Head-Coverings in Worship Part 4 — Milton Vincent

Good morning. If you have not received a four-page handout raise your hand. Got some helpers who will get those to you and let me go ahead and invite you guys to turn in your Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 11 1st Corinthians chapter 11 for our time of study in the word this morning and For those of you that are visiting with us.

Reviewing the Passage and the Series

You must understand that we are doing a verse-by-verse study through the book of 1st Corinthians a decision that we made about a year and a half ago to just work our way through the book a verse at a time and As we continue in our study of this book We find ourselves once again and 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verses 2 through 6 16.

And you want to get used to this passage because we're going to be here at least through the 10th of February. And perhaps even even beyond that you should have in your possession a four-page handout that's the first four pages of what is now 28 pages of material that ultimately we're going to be walking through as we try to Turn over every stone and understand what God has for us in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verses 2 Through 16 and the title of the message this morning is head coverings in Worship part 4 head coverings in worship part 4 now folks Just to kind of give you an idea of what we're going to be doing today and then in the next Sunday and beyond.

Today what we're going to do is we're going to review the text once again. We're going to go quickly over things that we've already covered and then spend a little more time on things that we've not looked at In depth that are in the text and then hopefully by the time We are done this morning we will have been able to spend a little bit of time on page 4 Dealing with the question of our head coverings for today.

In other words is Paul's specific teaching on head coverings specifically applicable to us today in the church here in these United States and we're going to begin to Answer that question. I'm going to give you what my thinking is at least at this point and the reasons for it.

We're going to try to work through that and we're going to begin to do that this morning. We're going to carry that in to Next Sunday morning and evening just dealing with the question of our head coverings for today at some point probably next Sunday I'm thinking that we're going to Wrap that up and then deal with another question and that is if head coverings are for today.

Then why do so many people say they're not? And I want to walk you through all the reasons that I've heard. And read as to why people say that head coverings are not for today, and we'll try to give them an honest treatment understanding what those concerns are and then I will walk you through what my response is to To those concerns and then when we finish that walking through all of that.

What we will then do after that is deal with some Applicational practical questions that I know many of you are asking and that is if you do assume that Paul's specific teaching on men not wearing head coverings and women should wear head coverings when involved in in ministry or in worship.

Especially in a public capacity if you do believe that and interpret the text that way. How do you then answer numerous practical questions about when to wear a head covering? What should the head covering look like?

Is there anything in the text that gives us any indication of that who should wear the head coverings just married women or single women? Also included should I wear one while merely attending a worship service or is it only when I'm ministering up front and or only when I'm praying or Prophesying.

We'll try to deal with all of those questions and and sort through them. So that's what we're going to be doing. From now all the way through whenever in February. So anyway but what we're going to do this morning is spend a little more time in the text and then perhaps near the latter part of the message this morning will look beyond that and start looking at the situation today and Asking is Paul's specific teaching on head coverings applicable to us today.

Five Attitudes That Resist Obedience

Folks before we actually do get into the text this morning I want to take a little bit of time to caution every one of you and myself against five wrong attitudes. Okay, you won't find this in your notes.

But you might want to write these down there are five attitudes that I'm very concerned about that we as a church body be careful to avoid all five of these are wrong wrong wrong and we want to be examining ourselves and our relationships with one another and Before the Lord and making sure that we're not guilty of any of these attitudes.

The first attitude that I think the Lord does not want to see in any of us is a closed and Defiant attitude. A closed and defiant attitude. And when I say that I mean the kind of attitude that says man I you know, I know head coverings aren't for today and I don't even need to listen to you.

I don't even want to hear anything. They're not for today and I know that and and you know what even if they are I'm not going to wear one. They're actually people who have that kind of attitude and some who have this attitude have the attitude of you know What I don't even want to hear about this text this this text is a very spooky one for them.

They don't even want to hear what it has to say because they're afraid of what it may Require of them this week. I was talking to a lady a long-distance who occasionally We've sent sermon tapes to and and she was asking how things were going at the church.

