We picked up again in our Tour of 1 Corinthians in chapter 11. Pastor Phil began laying a foundation for a puzzling passage where the Apostle Paul addresses what the Corinthians were wearing in worship. We don't get the whole way through the passage, but set the table with some important information as background.
1. In all of Paul's writings, he focuses on freedom from restrictions, rather than bondage to a "new law" other than obedience to Christ alone. For us to see Paul now introducing a universal "law" isn't in continuity with the rest of his writings.
2. Jesus talked about equity, aka no hierarchy, in leadership (Matt 20:26-28) and Paul affirmed that equity across genders as well (Gal. 3:28). This has to be foundational in understanding this passage
3. Headship doesn't solely relate to authority or hierarchy.
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. (1 Corinthians 11:3 NLT)
When we look back what the word "head" means in the original language, it often means "source." Today we use that meaning regarding a "trail
head" or the "
headwaters" of a river. These refer to source...not hierarchy. This is probably a better way to understand this "headship" in 1 Cor. 11:3.
There is more to discover here, but hopefully this foundation will launch us into a clear understanding of this passage in the weeks to come.
Listen again to Phil's message online.