Head Covering, Headship and Worship
In 1 Corinthians 11, Apostle Paul says that women must practice head covering when praying or prophesying in the church. Prophesying here means foretelling events, speaking under inspiration, and exercising the prophetic office. These were not merely Paul’s opinions but a command and tradition for all churches. These important traditions were established by Paul during the foundational stages of the Church to govern conduct. Paul’s words were inspired by the Lord Jesus Himself. They were for all churches, for all time, and there is nothing to indicate this was only written for the Corinthians.
“Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.” 1 Corinthians 11:2
“If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.” Paul, 1 Corinthians 11:16
“Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Just because many churches have stopped practicing head coverings does not mean the Word of God has become obsolete. On Judgment Day, we will be held accountable for everything we do and do not do, according to what God has commanded.
Jesus said if we teach people to break God’s commands, we will be least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). In light of this, we should consider this passage of 1 Corinthians 11 soberly and reverently and make sure we are obeying God no matter what others around us do.
Paul’s appeal to creation, gender, and angels.
Paul appealed to creation order, gender, and angels in his teaching on head covering. These things transcend all cultures and generations.
“3But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. (This verse proves the covering is not hair because men cannot take hair on and off.)
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.
10 For this reason, a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.
Head Covering is a sign of submission and headship.
There is a hierarchy in God’s creation order, and he desires for this to be represented when believers gather together. Women cover their heads to show this order. Head coverings are a sign of submission and represent God’s ordained structure of headship.
Paul also mentions that this is because of the angels. Angels, too, are witnesses to our submission to God’s order during worship. Paul says in verse 10 that a woman ought to have power (a sign of authority) on her head because of the angels. (There are many interpretations of the angels’ reference. The common understanding is that God’s angels attend any place or meeting where prayer or God’s word is being proclaimed. Angels are servants of God and ministers to men. Being fully submitted servants of God, they should see our submission to God too.)
“Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:2-3
Head covering is an act of submission during prayer and prophesying, as only Christ should be honored in the Church. This is demonstrated by the man leaving his head uncovered and a woman covering her head. The woman covers her head to cover the man’s glory, which she is.
Head covering in church history.
All through church history, churches by and large practiced head covering until the 1950s/60s. This is because of the rise of feminism and the women’s rights movement, and the increasing influence of modern culture on the Church. Ask yourself, were all Christians before this wrong?
Is the Bible wrong? The practice of churches abandoning this practice is one of rebellion, worldliness, and a sign of the times. God never changes His mind.
“The wearing of a head covering during Pentecostal worship was the normative practice from its inception; in the 1960s, “head coverings stopped being obligatory” in many Pentecostal denominations of Western Europe, when, “with little debate,” many Pentecostals had absorbed elements of popular culture.” copied from Wikipedia
Should head covering be practiced full-time or only during worship?
To be honest, I have struggled with this one and will not provide a definitive answer. I have linked several articles at the end of this post for further reflection. Some understand the passage on head covering to refer only to public worship when believers gather. Others understand it to apply to any time of formal prayer and prophecy. And others understand it to apply full-time since we are called to pray continuously, and because submission, gender, and angels are timeless.
I hope this article inspires you to practice and obey this Christian tradition of head covering as a woman, and as a man, not to cover your head during prayer and prophecy. I believe this practice will change your life as it has mine. All acts of obedience to God carry their unique blessing.
1 Corinthians 11
I will allow the passage to speak for itself and ask that you read it slowly, humbly, and with a heart to obey rather than argue. It is pretty clear. If you need more study, look at the Greek of the passage using a strong concordance online. (Bible.hub is a good one for study.)
1 You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
2 Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you.
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. (This verse proves the covering is not hair because men cannot take hair on and off.)
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved.
6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. (This verse proves that covering is not hair because Paul would not ask her to be shaved if the covering referred to hair, because he says her hair should be cut off if she has no covering.)
7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man.
9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
10 For this reason, a woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head, because of the angels.
11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
12 Just as a woman comes from a man, so also a man is born of a woman. But everything comes from God.
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? (It’s a shame for a woman to pray uncovered.)
14 Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. (Paul uses hair to demonstrate that even in nature, the woman has hair to differentiate herself from man because her hair is her natural covering and glory)
16 If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. (There is no other practice. This is the tradition for all churches, and to not do so is disobedience.)
The Greek word used for head covering in the earlier part of this chapter is akatakalypto, which means to unveil. A Greek study of this passage reveals that Paul is referring to something that is put on and then removed, not hair but a veil. Verses 4 and 6 also become illogical if the head covering is hair.
The Greek word translated as “uncovered” is ἀκατακαλύπτῳ (akatakalyptō); adjective—dative feminine singular; Strong’s Greek 177: unveiled, uncovered. Unveiled.
Useful articles for further study
- https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/head-coverings-and-decorum-in-worship-a-letter/ by John Murray
- https://www.headcoveringmovement.com/articles/why-didnt-eve-wear-a-head-covering by Jeremy G.
- https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/headship-and-worship-notes-on-1-corinthians-112-16/ by Sherman Isbell
- What the Early Christians Believed About The Head Covering– Transcript of cassette sermon by David W. Bercot, 1997
- On Head Coverings by Classical Christianity
- Head covering for Christian women– Wikipedia
- https://theheavenlyhearth.com/2018/10/30/full-time-or-part-time-head-covering/
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