: The Bible progressively reveals truths which are to be applied in a logical sequence in order to properly grasp what God is doing in redemptive history. Taking things out of that logical order will inevitably lead to disorder. For example, societal breakdown can be directly tied to not following the patriarchal system of family rule. When the father is removed from family headship, all of society suffers. Paying attention to what God has ordained will keep individuals, families, societies, and even the state of man on earth in proper functioning order and in a right relationship with God.

Wondrous heavenly Father, thank you for the sweetness of honey, the wonderful flavor of salt, the hot spices of peppers, the nourishing milk of the cow, and the delightful juice of the grape. Thank You for the immense number of fruits, the many types of grain, and the different flavors of fish and meat. Everything has been arranged to fill us with enjoyment and variety in order to get us to think through what a great and generous God You are. And so today, I want to acknowledge how grateful I am for all the wondrous flavors which excite my taste buds. And Lord, thank You for pistachio nuts too. Amen.

Monday, 3 November 2014

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. 1 Corinthians 11:7

The words thus far on this subject have been referring to the relation between women, men, and Christ as pertaining to the church, and order within the church. Now and for a few verses, they will refer to the relation between women, men, and Christ as pertaining to creation and order within creation. It is a switch to the concept of the woman in relation to the man who is created in the “image and glory of God.” For this reason, man should not cover his head.

This then is the answer to the problem addressed in verse 4. Because man is created in God’s image he should reflect that image when he is performing one of the two awesome duties of praying or prophesying. However, “woman is the glory of man.” This indicates her glory (it does not say “image”) is once-removed from God. Does this in any way contradict Genesis 1:27?

In that verse it says –

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

The answer is, “No, this is not a contradiction.” Paul only says woman is the “glory” of man. If “image” were implied in this context, the fact would still remain that woman is in the image of man and man is in the image of God. This would indirectly mean woman is in the image of God. We can see that Paul is carefully using his words to show that the creation account itself supports his directives concerning covering one’s head while praying or prophesying.

The Pulpit commentary once again describes the relationship quite eloquently –

“As moonlight is to sunlight, or as the earthshine is to the moonshine. Man reflects God; woman, in her general nature in this earthly and temporal dispensation, reflects the glory of man.”

Life application: Nothing demeaning or spiteful is flowing from the pen of Paul as he gives his directives for men and women in the church. Rather, that which is most glorifying to God is his intent. Because this is so, to reject his words is to deny God the glory which is intended for God in his words. Let us not be found in such an untenable position.

The words of the Bible are meant to show God’s glory
The directives found there are for that intent and aim
And so as we peruse the wondrous redemption story
Let us consider our actions as bringing glory to His name

When we stray from the words intended for us to follow
We then deny Him His just and rightful due
That is certainly a horrid pill to taste or to swallow
And so, to His word, let us be faithful and true

He will reward us in due time for adherence to His word
And nothing we do in His name will He overlook
And so in everything we do, let us glorify our Lord
By following the directives that have been given in His book

Lord, even if the whole world comes against me and cries out “tolerance!” towards sin, if Your word says otherwise, then I will stand on Your word. You have shown what conduct is acceptable and what is to be deplored and spoken against. But everywhere, people are caving in to societal pressure and towards that which is unholy and profane. Give me strength to endure even if it costs me my freedom or my life. Your word, O God, is my light and Christ is my true life. Amen.

Sunday, 2 November 2014

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. 1 Corinthians 11:6

As seen in the preceding verse, there were instances noted in the Old Testament when a woman’s hair was to be shaved. Those instances were for specific purposes and not as a usual custom. Paul builds on that now. He noted that praying with her head uncovered is the same as if she were shaved and now he says if she isn’t covered, “let her also be shorn.” In the first half of this verse, Paul is giving a direction. If she is going to disregard the first, she shames her head (meaning the man under whose authority she stands). If she does this, then she should be shaved as a shame to herself.

