Basis of reverential worship for husbands and wives

Date: 14 Sep 2025, 9.30 am

Speaker: Ps Daniel Tan  Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 11: 2-16

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TRANSCRIPT

Introduction

Blessed Sunday to everyone in the hall at Henderson and those participating online.

Ps John Piper has been quoted as saying “missions exist because worship doesn’t”.

Have you ever paused to think about this statement?

Each Sunday, we gather to worship God as a family. We come to celebrate Communion together, we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes again.

So worship is already happening on Sundays at our services and daily in our lives from Monday to Saturday.

So why need Missions?

I’m sure we do know the answer - Missions is a temporary, necessary action to spread the Gospel to all nations so that they can come to know, praise, and worship God.

This is fulfilling God’s ultimate purpose to unite everyone under the Lordship of King Jesus. Ps Nat remined us of the Great Commission last Sunday from Matthew 28.

The question for us today is when those who have responded to the Gospel’s call and submit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus and when they come into the church, will they find the public worship conducted according to Jesus?

In Missions, we proclaim that Christ Jesus is the only way to be reconciled to God.

In 1 Cor 11, Paul will tell us there is a specific way in which God should be worshipped.

From 1 Cor 11 to 14, Paul will move on from addressing Idolatry to addressing the issue of the proper ways the Corinthians should worship God as a community.

Various aspects of the public worship will be addressed and today, it will be about reverence in public worship for husbands and wives.

A language instructor was explaining to her class that French nouns are grammatically designated as masculine or feminine. Things like 'chalk' or 'pencil' have a gender association.

One student then asked, what about the gender of 'computer'.

So the teacher divided the group into 2, one with all the males and another with all the females. Discuss in your groups and come up with reasons why 'computer' should be male or female.

After some time, they came up with the following:

Women thought that 'computer' should be male because:

• They store a lot of data but are still clueless

• They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but half the time they ARE the problem

• As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer you could have had a better model

  
  

The guys thought that 'computer' should be female because:

• No one but their Creator understands their internal logic

• The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else

• Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval

  
  

It puts a smile on our faces isn’t it when we see such descriptions and I'm sure many of us can identify with the points.

Jokes aside, the point is that men and women are similar and yet dis-similar in many senses. God has made man and woman in His image yet because of their make-up, they function differently.

In God’s blueprint for public worship in the churches, God has designed husbands and wives to play complementary roles as well.

I submit for our consideration that in these 16 verses, Paul will give us 3 underpinnings for reverential worship. It has a Trinitarian model, it has a Creation foundation and finally it has an apostolic church commonality.  

It has a Trinitarian model (v2-3)

Let’s look at v2-3 of the text and see how the basis of reverential worship for husbands and wives is Trinitarian.

1 Cor 11:2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 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.

Paul begins in v2 by praising them for remembering him and for being faithful to the traditions that he has passed on to them.

Now the word 'traditions' here is not a dirty word meaning habitual behaviour that has been handed down, which are of little relevance.

No, it is about a body of teaching, of truth communicated to the church that Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ has taught them.  

Now v2, where Paul is commending them positively must be seen in contrast with what he will say in v17 where he does not commend them when he deals with their activity during the Lord’s Supper.

We will be going through the 2^nd half of 1 Cor 11 in another sermon.

Yet in Paul’s commendation here in 1 Cor 11, there is a twist. Verse 3 says, ‘But I want you to understand’.

So Paul is saying, yes, you are holding firm to my teachings but now, I want to further elaborate or further teach you to address a concern that Paul is noticing in the Corinthian church.

This teaching is that the the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

By addressing the husband and wife relationship in a public setting, I submit that this allows us to consider how these principles can be applied both in the context of public worship and also of the home.

We see that there are three people under authority - Man, Women and Christ. We also see that there are 3 persons who are in authority - God the Father, Christ and Man.

Now in this role of headship or authority, Paul takes his reference significantly from the relationship between Christ and God the Father in the Trinity.

