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First Corinthians 11:2-3

As we now venture more fully into chapter 11 (having looked at the first verse), we find Paul in his letter
leaving behind the subject of eating foods offered to idols. But what Paul does not leave behind is the idea
of the freedom that believers have, in Christ - that in whatever they do, they should do all to the glory of
God (10:31); and that whomever theyre with, they should give no offense, in the exercise of their freedom
(10:32).
Paul doesnt mention freedom, in chapter 11 - having ones rights. But he does mention authority (v. 10).
He doesnt mention giving offense - but he does mention dishonoring (v. 4, 5, 14). He doesnt mention
what is right - but he does mention what is proper (v. 13). And finally, he doesnt mention judgment - but
he does mention shamefulness (v. 6).
What we realize then is that Paul is continuing to address the assembly in Corinth concerning a different
aspect of their perceived rights - what they think theyre free to do. And once again we find Paul issuing a
corrective, for their conduct - theyre free to do what they ought; to do what is proper.
So lets read this whole section first, concerning this issue, even though well only be looking at the next
two verses of chapter 11 - verses 2 and 3. We have to first gain some perspective on just what this issue
was.
[First Corinthians 11:2-16]
First, I want to you notice the tone of this section of Pauls letter. Now, we found some sharp language in
chapters 8-10. Paul was often emphatic, in his statements. Some examples:
If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know (10:2)
Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? (9:1)
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (10:22)
And Paul spoke of sin:
Beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak (10:9)
When you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ (8:12)
And Paul warned of judgment:
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (10:12)
But while Pauls words in this part of his letter are still corrective, his tone is far gentler. He even begins on
a note of praise, for the believers in Corinth (11:2). There is none of the emphatic language, no mention of
sin, nor of judgment. Thats because Paul is correcting a far less serious issue, here.
So what is the issue? Paul doesnt give us the exact details; his letter was addressing the believers in
Corinth, who knew the issue. But we can understand quite a bit about it.

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Both men and women are mentioned, in this passage. What is the specific activity, that is being discussed
by Paul? Covering the head; the idea is a head covering such as a shawl.
Is Paul discussing men and women covering their heads at any time, like when they are working? When
they are eating? No. Paul only mentions one particular time, as we see in verses 4 and 5 - when doing
what? When praying and prophesying. So would Paul be speaking of believers then, or unbelievers?
Believers.
In what setting? At work? In the market place? Where would believers pray and prophesy? In the place
that they came together for fellowship - fellowship with one another, and with the Lord - when they came
together to worship Him.
So this issue pertained to head coverings, specifically when the church was gathered together - to learn of
the Lord, for the edification of the Body of Christ - and to worship God, giving Him His glory. And in fact,
we will find that this is just one of a series of corrections that Paul will be giving to the church in Corinth,
over the next four chapters, which concern issues having to do with their coming together as an assembly to
worship.
So this particular issue pertained to head coverings, during church gatherings. But which believers were at
issue in Corinth - does the passage give us the sense that it is the men, or the women, or both? Although
both men and women are mentioned, Paul is using men to create a contrast with women; to highlight
differences, between them. Pauls target here is clearly the women.
But notice that Paul never mentions women, in the plural, through the whole passage; nor men, plural.
Always both of them are mentioned in the singular - man, woman. This is because Paul will be making
several points concerning the first man and woman - to support what he is saying - about a woman covering
her head, when at church gatherings.
Can you think of any law or commandment about a woman covering her head for church gatherings - or
any assembling together? In fact, this is the only place where it is specifically addressed.
And notice that Paul does not lay it out as a command. Remember back in chapter 7, Paul did command
the married woman not to depart from her husband (7:10), indicating that was the Lords command on the
subject. But the subject here warrants no such command, and Pauls tone is one of gentle persuasion.
So if a woman wearing a head covering wasnt a command, what was it? Apparently, it was a custom. The
woman customarily covered her head - and the man did not - when gathered together, as a church, for
worship.
This is not to say it was a Corinthian custom. In fact, there was probably some variation on what could be
seen, in Corinth. Remember that Corinth was a melting pot of several cultures.
It is thought that the Greek women may have had their heads uncovered in worship. The Roman women
were more likely to cover theirs. And women of the upper class would almost certainly have gone without
a head covering - to display their elaborately styled and adorned hair. And Jewish women? They might
have adhered to covering their heads, as was traditional in Judea, but being Hellenist Jews might have
meant they went without.