In the second half of the verse, he notes that “if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.” The intent is that because it is shameful (and presumably no woman would want to be shamed in this way) then she should cover her head to avoid the first shame (to her head, the man), which would result in the second shame (that of being shorn).

To shave the head is to “unveil” the head. What was given by nature as a covering and what serves as a fashion statement in women, is removed in the process of shaving the head. These natural traits are lost and that which is considered unnatural is what results.

What Paul is saying in this verse is not specifically a command, but rather it is an attempt to get his audience to think through to a logical conclusion what it means for a woman to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered. If she insists on this, then she also by default should insist that she be shorn (either explicitly or implicitly by her actions). And if she does this, then it implies that the concept of equality between the sexes does not actually apply in all cases. As Ellicott astutely observes –

“…it is illogical to argue in favour of any general principle as if it were of universal obligation, when you yourselves admit that it is not applicable in some cases.”

God has shown us in His word what is right and appropriate and he has shown that there is a hierarchy which exists and is to be adhered to. When it is violated, it upsets what is natural and proper. Unfortunately, many accepted principles of the New Testament are simply dismissed in today’s churches. This is especially true in churches which have deviated from the principles concerning propriety of conduct in regards to women. If these principles are ignored, then the floodgates of Scriptural deviation are opened wide. In essence, it is a rejection of Christ’s Headship over His church.

Life application: One cannot simply ignore verses or precepts which they don’t like without opening up a rushing torrent of bad doctrine. Every word of God has been given to instruct the people of God and thus a refusal to accept every word can only lead down one sorrowful path of eventual apostasy. It may take time, but it is the inevitable outcome.

O God, thank You for my time of prayer. Thank You for the quiet moments with You before I rise. It’s just You and me in close fellowship. Thank You for the prayers I share with You in the morning as the day gets started, for the prayers while I’m walking with You throughout the day, for the prayers that come while I work, and for the sweet time of prayer that we share over meals. Thank You O God for the time of prayer as I get into Your word, reading that treasured book. Thank You for the prayers I share with my fellow believers as we study Your word or fellowship at church. And thank You for the prayers which end my day, in the quiet moments alone with You before I fall asleep once again. Lord God, thank You for the ceaseless prayers I share with You! Moment by moment my life is spent communing with You. Thank You for this treasured time of prayer. Amen.

Saturday, 1 November 2014

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. 1 Corinthians 11:5

Paul will note elsewhere that it is right for a woman to “keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak” (1 Corinthians 14:34). He will also state, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:11, 12). Therefore, Paul is not giving instruction on the public assembly of the church in 1 Corinthians 11:5. The items he is addressing here are explicitly forbidden in those other two verses. Therefore, we know he is rather giving general guidelines for specific occasions not particularly pertaining to a church gathering.

He is addressing issues one at a time in his letter and slowly revealing proper conduct for believers. Therefore, to use this verse as a text to indicate that it was either right or acceptable for a woman to speak or lead in the church will result in improper handling of the entire intent of his instructions. His concern at this point is not to determine the correctness of that issue, but to ensure proper conduct of this particular issue.

In cases concerning this matter, which are being addressed in response to an inquiry by the Corinthians, he now gives the continued response. First, he gave instruction concerning the man and what was to be considered orderly and proper. Now he gives the contrast by beginning with the term pasa de, or ” every moreover” which is thus translated “but every…”

He then notes that “every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.” This, like the previous verse, uses the double signification of the word “head.” The first time it is speaking of her literal head. The second time it is speaking of her “spiritual head” which was defined in verse 3 as “man.” If a woman prays or prophesies with her physical head uncovered, she dishonors her spiritual head, man, who has authority over her. If she does this, then he notes that “for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.”

