Galatians 3:26-29
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
I have been reading two passages that speak about two very important, although very different, doctrines. By the way, if you notice the little sheet that was in your bulletin this morning, we've tried to provide you with a brief outline of these two messages, and I'd like to have more to say about that a little later in the message. But we're going to spend some time examining part IV on the outline - that last item there - "Lesson to Angels". Now that is not just a matter that is interesting: but it's also deeply significant. And so we want to spend some time trying to understand that last point - "Lesson to Angels."
In Gal. 3:28 we find the statement that in Christ there is neither male no female. This is what is known as the doctrine of sonship. The passage begins in v.26 with the statement that we are all sons of God. And this is important for us to see - i.e. we are sons; we all have the same position, we have absolute equality in Christ; as far as the priesthood of the believer goes, we are all priests equally men and women; we have equal access to God; we have the Holy Spirit, His seal, His indwelling, the baptism, the filling. And all these things are provided equally for men and women. And we might also note that our worth is equal before God. God values us as His children all equally - our worth and our value is the same. This all falls under the heading of sonship - our position in the family.
However, 1 Cor. 11:3 sets before us an entirely different doctrine - the doctrine of headship. This has to do with our different roles, just as in the military. In the military, there are different ranks, different titles - doesn't mean that different people are worth more or are intrinsically better people, it just means they assume different roles in order to accomplish a job. This is true in the work of God. We tried to look at some of that in general last week.
I'd like to suggest that it's absolutely vital that we understand the Biblical difference between sonship and headship. If we do not understand that these are both Bible doctrines that are both fully within the will and plan of God, it will lead to confusion.
Just want to read one quotation from a book by the man who did Philips translation- Mr. J. B. Philips. Listen to this quotation in which he, because of his lack of understanding the whole concept of the doctrine of headship, tries to pit sonship and headship one against each other - one was the product of the Spirit of God, and one was the product of Saul as he calls him before he was converted, the old nature. Listen to this quote, he says, "sometimes you can see the conflict between the Pharisaic spirit of the former Saul who could write such grudging things about marriage and insist on the perennial submission of women, and the Spirit of God who inspired Paul to write that in Christ there was neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female." That's a classic example of starting with a presupposition and then coming to an erroneous conclusion. "Saul wrote about grudging things about marriage and insisted upon the perennial submission of women. Obviously his old sinful nature was writing that part of scripture. But then the Spirit of God inspired Paul - notice the name change - and Paul writes that in Christ there is neither male nor female." Now I protest that that is not only a low view of inspiration, I don't think that that's any view of inspiration at all. And we as Christians simply need to take a stand against that. We do not have in scripture jumbled writings of people's new and old natures and we sort them out according to what pleases us. We have the word of God and these things are not in contradiction. In fact, there is a beautiful harmony if we understand them.
Let's turn quickly to John 14 and see one very brief illustration of the thing we're talking about. Here, the Lord Jesus says two things that appear to some people contradictory. We only need to bear in mind this distinction I'm making between sonship and headship, and we'll see that there's no contradiction at all. In Jn. 14:9, in response to Philip's question to show us the Father, the Lord Jesus could say to Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." Now this is sonship. Here he's talking about the essence of God and He says, "Philip, don't you realize that the one who has seen me has seen the Father? How can you say, Show us the Father? The one who has seen me has seen the Father, because in essence we are one." But then going down to the later part of the chapter, speaking about the different ministries within the God-Head - He's speaking about the coming of the Holy Spirit and His own work and so forth, and in Jn. 14:28, He says, "The Father is greater than I. You would rejoice that I said that I am going away. If you loved me, ye would because I said, I go to my Father who is greater than I." There He's speaking about Headship - the roles that are being performed by the Persons that are in the Trinity. So then we need to understand that this distinction between sonship and headship is a vitally important distinction. Which of us would ever hold that because the Lord Jesus took upon Himself a body and came to die on the cross, that He was inferior or that He was of less value to God the Father? Certainly not.
So we have in 1 Cor. 11:1-16 a sign of willing submission to God's order. And we need to study that a little bit. Notice please that in v.3 we have a doctrinal statement. It's always well to notice that in the beginning of a passage that there is a doctrinal basis given. Paul says in v.3, "I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is man; and the head of Christ is God." Of course, we're also paying attention to that little statement in v.10 about the angels, because that gives us a little key.
