A young lady had been visiting a small assembly of about 60 believers. She appreciated the teaching and the warm fellowship of the Christians there. Her particular concern, however, was the practice of the head covering worn by the women at the weekly meetings. She and her husband had spent most of their Christian lives in a large denominational church of around 1,000 people. The concept of the head covering was totally foreign to them. Then one day a rainy downpour changed her thinking. It opened her eyes to the teaching of 1 Corinthians 11 on this subject. (More on the rain later.)
Glory and coverings
1 Corinthians 11 weaves the subject of biblical headship together with the glory of God. There are three glories mentioned in the chapter: the glory of the man (v. 7), the glory of the woman (v. 15), and the glory of God (v. 7). Biblical instruction on the women’s veil should not be confused with cultural fads. It is based on non-cultural principles associated with headship (v. 3), creation (vv. 7-9), nature (v. 14), and angels (v. 10).
Veils or coverings are used symbolically in many different ways throughout Scripture (e.g. Gen. 3:7; 24:65; Ex. 3:25; 25:20; Isa. 6:2; Ezek. 28:14). In 1 Corinthians 11, however, the veil is used as a means to give God the glory in the meetings of the assembly. We read that the man’s glory (the woman) is symbolically concealed with a natural covering, the long hair of the woman (v. 15). The woman’s glory (her hair) is then concealed with a second, removable covering (vv. 5-6). The end result is the uncovered head of the man which represents God’s glory as stated in 1 Corinthians 11:7, “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God…” It is not that man’s glory is to be seen and woman’s glory is to be veiled; God’s desire is that both the man’s and the woman’s glory be veiled so that only the glory of God is evident in the church gathering.
Headship
Man’s position as “head” is not by merit but by appointment. Biblically, men are delegated leadership roles as God’s representatives—or “image”—in the assembly of believers (1 Cor. 11:7; 14:33-35). While some feel this truth denigrates women, few consider the sobering weight of responsibility associated with this position (Jas. 3:1; Heb. 13:17). Bible teachers are subject to correction and judgment (1 Cor. 11:29, 32; 14:29), and the overseers cannot be “lords” over God’s people (1 Pet. 5:1-3). Biblical headship is not an issue of equality any more than is the relationship that exists between God the Father and God the Son. 1 Corinthians 11:3 reminds us that “the head of Christ is God,” yet surely there is no inequality between God the Son and God the Father.
When it comes to equality between the sexes, God’s perspective is this: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Therefore, the concept of headship does not suggest a gender inequality, but rather that God desires order among His people (1 Cor. 14:40).
The young lady who wrestled with the teaching of 1 Corinthians 11 changed her thinking during the unexpected downpour of rain. Fuming over her thoroughly soaked hair, she recalled a section from verse 15 that she had steadfastly resisted: “if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her.” Her anger now became a testimony against her. At that particular moment her hair meant everything—it truly had been her glory! She was now convinced that God was to receive all the glory—not a man, not a woman, only God. The following Sunday she happily covered her head as a symbolic testimony that God must have the pre-eminence in the assembly. This was a first step in acknowledging God’s truth regarding headship and the glory of God.