1 Corinthians 11:11–16 (ESV) — 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.
NOTE: There is
clearly a cultural background to these verses. And the implication is not that
we should embrace culture, in many cases, we should do quite the opposite as
our Babylonian culture is doing all it can to deny God's existence. But in
regards to cultural norms that emphasize propriety, yes, we are to accept those
norms. Most often those norms do have some reference back to God's commands.
Constable has a good discussion on the earlier verses where he argues that Paul
is emphasizing "origin." Sexual differences are also based on origin.
Today, we are disputing origin and replacing it with feeling. We say it does
not matter how you were born, it is what you choose that determines your sex or
sexual preference. That is not true and is completely opposed to the word of
God. We are born, created by God with sex at our origin. There is difference in
the sexes because of origin. God had a special purpose for men and a special
purpose for woman. Disagreement with the latter statement does not change the
fact of it, rather it puts you in opposition to God on the issue. We don't
choose our sex or God's plan for our life. He gives tremendous freedom, but
there are boundaries that he has established. Again, disagreement does not put
you in opposition to me, but to God, the creator of the entire universe.
PRAYER: Father, we
are a badly deceived people, both in and outside of the church. We have bought
the lies of the Father of lies, and we even enjoy the lies since they allow us
to live as we choose. The lies allow us to be our own gods. Forgive us. Open up
our mind once again to truth. Have mercy upon us.
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