And I told her we were going through first Corinthians 11 and she kind of laughed and she said don't ever send me Sermon tapes on that passage because I don't want to hear it. And she was laughing when she said that but you know what?

There's an element of truth there and that is people are afraid of this passage. They don't want to know what it says because they are afraid of what it may end up requiring of them and folks I'm not telling you dogmatically that every one of you needs to end up agreeing with me on how I'm going to handle the passage.

But I do know this dogmatically that every one of us in this room ought to have an attitude that says Whatever this passage does say I will do. You may not know what it's saying yet. You may not be convinced.

You may end up even disagreeing with me, but your attitude needs to be whatever this passage says. I'm going to bring my life and my practice into harmony. With it, you know people who have that kind of attitude.

They never lack for the voice of God in their life. God sees people with the heart like that and he dumps his truth Upon such individuals and I submit to you the example of The little boy Samuel and 1st Samuel chapter 3 you don't need to turn there.

But you know the chapter begins by saying the Word of the Lord was rare in those days. There were infrequent visions. It's obvious at the beginning of that chapter that God wasn't talking to the people of Israel.

And you begin to look at the history of the situation and you find out why and that is because it's the latter Period of the judges the latter part of the period of the judges where every man's going around doing what?

Doing what was right in whose eyes in his own eyes? And so if you talk to the Israelites then it's a yeah I'm doing the right thing. But they're doing what seemed right to them and what seemed right in their culture and what everyone else was doing and so they were.

Doing what seemed right in their own eyes rather than in the eyes of God is that was revealed in the scripture. He had already given to them in the form of the law. And so they're ignoring God's revelation.

He's already given to them. They're doing their own thing doing what seemed right to them and to their culture. Consequently, why would God want to speak to a people like that? You see what I'm saying?

They're blowing off what he has said and so he's not speaking to them. However at the end of 1st Samuel chapter 3 it says and the Word of the Lord came again to Samuel and the Word of The Lord came to all of Israel through Samuel as it moves into chapter 4.

So suddenly God speaking again. What made the difference was you read that chapter you find right in the middle of that chapter? The little boy Samuel Came before the Lord as God called him during the night, and he said speak Lord.

Your servant is listening. He says speak to me Lord. I want you to speak to me. You are my Lord and I am your servant literally I'm your bond slave my will is swallowed up in yours and he says and I am listening and that verb that is translated listening in 1st Samuel chapter 3 over 90 times in the Old Testament is Translated as obey so it doesn't just mean you know, I'll give you a hearing Lord.

I'll listen to what you have to say and then I'll decide what I want to do. No, what he's saying is Lord I will listen to and do and obey whatever you tell me little Samuel saying I don't even know what you're gonna say yet.

But whatever it is, I'm telling you right now I am your bond slave and I'm going to listen and obey whatever you tell me to do. Now that takes courage and do you have that kind of courage? When Samuel said those words with a genuine heart God was thinking I found my man.

I found someone who wants to hear my voice and he doesn't even know what I'm going to say yet. But he's telling me he will obey. Consequently God began Speaking again because he found a channel through which he could speak.

To whom he could speak and through whom he could speak to all of Israel folks. It takes a lot of courage For you to come to the text of Scripture and say I don't even know fully what this is saying yet.

But Lord, whatever it is, I'm telling you right now I'm gonna do it not. I'll study it and I'll see what it says and then I'll determine yes or no whether I want to Obey, no Lord. I don't even know what it says yet.

But whatever it does say I'm telling you right now I will obey and bring my life into harmony with this passage and folks I really want to challenge you to have that attitude rather than a closed and defiant attitude.

When I came to this church a little over ten years ago I told the elders this up front and that is my commitment as a preacher of the word is going to be to preach the Word to preach the text of Scripture and whatever the text says, that's what I want to do.

That's what I want to follow and my commitment over the last ten years of my ministry has been to study the scripture at text at a time and I understand that I can never fully lay aside my presuppositions when I approach a text.

But I can and I must lay aside my Allegiances to those presuppositions and my allegiance needs to be to the text of Scripture. My attitude needs to be that if I find something in this text that disagrees with something I believed all along.

