In our last post on Jesus and Genesis, we saw how Jesus took his understanding of human marriage from the book of Genesis. As a follow up, I want to lead you through one example of the Apostle Paul also building his theology of the sexes on Genesis. In 1 Corinthians 11:1-10, we find Paul’s instructions for the church in Corinth when praying or prophesying out loud in the gathering. The application of this passage in the contemporary church is debated, but it is clear that Paul is setting the foundation of his argument in Genesis 2. He is arguing from the creation order and applying it to his own context.
The argument that Paul makes is that women should acknowledge their submission to their husbands in the church. In first-century Corinth, this was done by wearing a head covering. I do not believe that this is best accomplished by wearing head coverings in our context. However, Paul’s summarizing exhortation in verse 10 is clarifying. Wives should acknowledge their submission to their husbands in the church. I think this is the main point of the command.
Paul reasons that women should submit themselves to their husbands authority because Eve was made second and for the purpose of helping Adam. We have considered this argument in a recent blog post, but I want to again emphasize that Paul understands the early chapters of Genesis as defining a God-given pattern of being for humanity. We should too.
Paul applies this pattern to the Church because the Church is given by God to the world, at least partially, as an example of the flourishing that comes from submitting to God’s creation order. The church is where the chosen, elect people of God are supposed to willingly and gratefully play out the drama of God-given, God-besotted existence for the good of the watching world. When their veiled minds tell them that it can’t be done, their physical eyes tell them that that people, that church is doing it.
In our own context, ladies should openly acknowledge their own submission to their husband’s authority. As we must always reiterate in this kind of teaching, this does not mean that a husbands authority is absolute. He is leading her in submission to Christ. He is careful to count her as more significant than himself. He takes her input seriously or he is disregarding her biblically mandated role as a helper fit for him. He must be careful to honor her. However, Christian women must not balk at every attempt that her husband makes at leadership. It is not fitting in the gathering of the saints.
Ladies, you should be glad to submit, in the Lord, to your husband. He needs your glad-hearted, intelligent submission in order to fulfill his God-given purpose in the world. You need his servant-hearted, christlike leadership in order to fulfill your God-given purpose in the world. He was made to pursue. You were made to be pursued. He was made to initiate. You were made to refine that initiation with wisdom and prudence. He was made to charge off and fight the dragon. You were made to support his fight with your own strength and beauty. God has uniquely created you for this, but you must submit to Him.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Charles
