Alba 9-7-2025
TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS
I Corinthians 11:1-16
Last week I began my message saying that the church in Corinth had a lot of problems. That is the reason that the apostle Paul wrote to them, both to correct some things they were doing, and also to give some guidance as to how best to live the Christian life. But as we come to First Corinthians chapter eleven, I identify with what a minister named Russell Brownworth said about dealing with this text. Here is what he said:
“Paul is a very old and dear friend of mine; he is also a troublemaker! Before the days of my preaching every chapter, every verse, straight through a Bible book, I used to nimbly avoid the trouble traps Paul laid out. Today I am cornered! If I tell the truth about this passage some women will not like the truth and lynch me. If I skirt around the truth, the men who don’t understand (as well as those who do understand) will also probably lynch me. If I bail on the truth God will get me. What shall I do? Well, I am much more scared of God than any of you. And lynching only means I get to go home to Jesus…and look up that troublemaker, Paul!”
(From sermon: “Worship – Its All About Him” SermonCentral.com)
Well, its not all that bad, but there are things in this chapter that cause issues with people. Nevertheless, it is included in God's Word. And that means it is profitable to us for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction.
Yet, what does Paul mean by all this? What is this head covering that he insists women wear? What does her wearing it have to do with angels? And what is the deal with men’s and women’s hair length? And what does all of this have to do with us today?... Lets start at the beginning. In verses one and two, Paul says to the Corinthians, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.” That raises a question about traditions.
Do Your Traditions Honor and Imitate the Lord?
Traditions can be good or bad. In Colossians 2:8 it warns, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” And in Matthew 15:2-3 Jesus was asked, “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” So we are warned against the traditions made by men and not by God.
But God has given us direction in His Word and through the apostles. That should be our tradition. II Thessalonians 2:15 tells us, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” So the spiritual traditions that the Lord has given us are not mere rituals, but are doctrines of faith and holiness. Here in First Corinthians chapter eleven Paul reminds us of the truth found in Genesis concerning creation and the biblical order of things. In verse three he says, “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” Then in verses eight and nine it says, “For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.”
There is a certain order or established authority ordained by God. Now, this order does not indicate inferiority. Rather, it reveals how the church is to operate. A woman isn’t inferior to a man anymore than Jesus, God the Son, is inferior to God the Father. Jesus is in no way inferior to God. He IS God! Rather, Jesus chose to follow the Father’s direction. Jesus, the Son, obeyed the Father to the point of death on a cross, which brought about our redemption! In the same way, women are in no way inferior to men. They bear the image of God just like men do! However, when a wife chooses to follow her husband’s direction, as he follows Christ’s direction, wonderful things happen! It’s the order God established in creation. And the tradition, or teaching, that is being referred to here includes what it says in verses eleven and twelve, “Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.” Paul reminds us that men and women need each other. There is a partnership as well as a headship in God’s creation. Both men and women are equal in God’s sight. But our behavior ought to reflect who we are as God created us. That is the tradition we are to keep.
But now we have those verses that deal with head coverings and length of hair. In verses four through seven there is an application of the creative order of things concerning men and women who are participating in public worship. Those verses say this: “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.”
And the teaching continues in verses 13-15 where it says, “Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.” Notice, that phrase, no such custom? Sounds like the custom doesn't exist. But in newer Bible versions it is more often translated as “we have no other custom”, which indicates that what is outlined in the previous verses was the usual custom among the Lord's churches. So not only should your traditions imitate and honor the Lord, another question to ask is...
Do Your Customs Imitate and Honor the Lord?
First, we should understand what a custom is. So here is a definition: A custom is a public and repeated practice meant to enforce a certain moral or social principle. It’s not a law but rather a routine action meant to teach and persuade through example and conditioning. Customs vary according to time and place, and take their meaning from broader public interpretation.
The custom which these verses are talking about is how ones head is covered or uncovered when praying or prophesying. “Praying” is talking to God about man. “Prophesying” is talking to man about God. Verse five shows that women were involved in prayer and prophesy in public worship. They experienced meaningful ministry. But Paul says it was the teaching of the Apostles and the custom of all churches for women to wear head coverings. So the Corinthians should follow this common church practice and not be contentious.
The reason Paul addresses head coverings is that the circumstances of prayer and prophecy raise the underlying issue of the created order between men and women in public assemblies, particularly the worship service.
Again, we have to think culturally here. In Corinth, apparently, men were not to have long hair, nor women short hair. This wasn’t true for all times and places then, nor is it now. Remember Samson who wore long hair as a vow to the Lord until Delila got hold of him. Or Absalom, David’s son? He had very long hair, and though it got him tied up in a difficult situation, it wasn’t a disgrace. But the natural way of the Corinthian culture was that men didn’t have long hair and women did. So don’t call attention to yourself in your culture in a way that distracts from the gospel.
Paul isn’t giving an arbitrary dress code, but is commenting on the implications of public presentation for social order. Thus the head covering was a custom with a particular purpose. It preserved proper order in public assemblies, even when a woman engaged in worship. With it, the woman could pray and prophesy without causing a scandal. Without it, she couldn’t. It wasn't a fashion statement. But to do otherwise, people would be focused on what you wear or how you look, not the Lord you represent.
Sometimes people pay too much attention to such things. For example did you hear that on the way home from church Mildred says, “Fred, did you notice Alice Jenkins’ new hat?” Says Fred, “Nope”. “Did you see Beatrice Deas’ new coat?” “Uhhh, Nope”. “Well, did you see that new dress the preacher’s wife had on?” “Nah”. “Fred Bosley, I declare – you never pay attention. A lot of good going to church does you!”
