Happy Mother's Day to you all.
If you're new to Trinity or if you're new to Christian things in general, we're glad
you're here.
Let me invite you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 11 with me.
That's page 969, I believe, in the Pew Bible.
What we've been doing here at Trinity in the morning service is walking through, teaching
through the New Testament book of 1 Corinthians written by the Apostle Paul.
In our text this morning, we come to a new section of this book, and this section deals
with the topic of worship.
Along the way, Paul's been responding to various questions and issues going on in the church
of Corinth.
If you've been here over the past months, you'll remember that in chapters 1 through 4, he dealt
with factions and divisions in the church.
Then there were questions about sex and singleness and marriage that he dealt with in chapters
5 through 7.
Then there were questions about freedoms and rights and how to interact faithfully with
their cultural surroundings.
That was chapters 8 through 10.
And along the way, it's all been pretty practical, relevant stuff.
And now in this next section, starting in chapter 11 and going the whole way through chapter 14,
Paul's going to deal with issues related to their worship gatherings.
What happens when they come together to worship God on Sundays?
And if you look ahead to chapters 12 and 13 and 14, that's kind of the biggest chunk of
this section.
That part deals with spiritual gifts and the need to build each other up rather than just
show off through the exercise of those gifts.
Before that, at the end of chapter 11, we'll look at the Lord's Supper and the underlying issue
of class divisions in the church.
How are the rich and the poor alike being welcomed to the one table of the Lord?
But that's all in weeks to come.
This morning, we kick it all off in the beginning of chapter 11 by talking about corporate gathered
worship and the importance of gender.
How do we honor God and one another in our times of gathered worship when it comes to being male and female?
Now, the benefits, one of the benefits of preaching through a whole book, section by section,
like we're doing in 1 Corinthians, is that it keeps us from shying away from hard topics like this one.
But it also lets you know that when these trickier topics come up,
we're not just trying to ride some weird hobby horse.
The elders did not sit down and say,
you know what we really ought to preach about on Mother's Day?
The Sunday with the third highest church attendance of the year?
Gender and worship.
That would be awesome.
Let's do that.
No, the conversation went more like last summer, actually.
Hey, there's a lot of great practical stuff in 1 Corinthians
about living out the gospel together.
Let's walk through that as a church.
So we divided it up, put it on the calendar, and this is where it fell.
Happy Mother's Day.
But there's no doubt that this is a timely topic.
Culturally, we are all asking very deep questions about these things,
about gender, aren't we?
And I think the benefit of this cultural moment to the church
is that it's requiring us to come back to Scripture with fresh eyes
to get a richer and deeper clarity and vision
of what it really means to be male and female
as members of the body of Christ for the sake of the world.
It's challenging us, actually, in a good way,
not just to settle for how we've always done things
or to settle on our gut reactions
or to just go with the flow of culture,
but it's actually challenging us to really listen afresh
and to really open ourselves up to the biblical vision
of what God intends for His glory
and for our flourishing when it comes to being created male and female.
And I think what we see in our text,
what we're going to see in our text,
when it comes to gender and worship,
is that there must be both freedom and form.
In fact, more freedom and more form all at the same time
than most people on all sides of this issue are comfortable with.
After all, freedom and form and order
kind of seem like they're at odds with one another, right?
Well, freedom and form seem to be at odds with one another,
that is, until you think about pretty much anything of lasting beauty.
Think of a jazz musician who plays with untrammeled freedom.
Yet that same musician knows that there's a deep form
that she or he has to respect,
the progression, the scales, the rhythm,
these forms that every great jazz musician has mastered and embraced.
And the freedom, together with the form, results in what?
In beauty.
Find one album in human history that's better than Miles Davis' Kind of Blue,
and I'll give you $20 on the spot.
Can't be done.
Maybe Tom could find a different one.
I don't know.
Or think of an athlete.
The ones who play with the most effortless freedom,
the ones who are on the cutting edge of the sport,
those same athletes are also the ones
who have mastered and entrenched themselves
in the very fundamentals of the game.
They embrace the forms,
and they respect them and know them inside and out.
They're the ones who are shooting a thousand shots in the gym
every single day.
Freedom and form equals beauty.
We know this.
And that's, I think, what we're going to see here in our text.
So let's dive in.
1 Corinthians 11, chapter 11, verses 2 through 16.
Chapter 11, verse 2 through 16.
Paul writes this.
Now, I commend you because you remember me in everything
and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.
But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ,
the head of a wife is her husband,
and the head of Christ is God.
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered
dishonors his head.