Guess who needs to change? I need to change and my beliefs need to change if I find something in this text that is different from what I have Practiced up until this point then I need to allow myself to change and follow the text of Scripture as God is speaking To me through it and folks that's been my attitude Over the last decade of my ministry, but I want to be candid with you.

This passage has really put that to the test more than anything else I've ever preached and I will admit to all of you that when I came to this passage in earnest a couple of months ago my bias Was in the direction of I don't want this to be for today and When I would read a commentator that says this is a cultural thing.

It's not for today. My heart would leap and I'd go good. Okay what are his reasons and and I was disappointed time after time because the Reasons were not derived from the text of Scripture and we're going to get into that in later days but folks I even caught myself this week my heart closing back up again and.

And it takes work on my part to keep my heart open To whatever it is that God is saying and I share that with you to say this that if I have to work at that. Then I know that many of you have to struggle with that as well.

And I want to really exhort you all to have an open heart to whatever God says in this passage to just have a sense of abandonment to the Lord. Lord, whatever this says I'll do. I don't care when anyone else will think.

I want to follow your word as I clearly understand it. So the Lord does not want amongst any of us a closed and defiant attitude. Also another attitude. I want to caution you guys against and we'll go more quickly through the remaining four is a lazy and an overly submissive attitude.

Some of you may be thinking you know what? I don't know why we got to spend so much time Milton. Just tell us what to do. Have an elders meeting and you guys decide and just tell us what to do and I'll just do whatever it is.

I I don't want to go through all the thinking process and do all the work of and Overturning every stone in the passage and all the logistics and the controversy just tell me what to do and I'll do it.

We're not going to do that and that's actually a wrong attitude. Listen, I don't want to be the only one doing the work here and the elders don't either. Every one of you has a lot of work to do and even as you listen to what I'm saying I'm trying to make a contribution as a shepherd in your life.

But you know what everything I say you need to examine the scriptures to see if what I'm saying is really so just like the Barbarians did in the book of Acts and put everything that is being said to the test the test of Scripture so you've got to gird up the loins of your mind don't be lazy put your thinking caps on and really work through this passage in earnest and You come to the decision that you feel that the Lord is leading you to from this passage of Scripture.

There have been times where people have come to me and they've said, you know, what should I do about this? Or what should I do about that? And I'm not telling anyone to do anything and I'm very careful not to do that.

I'll give them things in the text that they need to be thinking about. But that's really the only role that I see myself playing or the elders playing at this particular point. So we want to be careful that we don't have a lazy and an overly submissive attitude.

You guys remember two weeks ago We were talking about the hair issue. And the question came up of how long is too long of hair on men and how short is too short of hair on women. And I told you then we're not going to legislate that you're not going to come in on Sunday mornings and see a diagram up here.

That you can measure yourself up against or we have it in the door just inside the lobby as you come in and we'll have some People checking your hair that's not going to happen. We're not going to legislate that but two weeks ago I gave you specific counsel with regard to that and that is that if you have any question about whether your life and your Hairstyle is in harmony with what Paul teaches in this passage.

You need to do three things and that is you need to study the scripture number two. You need to pray about it and number three. You need to consult your own conscience in the matter and then you need to do the right thing.

And that's basically what my counsel is going to be even with regard to the head covering issue. That is taught and affirmed throughout this passage, but you're going to have to do the work. Arriving at that.

There's a third attitude that I want us to be careful to avoid and that is an impatient attitude. Some of you may be thinking Milton. I don't even think you should be wasting time talking about attitudes right now.

Let's uh, let's get to the text and let's move on. I got a lot of questions that I'm asking. I mean, I need some answers and I'm bothered that it's going to take so long and If you're having that attitude, listen, I understand that and I respect that but that's a wrong attitude.

To have we need to do this, right? Amen. And really work together as a congregation and methodically go through everything so that we don't look back a year from now and go man. We were careless. I don't want that to happen.

So just be patient. Another attitude I want all of us to avoid is a conformist attitude. Maybe some of you ladies who aren't wearing a hat or a head covering you're looking around at those who are and you're thinking man.

