As we talked about yesterday, chapter 11 is all about orderliness in corporate worship. Another way to put it is, “How to live selflessly in the context of a worship service.” The key is to set aside selfishness for the sake of the other people in the congregation—and that’s what we’ll look at today.
Read 1 Corinthians 11:1–16. In your own words, how would you describe the problem Paul is addressing in these verses?
1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
2 I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. 3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 5 But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. 6 Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.
7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.
11 But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15 And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16 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.
1 Corinthians 11 (NLT)
The Greek word kephalē, which we translate as “head,” is one of the most confusing and hotly debated terms in the New Testament. While there are several ways to interpret Paul’s use of kephalē, it’s important to note what he’s not saying. Some read 1 Corinthians 11:3 as an outline of hierarchy in terms of access—the Father, Jesus, husbands, then wives. In other words, some think wives only have access to Jesus through their husbands. This idea is in direct conflict with the rest of Scripture, which says all Christians have access to God through Jesus (John 14:6; Rom. 8:31–39; Eph. 2:14–18; 3:10–12; 1 Tim. 2:5–6; Heb. 10:19–25).
This passage about headdresses is one of the most controversial sections in the whole Bible. We’re not going to delve into the debate. But we will unpack what exactly was disrupting the orderliness of the Corinthian services.
Paul’s concern is with how women conducted themselves in corporate worship, specifically about their headdresses. Women wore head coverings in public as a sign of modesty and respect. But when they came home, they’d take them off. Since the early church met in homes, it seems as though the women were keeping the casual, only-at-home attire during worship. Instead of dressing out of respect for the seriousness of church gatherings, their clothing communicated promiscuity and disrespect.
Think of it this way: Picture the comfiest outfit you’d only wear at home. Maybe it’s a giant, holey T-shirt or your pajamas. Now imagine if that’s all you wore to church on Sunday. Would you be distracting?
What would your clothes say about you? What would they say about your attitude toward the church or the people at church?
The problem here is less about what we wear—although that can be really important, as the example above shows— and more about our attitude. The way we dress is often motivated out of selfishness— it certainly was for the Corinthian women. A church service should be a time when Christians respect and care for each other as they worship God. If we put our personal preferences first, we’ll cause problems.
Instead, we should be considerate of others. If we do, it will change the way we dress, talk, and act, especially toward other Christians.
After reflecting on this idea, write about what it could look like for you to be considerate of others while at church.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
I try to be a considerate person for the most part but sometimes I wonder if we can be too considerate or not considerate enough. I guess Paul outlined when we should and shouldn’t in the previous passage from a week or two ago, but sometimes applying that principle can be difficult. I think for me to be more considerate at church, I would want to make sure I am not just going to church to receive but that I am also giving in some respect. Although I think it is good to receive from church, at the same time I wonder if it is good if that is all that we are doing. One-way relationships are never very healthy and I would suspect if all we did was receive from church then I would surmise we are more than likely not being considerate as well. I pray that I can be considerate of others at church.
I can be more considerate when it comes to getting food from dinner service. I often got my second plate of food before the people who were serving. I should appreciate their service more. Next time if I finish my food early, I’ll help them to serve food so that they can eat.