But every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered
dishonors her head,
since it is the same as if her head were shaven.
For if a wife will not cover her head,
then she should cut her hair short.
But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair
or shave her head, let her cover her head.
For a man ought not to cover his head,
since he is the image and glory of God.
But woman is the glory of man.
For man was not made from woman,
but woman from man.
Neither was man created for woman,
but woman for man.
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority
on her head because of the angels.
Nevertheless, in the Lord,
woman is not independent of man,
nor man of woman.
For as woman was made from man,
so man is now born of woman,
and all things are from God.
Judge for yourselves.
Is it proper for a wife to pray to God
with her head uncovered?
Lord, does not nature itself teach you
that if a man wears long hair,
it is a disgrace for him?
But if a woman has long hair,
it is her glory,
for her hair is given to her for a covering.
If anyone is inclined to be contentious,
we have no such practice,
nor do the churches of God.
I wonder if you've ever been walking down the street
and overheard someone talking on their phone.
You're walking behind them,
and you overhear just one side,
their side of the conversation.
And you might hear something like this.
Yeah, I'll bring the meat.
No, it's purple with dinosaurs on it.
Well, look, if you want to give her that much money,
that's your decision.
Of course, I already told you,
I'll bring the meat.
And as you stroll along,
you think to yourself,
what in the world is this conversation about?
Are they planning some sort of
carnivorous dinosaur-themed birthday party
for a five-year-old girl?
What are they talking about?
Well, to a certain extent,
that's kind of what we're doing this morning.
We're listening in on one side of a conversation.
Reading this letter of the Apostle Paul
to the church in Corinth,
written to real people in a real place
at a real time long ago,
is sort of like listening to just one side of a phone call.
In order to understand it,
we sometimes have to do our best
to fill in both sides of the conversation.
And most of the time,
in reading the New Testament letters,
most of the time,
through a careful reading of the text,
and through studying the social
and historical and literary context,
most of the time,
we can do a really good job of doing that.
And as a result,
we can say with a fairly high degree of confidence
what's going on in most passages.
But,
every once in a while,
we come across a detail
or a reference
or maybe even a paragraph
that just is not as clear.
Of course,
it would have all made sense
to the original audience.
They were the one talking
on the other end of the line.
But for us,
we simply have to make our best educated guess
using all the information we have,
try to capture the big idea
or the big picture of what's going on
and readily admit
that there are some details
that we're just not 100% sure about
or maybe even 75% sure about
or maybe even 25% sure about.
And it goes without saying
that our text this morning
is one of those
where there's a lot
we're just not sure about.
There are a number of details
in this text we've just read
that we need to make
some educated guesses about,
but we need to hold those guesses
with a pretty open hand.
In this sermon,
I'm going to say probably
and most likely
and maybe a lot of times.
But what we'll see
is that there are some central themes
that are pretty clear.
So we'll spend most of our time
this morning talking about
what's clear
and not get too lost
in the weeds
of the finer,
more obscure details
that come up along the way.
And I think that
as I've been sort of
sitting with this text
for a number of weeks,
there are two things
that we see pretty clearly.
And surprisingly,
almost every commentator
I read has agreed.
I'm going to tell you
what they are,
I'm going to show you
where they come from
in the text,
and then we'll talk about
how to apply them today.
And both of these things,
in both of these things,
Paul is concerned,
above all,
that we honor God
and we honor one another
in our corporate worship.
Did you notice
how often Paul uses
language of glory
and honor
or shame
and dishonor
in this text?
He wants our times together
to honor each other
and in so doing
to honor God.
So,
first clear principle
is this.
We honor God
and we honor one another
in our corporate worship
when we empower
the participation
of both men
and women
in the body.
When we empower
the participation
of both men
and women
in what's going on
on Sundays.
Okay,
where do we see that?
Well,
let's start at the top.
Paul begins in verse 2
by commending
the Corinthians
for the traditions
he's passed on to them.
The traditions here
would have been
the sort of body
of Christian beliefs
and practices
that the apostles
would have taught
in all the churches
and that we now
have preserved for us
in the New Testament.
And on the whole,
Paul says
the Corinthians
are doing their best
to maintain these
and he commends them
for it.
Which goes to show
that even in some
pretty messed up places
you can probably find
something to praise,
right?
The Corinthians
had a lot of things
that were mixed up
but Paul still finds
something to sort of
encourage them about.
Then in verse 2
he says,
but,
but I want you
to understand.
In other words,
here's an area
where I need
to help you
gain a little more
clarity.
He's moving
from commendation
to instruction.
