1 Corinthians
Mother’s Day
N.O.W. or What?
1 Corinthians 11:3-16
May 11, 2003
Intro:
A. [illustration]
Three men were talking over coffee.
Two of them are talking about the amount of control they have over their wives, while the third remains quiet.
After a while one of the first two turns to the third and says, “Well, what about you, what sort of control do you have over your wife?”
The third fellow says, “I’ll tell you. Just the other night my wife came to me on her hands and knees.”
The first two guys were amazed.
“What happened then?” they asked.
“She said, ‘Get out from under the bed and fight like a man.’”
1. There is a lot of humor about the battle of the sexes and who is going to be in charge in the family.
2. I enjoy that kind of humor, but as we look at the Bible, we see that there is far more at stake in the relationship than the battle over who is going to be in charge.
B. And when it comes to women’s roles, I believe women have been put in a catch 22…
1. [Illustration]
A few years ago the Promise Keeps (which urges tens of thousands of men nationwide to be responsible, self-disciplined, and God-fearing) drew fire from the then president of the National Organization of Women, Patricia Ireland, “Promise Keepers have created a false veneer of men taking responsibility when they really mean men taking charge.”
2. I believe women today have been thrown into a conundrum.
3. I believe women instinctively know that they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
4. I believe that women instinctively know that male chauvinism is not right and that simply because males are males they shouldn’t get preferential treatment.
5. On the other hand, they see the likes of the N.O.W. gang, who are supposedly fighting for their rights, and they don’t feel that that’s quite right either.
a. The above illustration is just one example of the misguidance of the modern feminist movement.
b. While the N.O.W. gang threw an absolute fit at the appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court because of joke that he had made that a woman found inappropriate, they turned the other way when a president of the U.S. abused women for his own selfish gratification.
c. This year they’re marching at Augusta National for the inclusion of women in a private golf club.
d. And they are getting upset about murder charges being filed in California for the death of Conner, the unborn child of Laci Peterson.
4. I think women instinctively know that the N.O.W. gang is probably not helping their cause any—just as they also know that male chauvinism (often spearheaded by Christians) is not right either.
5. So where are women today to turn for truth and their proper place in society—and the church?
6. Is it N.O.W. or something else?
7. On this Mother’s Day, I want to turn to one of the most controversial passages of Scripture as we continue our study through 1 Corinthians.
8. As we study, I believe we will see some godly counsel.
9. First, let’s read through our text [read 1 Corinthians 11:3-16].
I. The Statement of Authority
1 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV), Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
A. Now there is no doubt a lot of controversy about this passage of Scripture.
1. There is controversy about it from a secular point of view because the feminists and the National Organization of Women certainly have a problem with this teaching.
2. There is controversy about it from a Christian point of view because no one is sure if this entire text is to be taken literally, or if the entire text is supposed to be taken as totally cultural, or if it is to be taken somewhere in between.
a. Those who take this text totally literal insist that women are in total submission to men at all times and must not cut their hair and must wear hats.
b. Those who take this text totally culturally dismiss the whole thing as being intended only for that church in that culture and adopt modern attitudes for relationships between men and women.
3. I believe it is somewhere in between and I will show you why.
a. I believe that is not totally cultural and not totally literal.
b. I believe that it does have some cultural application, but I also believe that there are some important underlying principles that we need to understand and learn and apply to our lives today.
c. [On Women Speaking in Church, Citation: Catherine Booth in Christian History, no. 26, William and Catherine Booth]
Responding to a man who argued, "Paul said to the Corinthians it is a shame for women to speak in the church": Oh yes, so he did; but in the first place this is not a church, and in the second place, I am not a Corinthian; besides [she continued, looking at the man’s wife], Paul said in the same epistle that it was good for the unmarried to remain so.
B. I believe that there are two main spiritual truths in this text that are elaborated upon with cultural application that was specific for that particular time period.