Paul says it’s wrong for a woman to pray or prophesy without a head covering. Why? Because culturally, the head covering demonstrated her submission to her husband and her submission to God’s established order in the church. If the women in Corinth didn’t have their a head covered, that indicated rebellion—the opposite of submission. So Paul is being sarcastic in verse 6—“If you’re not going to wear a head covering, then you might as well go all the way and cut your hair off or shave your head!” Basically Paul is saying that Christian women should respect the culture around them – a culture where Greek women covered their heads with wraps or had long hair. Short hair on the women was a disgrace because it is believed that local prostitutes cut their hair. Respectable women let it grow. Again, we are not concerned so much with actual length, as to which motives the length might be attached.
When we were at Silver Dollar City a week ago for their Southern Gospel Picnic, one of the concerts we went to was given by Josh and Ashley Franks. Josh is a Pentecostal preacher as well as gospel singer. He told how he grew up listening to gospel music and watching singing programs on TV. He said he would know who was singing even before they showed their faces. He said the camera would pan down from over the singers, and right away he knew it was Vestal Goodman of the Happy Goodmans. He said the reason was that Vestal had her hair done way up high. He said she had a PHD (Pentecostal hairdo). He said he thought she must have felt closer to God with her hair reaching up like that.
Another time when we were there for the gospel music event, we were sitting behind a lady who had a lot of hair done up on her head. But the hair was a little off kilter. It obviously was a wig. She apparently belonged to a group that requires women to have a full head of hair to meet their requirements for good spirituality. So she had to improvise. Now as far as these verses concern me, men are supposed to have their head uncovered. Since I have no hair on the top of my head, I think I'm good.
Do you remember the Beatles in the 60s. They all had long hair, which by today's standards would not be that long. Of course, they did so with a rebellious attitude. So what matters more is the condition of the heart, than of how one is dressed or the length of one's hair (for you can dress right, then not be right). And there is no standard that I know of that says how long, long hair should be, or how short, short hair might be.
In our culture a covering on a woman’s head doesn’t proclaim what it did in Corinth. The head covering signified submission in the first century. But if you wore a shawl over your head this morning no one would equate that with submission. People would might ask you if you were cold or just having a bad hair day! At another concert at Silver Dollar City, we saw Jeff and Sherry Easter. Sherry had a hat on and admitted that the wind had made a mess of her hair, so she covered it up with a wide brimmed hat.
There is nothing wrong with wearing a hat. My mother always wore a hat to church in the 40s and 50s. When it was no longer the usual custom here in America, she no longer wore a hat. But we should not miss the point in these verses. They teach us to investigate our customs to see what message they are sending. And that godly customs should be retained and practiced.
I'm not sure that churches have to resurrect the custom of head coverings. Were the custom still dominant, it would be right to respect and retain it, but a lost custom is somewhat different. When a custom is lost, the public meaning of that custom changes, and enforcing it anew can send a new and different (and, yes, mistaken) meaning.
There’s a difference between retaining a common and known custom and trying to restore a lost one. For example, one hundred years ago men wore dark suits to most public events, including recreation, from a desire to not stick out. Were they to do so today, their suit would have the opposite effect. Yet it all comes down to this: it is proper for us to stay within the created order of things so that we can honor God in all we do.
When Paul says to do these things “because of the angels” in verse 10, the meaning appears to be that angels watch out for the worship of God by His people, and want things to be done properly and in order. Both men and women have a responsibility to do their best to give honor to God, especially when leading in times of prayer and worship.
So, when it comes to traditions and customs, I think we need to keep verse one in context as we read the instructions here. We should be like Christ in all things. And yes, we should pay attention to how we appear to the culture. And everything, and I mean everything, should be done in keeping with the character of Jesus Christ.
CLOSE:
Radical feminist are not comfortable with this scripture. But let me tell you about Liz Curtis Higgs. She was one of the best-known disc jockeys in America, and she lived quite a…wild lifestyle without God. In fact, Howard Stern was the A.M. show, and Liz Curtis Higgs was the P.M. show. And one day Howard Stern said to Liz, “You know, you need to clean up your act.” Now, that really says something if Howard Stern is saying it.
And because Liz Curtis Higgs had been burned by so many men, and her heart had been broken…she became a militant feminist. And I underscore, militant feminist. But she had a Christian girlfriend who kept inviting her to church. So one day after a long, long time, she said, “Okay, I will go to church one time and one time only.”
So she went to church one time with her friend. And that week, the pastor just happened to be teaching on the Bible verse that says, “Wives submit yourselves to your husbands.” Not exactly a good verse to start with a militant feminist. And she got a little uptight, a little ticked, a little angry. But she continued to listen, and she actually heard the second part of the verse.… You see, the second part of the verse says, “And husbands—you sacrifice yourself; you give yourself for your wives just as Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the church and died for her.” Who is asked to give their life up? The husband.
When Liz heard that part, she leaned over to her friend and said with a little cynicism, “I’d gladly give myself to any man if I knew he would die for me.” And her friend leaned over and said, “Liz, there is man who loved you enough to die for you. His name is Jesus Christ. That’s how much he loves you.” And it was not long after that that Liz dropped her guard, surrendered her life to God in love, and became a believer. Today she is a well-known Christian author and speaker. Things go well if we imitate and honor our Lord.