He's not rebuking them,
he's not correcting them,
he's not upset
with them here.
He's just like
a good friend,
like a good pastor
going to help him
hash some things out.
And the issue
at hand
seems to revolve
around the issue
of head coverings.
You see that
in verse 4 and 5.
Men, it seems,
should pray and prophesy
with their heads
uncovered.
Women, on the other hand,
should pray or prophesy
with their heads
covered.
Now,
first little
exegetical issue.
It's possible
that the language
in verse 4 and 5
could be referring
not to head coverings
but to hairstyles.
If that's true,
then verse 4
would be saying
something like
men shouldn't have hair
that comes down
from their head.
That is really long hair.
In that case,
I would be doing great
for this passage.
In verse 5
in that reading,
women shouldn't let
their hair flow down loosely.
That is,
they should keep it
neatly tied up.
Okay.
Commentators go both way
on this thing.
We can't be 100% sure
which one it is,
but I think
that probably,
maybe,
we can make more sense
of the passage as a whole
if Paul has in mind
some sort of actual
literal garment
or head covering.
It seems in the first century
that most women
and particularly
married women
in public
would have worn
some sort of shawl
or scarf
over their heads.
It was a sign
in that culture
culture,
and we all know
clothing carries
a lot of significance
in a culture.
It was a sign
in that culture
of respectability,
of decorum,
even of modesty,
and it also sort of
functioned as a sign
of respect
or deference
for your husband
and for your family
household.
Okay.
Now,
perhaps one of the things
that we don't appreciate
enough
is how radically
and wildly
liberating
the gospel was
in the first century.
In the passage
that Mary read
for us earlier,
we heard Paul saying
that you are all
one in Christ,
that there's no more
Jew and Greek,
there's no more
slave or free,
there's no more
male and female.
When it comes
to your status
before God,
when it comes
to being included
in His kingdom,
those distinctions
don't bear weight.
Though we are
all sinners,
though we are
all morally
bankrupt and bent,
the gospel is
that through faith
in Christ,
all of us
are reckoned
by the Father
as righteous
and as loved
and as valued
and as important
as the very Son
of God Himself.
Paul says
we've put
on Christ.
And whether
you're Jew or Gentile,
rich or poor,
male or female,
you are all
the fully adopted
heirs of a king
through faith
and faith alone.
And that makes
Christianity
totally different
than any other religion
that would have been
out there,
either for the Corinthians
then or really
for you and us now.
because every other
religion basically
says what?
If I become
the right sort
of person,
then I can be
accepted by God.
If I do this
or become this
or perform this,
then on the other
side of that
there's perhaps
acceptance.
But Christianity
comes along
and says,
no,
God accepts you
by grace
through Jesus.
and as a result
of that,
you can finally
start to become
who you were
meant to be.
You actually
want to obey
and love
and serve Him.
Acceptance leads
to the change.
And once you get
that difference
between those two
things,
you start to realize
how liberating
Christianity
actually is.
and so,
it's no surprise
that some of the
men and women
in Corinth
in the first century
were probably
thinking something
like this.
Given this
newfound identity
and freedom
that we have
in Christ,
when we gather
for worship
and particularly
when we pray
and prophesy,
should the women
among us
continue to wear
their head coverings?
I mean,
if we're all
one in Christ,
if we're all
equal heirs
of the kingdom,
should we even
have that sort
of attire anymore?
Sure,
we might have to
wear it out
in the marketplace,
but what about
in the church?
What about here
in this new community
that Christ has created?
Are we free
from those things
in the body
of Christ?
Christ?
Now,
before we take a look
at Paul's answer
to that question,
notice the fact
that Paul does not
even bat an eye
at the fact that
women are praying
and prophesying
in the gathered
assembly.
In fact,
a lot of commentators
think that part of
Paul's commendation
in verse 2
includes the fact
that at Corinth
men and women
were participating
so freely
in the gathered
worship of the church.
After all,
hadn't Joel chapter 2
foreseen the very day
and hadn't Peter
himself quoted
that text at Pentecost?
That the days
were coming
when God would
pour out His Spirit
on all flesh
and your sons
and your daughters
shall prophesy.
It seems abundantly
clear from 1 Corinthians 11
that men
and women
were praying
and prophesying
in the gathered
assembly.
And Paul has
no issue,
no problem
with them doing so.
Now,
we'll get into
the head coverings
issue in a minute,
but I think it's worth
just sitting
with that observation
for a little bit.
Paul assumes
the fact
that men
and women
were going
to offer
public prayers
when the church
gathers.