1. The first spiritual truth is found in verse three and the second one is found in verse eleven.
2. Let’s start with the one in verse three.
C. Paul sets in place God’s order of authority.
1. Paul said the head of every man is Christ.
2. Paul said the head of every woman is man.
3. And the head of Christ is God.
4. So the order the Paul gives is God, Christ, men, women.
5. That is God’s order of authority.
6. However, in verse eleven Paul gives the second truth, which is..
II. The Equality of Christ
1 Corinthians 11:11 (NIV), In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
A. Paul teaches here the equality of men and women in Christ and this is not the only place the Bible teaches this.
1. Malachi 2:14-15 (NIV), You ask, "Why?" It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. 15 Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his.
2. Galatians 3:28 (NIV), There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
3. Acts 2:18 (NIV), Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
4. Acts 8:12 (NIV), But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
5. 1 Corinthians 10:17 (NIV), Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
6. Philippians 4:3 (NIV), Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
B. Now another interesting aspect of this equality in Christ is the part about Christ being under God in the order of authority in verse 3.
1. Matthew 1:23 (NIV), "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us."
2. Matthew 16:16-17 (NIV), Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
3. John 1:1 (NIV), In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
4. John 10:30 (NIV), I and the Father are one."
C. Now from these two groups of Scripture we see some interesting thoughts that seem to be in contradiction to Paul’s statement of the order of authority in verse 3.
1. Although Paul said that women are under men in authority, much of the NT clearly teaches that men and women are equal.
2. Although Paul said that women are under men, the rest of the NT clearly teaches that women have some important roles to play in the church.
3. And although Paul said that Christ is under God in authority, the rest of the NT clearly teaches that Christ is God and that Christ and God are one.
D. So here we have a statement of authority that sounds contradictory to the equality in Christ that the Bible seems to teach; so how do we reconcile the two? I believe that in order to reconcile the two we need to understand…
III. The Redemption of Women
A. Our trouble here is when verse three says that the head of the woman is man.
1. Why are men first?
2. Why is the head of the woman the man?
B. First let’s consider the question of which gender is more important…
1. Look at Genesis 1:26-28, Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
2. God said let us make man (literally mankind)…
3. …and let THEM (both genders) rule…over all the earth…
4. God blessed THEM and said to them…Rule…over every living creature…
5. Which gender did God create with the most authority? Neither!
6. God originally created both genders to be equal.
7. So Paul is not saying that either gender is more important than the other, however…
C. Genesis 3:16, To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
1. After they had sinned and God pronounced judgment on them, God said the woman’s desire would be for her husband and he would rule over her.
2. As a result of the fall of man, men and women lost their equal standing and God placed the male over the female.
3. BUT the question is why are men first?
4. Are men first because women are not as smart and more easily deceived?
5. Are men first because Adam didn’t sin and only Eve?
6. Are men first because even though Adam did sin, his sin wasn’t as bad as Eve being deceived?
7. Or did God have another purpose for this men first plan?
D. We should not misunderstand and think that Eve’s deception was somehow worse than Adam’s disobedience.
1. Romans 5:12-19, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-- 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
2. You see we cannot make the mistake of thinking that Eve’s deception was worse than Adam’s disobedience.
3. So men are not first because Eve’s deception was worse than Adam’s disobedience.
4. That is not the reason men are first.
E. Genesis 3:6, When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
1. Notice the words, “who was with her.” What does that mean?
2. Does it mean that Adam was right there with her watching and listening to Eve being deceived?
3. Did he personally hear the words of Satan and watch Eve’s eyes glaze over?
4. Was he just standing there watching to see if she would actually, physically die?
5. Or was Adam just there somewhere in the Garden and came along after she had eaten and although he clearly saw through the deception, still willfully disobeyed?
6. Whatever happened, the phrase “who was with her” screams of failed responsibility on the man’s side of the partnership.