Paul is insisting that when it comes to prayer, prophesy, and so forth, the woman ought to cover her head. And he mentions here the woman's need to wear a covering - a veil of some sort. We can say then that the woman's role is visible. We were looking last week and seeing that the man's role in the assembly is vocal. And when we put them both together, you have the whole person setting forth the whole plan of God. May I say there's no negativeness in this passage. This is never to be considered as a put-down or putting woman in their place. In fact, there's no negative spirit at all here. We never read that God gives man anything to do as far as instruction to angels. This is reserved as a ministry of women, and we want to try to study a little bit further.
In order to understand the woman's special role or ministry in the assembly there are two things that we should make a study of - first of all we should study the background of headship in scripture, and secondly we should study the context of 1 Cor. 11.
Why is the matter of headship an issue in any case? We need to go way back before the creation of the world and think for a moment about what happened to Satan and his original estate. You may know that Satan was the no. 1 created being in all the universe. In other words, he was God's most powerful created being. Remember - the Lord Jesus was NOT created - He is eternally existent as God. Some would try to tell us that Christ is the most powerful created being - not so, Satan is the no. 1 CREATED being in the universe. In Isaiah 14 we read there a brief history of the rebellion and fall of Satan who is called Lucifer. Five times in that passage you read this expression "I will ...". Satan says, "I will ...., I will ..., I will ...." five times. And this culminates with his desire - "I will be like the Most High." He was not content to take his place in the role that God has assigned to him. He says, "No, I want to be God - I want to be at the top." And so he fell, as we know, and he was rejected from the presence of God. He is given in scripture the name 'deceiver'. He has many names as you know, but one significant one is "the deceiver"! And of course as one who deceives others he also himself is deceived. He's deceived into thinking that he's going to have the final victory, and eventually he will overthrow God. And we know that will not happen. But here is the first breakdown in headship - an unwillingness to take the assigned place, and the selfish and greedy desire to be God.
Then we go, in Gen. 3, to the garden of Eden. Note the tactics that Satan use there. After falling himself, he comes to Eve and he questions God's authority, and he attacks the concept of submission. "You could be as God - which was his desire - if you take this fruit and eat of it, you could be as God - you could be God." And so here we find the lawless one, who himself cannot abide by law, seeking to cause others to become lawless. And we find the second breakdown in headship. The woman accepted the debate with Satan. She entered into dialogue with him and as we know she was deceived. God's original intention was that she should a help to Adam, and yet she took this matter into her own hand, and the couple fell, and sin entered into the world.
Then we move along to the New Testament - you remember the story of the temptation of our Lord. We read about it in Matt. 4. Here again we find the very same tactics on the part of the tempter. "Never mind voluntary submission of the will to God, don't you realize that the Father is sending you to the earth to go to the cross, and to suffer and to die a terrible death? If you'll bow the knee to me, I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world now, and you need not go through that horrible sufferings. You're hungry, you have power, use your own power to satisfy your own desire." Now we know that the Lord Jesus, unlike the first Adam, gloriously overcame and He answered three times - "It is written ..." What was He saying when He said "It is written"? He was appealing to the Headship and the authority of His Father. He was a thoroughly and totally dependent man. And He said, "It is written ..., it is written ..., it is written ...." So He broke the chain of rebellion then, and He gloriously overcame and Satan left Him and departed for a season.
Now we read that the church - which is we ourselves here - is IN Christ. And are we then to share that victory against and over Satan that Christ has wrought? I think we are. Turn to Eph. 3 - you may know that chapters 2 and 3, Paul is setting before us the marvelous work of God to break down the partition between Jew and Gentile, and to form one new man - one new body, which he calls the church. Now I just want to draw your attention to 3:10 "To the intent (or we may say, 'with the intention') that now, unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." Here we have a statement of Paul - perhaps difficult to understand - but the least we can say or gather is that it is God's intention to, in some way, instruct the principalities and powers in heavenly places - in other words the angelic beings - and to instruct them by the church in the manifold wisdom of God. So then if it is true that angels are spectators of the church, and God is instructing them through His people, we should say that more can be accomplished by being willing to observe God's order than by violating it in favor of any supposed gains that might come to us - by seeking to violate God's order and have our own way.
