1 Coríntios 11
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 11
Johnson - One of the biggest problems that faced the church at Corinth was disorder in the public meeting. Corinthian women were reveling in their new freedom in Christ and began flaunting that freedom in the public church services by ripping off their veils in an act of defiance as a means of expressing their new found liberation. In Corinth at that time, a covered head was a visible expression of a woman's modesty. The veil revealed something distinctive about her relationship with her husband. So when a woman stood up in church, threw off her veil, and began to speak or pray, she was bringing dishonor to her husband, who was her head. By flaunting her lack of submission, she revealed her rebellion toward God. Her shame fell not only on herself, but also on her husband. By the way, I've seen women get up in business meetings and state the family's position on something, and in doing so, dishonored her husband. He should speak up for the family. Either she needs to be quiet or he needs to speak up. Something is wrong when the women is the spokesman. Of course, she can speak to an issue of her own, but she shouldn't jump up and represent the family. That's her husband's job. And that's the sort of thing that was going on in Corinth. Women's outward conduct was exposing their lack of acceptance of God's plan for headship. Remember, this letter was written to a culture in the midst of domestic chaos with immorality influencing the church toward a perversion of Christian liberty. The Corinthian church had begun to go wild over their new freedom in Christ. One of the expressions of freedom was the new way women were dressing when they came to worship. Some ladies had begun arriving at public assemblies without veils, which in Corinth was deemed immodest. That made it a distinctly unchristian behavior. Prostitutes went around bard-headed and with extremely short haircuts, but modest women did not. To do so was tantamount the holding up a sigh proclaiming yourself a loose woman. Some of the women who had come to Christ under Paul's leadership decided that since they were free, they could do as they pleased, regardless of what the culture deemed appropriate. They would stand up in the service and throw off their veils in a display of liberty. The feminist movement began with Eve's desire to usurp the place that belonged to her husband which created tension between their God-given roles. The leadership of the husband and willing submission of the wife were in place in the original state, but after the fall the woman desired to dominate her leader. God never intended the wife to Compete with her husband; He intended her to Complement her husband. Headship does not mean hardship. The headship of man over woman is God's order, and when His orders are followed happiness happens for all involved. When they are broken, there is calamity. Destroying God's order for families will not help women become free of God's sovereign plan. William Martin says Paul's "purpose here is not to teach the principles of public prayer and edifying instruction, or to enunciate the rules for their practice, but to deal with the significancy of the Headship of Christ, and only what is relevant to this theme would be in place here. (1 Corinthians 11:2-16: An Interpretation - 10 page journal article) But - Term of contrast. First praise, now a principle. Paul swiftly shifts from commendation to correction! I want (thelo) you to understand - This is apparently Paul's way of introducing a topic he had not specifically taught on. Adrian Rogers - God has given a definite chain of command. God the Father, God the Son; the man, and then the woman—that means that God the Son has taken a place of submission to God the Father, that the man is to be submissive to God the Son, and that the woman is to be submissive to the man whom God has placed as her head That Christ is the head (kephale) of every man, and the man is the head (kephale) of a woman, and God ( theos) is the head (kephale) of Christ - The key word is head (kephale) and in fact this word is in a sense a "key" to this entire passage. The head is that portion of the body that gives direction. From this passage we see the basic principle that everyone (except the Father) has a head, even Jesus Christ (cf Jn 8:29). Christ never functioned independently of the Father; He submitted Himself to the Father's will. Although not everyone agrees, the meaning of head in this passage speaks of authority. So Christ has authority over very human being whether believer or non-believer (cf Mt 28:18). O course only the former acknowledge His headship, but all mankind will one day be forced to acknowledge His authority when all "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Php 2:10-11+). Then Paul says that men have authority over women and notice he does not restrict this to just husbands and wives. Paul is simply describing the way God created mankind to assure that there was order and not disorder. It is critical to emphasize that even in establishing this pattern of order, Paul is absolutely not saying one sex is superior to the other sex. To read that into this text is to make it say something Paul did not say! The principle is simply that of submission to authority and to make his point crystal clear, Paul points out that even Jesus was subordinate to His Father. Is Christ inferior to the Father? Of course not (See Trinity below). And by the same token, the woman is in NO WAY inferior to the man! Neither does he say the husband is be her master or dictator. Ryrie - This teaching is based on Ge 3:16, and Paul makes it the basis for the wearing of a covering. The man is not superior to the woman, as God is not superior to Christ, being of the same essence. However, as there is divine order in the relative functions of the three persons of the Trinity, so it was appropriate for God to ordain a divine order in the functions of the family (husband, wife, children). God established this pattern in the very beginning when Adam was first formed, then Eve (1Ti 2:13), and then the children (Ge 1:28).