Paul assumes
the fact
that men
and women
were going
to offer
public words
of edification
and encouragement
when the church
gathers,
which is what
Paul means,
by the way,
by prophesy here.
Turn over,
actually,
just a couple
of pages
to 1 Corinthians 14
verse 3
if you're
in your Bible.
Chapter 14
verse 3,
just a couple
pages over.
14 verse 3,
here's how
Paul defines
what he means
by prophecy.
Ready?
The one
who prophesies
speaks to the people
for their upbuilding
and encouragement
and consolation.
Now,
when we hear
the word prophecy,
we think almost
exclusively of what?
Weirdos
predicting the future,
right?
But really,
what Paul has
in mind
when he uses
the word
isn't so much
foretelling something,
but forth-telling,
speaking forth
words of upbuilding
and encouragement
and consolation
to the church,
to brothers and sisters.
There's nothing
weird or spooky
about it.
And also,
by the way,
we know
that what Paul
meant by prophecy
in the New Testament
church in the New Testament
era was very different
from prophecy
in the Old Testament.
Old Testament prophets
operated under the direct
inspiration of God.
When they spoke,
they could say,
thus says the Lord.
But,
it's very different
in the New Testament.
In the New Testament,
prophecy,
again,
words of upbuilding,
encouragement,
consolation,
these kind of prophetic words
were almost always weighed
and discerned
by the leaders
of the community.
They didn't treat
the function of prophecy
in their midst
like direct inspiration,
like Old Testament prophecy.
They treated it
like human speech
that was intended
to do good,
that was hopefully infused
with scriptural wisdom,
but might also stand
in need of correction
and improvement
based on a fuller
understanding
and application
of God's Word.
Whew!
Okay.
Getting a picture
of what prophecy is here
in the New Testament
and what Paul uses it.
And all that is to say
that Paul assumes
the fact
that men and women
would be offering
such public words
of edification
and encouragement
and upbuilding
and consolation
when the church gathers
for its corporate worship time.
Now,
you might be thinking,
wait a second,
I thought Paul
was the guy
who told women
to be silent
in the church.
He's the bigoted
misogynist, right?
Paul.
We're talking about
the same Paul here, right?
Yes.
We are talking
about the same Paul,
not all those labels.
Bracket those
for a second.
How can Paul
be telling women
to pray and prophesy
in this text and men?
But then tell women
to be quiet
in other texts.
What is going on?
Well, okay,
the text that you're
probably thinking of
are 1 Corinthians 14.
We're going to get to that
in a few weeks.
And 1 Timothy 2.
Greg just taught about that
in Sunday school this morning.
And when you look
at those texts
in context,
you realize
that Paul
isn't saying there
that women should
never, ever speak
ever in the church.
What he's actually saying
is that the office
and the responsibility
of giving final say
as to whether
a prophecy
or a teaching
aligns
with the apostolic gospel
and the ones
who will be
especially accountable
to Christ
for that task
when Christ returns,
the ones who are
especially accountable
and responsible
for ensuring
the sound doctrine
and teaching
of the church,
he's saying that
that role
is meant to be reserved
to a group
of qualified men,
a group that elsewhere
Paul will call elders
or pastors
or overseers.
But
those leaders
are not meant
to squelch
the participation
of women
praying and prophesying.
Rather,
they are meant
to empower it.
In Ephesians 4.12,
Paul says
that one of the jobs
of those pastor teachers,
the elders,
is to equip the saints
for the work
of ministry,
for building up
the body of Christ.
And that means
equipping all the saints,
men and women,
for the work
of ministry
so that we might
grow up in every way,
Paul goes on to say
in that passage,
into the measure
of the stature
of the fullness
of Christ.
When we're using
our gifts mutually
for the upbuilding
of the body,
then we're growing
into the fullness
of Christ.
Well,
what would the application
of this principle
look like for us today?
You know,
friends,
when I think about
our corporate worship
times together,
I would love
to see more of us,
men and women,
sharing words
of encouragement,
consolation,
and upbuilding
from up front.
Right now,
when someone comes
into membership,
like Sierra this morning,
or when they get baptized,
or when they're sharing
about a recent ministry
experience,
we get some of this,
don't we?
And it's really good.
It's really encouraging.
God uses it
in our hearts,
in our community.
But what if we were
sharing more
of what God
was teaching us
in our life?
And sharing it
in a way
that was edifying
and in a space
that was edifying
for the whole body?
You know,
one of the joys
of being a pastor
is that I get to hear
so many great stories
of God at work
in your lives.
You sit down with me,
you pull me aside,
and I know you're doing this
with the other pastors
and elders too,
and you tell me
these incredible things
that God is teaching you.
