1 Corinthians 11:1-16 - The Hair Question

Practical Holiness (Standards) – Lesson 3

• Begin by reviewing some holiness principles that we have looked over the last couple of weeks:

o Holiness – separate, apart, consecrated unto something or someone. Means to withdraw from something, so you can draw near to something else.

o We are not separate in order to make others look unholy. Instead, we are withdrawing from and to, so we can get back to man’s original state, communion with God.

o Salvation is a process. We receive JUSTIFICATION (innocent, guiltless, forgiven…………just as if I’d) at the time of our initial salvation. If we allow God to lead us, he then begins to perform the work of SANCTIFICATION (making us holy) which keeps us safe from sin. As long as we continue in sanctification, one day we will receive GLORIFICATION.

o Remember, the Bible teaches us that we are not saved BY good works, but we are saved UNTO good works – Ephesians 2:10. Therefore, holiness is not a means of salvation, but it is always a result of salvation.

o Most issues of holiness are not salvation issues; they are Christian maturity or sanctification (separation) issues. Meaning they don’t relate to our being saved or lost so much as they relate to how mature we are, how separated unto Christ we are willing to be. They only become salvation issues when our willful disobedience gets involved and we don’t obey God.

o It is always dangerous to know God’s commandments and not obey them – James 4:17. God is going to judge us according to our knowledge and our obedience to that knowledge – Romans 2:1-16.

o The preeminence of internal holiness does not negate the place of external holiness. Balance is a must.

• Put the book of Corinthians in context:

o The church in Corinth was founded by Paul as a result of 18 months of labor there - Acts 18:1-11.

o After Paul’s departure, serious disorder broke out in the church, and he had to make at least three visits to Corinth to try and straighten out the problems – 2 Corinthians 12:14, 13:1. He also wrote at least four letters to the Corinthian church, but we only have record of two of them – 1 Corinthians 5:9, 2 Corinthians 7:8 – 1st was lost, 2nd is 1 Corinthians, 3rd was lost, 4th is 2 Corinthians.

o 1 Corinthians (the second letter) was written in response to several questions from the members of the church to Paul - 1 Corinthians 7:1.

o The lowest accusation of the day was to call someone a “Corinthian”, it meant to be sexually immoral…………“to Corinthianize” meant to commit sexual immorality…………and a “Corinthian girl” became a slang term for a prostitute.

o The main problem of the Corinthian church was that its self-centered members constantly tried to exercise personal freedom without regard for the needs of others or the glory of God.

• Put the chapter in context:

o In 1 Corinthians, Paul deals with envy, strife and division in the church – chapters 1-3. Judgmental attitudes, especially toward those in leadership – chapter 4. Rebuke for the toleration of sin – chapter 5. Reproof for going to court against brethren, warning against moral impurity – chapter 6.

o Only after dealing with these pressing matters did Paul turn to the questions asked by the Corinthians – 1 Corinthians 7:1. It would be of no benefit for the church to be externally holy in appearance and action, if they were not first internally holy in the attitude of their heart.

• Let’s see what the Bible says verse by verse?

o Vs. 1 - Here and in several other places in the New Testament, Paul teaches that each of us is to be an example for others to follow. What we have here is the perfect transition verse between chapter 10, which teaches us not to damage our witness among fellow Christians by our actions (eating meat to idols), and chapter 11, which teaches us not to damage our witness in our culture by our actions (women not wearing a veil). The examples given in both cases are specific to Corinth…………but the principles taught are undeniably cross-cultural and for all time.

o Vs. 2 - Paul was appreciative of the kindness of the Corinthians to him…………and the fact, that they were following his teachings. The word “ordinances” here is “paradosis” or “traditions”…………this word is not referring to God commands, but insights delivered by Paul for the building up of the congregation. In several places in the New Testament, Paul taught things which were not direct commandments from God…………but things that had come out of his experience in living for God.

! 1 Corinthians 7:6 “But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.”

! 2 Thessalonians 3:6 (KJV) “Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.”…………(NLT) “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we give you this command in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: Stay away from all believers who live idle lives and don't follow the tradition they received from us.”

! 1 Corinthians 7:12 (KJV) “But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.”…………(NLT) “Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her.”

o Vs. 3 - Notice that before Paul gets into the minor detail of appearance, the wearing of veils, he first expresses the principle upon which this conviction rest: submission and authority…………he refers to the order God set in place from the beginning.

o Background: the problem in the Corinthian church was not with the Christian women cutting their hair…………well over the majority of Bible scholars emphatically state that moral women in all cultures of Paul’s day did not cut their hair. The problem was that Christina women, were so caught up in their newfound freedom in Christ, that they were no longer wearing veils as their culture demanded. This unintentionally identified them with the heathen priestesses in the local temples of Apollo and Aphrodite who offered their worship bareheaded with disheveled hair and the temple prostitutes who cut off their hair so they could offer it in sensuous religious rites. It goes back to what Paul told them in 1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) “"I have the right to do anything," you say--but not everything is beneficial. "I have the right to do anything"--but not everything is constructive.”

o Vs. 4 - Literally, a man is not to worship “wearing something down over his head”. In relevance to his subject matter (veils)…………Paul is making a point: just as Christ is the invisible head of man, not seen…………neither is it important that a man wear a covering that is seen while worshipping…………to do so, would dishonor (shames) his head, which is Christ.