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So if this wasnt a cultural custom - if the culture did not determine it - what kind of custom was it? It
would seem it was a church custom - one which some women in the Corinthian assembly had decided to
challenge.
We can derive this from Pauls final remark on the subject. Look at verse 16 again: But if anyone seems
contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. Paul was saying they have no such
custom as the Corinthian women were trying to establish - that is, going without a head covering. This
implies that the other churches had the opposite custom - women did wear a head covering, at church
gatherings.
We have to wonder why some of the believing women of Corinth were contending to establish this new
way of doing things. Again, we find a hint of the underlying reason in what Paul writes to the Corinthian
church here.
Notice that his argument is based on a comparison between man and woman - noting differences that go
back to their creation. The church custom reinforced these differences - gender distinctions - through
having men and women adapt differences in their attire - at least, when in the company of one another, in
the presence of the Lord.
The fact that Paul is emphasizing gender distinctions in his argument suggests that what some of the
believing women in Corinth were doing, in shedding their head covering, was to try to eliminate that
gender distinction.
But why would they do that? Because they wanted to be equal to the men. But arent women equal to
men? They are before God; but many societies dont view them - or treat them - that way; theyre treated
as inferiors to men - as having lesser worth.
And thats likely how these believing women in Corinth saw themselves - or thought others viewed them.
And in their minds, if they could eliminate things that distinguished them as women, they would be more
like men - and therefore, more equal to them. After all, there was neither male nor female in Christ Jesus all are one in Him - didnt Paul teach them that?
Im sure he did, just as he taught it to the Galatians (3:28). But Paul did not mean this in the sense that men
and women lose their gender distinction, in Christ. His point was that every believer is of equal value in
Christ - not that theyre all one in the same.
In Christ, Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, female, all are equally sons of God - but they still occupy their
earthly roles. Cultural roles, for the Jew and Greek. Socioeconomic roles, for the slave and free. And
gender roles, for the male and female. Equal creations in Christ, but occupying different roles, in society.
So Pauls intent here is to persuade these women in Corinth regard this church custom, which in that day
reinforced the distinction between a man and a woman, in terms of their different roles in society.
Now, we might be tempted to write off this passage in our minds, thinking, well, it was a custom of that
day - its not pertinent to our day. But in fact, the passage couldnt be more relevant for our day - when
gender distinctions have been blurred beyond the point of recognition, at times - and not just by changes of
attire.

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We are witnessing the breakdown of the fabric of our society - which is usually followed by the collapse of
a civilization - because our society has cast off the restraints (Ps 2:3) that God has placed on men, as men and women, as women.
As the true church, we are to reflect our Lord - and not our society, which is part of the world system from
which weve been separated. So this passage can serve as a little refresher course on Gods intended
design, for His creation of mankind - man and woman - who were created equal, but different, for Gods
good purposes.
Lets return now to verse 2.
v. 2 I know what youre thinking. Paul forgot who he was writing to (!)
Seriously, we find his words surprising, dont we? Paul just finished admonishing the Corinthians, for their
divisiveness, their pride, and their continuing in sin. How can he now be praising them - and how can he
say that they remember him in all things?
We have to keep in mind that this letter was written in response to one that they sent him. We just finished
Paul answering their question - and challenge - about going back to the temple feasts.
Now consider that perhaps Paul comes to a part of their letter where they tell him that theyre adhering to
all the traditions that he passed along to them, for their gathering together, to worship the Lord - theyre
remembering to do everything he taught them.
But either because of what they themselves write next, or because of what others in Corinth have reported
to him, Paul knows that certain things in their church gatherings are out of order - and that they must be
addressed. Some of these things are serious, others less so. But before Paul initiates his corrections, he
graciously commends them for their efforts.
As Paul begins on the issue of womens head coverings, he seeks to elevate the discussion, by showing that
the church custom is a reflection of divine design - a design that can be seen at the highest conceivable
levels, indeed.
v. 3 Now, it is because of this little verse that this entire passage has been greatly misconstrued. Worse
still, many in the church have cited this verse to support the false notion that women are to be subservient
to men - all women, to all men, in the church - because the head of woman is man.
Is there any passage in the NT which says or even suggests such an idea? No. There are several passages,
by Paul and Peter, that say that wives are to submit to their own husbands (Eph 5:22, 24; Col 3:18; 1 Pet
3:1). But not all women, to all men. That should make us at least question whether Paul intends that, here.
So lets think through what Paul is saying. First of all, Paul is not giving any kind of command, here; these
are statements - and they are things that Paul wishes the Corinthians to know; to understand what he means.
Paul begins with man: the head of every man is Christ. Now, what does Paul mean by that? First of all,
who does he mean by every man? We find our hint in the next verse, where Paul begins with Every
man praying or prophesying (v. 4). What man would that be? A believing man. In such close proximity,
Paul would certainly also mean a believing man, in verse 3.