1 Coríntios 11
Johnson - Jesus was never inferior to the Father, and women are not inferior to men. Headship is not a matter of inferiority, but of function. Just as Christ was submissive to the Father, the woman is submissive to her husband. Grudem makes an excellent point that "Though all three members of the Trinity are equal in power and in all other attributes, the Father has a greater authority. He has a leadership role among all the members of the Trinity that the Son and Holy Spirit do not have....Each member of the Trinity has distinct roles or functions. Differences in roles and authority between the members of the Trinity are thus completely consistent with equal importance, personhood, and deity. If human beings are to reflect the character of God, then we would expect some similar differences in roles among human beings, even with respect to the most basic of all differences among human beings, the difference between male and female. And this is certainly what we find in the biblical text. Systematic Theology Keith Krell - The word “head” is difficult to interpret because it can have three possible meanings: (1) prominence, (2) authority, or (3) source. The same ambiguity is true in English when we talk about the head/top of a mountain, the head/leader of a company, or the head/source of a river. In most cases where “head” does not mean a particular body part, the word carries the nuance of prominence. Thus, Paul seems to mean that just as Christ as the Son acknowledges the preeminence of the Father and men acknowledge the preeminence of Christ over them, so women acknowledge the preeminence of men in the male-female relationship (or at least the husband-wife relationship). But prominence in a relationship does not imply superiority or inferiority; certainly it does not carry that meaning in the relationship between the Father and the Son, and it should not mean that between men and women in the church. While Jesus was on earth, He modeled sacrificial servant leadership (see Mark 10:42-45). He always put His father first and did His will. Even though He was fully God and equal to the Father, He chose of His own accord to grant the Father prominence. Likewise, men are called to submit to Christ and put Him first in every area. This means living sacrificially for the good of others. In a similar vein, the head of a woman is man. Evidently, Paul refers to any woman who is in a dependent relationship to a man, such as a wife to a husband or a daughter to a father. Paul probably did not mean every woman universally since he said the male is the head of woman, or a woman, but not the woman. He was evidently not talking about every relationship involving men and women, for example the relationship between men and women in the workplace.16 Paul is saying that as a wife, daughter, or church member, ladies ought to honor their spiritual head: husband (Eph 5:22-33), father (Eph 6:1-3), or elders (1 Tim 2:9-3:7)
1 Coríntios 11
Johnson - There are four areas where God has given His pattern for order: A. Personal order: Hebrews 4:14-16; 7:25 Believers can go directly to God in prayer. B. Family order: Ephesians 5:21-6:4 Christ-Man-Woman-Children C. Church order: Hebrews 13:7 Christ-Pastor/Teacher-Deacons-Members D. Governmental order: Romans 13:1-7; I Peter 2:13-14 Bell explains 1 Cor 11:3 - Many love the middle of this verse(the head of woman is man!); others hate it; but we can’t understand it, unless we see it as a jewel in an exquisite setting of the other 2 relationships. Let’s look at the other 2 relationships: (note: equality & submission) (1) The head of Christ is God! 1. Jn.10:30 I and My Father are one. Christ is equal to God in character & deity. They were one in cooperation, in service, & in ministry. 2. Jn.14:28 My Father is greater than I. Here is the submission which He voluntarily took upon Himself when he humbled Himself & stooped to the death of the cross for us. 1. So, Christ claimed equality with God, but offered submission to God! [2] The head of every man is Christ! 1. Man shares with Christ life & communion, for God made man in His own image. 