How you learn to love
your antagonistic coworkers
by dwelling on Jesus' command
to love your enemies
and pray for those
who persecute you.
And lo and behold,
it worked.
How you learn to trust
God's promises
in the midst of unemployment
that He'd never leave you
nor forsake you.
How you learn that Christ
was an all-sufficient friend
in sorrow
when your relationship
crumbled apart
and you felt like
you were all alone.
Friends,
what if I were to ask you
one day,
would you consider
sharing that on Sunday
with your church family
for their upbuilding
and encouragement
and consolation?
And of course,
many of you are thinking,
I could never do that.
Speak in front of 300 people?
He's crazy.
Okay, it's intimidating.
I get it.
I still get nervous
every time I get up front.
That's normal.
But,
friends,
what if we worked together
to change the culture
here at Trinity
where the regular
personal sharing
of encouraging words
was the norm?
Call it whatever you want.
A testimony,
a prophecy,
a missions update,
I don't really care.
What if every Sunday
we would expect to hear
not just one of the pastors
give a sermon
and fulfill that teaching role
that God's given us,
as central as that is,
and it will remain.
But what if we also expected
to hear a message
of encouragement
from one member,
at least from another member
of the church as well?
It's built right into
our order of service.
It's sitting right there
before the offering,
waiting to be grabbed.
I think this would make
our times
all the more
richer together.
Don't you?
Of course,
there are other opportunities
for doing this,
right?
Not just on Sundays.
Small groups,
one-on-one meetings,
over lunch,
after church,
over coffee.
Each of these
becomes a venue,
a space
for the Holy Spirit
to work
through prayer
and encouragement,
through the mutual
giving and receiving
of our gifts
of love
and service,
as we say
in our membership vows.
So,
if speaking in front
of the whole church
gives you cold sweats,
start there,
in small group,
with your circle
of friends.
But friends,
let's be praying together
that Trinity
will become a place
where we empower
men and women
to participate
and contribute
to mutually edifying
one another
in our gathered times
together,
where all
of our gifts
get cultivated
and released
so we can grow
into the fullness
of Christ.
Well,
let's keep moving.
That's the first point.
mutual participation,
freedom.
Yeah?
Here's the second point.
We honor God
and honor one another
in our corporate worship
when we embrace
the created distinction
between men and women
in the body.
When we embrace
the created distinction
between men and women
in the body.
Okay, remember,
the presenting issue
at Corinth
was probably something
like this.
When we gather
for worship,
and particularly
when we pray
and prophesy,
should women
continue to wear
their head coverings?
Or can we remove them
as an expression
of our freedom
in Christ
and of our kingdom
equality with our
brothers in the Lord?
And Paul says,
no,
you should keep them on.
Why?
Because in the first century
context,
the head covering
on a woman,
as we said,
communicated respectability
and modesty in general,
and for the married woman
in particular,
it communicated a sense
of respect and honor
for her husband.
Imagine, friends,
how distracting
it would be
if the first thing
I did
when I stepped
into the pulpit
was take off
my wedding band
and put it on the pulpit,
or maybe stick it
under the pulpit,
or if I came out
not even wearing one.
Even if I was doing that
for some strangely
good reason,
what would it
actually communicate
to most people
off the street?
Well,
it would be
distracting and weird
because taking off
your wedding ring
would seem to communicate
that you're not
married anymore,
or at least
that you're leaving
your marriage commitment
behind you
or putting it aside
for the time being.
And the reality is
taking off my ring
would actually
dishonor my wife
and detract
and distract you all
from the worship
and honor of God.
Now,
for a woman
to take off
her head covering
in the first century,
the effects
would have been
very similar.
Not only would
they be taking off
something that was
part of just identifying
as a woman
in that culture,
not only would
taking it off
have been seen
at times as something
promiscuous and provocative,
but they would have
also been taking off
something that
communicated respect
and honor
to their husband.
And so,
by removing
the head covering,
they would actually
be, as Paul says,
dishonoring their head,
not only their own selves,
but also their husbands.
And all of that,
which is Paul's big point,
all of that would
actually dishonor God
and distract
from worshiping Him,
which is the point
of why you get together
in the first place.
Paul goes on to say
that, look,
if you're willing
to communicate
that you've cast off
your status and identity
as a woman and a wife,
then you might as well
just shave your head,
he says in verse 6.
That seems kind of strange.
Again, it seems that
in the first century
cultural context,
a woman would have
her hair cut off
as either sort of
some kind of penalty
for adultery
or some kind of sign
that she was forfeiting
her identity as a woman.