1 Cor. 11:10 mentions the head covering as having something to do with the angels, as Paul says, 'Because of the angel '. I don't think we're far wrong at all in seeing this as a precious privilege and responsibility by which God can bring instructions to those principalities and powers. So, what is that instruction? I think it is just simply that the chain of rebellion, the chain of unwillingness to submit to God's authority, the chain of rebellion against headship has been broken. And the Lord Jesus is the first one who stood up and stood against him, and quoted the word of God and submitted and yielded to what God said and God's plan - He broke that chain of rebellion, and now we in Christ, as believers, we have that wonderful privilege of sharing in that victory. And not only that. In the assembly we can also show and set forth what God has done.
This may be considered dry to some who may not consider themselves Bible students as such, but once in a while it's important to really examine the text in some detail in order to arrive at an interpretation. So I just ask you to bear with me for a short time.
In 1 Cor.11:17,18 we find that Paul is introducing what seems to be a new subject. He uses the expression "first of all" (v.18). This certainly can't mean that this is the beginning of his instructions to the Corinthians. He's more than half-way through the letter. That's a great deal of instruction. Is there any clue then as to why Paul would say "first of all"? I believe, as I study this, that this marked the transition point in the letter to the Corinthians. I believe that the dividing line is between verses 16 and 17. And I would break it down this way :-
I Cor.1 - 11:16 I think gives us general instructions to Christians - in other words to the people at Corinth - how they are to live and conduct themselves as the people of God; and then I see 11:17 and following, we have here specific instructions regarding the church meetings - in other words the assembly of believers.
Now one of the believers here, a few weeks ago, brought up this matter, and I think it deserves our consideration - at what do we mean by the "meeting of the church"? It seems such an arbitrary thing. Well, I have to say, that as I study it, I find that at the bottom-line, I think it is really up to the leaders, the elders, to decide what is the meeting of the church. That there is such a thing seems to me pretty clear from scripture.
Obviously the early church had meetings. And how can we recognize those meetings? I'd like to make a suggestion. There are two expressions that are found in Corinthians, each of them occurs seven times in the book - the first one is the little expression "in the church", and the second one is the expression "when ye come together". So, if you count up the number of occurrences of those two expressions "in the church" and "when ye come together" you'll find that they occur seven times each in 1 Cor.
Now if you'll notice the distribution of them, I think it's very interesting. The first one "in the church" occurs only once in the first section, i.e. in the first part of the book, and six times in section two. The second one "when ye come together" does not appear at all in the first section, and appears all seven times in the second section.
So then, in summary we can say that when it comes to what we might call the "church meeting", thirteen out of the fourteen times where it's referred to in Cor. we find it from 11:17 onwards. To me that is pretty solid evidence that this part of the book is devoted to the meeting of the local church.
Also if you begin at verse 17 and read, you'll see very quickly that the materials that are contained in that section bear this out. We have the instructions about the Lord's supper, the exercise of spiritual gifts, the collection and also the participation of different ones in the assembly meetings. So, then I think it's fairly safe to say that we have here, beginning in 11:17 a section to guide us in our studies as Christians about how the local church should meet and how we should conduct ourselves when we come together in what we called the "church meeting", or what the scripture says "in the church", or "when we come together".
Now if you follow me along that line of reasoning which I think is sound, you'll notice that the matter about the woman's head covering falls in section one. And the matter we mentioned last time - 14:34 that commands the woman to be silent in churches falls in section 2. 1 think this is helpful because some have tried to imagine that there's a contradiction. Paul in chapter 11 seems to say let the woman pray and prophesy, and then you get over to chapter 14 and he says they should be silent altogether. And I've even read books that say, "We11, in chapter 11, he allowed them to pray and prophesy as long as they covered their head; but by the time he got to chapter 14, he changed his mind and said, No, on second thoughts let them be quiet all the time." Again here, we're dealing with a problem of inspiration - a low view of inspiration - "Paul was confused, and mixed-up and he was trying to form his ideas as he goes along and as he writes." This is not the mark of one who is guided and borne along by the very Spirit of God.
So then if we understand that Paul's instruction in 11:1-16 has to do with the conduct of women in general as believers, there's really no contradiction here. There's no contradiction between a woman praying or prophesying out loud with her each covered in the many situations she might find herself in the period of a week, and between 14:34 the command to silence in the church meetings specifically.
