Head Covering for Women is Really About Humility and Order in God's Creation

Instructions for Public Worship

1 Cor. 11.1 And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 2 I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. 3 But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 A man dishonors his head if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 5 But a woman dishonors her head if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. 6 Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.

7 A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8 For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10 For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.

11 But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.

13 Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14 Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15 And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16 But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.

Verse 11 is key for me, for while there is some ordering of man preceding woman, for woman came from man and woman sinned first, it is not always so one sided as verse 11 suggests that men are not independent of women. I think there is an ordering to all things, but each ordering is specific to the item being discussed. The ordering here points back to creation of man and woman. Should the woman have a higher standing when she sinned first and when she came from man through man's rib (this is metaphorical I am sure)? And God granted man a help meet. And the covering of woman's head is with her hair, not necessarily some garment, and even further, simple humility. I think there was some women in Corinth exalting themselves above men and making a commotion just as the first woman did and was first tricked by the serpent in the garden.

Verse 16 says this is a custom to cover their heads, so it is a custom and customs can change. Today women may have short hair in the church and do not need a garment to cover their heads.