DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- PICTURES OF AUTHORITY

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – PICTURES OF AUTHORITY

"But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and head of Christ is God." (I Corinthians 11:2)

This portion of Scripture about headship is about authority and our submission to authority. We can understand the need for a chain of command. When no one is in the place of leadership, the result is confusion and chaos. Anarchy reigns because everyone is their own boss and does their own thing. This principle applies to a nation, to a business, to a family, and to the church. The Lord Jesus set the example of submission. God the Father is the head of all things. Even though the Father and Son are equal, yet Jesus voluntary submitted to the Father to come to earth to purchase our salvation.

This same paradigm applies to the church and the family. Christ is the head of the Church (Colossians 1:18), and He has appointed leaders in the church. God's order for the family follows the same principle. The man is the head of the family even as Christ is the head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23). Without these lines of authority, the result is chaos. Without someone in charge and responsible for what the institution does, there is anarchy.

In this chapter, Paul gave illustrations of this principle in action. One example is creation itself. God created Adam first, and Eve came from Adam. Adam has the position of being first-born, and Eve came from man. That does not make one more important than the other. They are dependent on each other. As Paul wrote in verses 11 and 12, woman came from the man and man comes through the woman. They both have their individual positions in God's order.

Another example of submission Paul gave has caused much controversy through the history of the Church. That is the covering of the head. Paul wrote that the man should not cover his head, but the woman should cover her head as a symbol of submission. The covering Paul referenced is specifically the woman's hair. Some traditions take a literal approach and require the woman to her head covered with long hair or with a hat or a scarf. Others interpret this as a metaphor of a woman's submission. Paul ends his comments with the statement, "But if anyone seems to be contentious [regarding a woman's long hair], we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God" (vs. 16). In other words, this should not be something that causes division in the church.

Regardless, the need for order and authority in the church remains, in the family, and in the nation. Each of us need to consider our God-given position in the chain of authority and to accept that position gracefully and prayerfully.

Love, Dad