And of course,
the women in Corinth
didn't want to go that far.
That's not what
they were trying to do.
But Paul is saying
they'd be communicating
just about the same thing
by doing this socially
significant thing
of taking off
their head covering.
So, if you're not
going to go the whole way,
keep it on.
Okay.
Why is Paul so concerned
that the women in Corinth
maintain a practice
of dress that in part
signifies their femaleness
and in part signifies
the headship of their husbands?
In verses 7-10,
Paul explains
that our engendered being
and the headship principle
actually goes back
to God's creative intent
for humanity.
Now,
these verses
are notoriously difficult
to interpret,
especially the end
of verse 10
about the angels.
I mean, come on.
You are all thinking
that is the hugest
non sequitur
I've ever read.
My guess is that
that has something
to do with the church
displaying God's glory
to the heavenly places.
Check out Ephesians 3-10.
That's all I'm going to say
about that.
I'm done.
You want to talk to me
more after that afterwards?
I'd be happy to.
I can give you eight pages
on what other people
think that is.
That's what I think it is.
But on the whole,
big picture,
it seems that Paul
is saying that the order
of creation
in Genesis 2
with Adam being formed first
and then Eve
does delineate
a headship principle
that gets embodied
in the home
through husbands and wives
and ought to be embodied
in the church
in the office of the elder.
Now, verse 7
sounds really,
really odd to us, right?
Is Paul saying
that women aren't
created in the image of God
and just created
in the image of man?
No, that's not
what Paul's saying there.
Paul wholeheartedly affirms
in other places
that both men and women
are equally created
in God's image.
Rather, I think
what he's saying
in verse 7
is he's just making
a point about the order
of creation
from Genesis 2
and the following verses
8 and 9
make that clear.
He points out
in verse 8
that in the original
creation story
Eve was made
in a distinct way
from Adam,
from him,
out of his side.
And then in verse 9
that she was made
to complete Adam,
to be,
as Genesis says,
his strong helper,
his ally,
his completer
in ruling creation.
So,
in this sense,
Paul says,
the woman communicates
something about man
as well as something
about God.
Being made in God's image,
she reflects God's glory.
Yes, that's Genesis 1.
But seen through
the lens of Genesis 2,
the woman,
because she's made
from man,
also communicates
something in addition
about the glory
of man.
In other words,
her created excellence
communicates something
about God's excellence,
yes,
but also something
about the created excellence
of her partner,
the man.
Now,
I get it.
It's really hard
for us to hear
those verses
and for them
not to sound
really grating
or maybe even
demeaning for women,
but that wasn't
their intent.
You see,
for the woman
to communicate
something in addition
about the glory
of man,
on the one hand,
doesn't define
her whole reason
for existence
as if that's
the only thing
that God created
women to do,
and on the other hand,
this doesn't in any way
communicate
any intrinsic
inferiority
to the man.
Eve wasn't
of any lesser value
or dignity
or importance
in God's
creative purposes.
In fact,
in verses 11 and 12,
Paul's actually
really careful
to uphold
and preserve
the woman's dignity.
These verses
actually kind of
serve as an important
qualification
in Paul's line
of thinking
lest he be
misunderstood
or misapplied.
Just as Genesis 2
delineates a principle
of headship,
so the rest
of the biblical account,
Paul steps back
and says,
delineates a principle
of at the same time
interdependence
and mutuality
before the Lord.
Yes,
woman was made
for man,
but now man
comes from woman,
and both man
and woman
are equally
from God.
God.
But why in the world
would Paul want
to preserve
such a convoluted
and complicated
line of thinking?
On the one hand,
equality of value
and interdependence
and mutuality.
We get that.
On the other hand,
diversity of role
and headship.
Okay,
we understand that.
We're a little less
comfortable with that.
What we can't do
is the almost impossible
thing of holding
them together.
Why?
Why even try?
Why is Paul even
worried about that
when it's so hard
to hold together,
when it's so hard
to work out
and practice?
Why is he so careful
to try to preserve
that in the life
of the church?
The answer is actually
found in verse 3.
All of this
reflects something
about the nature
and glory of God.
Just as the Father
and the Son
are equal in essence
and glory
and attributes,
so the husband
and wife are equal
in essence
and glory
and purpose.
And a lot of times
attributes.
But,
just as the Son
freely comes under
the headship
of the Father,
so wives freely
come under
the headship
of their husbands.
And notice
that headship here
isn't what we
commonly think.