o Vs. 5 - On the other hand, a woman is not to worship “uncovered” (without a veil)…………not that it invalidates her prayer…………but because it dishonors (shames) her head, which is her husband or father in that culture. The woman is to wear a covering which can be seen because her head (man) is also visible. If she refuses to wear a veil, Paul says that she might as well just shave her head…………which would identify her with Corinthian slave women and adulteresses…………because she is already bringing shame to her husband.

o Vs. 6 - Again, Paul emphasizes that if a woman is not going to wear a veil, she might as well shame herself by cutting her hair. He states, “if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn (cut hair, identifying with temple prostitutes) or shaven (shaved head, identifying with slaves and adulteresses)…………the let her be covered. It all goes back to the foundational principle that Paul reminded them of earlier…………God is a God of order, authority, submission. Also, “shaven” means to cut near the surface, make bare or smooth…………“shorn” means to cut with shears, remove by cutting without specifying how much.

o Vs. 7 - In this verse, Paul is once again emphasizing the order of creation and its importance. He says that man is the image and glory of God…………referring to the fact, that man was created with authority and dominion just like his creator, he was the first in creation of mankind and served as God’s direct representative on earth. On the other hand, the woman is the glory of the man…………Proverbs 12:4 “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband……” – it means honor or ornament. This has nothing to do with equality, worth etc…………it only reemphasizes the importance of Gods order and submission.

o Vs. 8 - Paul elaborates further, he reminds us that man was created first, then woman was created out of man. It has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence, superiority etc. It only has to do with the order of creation.

o Vs. 9 - According to Genesis 2:18, God created woman as a help meet (a suitable helper) for man. This praises a woman’s strength rather than subordinating her. So, woman was created because man needed her strength…………not created to be his servant.

o Vs. 10 - If a woman is willing to submit to her role (order of creation, headship and its outward symbolism = uncut hair)…………“for this cause”, she will have power on her head because of the angels.

! Quote from the Apostolic Study Bible put out by the UPCI – “the logic of this verse is difficult to follow, particularly the phrase “because of the angels.” Nothing in the surrounding verses helps to clarify its meaning, which leaves readers to speculate on how to apply it. Given this uncertainty no interpretation should be held dogmatically.

! Could it be that this scripture is telling us that because of her unique place in God’s creation, a submitted woman has “power” on her head? “power” – exousia – means liberty of action, permission, authority, influence, delegated power or jurisdiction. What kind of power do women who are submitted to their God and their place in God’s order have? Enough to guard and protect their homes, children and husband…………with their submission comes God-given permission, influence, authority and power.

o Vs. 11-12 - (CEV) “As far as the Lord is concerned, men and women need each other.” “It is true that the first woman came from a man, but all other men have been given birth by women. Yet God is the one who created everything.” Paul inserts this to prevent anyone from falsely concluding that one sex is superior to the other in the sight of God.

o Vs. 13 - This is a rhetorical question put forth by Paul. The answer is that it is not comely, becoming, pleasant or attractive for a woman to worship if she is unwilling to submit to God’s order and headship by wearing a veil (uncut hair). God doesn’t find it attractive.

o Vs. 14 - This is the clincher for Paul’s argument…………doth not even nature teach somethings, that thing being that it is a shame for a man to have long hair (uncut). Has not God made it, so that many times men lose their hair or it at least thins as they get older…………but women tend to keep their hair for the most part.

o Vs. 15 - Just as nature helps to teach men that they ought to have short hair…………it is natural for a woman to have long hair, it is a natural covering, veil, it is a natural way of showing submission to Gods order. “glory” means “a good opinion resulting in praise”…………literally means “God has a good opinion of her”.

o So according to verses 14-15…………how long is long? Both words used in these two verses: “koma” and “kome” are translated long…………they both mean uncut. Scripture is telling us that it is a shame for a man to have uncut hair and for a woman to have cut hair. Both of these verbs are used in the present or continuing sense…………meaning that as long as a man continues to cut his hair, he maintains his authority in the presence of God and is not ashamed…………and if the woman continues to have uncut hair, it is her glory and she maintains her authority in the presence of God.

o Vs. 15 - Do Christian women have to wear a veil today? Not according to Paul’s teaching…………as he concludes his teaching on authority and the cultural necessity of wearing a veil, he reminds the women that their long hair is their real covering.

o Vs. 16 - (NIV) “If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God.” (NLT) “But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God's other churches.”

• Summarize this study:

o Christian women do not need to wear a literal veil today because it was only a temporary localized custom of that day.

o This whole chapter is about Gods’ order of creation and submission to that order, accepting our God given roles…………and the outward sign of that submission being shown through our hair.

o For women, long hair is uncut hair, starts day of salvation or revelation.

o For men, we are to have cut hair. Notice that length is never mentioned for either one.

! For ladies – whatever length your hair grows, that is long hair. ! For men – we have space for both a Biblical standard and a church standard here. The Biblical standard is to have cut hair. The church standard will be to have hair no longer than the bottom of your collar, trimmed and neat. Same for facial hair…………trimmed and neat.