What's wrong with me? And maybe they're now looking at me saying, you know that something's wrong with me. Why am I not arriving at these conclusions as quickly as they have and and you may begin to feel rushed and pressured just by sheer peer pressure.

To go ahead and just conform and you may be thinking right now I just I'm not convinced that it's for today and I'm having some real problems and I've got a lot more to think through but. Maybe I ought to just go ahead and do it because it seems like that's what a growing number of ladies are doing.

Listen don't have that attitude. If it's going to take you all the way through. The time that we're done to really think this through take that time if it takes you longer than that. The important thing is that every one of us realize we stand before God and we answer to him.

We don't answer to anyone else in this church. We stand before God and answer to him and God. I want to do the work I need to do and working through this passage and all the issues that are involved and.

And have that attitude rather than going ahead and capitulating and wearing a head covering just because that seems like What many others are beginning to do so don't have a conformist attitude. I don't want anyone wearing a head covering just because that's what other ladies are doing.

And one final attitude I want us all to avoid is a judgmental attitude. You know what guys and We're gonna have to get used to this because starting in first Corinthians 11 We're we're now inside of church split material.

The role of women in the church touched on in chapter 14 the head covering issue. The issues related to spiritual gifts and the gift of tongues and so forth. Is that for today or not? Those are issues that have literally split many churches right down the middle.

We are in a church split territory. And if we are not mature in our attitude As we work through these issues then it can cause damage To this church body and we need to be careful to avoid a judgmental attitude those of you that are wearing head coverings looking at those who aren't saying what's wrong with them and you know, they're just being defiant and You know to judge them in that way and to judge their motives.

There should be none of that and those of you that aren't wearing a head covering you should never look at someone who is and say oh, they're just doing that to conform and Because that's what everyone else is doing or they're trying to show me up listen.

Let's have none of that. But you know what that kind of wickedness is in all of us and in me as well. And so we need to be examining our hearts and keeping our hearts and lives pure purged of those types of wicked and judgmental attitudes on either side of the issue.

I Wanted to begin this morning by just going over those let's make sure we avoid these five Wrong attitudes that the devil could end up using to cause damage In this church body, but that having been said as you look at page number one of the the handout.

Paul's Five Arguments for Head Coverings

Some of this a lot of this is what we covered last week. But there's some new material and we'll skim real quickly over what we did cover already. And then we'll camp on those things that that we have not spent much time on thus far.

But folks Paul's primary point in 1st Corinthians chapter 11 verses 2 through 16 as you see at the top of the page here is That men should not cover their heads when they minister publicly through prayer or prophecy.

Women should Cover their heads when they minister publicly through prayer or prophecy. I have read some writers who say you know, that's not really what Paul's after. He's just after the principle. He's trying to teach principles here.

So let's just not obsess on the externals of the situation and let's focus on the principles because that's all Paul is really teaching here. Paul would say to that. Excuse me. Are you not reading what I've said in this passage?

Look at verse 4 every man who has something on his head. Look at verse 5 every woman who has her head uncovered verse 6 for if a woman does not cover her head. Verse 7 for a man ought not to have his head covered verse 10.

Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head folks. Listen to me Paul says many things in this passage. But everything that he's saying is designed to make these points and that is that men Should not have an external kind of covering on their head when they pray and prophesy.

Women Paul teaches should cover their heads when they minister publicly through prayer or prophecy. That's his point. Paul begins in verse 2 by praising the majority for holding to The teaching with regard to this that he had taught them when he was with them five years earlier.

But then beginning in verse 3 Paul essentially begins to speak to the minority of men and women in the Corinthian Church who were disregarding this custom. Regarding head coverings. There were some men in the church that were wearing head coverings.

As was the Roman custom in Paul's day and there were also women who were throwing off their head coverings. In violation of the teaching of Paul and so Paul begins to argue with them as it were. He gives them five arguments to show them why they need to heed his instruction on Head coverings and the first argument that he gives them is this because of the structure of Relationships in God's economy saying you guys need to heed my teaching on head coverings because of the structure of relationships in God's economy.