Women in the 1^st century lived in the background and were often not treated as equals, some were even treated as goods or possessions.

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, Christianity gave them dignity and honour.

This passage however, hints that now there has been abuses of this liberation, which Paul is trying to address.

In chapter 10, Paul's was instructing that though everything was permissible, not everything is beneficial and constructive.

So, the freedom that the Corinthian church has experienced may have caused some excesses that Paul needed to address.

What do we understand is the relationship between God and Christ?

Our Trinitarian doctrine says that:

1. There is one God and this God exist in three Persons.

2. The 3 persons of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

3. All the divine attributes of God apply to the three persons of the Trinity.

Specifically, between God and Christ, Scripture tells us:

• Equality - John 10:30, Jesus says “I and the Father are One.”

• Total Obedience - John 4:34, Jesus tells his disciples, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.^”

• Total Submission - John 5:30, Jesus says, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me”

Jesus is in no way inferior to the Father, but he willingly submitted himself to the Father's will in His role as our Savior and Redeemer. 

He lovingly subjected Himself completely to His Father's will as an act of humble obedience to fulfil God’s divine purpose.

Man, Scripture says is under authority of Christ, for Christ is the head of the church.

Last week’s sermon included Mt 28:18 reminding us that Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Yet as the head of the church, Christ obeyed His Father’s will and gave himself sacrificially for the church.  

From verse 3, we see the principle that as Christ lovingly submits and places Himself under God's authority, man should do so likewise to Christ, and woman to man.

The authority over and submission to, in each case is based out of love and not tyranny.

God the Father sent Christ out of love, not under compulsion, to redeem us.

And the Son submitted to the Father out of love and not compulsion, to fulfil His Father's will.

Through our understanding of the Triune God and the relationship between God the Father and God the Son, we get to understand that man and woman in worship have distinctive roles to play.

They are equal, yet there is to be willing submission and sacrificial leading.

Husbands, we have been tasked with leading our homes spiritually. I pray that every husband in Hermon/Horeb today is the primary encourager in bringing the family to Sunday Service.  

Also, as the spiritual head, husbands and fathers are the ones reminding the family throughout the week as well, we are to walk worthy of the Gospel in our neighbourhoods.

Church, when we, in love and obedience fulfil our roles modelling it after our Triune God, we will exhibit to the non-believing world, reverential worship.

It has a Creation foundation (v4-12)

Look with me now to v4-12. Basis of reverential worship for husbands and wives is found at creation.

1 Cor 11:4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 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. 6 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. 7 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. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.

Now, I’m sure we have all noticed that in today’s passage, Paul seems to refer to both head covering and length of hair in our passage.

The word ‘covered’ in the original text is also ambiguous. It literally means ‘having down from the head’.

Thus, different bible commentators feel it can refer either to head-covering or hairstyles.

Taking both expressions interchangeably, in verses 4 and 5, Paul contrasts between a man praying and prophesying and that of a woman.

The principle here is that they both can pray and prophesy in the congregation but there should be a clear distinction between how they are seen to do so.

The man is to do it with his head uncovered while the woman is to do it with hers covered.

Interpreting this head covering as a scarf, some Christians have used this as an indication of physical head-covering in church services.

However, for many others, including us as Bible-Presbyterians we would view this as a custom that is not normative.

Not something that is applicable for all time and places.

Christian historians have researched and most believe that during that time, it was a common practice that in Roman culture, the men would cover their heads with their togas as they performed worship to their pagan gods.

So Paul was saying don’t be like the pagans.

On the other hand, during Paul's time in Corinth, head-covering was done by women of respectable status, especially when they were married.

Her wearing of the head-covering was a way of stating her devotion and submission to her husband and of demonstrating her commitment to God.

Paul goes on to say, if a woman does not want to cover her head, it is as disgraceful as one who has cut it short or shaven it.

So, since it is disgraceful to have shaven hair, then wear a head-covering.