7. What if Adam had intervened, and shaken Eve back into reality? Why didn’t he?
8. Why didn’t he himself refuse to eat?
9. Could Adam have saved them from the fall?
10. Could Adam have saved the world from the fall?
11. Such questions are moot, because he didn’t do it and the rest is history.
F. Adam didn’t save his wife, but God DOES call us men to save our wives!
1. Ephesians 5:25-32, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
2. Men, this is why we are first!
3. We are to love our wives like Christ loves the church!
4. We are to give up ourselves in order to make our wives look good on judgment day.
5. We are to make her holy.
6. We are to cleanse her with the Word.
7. We are to present her to God holy and blameless—just as Christ loves the church!
8. We are to take the lead in redeeming our wives and ourselves!
9. We are to take the lead in redeeming our children!
10. God has called us to do what Adam didn’t do!
11. God has called us to love our wives enough to protect them from the evil one!
12. Yes, men, we are first.
13. We weren’t created to be first; we were created to be equal.
14. But because of sin, we are first.
15. And the reason we are first has nothing to do with men being better than women!
16. It has to do with the fact that God has given us the responsibility of saving our wives and children!
17. It has to do with the fact that Adam didn’t step in to protect deceived Eve, but God is calling us to love our wives today enough to protect them.
18. We are to be first in giving up ourselves.
19. We are to be first in being holy.
20. We are to be first in practicing spiritual disciplines.
21. We are to be first in teaching the Scriptures.
22. We are to be first in leading the way to heaven!
23. We are to be first in leading the way back to our created state of being equals.
24. We are to be first in respecting the women in our lives!
25. We are to be first in honoring the women in our lives!
Conclusion:
A. [What Submission Isn’t, Citation: Jill Briscoe, "Hilarious Hupotasso," Preaching Today, Tape No. 117.]
Stuart and I brought our families and religious heritages to our marriage. My father, a quiet, gentle man, considered himself head of his home: protector, defender, and provider. My mom was a sweet, Scottish- born Presbyterian. She believed in the sovereignty of God and her husband. My father adored my mother, put his considerable business assets into her name, and looked to her to raise the children. When my sister came of age, my father supported her when she became an excellent car mechanic and raced cars. Eventually she took her place at his side as partner in his successful car business.
Stuart’s family was strict, conservative evangelical. His father was an elder in a small local assembly of believers, and he took seriously his responsibility to rule the household well. He considered himself the authority in his family, while his wife, a bright, articulate, efficient lady, considered herself in subjection to her husband in everything, carrying those convictions to her dress, her hair style, and silence in the presence of men at the church.
Newly converted at a college in Cambridge and having just been introduced to Stuart’s family, I remember wondering greatly about this amazing mode of doing things. I sensed an unconscious frustration of unexplored desires and frustrated gifts in my mother-in-law. It was as if those gifts sat meekly inside her heart with eyes downcast and wearing a hat.
In that moment as a new believer, I believe I stumbled on an important truth of what submission isn’t. Submission isn’t sitting down on the outside while you’re standing up on the inside.
1. Men do you see that God has called us to respect and honor and encourage women and not to boss them around?
2. Women are to be honored and respected.
3. One of the 10 Commandments says to honor our mothers.
4. Women are to be given preferential treatment in order to bring them to Christ.
5. Man’s role is not to lord it over women in a male chauvinistic way, but to sacrifice ourselves in order to lead women to Christ.
B. Women deserve the same respect, appreciation, and honor that they were afforded in the Scriptures.
Who prompted Jesus to perform His first miracle? A Woman!
Who ministered to Christ during His public ministry? The women!
Who financially supported Christ during His public ministry? The women!
Who stayed with Jesus throughout his trial and crucifixion? The women!
Who were the last ones at the cross? The women!
Who were the first to the tomb? The women!
Who were the first witnesses to the resurrected Savior? The women!
Who were the first to spread the good news that Christ had risen? The women!
Who were the prophets in Caesarea in Acts 21? The women!
Who was a deacon in Cenchrea in Romans 16? A woman!
Who makes up the majority of the population of most churches today? The women!
C. Romans 13:7 teaches us to give honor to whom honor is due and certainly women are to be given preferential treatment in order to redeem them from the clutches of Satan.
1. So today we honor the women in our lives and in our church.
2. And we honor them every day—the way Christ did and does.