This sort of headship
is not some kind
of self-serving
authoritarianism
that belittles
other people
to make itself
look great.
Isn't that what
we often think
about a head?
A head of a department?
He's the useless guy
who just makes you
fill out TBS reports,
right?
No.
Real,
biblical
headship
is self-giving
responsibility
that aims
to build up
the other
that's entrusted
to your care.
Because,
you see,
just as Jesus
was the model
of submission
showing us
that submission
does not mean
a loss of dignity
or value
or purpose
or beauty.
So,
Jesus was also
the pattern
of true headship.
He is the head
of the man
and the husband,
Paul says.
And Jesus himself
said that he came
not to be served
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many.
And as Paul
will later say,
husbands are to
love their wives
the way Christ
loved the church
and gave himself
up for her.
friends,
that's biblical
headship.
That's authority
biblically speaking.
A self-giving
stance
towards the other
that wants
to see them
flourish.
A love
that bears
pain and loss
so the other
can know glory
and gain.
That's headship.
Now,
of course,
people have done
all sorts of evil
and wrong things
under the guise
of male headship.
And we want to
actually stand
alongside the hurting
and the broken
and condemn
those things as well.
Those abuses
have actually
propagated
a lie
not just about
what headship is
but about
who God is,
you see.
real,
true,
biblical
headship
isn't oppressive,
it's life-giving.
So,
you see,
what's at stake
in all of this
for Paul
in being male
and female
and the beauty
of that distinction
and even in embracing
a principle of headship
between husbands
and wives,
all this is really
about being a picture,
a reflection
of God's own
triune life
and love
to the world.
world.
It's about honoring
Him and displaying
Him before
a watching world
as each member
takes up their part
in the dance
that God has assigned.
not because one
is intrinsically
better than the other.
There's no hint
of that
in the biblical texts
but because God
ordered it so
and according
to His own wisdom,
He promises
to make His glory
known through it.
And so,
Paul tells the Corinthians
to keep wearing
the head covering
because in their
particular historical context,
it communicated
a glad embrace
of the created goodness
of being male
and female
and the distinction
and role
that each had
in displaying
God's glory.
And he ends
in verses 13 through 16
by appealing to nature
and by appealing
to the common practice
of the church.
His appeal to nature
real briefly
in verses 14 and 15
is basically
that if common experience
tells us that men
and women are different,
for example,
in their hair,
in most cultures,
men and women
have different hairdos,
then by analogy,
it's fitting for men
and women
to have different
symbolic attire
communicating their
maleness or femaleness,
hence the head covering
in the first century.
And in verse 16,
Paul appeals to the broad
practice of other churches.
If anyone is contentious
about this,
Paul wants them to know
that this isn't just
his own private opinion,
but in fact,
none of the other churches
of God have any other
practice than the one
Paul too is helping
them to understand.
Now,
for us today,
in our time
and in our place,
friends,
head coverings
don't communicate
anything like
what they did
for first century
Corinthians,
right?
So,
there's no use
in asking
whether we should
wear a head covering
today.
They've lost
all their symbolic
significance
and there's no threat
of undermining
the created goodness
and givenness
of gender
by not wearing
one or by wearing
one.
But even if we need
not wear head coverings,
the hard issue,
I think,
is still the same.
do we gladly
embrace
the created
distinction
of being male
and female?
Of course,
different cultures
will have different
signs and signifiers
for communicating
this distinction
in healthy ways,
but are we willing
in our time
and place
to do so?
To gladly
communicate
our maleness
and our femaleness
to one another
into the world.
I think this works
out in three ways.
First,
in general,
to embrace
being male
and being female
and to see
this distinction
as a created good
that's worthy
of being maintained
so that people
will see the diverse
glory of God
in our life together.
Of course,
there are all sorts
of stupid stereotypes
about what maleness
ought to be
and femaleness
ought to be,
right?
Just because you can
crush a beer can
on your head
and shoot a rifle
doesn't mean
that you're being
a man.
Was that our next
men's ministry event?
Sorry, guys.
What counts
is the character
of Christ,
you see.
And of course,
sometimes we get
confused about our gender.
Sometimes we feel
uncomfortable
in our own skin.
And friend,
if that's you,
let me encourage you
to seek out
a good Christian friend
to talk to.
Don't cover it up
and hide it up.
Find someone you trust
and let them walk
with you through
those questions
that you have.
You don't have to
wrestle through
that alone.
God's love
and love
the process
of seeking
to honor God
as men and women
means putting Christ
uppermost in our identity.
To seek Him
and to seek His ways
and to let His Spirit
and His Word
permeate every part
of our lives
in the unique
person that God
created each one
of us to be.