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The head of every believing man is Christ - thats true, isnt it? Its true for every believing woman too, but
Paul wishes to make a special point, so he is citing only the man, in this case.
But what does Paul mean by saying that Christ is the head of every believing man? The term head is
being used metaphorically, of course.
This turns out to be a clever wordplay, on the part of Paul, using this word head in its metaphorical sense,
and then in its literal sense, as the passage continues. So Paul begins with introducing this issue in a playful
manner, as it is less serious - and perhaps more sensitive - than some of the others issues, in Corinth.
The word head is used metaphorically of Christ in three different ways, in the NT. Were going to look at
the way its used elsewhere, to help us to see how Paul means it, here.
The way in which the word head is used of Christ with which we are perhaps most acquainted is in the
sense of authority. The head gives direction to the rest of the body; the head commands; the body
responds. The head has the say, and the body submits to the heads leading.
We find this usage in Pauls writings on husband-wife relations. Turn to Ephesians chapter 5.
Paul wrote here about orderly relations in the home of believers, beginning with wives, who are to submit
to their own husbands. Paul likens this to the relationship between Christ and the church; the church is to
submit to the authority of Christ. Were looking here specifically at how Paul is using the word head in
the context of this passage.
[Ephesians 5:22-32]
v. 22 The idea in submission is for one to willingly yield to the authority of another. In the case of the
husband and wife, they are equal as believers in the Lord; they are both sons of God; but the Lord has
given each a different, yet complementary role, in marriage. The wife is to freely place herself under the
authority of her husband, as she does to her Lord - a selfless act of love.
v. 23-24 Paul is continuing his thought of submission and authority here. The husband has authority over
the wife, as Christ does over the church. So here we clearly see the idea of the head as the authority.
But as Paul continues, he is drawing upon another meaning, of the word head. We see this in his
statement that Christ, the head of the church, is the Savior of the body - the Body of Christ, that is.
This second meaning of head is as the source of life. What would happen if you were to chop off the
head? The body would die. The body depends on the head; it draws its life, from the head. It is only in
connection to the head that the bodys life is sustained.
Paul doesnt use the word Savior here without that significance. Through His work on the cross, Christ
delivered men from death through the eternal life that He gives them. He is the source of that Life - and in
that sense also, the Head of the Body.
This is the meaning that Paul pursues for most of the rest of this passage.
v. 25 Christ gave Himself in death for His body of believers, to give them life.

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v. 26-27 Justified, sanctified, glorified - the church, the Body of Christ is nurtured to her completion, by
the One in whom her life is sourced - Christ.
Now Paul considers this in the context of the husband-wife relationship.
v. 28-29 As a head would take care of its body, because the body serves the head, so the Lord does the
church. He nourishes and cherishes it - He sustains it - as the continual source of her life.
v. 30-32 This is a great mystery, now revealed - Christ and the church becoming one flesh - according to its
kind - glorified flesh. Well be thinking more about this next week.
The third way that the word head is used of Christ is in terms of preeminence. The head is the uppermost
part of the body, above the other parts. It is the most significant, and therefore the most honored part.
We can see an example of Christ as the preeminent Head in Ephesians chapter 1. Paul was praying for
those in the assemblies in Asia Minor who would hear his letter read - believers whom he had never met.
[Ephesians 1:15-23]
v. 15-18a Paul is praying for them to have understanding of the things that he was sharing with them in his
letter, so that they would really know their heavenly Father, and become established in the faith. The things
that follow, then, are about the Father.
v. 18b What is the hope of the Fathers calling? The hope is eternal life, in a body of glory. Paul wants
them to know that they have that, with assurance.
v. 18c What inheritance is Paul speaking of? The Kingdom of God; Paul wants them to know that the
Father has qualified them to be partakers of that inheritance, of the saints in the light (Col 1:12) - in the
New Jerusalem.
v. 19a What is this exceedingly great power that the Father extends toward us who believe? Paul gives us
a hint.
v. 19b-20a What power did the Father work in Christ when He raised Him from the dead? The power of
the resurrection - by which death was overcome by eternal life.
That exceedingly great power is now extended toward us; in fact, we have that power within us - having
been born of the Incorruptible Seed Christ (1 Pet 1:23), His seed remains in us (1 Jn 3:9). Paul wants the
believers to understand the power of that Life - that they can live by it, here and now, and overrule sin in
their lives.
But now Paul goes on to speak of the One who brought that Life down, to men.
20a-21 Paul now considers the exaltation of Jesus, from the earth. First He was raised from the dead.
Then He ascended back into heaven, to the right hand of the Father - the place of honor and glory.
Principality and power and might and dominion speaks of the angelic realm; Christ is preeminent over
them. The name of Jesus is the name above all names.
v. 22-23 Paul continues to show Christ in His preeminence. The Father has put all things under His feet all of the heavenly and earthly realms are already subject to Christ - from the eternal perspective.