We know that in Corinth there were temple prostitutes. To entice men, some of them would not wear head-coverings and some due to temple requirements would have shaven heads.

So, Paul is saying if woman does not wear head-covering in public worship, she is likened to that of a loose woman or a prostitute.

Evidently, it seems that the church culture in Corinth was grappling with this liberation of woman.

Yes, in Christ, they have been set free and so they could be pushing the envelope, they could be testing the limits of their freedom.

Thus, Paul is restraining them by instructing - in the worship of God, if there should be reverence, it means proper decorum.

For husbands and wives, there must be a proper way to worship.

There must be a distinction between a man and a woman. There must also be a distinction between the pagan world and the church.

Paul then supports this by his reference to the creation in verse 8.

In referring to creation, to me, Paul defends what God the creator has pronounced as his best and only design. Thus, the argument predates culture and even the fall.

In the beginning God created them, male and female. So, we see that there are 2 distinct sexes. One Male and another Female. There is no 3rd sex.

On the sixth day, God saw all that He had made, and he pronounced it 'very good'.

To this, I see Paul saying to the Corinthians, thus because of creation, man and woman should be distinct.

You must pray and prophecy as a man and pray and prophecy as a woman.

And if as a woman, as a respectable woman. Not someone that would be associated as a prostitute.

Now, dress customs do change over time, but I think the principle here is that there should be distinction between man and woman.

We have to be careful that we do not blindly copy and accept what is the prevalent dress culture that is acceptable in society.

Paul also uses the creation principle to talk about the submission of wives to their husbands.

In reference to creation, Genesis 2:20-23 informs that Man was given the responsibility of naming all the animals. And that for Adam no suitable helper was found.

So God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his rib's and made a woman.

When God brought to man his helper,  Adam said, she shall be called 'woman' for she was taken out of man.

Now a woman is not intellectually, morally, spiritually or functionally inferior to a man.

She is uniquely from man. Her role is to come under the leadership, protection and care of man and she is to be a 'helper suitable for him.'

And we know from the Psalms, that God uses the same word 'helper' to refer to Himself (Ps 121.2).  

Continuing this line of thought, leads Paul to verse 10 to an additional supporting point.

He says, ‘That is why’, 'For this reason', a woman should be under authority in public worship because of the angels.

Angles have the general meaning as messenger but if they are used as a noun – it would refer to spiritual beings. We know that Angels were present both before and after the fall of man.  

Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Refencing Heb 1:14 and other passages, many commentators believe that Paul was saying that the angels are there as a witness when God’s people are gathered in worship.

And they are there to witness whether our worship is acceptable to God.

So, proper worship does not just have a physical audience, it has a spiritual one as well.

Significantly, as Paul speaks about the headship of man and the submission of women, he wants us never to lose sight also of the creation principle of equality.

V11 & 12 emphasizes full inter-dependence.

In God's divine creation, man and woman are to be totally interdependent. All man now comes from woman.

There is therefore no avenue for men to be abusive of power in leading woman at home or in the church. Paul reminds us that man and woman are equal and mutually dependent.

The authority that man have is thus a delegated authority, a derived authority. This authority is given by God and to be used for His purposes and in His way.

Church, here is what we understand as the complementarian way of life.

Man and woman are equal yet function differently. They both need each other and together they form a divinely ordained team.

Many pastors have shared that this is a  hard passage to preach. Not because it is technically hard to interpret but because it is hard for the modern ears to hear.

For us 21^st Century believers, may we not get our identity from the shifting norms of culture. Instead let us take heed to the ancient but relevant wisdom of God’s design for men and women.

For those of us who are more mature in the faith, may I encourage you to show by the modelling of your ways, the truth from 1 Cor 11.

Encourage the younger generation by embracing and honouring the differences while affirming equality.

Pass on the faith by modelling for us what it means to be interdependent by showing humility in helping one another serve and ministry in the roles God has defined for men and women.

Let us show to the non-believing world, that true reverential worship transcends culture and even the fall of man.

