One of the most perplexing texts in the New Testament is 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. That's the one where Paul talks about head coverings, and long hair on men.
I preached this text today at The Orchard Church in Kingsley, MI.
You can listen to the sermon here.
Below I have reproduced my commentary and paraphrase of this text. This was an attempt to help us see better what the Apostle Paul was communicating to the first-century believers.
I preached this text today at The Orchard Church in Kingsley, MI.
You can listen to the sermon here.
Below I have reproduced my commentary and paraphrase of this text. This was an attempt to help us see better what the Apostle Paul was communicating to the first-century believers.
| 1_corinthians_11.2-16_paraphrase_commentary.pdf |
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Paraphrase Commentary
2 You have followed my teaching well,
3 but you might have misunderstood Galatians 3:28.
While we are all equal in value in God’s plan for salvation, we all have authorities in our lives.
For example, Jesus submitted to God the father, and wives respect their husbands.
4 In our culture, if a man prays or teaches with a hat on,
he dishonors Christ (because he is acting like a pagan priest).
5 In our culture, if a woman prays or teaches with her hair down,
she dishonors her husband, because it communicates sexual promiscuity and idolatry.
6 So, because loose hair on a woman communicates promiscuity,
she might as well be identified as an adulteress by shaving her head.
But we know it is disgraceful to by identified as an adulteress,
so why be identified as promiscuous?
7 A man should not wear a hat like a pagan priest,
because he represents God
and should seek to honor the one true God in how he is dressed.
In the same way, a wife should honor the husband in how she is dressed.
8 When God created people,
he made the woman from the man,
to be his companion and to help him.
9 so, wives wear your hair in a way that is respectful of your husband,
10 because some of you dress in a way that even confuses the angels
– they can’t tell if you’re a Christians or a temple prostitute.
11 But remember in Jesus, men and women need each other.
12 God made both of our unique genders and we need each other.
13 This is the custom here:
14 Men look like respectable men,
15 and women look like respectable women.
16 Please don’t argue about this.
Every church wants men and women to honor God in how they look.
Paraphrase Commentary
2 You have followed my teaching well,
3 but you might have misunderstood Galatians 3:28.
While we are all equal in value in God’s plan for salvation, we all have authorities in our lives.
For example, Jesus submitted to God the father, and wives respect their husbands.
4 In our culture, if a man prays or teaches with a hat on,
he dishonors Christ (because he is acting like a pagan priest).
5 In our culture, if a woman prays or teaches with her hair down,
she dishonors her husband, because it communicates sexual promiscuity and idolatry.
6 So, because loose hair on a woman communicates promiscuity,
she might as well be identified as an adulteress by shaving her head.
But we know it is disgraceful to by identified as an adulteress,
so why be identified as promiscuous?
7 A man should not wear a hat like a pagan priest,
because he represents God
and should seek to honor the one true God in how he is dressed.
In the same way, a wife should honor the husband in how she is dressed.
8 When God created people,
he made the woman from the man,
to be his companion and to help him.
9 so, wives wear your hair in a way that is respectful of your husband,
10 because some of you dress in a way that even confuses the angels
– they can’t tell if you’re a Christians or a temple prostitute.
11 But remember in Jesus, men and women need each other.
12 God made both of our unique genders and we need each other.
13 This is the custom here:
14 Men look like respectable men,
15 and women look like respectable women.
16 Please don’t argue about this.
Every church wants men and women to honor God in how they look.
© 2018 Nathan J. Norman
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