by Peter John Brooks
“Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God. Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)
Were headcoverings required in the first century church only for cultural reasons?
The New Testament never says women need to wear headcoverings because of cultural reasons.
What reasons does the New Testament give for women wearing headcoverings?
There are at least 8 reasons why women need to wear headcoverings listed in 1 Corinthians 11.
1. Wearing headcoverings was an apostolic ordinance (verse 2).
2. It was the practice of the NT churches (verse 16).
3. It is the proper thing to do (verse 13).
4. The man is the head of the woman (verse 3).
5. The woman is the glory of the man (verse 7).
6. The woman is from the man (verse 8) – Eve was taken out of Adam.
7. The woman was created for the man (verse 9) – she was made to be his helper (Genesis 2:18).
8. Because of the angels (verse 10).
Is a woman’s headcovering long hair?
A fabric headcovering and long hair are two different things. When the Bible says that a woman’s hair is given her as a covering (verse 15), it is referring to the natural realm. Nature teaches (verse 14) that long hair is a natural characteristic of the woman, whereas short hair is a natural characteristic of the man. It is inappropriate for a woman to have short hair, for that would make her look more like a man (verse 14). In a parallel way, it is spiritually inappropriate for a woman to not wear a headcovering when praying or prophesying, for then she would be acting like a man (verse 4).
The Bible says if a woman doesn’t wear a headcovering, she should cut her long hair off (verse 6).
“If a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn” (verse 6).
To be shorn means to have short hair.
A woman should both have long hair, and wear a headcovering. If a woman has long hair but refuses to wear a headcovering, she should cut her long hair short. The reason for this is because just as it is inappropriate in the natural realm for a woman to have short hair, so it is inappropriate in the spiritual realm for a woman to not wear a headcovering when praying or prophesying.
The instruction for an uncovered woman to cut her long hair short would make no sense if a woman’s hair was the required headcovering. If it was, then God would be telling a woman who already has short hair to cut her hair short. But her hair would already be short if long hair was the intended covering and she didn’t have that covering! Removing a covering (long hair) when you already don’t have that covering (long hair) is impossible. Instead, God is saying that having long hair without a headcovering when praying is spiritually pointless. Long hair is such an inadequate spiritual covering in fact, that if a woman doesn’t wear a fabric headcovering, she might as well cut off her long hair.
We can also see that a woman’s long hair is not a spiritual headcovering by the fact that a woman is commanded to wear a headcovering when she prays or prophesies, but not at other times. Such a covering can’t be the hair, for the hair cannot be put on when praying or prophesying and taken off later.
Are women supposed to wear headcoverings all the time?
The Bible says that women should wear headcoverings when they pray or prophesy (verse 5). They don’t need to wear headcoverings all the time.
Do women need to wear headcoverings only when they are in church?
The Bible says women should wear headcoverings whenever they pray or prophesy, not only in church.
If women need to wear a head covering when they pray or prophesy, doesn’t this mean that they can prophesy in church?
Women are not allowed to prophesy in the church because they aren’t allowed to speak in church (1 Corinthians 14:34). A woman might prophesy in another setting, and if she does she should cover her head.
If a woman must wear a headcovering when she prays, shouldn’t she wear one all the time since the Bible says to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)?
To pray without ceasing means the spirit is in a constant attitude of communion with God. It is important for all God’s people to be in constant fellowship with God. However, there are times when a person will pray in a more focused way by herself (Matthew 6:5) or with other people (Matthew 18:19). Jesus says “when you pray, enter your closet.” This instruction implies that there are special times of prayer, for God does not intend that we stay in our closets continually so that we can pray continually. These special times of prayer are distinguished from “praying without ceasing.” During these specific times of prayer, a woman should wear a headcovering.
What is the point of wearing a headcovering?
The headcovering is a symbol of authority (verse 10). When a woman wears a headcovering she represents that she is under appropriate spiritual authority. Among other reasons, headcoverings are to be worn because of the angels.
Why do women need to wear headcoverings but men don’t?
Men and women are both created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). They both can have a direct relationship with Jesus Christ through faith, and they both are of equal spiritual value. However, men and women have different heads – the head of the man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man (1 Corinthians 11:3).
As men and women submit to their respective heads, they reflect the glory of their heads into the world. This is why the Bible says the man is “the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man” (verse 7). The man submits to Christ and thereby reflects Christ’s glory, and the woman submits to the man and thereby reflects the man’s glory.