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And the Father gave Christ to be head over all things to the church - the Body of Christ. Here Christ is
seen as the preeminent Head - above all, with glory greater than all. Yet He manifests that glory through
the members of His Body - filling all, in all - that He might be seen, in this world.
[Return to First Corinthians 11]
So we have seen that the word head is used of Christ to denote His authority, but also Christ as the source
of life and Christ in His preeminence. The question is, how does Paul mean the word head here?
Our first thought might be in terms of authority; it could be said for each of the three cases in verse 3. The
problem is that it doesnt pertain to what Paul is saying in the rest of the passage, about woman and man.
Look down in verse 8, where Paul is explaining the custom of covering the head. He says, For man is not
from woman, but woman from man. That alludes to the man as the source of life for the woman, speaking
of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve.
This is the idea presents itself again in verse 12 - woman came from man - in the creation account. Man
was the source of her life. And then Paul writes, but all things are from God - ultimately, God was the
life-source, for both the man and the woman - He is the life-source for all men and women.
So it would seem that Paul is intending the word head in this passage primarily to denote the source of
life. Authority is not supported by the rest of the passage; and preeminence does not pertain to the woman
and the man; they were different, but equal creations.
Two final points. Surprisingly, in the NT, Christ as the Head most frequently denotes Him as the source of
life (source of life - Eph 1:22-23, Eph 4:15, Eph 5:23, Col 1:18, Col 2:9-10, Col 2:19; authority - Eph 5:23,
Col 2:10; preeminence - Eph 1:22, Col 1:18). And Greek thinking - which was the Corinthians original
thinking - also viewed the head as the source of life.
So with this perhaps new thought in mind, lets return now to verse 3 and consider the idea in light of what
Paul is saying. The head of every man - every believing man - is Christ. Christ is the source of his Life the eternal life that Christ brought forth, in His resurrection.
The head of woman is man. Does it say every woman? No - an intentional omission by Paul, for he is
referring to the first woman. The man was the source of Eves life; her life was taken from him.
And finally, Paul says, the head of Christ is God. God has the definite article in the Greek, denoting God
the Father. The Father is the source of life, for Christ.
How is this true? The Son is God - He was and always was, with the Father (John 1:1) - an eternal being.
But Paul does not say the Son; he says Christ. Christ refers to the incarnation of the Son on earth, in a
body of flesh.
Christ had a beginning. The Father was the source of His life; the Father granted Christ to have life in
Himself (Jn 5:26) - eternal life, the life of heaven, brought down to earth in a body of flesh. The Father
formed Christs inward parts; He wove Christs body, in Marys womb (Ps 139:13). The Father, then, was
the source of Christs life.

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Notice how the three cases are what we might think of as out of order. In the order of when they
received life, it would be woman from man first, then Christ from God - His incarnation, then man from
Christ - when he believed.
So of course we wonder about Pauls order. Perhaps as Paul is anticipating what he will write about the
head coverings of man and woman, he begins with them - emphasizing his wordplay, as he repeats the
order in verses 4 and 5.
But to clarify from the beginning that he is not saying woman is inferior to man because her life was
derived from his, Paul adds the third part - even the life of Christ Himself came from another - the Father in
heaven. And both are equally God!
Pauls greater point is to show that according to the purposes of the Creator, both in the original creation
and the new creation, God can and will bring forth life from preexisting life - and when God chooses to do
that, it is always for a very special reason.
What Paul wants the Corinthian believers to see - particularly the women - is that this in no way diminishes
the value of this new life. On the contrary, as it operates according to Gods design, the new life can reflect
its Creator in a unique and glorious way, all its own.
Paul will use these thoughts to develop his case for the churchs custom, as we continue our passage next
week.
Reading: 1 Cor 11, Gen 2:18-24, 1 Tim 2:8-10