1 Corinthians: Not in VainSýnishorn

It’s been said that some Bible passages are hard to understand, giving our minds a strenuous workout, whilst other passages are hard to accept, giving our wills a strenuous work out. We’re not the first to experience that this passage is both!

Paul begins a new section on church life by focusing on how a husband and wife should interact in a church setting. The Greek words used for husband and wife are actually interchangeable with man and woman, hence some translations give the impression that these verses are about marriage while others present it as about men and women generally. Our opinion is that Paul is specifically addressing married couples because some verses (v. 5) have ‘head’ as singular, suggesting it’s specifically about a marital relationship.

A quick scan of the whole passage suggests there’s some sort of problem with wives praying in public with their heads uncovered (vv. 5, 13). We might well wonder why this is a problem! However, it’s important to see Paul’s response to this situation is to give a snapshot theology of gender and marriage: ‘the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God’ (v. 3, esv). In other words, though the situation may seem culturally strange, Paul wants to show there is a theological issue at play.

The parallel between a wife and Christ in verse 3 shows that headship here cannot indicate inferiority, even if that’s how it’s culturally perceived. Rather it suggests a difference in responsibility: the Son was not inferior to the Father, yet he clearly did submit to the Father’s will (Mark 14:36; John 15:1–17). Paul unpacks elsewhere that in a marriage a husband and wife have different roles (Eph. 5:22–24). It may be that the Corinthians have gone too far in celebrating their freedom in Christ and are acting like all the God-given distinctions of gender are lost.

But why head covering? It’s likely that if a wife uncovered her own head in the first century, it was a cultural statement that she no longer respected her marital head, her husband (v. 5). Instead, Christian spouses are called to publicly own their differing marital roles (in culturally appropriate ways) and so demonstrate the glory of God’s design for marriage (vv. 7–10). And yet this is not about oppression or subjugation. Though there is real difference, there is also beautiful interdependence (v. 11).

Reflection

The Bible is clear that men and women are equal in dignity and worth, and yet there is also difference, which displays itself in how husbands and wives relate. Our freedom in Christ doesn’t mean we try to overthrow being the people God has made us to be.