2. There was to be complete cooperation, & at the same time a voluntary submission that the purpose of God might be fulfilled & that the Glory of God might be revealed. [3] So, the middle phrase, the head of woman is man, is to be exactly the same! 1. She is equal to man. Gal.3:28 there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 2. She is to be submissive to her husband. Gen.3:16 Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you. 3. One said, “When God made the woman He took her from the man, but not from his head in case that she would dominate him, nor from the feet in case he should trample upon her. God took her from the side, close to his a heart, that she might be his companion, his comfort, his love.” 3. Note: this headship wasn’t just set up because of the fall, but was God’s intent pre-fall! Adam was created 1st, then Eve. The creation of Adam 1st is consistent with the OT pattern of Primogeniture (firstborn), the idea that firstborn in any generation in a human family has leadership in the family for that generation. Eve was created as a helper for Adam. Adam named Eve. (not vice-versa) God named the Human race Man (not woman; not something gender neutral) He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind (adom). The serpent came to Eve 1st. (going for the role reversal maneuver tempting Eve to take the leadership role!). God spoke to Adam 1st, after the fall.. Adam, not Eve, represented the Human race. (we’re counted sinful because of Adam’s sin) Today will husband’s take their rightful place of headship? Will wive’s give it up?. On pastor has made an interesting observation: Rather than moving from boyhood to manhood we created a 3rd life stage in the middle called, adolescence. We are left with indefinite adolescence! We are left with a Peter Pan syndrome epidemic where some men want to remain boys forever! So, as Christ voluntarily submitted Himself to the Father, so the husband is to submit himself to Christ. As the woman is to be man’s companion, so she is to submit to an authority, which is exercised in love as expressed at the cross. Any man that cannot exercise authority like that(the cross), had better not get married; Any woman who cannot submit to authority like that, had better remain single. Remember, we are looking at Headship…not Dictatorship! J
1 Coríntios 11:1
Johnson wrote that "Example is always more efficacious than precept." Merrill Tenney "The best advertisement for your church is not a large notice board, but rather the example that is set when the town drunk becomes a Christian and lives a godly life." F B Meyer "Children mostly resemble their father. There is often an unmistakable family likeness, which compels the most casual observer to exclaim, "The very image of his father." Oh that in each of us there might be that which would make men think of God! (Our Daily Homily) Jesus, my Savior, let me be More perfectly conformed to Thee; Implant each grace, each sin dethrone, And form my temper like Thine own. THE COMMAND QUALIFIED Just as I am of Christ - "Am" is added to make translation smooth. Just as is a term of comparison which should always prompt the question "What is the writer comparing?" Clearly Paul is saying become like me in the ways that I am like Christ. Be aware that someone's watching As you go along your way; Your example is remembered More than anything you say. —Hess There's no better sermon than a good example. Keep in mind that most of the New Testament was not written yet and so Paul's life was the Bible that most of the new believer's read (of course they had access to his letters but those were written over many years - Click to see a list of approximate dates in which the Bible books written - notice that 1Corinthians is one of the earlier books making Paul's example of paramount importance). And so twice in his first letter to the church at Corinth (a church in great need of a reliable role model) Paul commands the saints to walk as he himself walked explaining that he sought to imitate Christ's walk. Paul is not boasting in himself but ultimately in Christ Who he follows. As a believer it is fine to follow a man, but just make sure he is a man who follows Christ! How was Paul like Christ? It seems that one of the clearest descriptions is found in his famous declaration "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.." (Galatians 2:20-note) We also see him willing to give up his rights in his letter to the fleshly (selfish) saints at Corinth... 1 Cor 8:13+ Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my brother to stumble. 1 Cor 9:19-23+ For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 1 Cor 10:33+ just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. John