That, I think,
is the true path
toward living
into our maleness
and femaleness
together.
To see Christ
and let His Spirit
then work it out
in beautiful ways
in our midst.
Second,
if we're married,
there's a call
to further embrace
not just the created
goodness of being
male and female,
but the further
distinction of role
that God gives
specifically to husbands
and wives.
To embrace that role
of loving headship
and supportive submission.
Okay,
I know when you hear
the word submission
all the bells go off
in your head
that that's like
an evil thing.
So, I've thought about
other words I could use
to sort of describe
what I think the Bible
is saying when it says
that we ought to
submit to one another
and submit to God
and submit
in all sorts of ways.
And yes,
wives submit to their husbands.
I think it's an honoring
deference.
An honoring deference
that wants to build
that other up
just as the husband
responds with an honoring
self-giving
that wants to build
the other person up.
But this is something
that maintains
for husbands and wives.
Nowhere in the Bible,
I think,
are women in general
called to submit
to men in general,
you see.
That's why the ESV
actually helpfully
translates the words
men and women
in our text
sometimes as husband
and wife.
The actual Greek words
kind of can say
either thing.
But in the context
here of headship
that this passage
brings up,
it's clear that Paul's
talking about the
relationship of husbands
and wives
in the covenant of marriage.
So, friends,
in your marriage
relationship,
if you're married,
do you see
that relationship
as integral
to your discipleship
to Jesus?
That it's not something
you can leave behind
or take off
at the door of the church.
It's not something
that's actually transcended
because you're a member
of the kingdom.
Rather,
part of what it means
for you to live
as a new creation
and bring honor
to Christ
is to live
as faithful husbands
and wives,
displaying the unique
ways
that the character
and glory of Christ
play out
in each one of you.
Christ,
who after all
is both the head
who laid down
His life for us
and the Son
who freely submitted
to the Father.
Third,
last,
in the context
of the local church
which the Bible
often pictures
as an extended household,
do we gladly embrace
the headship principle
here as well
in that the office
of the elder,
the office entrusted
with that self-giving
responsibility
to preserve sound doctrine
and care for the flock
is reserved
for qualified men
whom the congregation
acknowledges
and appoints.
Okay,
I know that just opened up
a huge can of worms
and I've already
gone over time.
What?
Okay.
Listen to Greg's
Sunday school class
from this morning
and come next week.
But you know,
the reality is
that many of us
have just seen that done
so badly
that the thought
of gladly embracing it
seems impossible.
I get that.
I've seen it done badly
in some of the churches
I've been a part of.
And perhaps for other of us
we're not 100% sure
in our own minds
how these biblical passages
actually kind of line up.
We're still figuring things out.
Friends, let me say this,
that wherever you land,
let me encourage you,
let me encourage us
to keep seeking the Lord together,
to keep being patient
and forbearing
with one another
as a church family,
and to keep praying
that we'd all know best
how to understand
and apply these texts
and principles together.
But to conclude,
I hope we're at least
getting a glimpse
of the interplay
between freedom
and form
that Paul's laying out
in this passage.
You see,
on the one hand,
freedom
of men and women
praying and prophesying
mutually in the gathering,
of the other assembly,
both bringing their gifts
to bear for the upbuilding
of the body,
empowered to do so,
and at the same time
form this created order
where male and female
are distinct
and in certain relationships
have distinct roles
to play
in displaying God's glory
and manifold grace
to the world
and even
to the heavenly places,
as I think
the end of verse 10 alludes.
And friends,
as we pursue this freedom
and embrace this form,
may we begin
to see more and more
of the beauty
of the glory
that God has for us.
And may He be honored
above all.
Let's pray.
God, we need Your help.
Lord, we confess
that when we come
to texts like this,
we're often confused,
so we pray You
give us understanding.
And God,
as we think about
this great
and glorious thing
of being created
male and female
and called together
into Your family,
Lord, give us the grace
and wisdom
and courage
to live out
the biblical vision.
God, help us
not to rest
in old answers.
Help us to bring
our questions honestly
to You and Your Word.
And Lord,
help us to know
and trust You.
Lord, if You
would give up
Your own self for us,
then surely
we can trust Your ways
and Your words
and Your work.
Lord, if You have given
Your own blood
for us on the cross,
how will You not
graciously give us
all things?
Lord, how could we
not see Your words
not as a recipe,
for disaster,
but as a recipe
for our glory
and for our good
and for the good
of the world?
God, give us
the boldness
and the humility
that we need
to walk in Your ways.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.