He says in verse 3 I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man and the man is the head of a woman and God is the head of Christ therefore verse for every man who has something on his head and so forth.

So Paul clearly is making this connection and he's saying because of the structure of relationships in God's economy you guys need to bring that fully to bear on your decisions about wearing a head covering or not.

Paul says that Christ is the head of every man. The man is the head of a woman and at the very least it speaks of the man. The husband is the head of a wife and God the father is the head of Christ. All right now folks I want to take a little bit of time to talk about the word head in this passage.

It's the Greek word Kefali and Basically what Paul is teaching here's our understanding of it that God the Father is the head of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ subjects himself in submission to his father who is his head and authority in that sense.

Even though they are equal in their essential being Christ is the head of every man. And so the man submits himself to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the authority over his life over the man's life and then the man is the head of the woman.

He is the authority over the woman. The woman arranges her life in subjection and submission to her husband who is Her head in the home. Well, that's clearly what Paul is teaching as he uses the word head.

In verse 3, however, I need to alert you to this if you're going to do any study Of this passage on your own you're going to come across some commentators who work very hard To change the meaning of the word Kefali or the word head.

Look at what I say in the box here the Greek word for head is Kefali. Some try to argue that the word Kefali means source or origin rather than ruler over or authority over. Often the motivation and interpreting the word in this way is to avoid offending feminist Sensibilities you need to know that's a very big motivation and people trying to change the meaning you probably already know this but to talk about the man being the head of the wife and.

And taking that to mean authority is something that is totally against the grain of our feminist Influenced culture today that is a very offensive Teaching from the Apostle Paul that many people just outright reject and scoff at however There are some Bible believers who they don't want it to be offensive.

So they say well it doesn't mean authority the word just speaks of source or origin and However, look at what I say in the box here. Wayne Grudem who is a substantive scholar in his own right has done an exhaustive survey of 2 ,338 uses of this word from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD.

In other words he studied all the uses of this term in the Greek translation of the Old Testament throughout the New Testament and also extra biblical literature a literature that is not scriptural just to find out how this word was used and he has located 2 ,338 of them he has studied every last one of them and he has found no clear uses of Kefali as source or origin in any of these references.

So, please understand that there's been a lot of work done on this even to counter the feminist direction that some are trying to go With this word and it does not hold up under closer scrutiny. Look at the last paragraph in this box.

Paul's use of Kefali and the following references clearly indicate that the intended meaning of the term is authority Over or ruler over and I want you very quickly to go with me to Ephesians chapter 1.

Ephesians chapter 1 and In the context undeniably Paul's talking about how God has elevated Christ and ascended Christ and in Ascending Christ Paul says in verse 21 of Ephesians 1 He's ascended him far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name.

That is named not only in this age, but also in the one to come and he put all things in Subjection under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church. Do you see the connection between?

Subjection and head clearly the connection is that one is a head and there are other things that are Subjected to that one who is made the head in that situation and one of the things you'll notice and some of the references that I'm going to point out is you'll notice the connection between subjection and headship and some of these references and clearly Paul is talking about the fact that Christ is the authority Over the ruler over all of these things that God has elevated him Above and beyond and he's also the ruler and authority over the church go to Ephesians chapter 5 in verse 23 but let's begin in verse 21.

To get the flow of thought he says in Ephesians 5 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Verse 22 wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord. There's the notion of subjection and then he says why do I tell you to be subject to your husband's verse 23 for the husband?

Is the head of the wife and now look he uses the word head again with regard to Christ as Christ Also is the head of the church. He himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject there's the subjection idea is subject to Christ.

So also the wives ought to be to their husbands and everything and that's clearly what the scripture is teaching. You have the idea of headship. The husband is the head of the wife. Therefore the wife subjects herself to her husband and also Christ is the head of the church.

Therefore the church subjects herself to Jesus Christ as well. Some of these other references in Colossians. You're welcome to look up but just for the sake of time We will move on but at least understand folks that that the meaning of this term is that of ruler over or Authority over so the husband is the authority over his wife.

