1 Corinthians 11:2-3

Scripture: 1 Cor. 11:2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.

1 Cor. 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Teaching: This is one of those sections where context is key to interpretation. Taken alone, verse 3 makes a compelling point, one backed up by Scripture. But, that is not Paul’s reason for mentioning it here — he is reviewing a known truth, which founds the basis of a tradition (in this case head coverings for women) so that he can use it as an illustration of how to understand tradition in light of Christian liberty, which has been his main theme since chapter 9. We will be unpacking his point over the next couple weeks. For today, let’s see what point he is making in verse 3. 

Paul says that God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman. We know that in the Trinity, all three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are one God. No person of the Godhead (another name for the Trinity) created any other member. However, we do see some distinction in roles. The Son obeys the Father, The Father gives a Bride to the Son, the Son gives His Spirit to us, and the Spirit leads us to the Son, etc. There is an interplay of relationships in the Trinity that is, frankly, beyond complete understanding, but by Scripture we know they exist. However, as we see here, Paul asserts that God is the head of Christ (i.e. Christ is submitted to the Father and His authority). 

Next, we see Paul say the head of every man is Christ. The word for man here is aner which is the word for husband. Paul does not have every living adult male in view here, but rather the heads of households. He is talking about family leadership. Paul says the husband is the leader of the home who answers to Christ for his decisions in the home. Lastly, Paul says the man is the head of the woman, again using the word for “husband.” He is not saying the husband is the head of every woman, but rather, a singular woman, who we interpret as his wife. This is the hierarchy of a Christian marriage and family. From here, Paul will discuss what the message of head coverings means in the subsequent verses. 

Takeaway: We see the hierarchy of family leadership asserted elsewhere and in more descriptive language, for instance in Colossians 3:18, Ephesians 5, and 1 Peter 3. The structure of a family is so important for the family’s faith and following of the Lord. Children are called to obey their parents, honoring their mother and father and submitting to their authority. Wives are called to submit to their husband as to the Lord, as they were created by God to be a strong helper to man, but not lead over them. In this, though, the burden of leadership is placed squarely on the shoulders of the husband. A husband is called to submit to Christ, and lead his family in the ways of the Lord. We see in our society what happens when this doesn’t happen. We see men lead in sinful ways as well as refuse to take the mantle of leadership, thus forcing their wives into leadership. The Lord is good, and He sees us through the sins of others, so this is not to say that nothing but bad things come from a broken home. However, we should not expect good things for our family or our society when we neglect the Creator’s created order.