The question which obviously arises then is, “Does shaving a head have significance in the culture at that time?” The answer is “Yes.” Scholars are in agreement that among both the Jewish culture and the Greek culture long hair was considered honorable and a glory to a woman. The Bible gives several examples of when a woman would shave her head –

– Ritual cleansing from leprosy, Leviticus 14
– Completion of a Nazirite vow, Numbers 6
– Shaving one’s head for the dead (in a negative context), Deuteronomy 14
– Shaving one’s hair in mourning as a captive, Deuteronomy 21

Each of these were out of the ordinary occasions; the norm was to have long hair, thus identifying her as a woman under authority. Seeing the cultural shame of a woman being shorn, it leads to understanding the significance of her retaining her long hair. As a woman wears her hair long as a sign of her subjection to man, so the man wears his hair short as a sign of subjection to Christ.

Life application: Paul meticulously handles matters, going from subject to subject and addressing issues in an orderly fashion. If his writings, like any part of the Bible, are taken out of context, inevitable confusion or incorrect doctrine will result. His words are always directed toward the ultimate goal of exalting Christ. Therefore, special care and respectful handling of the word of God is of paramount importance.

Lord, above all else, I desire to be pleasing to You as an obedient follower of what You instruct. And so help me to understand Your word as I read it. And then help me to correctly apply it to my life. Help me not to make up my doctrine as I go, but to rely on a careful evaluation of what You have laid out in Your instruction manual. I know without that, there will be lots of problems ahead of me, but with it, the wheels of life will glide smoothly. Thank You for providing the instructions which will allow me to please You. Amen.

Friday, 31 October 2014

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 1 Corinthians 11:4

This verse and those to follow show what is orderly and proper in terms of conduct within the church. Paul doesn’t actually explain why he says these things, thus it assumes that those in Corinth would understand his words without the need for explanation even if we today don’t. Knowing this, we can look at the situation as it was when Paul wrote. It was, and still is, the custom of Jews to pray with their heads covered by a talit; a prayer shawl. It is a sign of their unworthiness to communicate face to face with God. Greeks, on the other hand, were known to pray the their heads uncovered.

Because of these differences, those in Corinth must have added this into their list of questions. Which is correct and why? There are several good reasons for Paul’s words and they would have been understood without further details in the response.

First, the removing of a hat or turban (or whatever head covering was used) was considered a sign of respect towards a superior. Those who wear hats today will still often do this. It would have been disrespectful to do otherwise. Therefore, as a sign of respect to our Head, who is Christ, we should have our heads uncovered when “praying or prophesying.” Otherwise, we would dishonor our Head (meaning Christ). The Greek word for “head,” which is kephalé, carries both the idea of a physical head as well as one in authority just as it does today.

Secondly, if we are “in Christ” because of our faith in His work, then we have become worthy before our heavenly Father. This is not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ which has been imputed to us. To keep our heads covered, as the Jews obviously continued to do, was to imply that they remained unworthy before God. It was an unnecessary show of piety which was set aside by the work of Christ. It demonstrates a failure (albeit probably unintentionally) to accept the honor granted upon us as believers in Him.

And thirdly, as he noted in the previous verse, “the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” If women are present in the gathering then another issue arises. As the head of woman is the man, then the man actually dishonors his Head (meaning Christ) when he renounces his authority over the woman by being covered in the presence of the woman, over whom he is the head.

For at least these reasons, and possibly others which were understood within the Corinthian church, Paul has given us these instructions.

Life application: There is an order and propriety in how we are to conduct ourselves within the church and while presenting ourselves before the Lord. And yet, we need to understand that we can take things to unintended extremes which can only lead to legalism. Care needs to be taken concerning how we conduct ourselves while at the same time we need to not push personal peeves concerning an issue to the forefront of our church life. In all things, adhering to the word of God will keep us from going beyond what is written.

Purify my heart, O God. Sanctify me and make me an acceptable vessel for Your use. Keep me from straying from Your word, and help me to be fixed, firm, and faithful to its precepts. When others need help in their walk with You, give me the ability to lead them to correct understanding, but without the confrontation which so easily arises in our attempts to discern what is right. In all things, help me to reflect the glory of Your Son so that others will see Him and desire His presence in their own lives. Amen.