Now in saying that I'm not saying that that's all the husband is. No, no husband-wife relationship. I mean your best friends your equals before God and the blessings of salvation and in your essential being.

And so there's equality on so many levels. But in addition to that equality and essential being and enjoyment of the blessings of salvation. There is a functional Placement of the woman underneath the headship of her husband in the home.

Creation Order and the Roles of Man and Woman

Paul then basically is saying in these verses you need to heed my teaching on head coverings because of the structure of Relationships in God's economy. And then a second argument That he gives is you need to heed my teaching on head coverings because of the order manner and purpose of God's creation of man and woman and We spent some time looking at this last week.

And I don't want to rehash this. Other than to read in verse 7 where Paul says a man ought not to have his head covered since he is the image and glory Of God the woman is the glory of man. What do I mean by saying that Paul says I will tell you Exactly what I mean verse 8 for the man does not originate from woman.

But woman from man for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake but woman for the man's sake. Paul basically gives some specific teaching here and folks clearly in verses 8 and 9. There are three things that Paul is teaching one of them is implied.

Undeniably the other two are explicitly stated and that is this the three truths. He's giving us. Regarding the creation of Adam and Eve is number one Adam was created first number two Eve was created from Adam and Number three Eve was created for Adam.

All three of those truths are undeniably affirmed in These verses. I want to take just a few moments with this as well folks because you need to realize if you don't know already That feminist despise this teaching.

This is very offensive to them. Secular feminists would just scoff at this and say Paul is a male chauvinist and this is absolutely Ridiculous. I mean we weren't even created. Anyway, we evolved and so we all evolved simultaneously.

So this is ridiculous here what Paul is teaching you also need to be aware folks that there are there's a group of people who consider themselves as evangelical feminists they call themselves biblical feminists and They claim to be holding to the authority of the Word of God and yet they also hold to Non-biblical feminist teachings and so what they end up having to do is with passages like this.

There are actual writers who say Paul is mistaken here. He is wrong here and I want go ahead and turn to Genesis chapter 1. While I continue to talk I'm just going to talk talk talk and you can turn but in Genesis chapter 1.

This is one of the passages that they point to and I think you'll see that this honesty on the part of some who claim to be biblical or evangelical feminist one of the doctrines that evangelical feminists hold to is the doctrine of the simultaneous creation of Adam and Eve and they will state this they believe that Adam and Eve were created at the same time and The verse that they point to to back that belief up is Genesis chapter 1 in verse 27.

Where we have a general statement made where the writer says God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them and they say aha. Look at that. See male and female.

He created them and so he must have created them simultaneously. You know what? Don't take my word for the fact that they say this. Let me quote from some feminist writers who claim to be biblical feminists.

A couple writers named Leitha Scanzoni and Nancy Hardesty wrote a book back in 74 entitled all were meant to be a biblical approach to women's Liberation and regarding this verse in Genesis 1 27, they say this in Genesis 1.

Male and female are said to be created Simultaneously by God and they get that from this verse. Another writer a feminist writer named Virginia Mollencott who claims to be a believer in Scripture. Wrote a book back in 88 entitled women men and the Bible and regarding this verse.

She says we find here the statement in Genesis 1 that male and female were created Simultaneously and she gets that. From this verse another writer Elizabeth Cady Stanton Developed what she called the woman's Bible, you know how we got study Bibles today the Ryrie study Bible.

MacArthur study Bible. This was essentially a feminist study Bible. And so there were their favorite passages that they would comment on and in this edition of the woman's Bible this writer says this regarding Genesis 1 27.

She says this plainly shows the simultaneous creation of man and woman. She then goes on to say all those theories based on the assumption that man was prior and the creation have no foundation in Scripture.

All those theories and teachings that are based on the thought that man was created first have no foundation in Scripture. Folks anyone who would suggest this and pointing to Genesis 1 27 is just guilty of glaring deception and Dishonesty.

All they need to do is just go to chapter 2 and see the more detailed Account of the creation of man and woman and it's inescapable. It says in Genesis 2 verse 7. Then the Lord God formed man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living Being.