It has an Apostolic church commonality (v13-16)

Look with me now at our final verses, v13-16. Basis of reverential worship for husbands and wives has an apostolic church commonality.

1 Cor 11:13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.

Paul says, ‘judge for yourselves’. On the one hand, he might be appealing to their perception that they are knowledgeable and discerning. On the other hand, there might be irony there.

Since chapter 3, over different issues – division, sexual immorality, lawsuits, idolatry, over every issue, he has shown how they have not understood the mind of Christ in such matters.

So maybe, after teaching them from the creation principle, he is saying to them, since you think you are quite wise, let me show you how immature you are.

Let me show through my logical reasoning, how wrong your ideas of liberal practices are.

He tells them, look at nature. Here ‘nature’ means the universally accepted norms and customs. Paul is referring to the social customs and cultural norms.

A woman’s longer hair is a clue, Paul is emphasizing basic differences.

Men and women are not interchangeable and they ought not to pretend to be or to dress as though they were.

Germaine Greer is an Australian-born writer, feminist, broadcaster, and academic known for being a prominent voice of the second-wave feminist movement.

BBC ran an article that in 2015, Cardiff University cancelled the invitation for her to give a lecture called Women & Power: The Lessons of the 20th Century.

She was cancelled as stated in the article, and I quote:

"And apparently people have decided that because I don't think that post-operative transgender men are women, I'm not to be allowed to talk… She also claimed that "a great many women" who are not transgender think transgender women - who she refers to as "male to female transgender people" - do not "look like, sound like or behave like women".

She is one who definitely agrees that man and woman are distinct.

It is significant that as a feminist, an advocate for the unique experience and challenges of being a woman in a contemporary society, she also believes that transgenderism is a massive threat.

Church, 1 Cor 11 is the biblical call to express and embrace and celebrate those differences in the genders. Do so in a way that honours God and respects the pattern of creation God has given.

More importantly, not just nature advocates for gender differences, there is no such practice within the churches of God.

Paul uses the pronoun ‘we’ not ‘I’ in v16. That means all the apostles not, just Paul are of the same mind.

They have all been taught by Jesus, commissioned by Jesus to go make disciples that follow everything that Jesus has commanded.

All of them see and accept the distinctions between man and woman.

And that means, the practice in all the churches founded by the Apostles, they all take gender distinctions as normal.

There is no deviant practice amongst the churches, they all follow the customs and practices of encouraging differences between the way a man prays and prophesy and that of a woman.

To bring closure to this part of Paul’s teaching, he links them back to v2.

Corinthians, I’ve commended you for maintaining the traditions, so do not be contentious.

Take time to reflect upon what I’ve said, don’t be argumentative about this.

Church, let’s show to the non-believing world, that true reverential worship displays distinctiveness between man and woman, which are common in all Gospel saturated churches.

Conclusion

Church, identifying and submitting to God’s order points us to the Gospel. Christ Jesus, though equal with God humbled himself and went to the cross in full obedience to the will of the Father.

Our roles, our worship, even our differences, all reflect the humility and interdependence seen in the Trinity.

The Gospel will shine brightly when we heed the call to submit, to honour and to live in ordered roles. This is not burdensome, for it is patterned after Christ Himself.

Church, this passage is not ultimately about head covering or hairstyles. It is about the heart that says, Lord, let my life, my worship, my relationships, be shaped by the mind of Christ.

As we sing our closing hymn later, may it be a prayer that Christ’s own humility, love and submission to the Father would so fill us, that we will reflect Him in our worship and in our daily lives.

And when we worship Him as He has instructed, may all whom the Lord brings into our midst, be led to reverential worship of our Triune God.

Reflection Questions

1. What do you find challenging to accept from today’s passage? Why?

   
   

2. Why might our culture object to arguments like this?

   
   

3. How should we apply this teaching? Are we at risk anywhere (individually or corporately) of acting in ways that (1) do not honour the husband-wife relationship or (2) blurring the male-female distinctions in worship of God.