Turn back to the book of Acts 2 and 5, and notice two verses with me. Acts 2:46 says, "And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their food with gladness and singleness of heart." Here we find at least the hint that in the early church there were the meetings together of the group in the temple, but also we would see smaller house-to-house, we might call house meetings or home meetings. And I'm interested to learn that the folks up in His Mansion (the assembly up in New Hampshire) practise this in a literal way - they have house meetings, what they call house churches, and little groups meeting in assigned geographical areas during the week and then on Sunday they come together - all the church together into one place - for one large overall meeting in which all the elders would be present; and they find that this system works very well.
Notice also Acts 5:42 please, we read, "And daily in the temple and in every house they cease not to teach and preach Jesus Christ" and so on. So, there are at least two hints then in the early chapters of Acts that the early church had two spheres for its meetings - they had a big meeting in the temple which was big enough to accommodate all the believers, and quite likely they had a lot of goings-on in the homes, house to house on a daily basis. Well, we might just pause here, and reflect upon something that seems to be a bit unfortunate when we see a young person come to know the Lord, we say to him, "Now it's very important that you come to church, you need to have fellowship with other Christians, and you should be in church on Sunday to remember the Lord and sit under His word." And so he comes to church on Sunday and we greet him, smile at him, and. maybe talk to him a minute, and as he goes out of the door we say, "Now we'll see you next Sunday, right?" And often time he doesn't come back and we wonder what happened to so-and-so. And I think about that scripture Heb.3, says "exhorting one another DAILY." And perhaps the Spirit of God is trying to tell us that in the case of a new believer a DAILY follow-up is essential in the first few months of his new life in Christ. How many mothers would give a little baby - a new born baby - some milk and say, "See you next Sunday." It is not only a daily thing - it's an hourly thing -- the feeding and the nourishment and the nurture and so forth. And new-born babes in Christ need that close personal contact and the follow-up in the early days and weeks after their conversion - exhorting one another daily Heb.3:13.
So in the early church then this was practiced. And we need not think it strange then if the elders in our assembly see to it in one way or another that there are various home bible studies, fellowship meetings, young people's activities - there was something for every night in the week. That isn't really just to keep the saints out of trouble, to keep them busy, as if we're not busy enough now. Not at all! That's a recognition that there should be a provision almost on a daily basis because there are some as new believers who desperately need that. Not to say that we older believers don't need that anymore but I think our chances of' making it to the next Sunday are much better. The young believer may be tempted and his feet may go astray, and six long days before he comes back to fellowship with the people of God.
Now let's go back to 1 Cor. 11 and just notice a couple of other things and then we can draw some conclusions.
In 11:18 we find the expression "first of all". Paul I think is introducing this new section. In 14:40 we find him concluding, at least for a while, with this word "let all things be done decently and in order." In other words he's saying, as far as the meeting of the assembly goes, make sure that everything is done decently and in orderly fashion.
I believe, in 1 Tim. 2 and 3 we have what can be considered the passage to the one we're working on. This might be the other great portion in the New Testament that regulates the church meeting. Notice in 2:1, Paul again begins with the little expression "first of all". He says, "I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men." And then he goes down, and he again speaks about the silence of the women in 2:11 and her not teaching and usurping authority. In chapter 3 we find instructions concerning elders and deacons; and let's read 3:1 and see how he closes this section - "But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to BEHAVE thyself in the house of God which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I think we're justified then in seeing here a parallel passage that begins with the expression "first of all" and it closes with an appeal to order, just as the section in 1 Cor. does.
So then if we put these two great passages together, I believe we would find sufficient instructions to guide us in what we call the meeting of the local church.
Now far beyond what we call the woman's role or the woman's ministry, I think an understanding or a grasp of these two sections is important. We have here many Bible students, many Christians who study and ponder their Bible. We also have here at West Woods obviously meetings of the church. And we need for all the Bible students and those who study the word, to pray over it to be familiar, conversant with these two sections - to study them carefully and see and discern what is the will of God for what we call the church meeting. And as God leads us and guides us and instructs us, I think we're able to move a little closer over the years toward meetings that would really fulfill the purposes of God for our coming together, and really edify and build us up in our most holy faith.
Now just a few closing remarks on chapter 11:1-16, the head covering in general. I hope, if I do nothing else in this little series of talks, I can dispel forever the notion that the appeal for sisters to cover their heads is a put-down or a criticism. I've always used this as a privilege that is a very high and lofty one, one in which God gives to the sisters the responsibility and the opportunity to do something for His work.
I'd like to make three suggestions as to what the head covering symbolizes.
