1 CORINTHIANS 11
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. 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. – 1 Corinthians 11:10-16
1 CORINTHIANS 11 A SYMBOL OF SUBMISSION TO AUTHORITY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
As a wife, a woman needs to acknowledge her head
The member of the church has to submit to God
It is by succumbing to authority that we show obedience
When we concede to our heads, we honor Christ
The man follows Christ and by doing so, he honors God as well
The wife submits to her husband which means following God’s order.
In this letter, Paul could not stress enough the order that God has laid down for all his people. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit comprises our Trinity. Three persons in one God. Each of them has certain distinct roles that are unique to one another, but they are one.
Just as a man and a woman when they marry becomes one flesh and united, so is the body of Christ or the communion of saints is also one with Jesus Christ. Though they are one, there is an order in which they came about. God’s order is that he created man for himself. The man serves God and God has authority over him. The woman was created for the purpose of being the man’s helper. She was taken out of the rib of the man himself, so the man has authority over the woman. God instituted marriage and when a man and a woman is married, they become one flesh.
According to a commentary, in Corinthian culture, a woman who covered her head during worship or when she was in public displayed her submission to authority. Although we don’t follow such practices anymore, it is good for us to remember who to submit to.
REFLECTION
· What wrong notion of submission did the culture propagate in our world today?