The headcovering is a symbol of submitting to human spiritual authority. It is called “authority” (verse 10). When a woman wears a headcovering, she represents that she is under her husband’s authority. A man should not wear a headcovering because he is to be directly under the authority of Christ.
If a woman does not submit to her husband’s authority, should she wear a headcovering?
If a woman does not submit to her husband’s authority, then it’s meaningless for her to wear a headcovering. The headcovering is only a meaningful spiritual symbol when it represents spiritual reality.
Do unmarried women need to wear headcoverings?
Unmarried women or widows are also to be under spiritual authority. They may be under the authority of their fathers or under the authority of church leaders. They should wear headcoverings to represent that they are under the appropriate spiritual authority.
Why does a woman need to wear a headcovering only when she prays or prophesies?
When a person prays or prophesies he or she relates to the spiritual realm. Prayer is talking to God, and prophesying is speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is important to be under rightful authority when praying or prophesying in order to be protected from deception. Women represent being under rightful authority when praying or prophesying when they wear a headcovering.
Why does a woman need to wear a head covering “because of the angels” (verse 10)?
Fallen angels seek to deceive people when they pray or prophesy. They whisper deceptive thoughts to them when they pray or try to inspire them to speak false prophecies. Women are particularly vulnerable to Satan’s attacks, for Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden, and throughout history women have been targets of fallen angels (for example, Genesis 6:1-2). Satan attacks women because he has a special enmity against them (Genesis 3:15) because they are called to birth deliverance into the earth. To avoid deception, a woman should be under rightful spiritual authority when engaging with the spiritual realm. The headcovering is a powerful symbol to fallen angels that a woman is under authority, and it is a form of spiritual protection.
What does it mean that “the man not independent of the woman and the woman not independent of the man, in the Lord” (verse 11)?
God has ordained men and women to be together. They are not independent of each other, but they are to complement each other. Men and women fulfill different roles in marriage and in the church, and as each gender fulfills its role, the other gender is encouraged to fulfill its role. Men and women are to work together in harmony to create a healthy spiritual environment.
What does it mean that “the man comes from the woman” (verse 12)?
The man comes from a woman because he is born of a woman. Spiritually, the man comes from a woman because he is matured by the church which is compared to a mother (Galatians 4:26) and a bride (Revelation 19:7).
Are headcoverings optional when people argue about them (verse 16)?
Paul says, “if anyone is contentious we have no such custom.” Paul is not saying if someone argues about headcoverings then women don’t need to wear them. Instead, he’s saying if someone argues about headcoverings, then the argument should be settled by the fact that the early church had no custom of women not wearing headcoverings (verse 13). The NT churches had no such custom of women praying or prophesying without headcoverings, and neither did the apostles, whom Paul refers to as “we.” Instead, it was the custom for women to be covered throughout the NT churches when praying or prophesying, for this was an apostolic ordinance (verse 2). If anyone resisted this teaching, he or she should acknowledge that this was apostolic church custom and conform to this custom. This is basically Paul’s final argument as to why a woman should wear a headcovering, and one that he hopes will settle debate about this subject. It appears that even in the first century there were arguments about this subject, so resistance to headcoverings is nothing new.
Can a husband or church force a woman to wear a headcovering?
Obeying God is a matter of personal choice. The doctrine of headcoverings should be taught, and then women have free will to decide whether they will wear a headcovering or not. People cannot be forced to obey God.
In the New Testament we worship God in the Spirit. Why do we need headcoverings to help us worship?
God has ordained five material objects to be used in the spiritual worship of the church: the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, the water of baptism, the anointing oil, and the headcovering. All four of these symbols represent spiritual truths, and by using these symbols in worship we invite the blessing and presence of God into our midst. The bread and wine reminds us that we are part of Christ and his church. The water of baptism represents that we are born again. The anointing oil reminds us of the power of the Holy Spirit to heal. The headcovering represents that a woman is under rightful authority. All four of these symbols are important for spiritual health.
Conclusion
Headcoverings are an apostolic ordinance (verse 2), a teaching from the apostles given by the Holy Spirit recorded in the New Testament. These ordinances are foundational for church, and they provide the necessary framework for church to grow and be healthy. The headcovering is a commandment of God. God’s commandments are not optional. We do not follow God’s commands because they make us comfortable, are easy, or because we fully understand them. Instead we follow them in faith. As churches encourage women to wear headcoverings when they pray or prophesy, they will be increasingly blessed, and God’s people will be further prepared as a bride for the return of Jesus Christ.