I find in this section first of all that it shows the personal submission of the woman. Now remember that this is not dealing with what happens in the church meeting. This is dealing with the home study and the get-togethers and if you have a few couples over to your house - I know we do, and we like to have a time of prayer in the evening. Can the sisters pray? Should they pray? W'e11, I think we should encourage them to pray. They should put a covering on their head and they should pray. We're not dealing here with the church meeting - the whole church coming together per se, we're dealing with other situations - life in general. So when a woman goes to pray out loud, can the angels looking on construe this as a continued rebellion against authority? No, they cannot, because she covers her head, and says, "I have God-given permission ( Cor. 11) to do this. I'm staying within the written plan of God." And so then the head-covering becomes a sign of her submission to God's headship and to God's authority. So first of all it's a personal thing.
And then secondly, and we shouldn't pass over this - it shows the church's submission to Christ. Did you ever stop to think that both men and women make up the bride of Christ!? Let's too remember then that we, men, too are part of Christ's bride. So that in covering her head, the woman shows that men and women - i.e. all redeemed believers - who constitute the bride of Christ, that we see our place as Christ's bride and we are in submission to His authority as the Bridegroom - the head and the authority. The sisters wearing a covering show this, and display this constantly.
And then finally, the head-covering serves God's purposes towards angels. Because we read here of the woman covering her glory. To those of you who might like to study this section in depth, note that there are two glories spoken of in this passage - there is the glory that the woman is, i.e. she is the glory of the man; there is the glory that the woman has - it says her hair is given to her for her glory. Her hair is her glory.
Notice please that there are two coverings mentioned in this passage. There is the covering that is her hair that covers herself - the glory that she is; and then there's also the veil - the covering that covers her personal glory, her hair.
So if we study these things carefully then, I think so far from seeing the head covering as some form of criticism or a sign or a symbol of inferiority, it becomes a beautiful service for God in His instruction to the principalities and powers.
Now I want to close this morning by just a word of review if I can. You notice on this sheet that I passed out, we didn't get to speak in detail about those ten things listed under IV. But I urge you to take this home and study it at your leisure. Perhaps check up the references and ask yourselves the question, esp. sisters, "What is my involvement in each of these things?" Now, I'm not to say that your involvement and your ministry to God is limited to these ten things - far from it, I've just tried to make a list, and suggest some of the areas of opportunity and responsibility for sisters to minister within the local assembly.
But I'd like to draw some conclusions as we close and also perhaps leave a couple of challenges - one with the women and one with the men.
First of all, given this list of ten responsibilities and opportunities, and of course, at the bottom, one single prohibition - women are to keep silence in the church - we can make two observations.
Men in the assembly must learn to lead and take responsibility for headship. By the way, it was delightful this morning at the first meeting to see no less than five young men get up on their feet and take the role of vocal leadership in the assembly. That's good training - good training for a coming day when they have families or whatever as God may lead, good training for leadership in the assembly. So, ladies, remember that men must learn to lead, we must learn to take responsibility of headship. Do we really believe that God hears and answers silent prayers equally well with prayer prayed out loud? I think we do. If what we're really seeking is answered prayer, then we could pray. Sisters can pray continually in the home and in the assemblies quietly for God does hear silent prayer equally well with prayer out loud. Perhaps what we're really seeking is leadership and we should examine our hearts in that area.
I was reminded this morning in thinking about my own mum, I don't know many other Christians who have a better batting average in having answered prayer than my own mother - and I can truly say, I've never heard her pray out loud in my life.
Second observation is IF, and I start this advisedly with the word 'if'', due to family, or marital, or background, or personal problems, a woman feels unaccepted ,or unfulfilled then the single prohibition can become the battle-ground and symptom of what is really a much deeper problem.
And here I would appeal to the men - men, we need to realize that if our sisters in the Lord are not honored, and they are made to feel inferior which they are not - then the cry to lead may be really a cry for recognition, for love and for acceptance. Perhaps the real problem may be in our poor leadership, because the first work of a good leader is love and self-sacrifice.
And so then in closing, I would say that as we altogether study the word of God and we find what our respected roles are to be and that there is a great deal of opportunity for ministry and service, may we all help one another to be the best possible servants of God remembering that all of us together make up the image of God in Christ and no one of us can be the whole thing alone. We all need each other, but we need to respect and stand upon God's appointed order.
Let's pray.
Christian women have every privilege in their position as "sons" of God - similar to a man - but only one prohibition - i.e. not to speak.