Head Coverings

I will begin reading at verse 2. Now I praise you brethren, you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you. But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is the man and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying having his head covered dishonors his head.

But every woman that prays or prophesies with the head uncovered dishonors her head. For that is even all one is if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered let her also be shorn.

But if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of the man.

For the man is not of the woman but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman neither the woman without the man in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man even so is the man also by the woman. But all things of God judge in yourselves.

Is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair it is a shame unto him. But if a woman have long hair it is a glory to her. For her hair is given her for covering.

But if any man seem to be contentious we have no such custom neither the churches of God. Now I hope that God helps me to say the most important thing in the next half hour. And that's not going to be easy but I'm trusting God will help me in this.

Now I want to speak simply on reasons why sisters should have their heads covered and indirectly why they should let their hair grow long. Now I'll give you the reasons before I say anything about this that we have read. First of all the doctrinal reason.

Verse 2 to 6. Then the creatorial reason. Verse 7, 8 and 9. And then verse 10 the celestial reason because of the angels. Then verse 11 and 12 the mutual reason.

Then verses 13, 14 and 15 the natural reason. Then in verse 16 we have the apostolic reason. And we also have the universal reason.

And then last but not least the devotional reason. Now first of all in verse 2 he says Now I praise you brethren. You remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you.

Now it's very interesting to me that before he corrects them he's commanding them. I'm thankful that in 1977 when I was over in Scotland I had the privilege of being in the home assembly of the late John Douglas. That is in Bethany Hall in Ashgate.

Lanarkshire, Scotland. When he first got saved he couldn't read or write. But he learned to read by reading his bible with a flashlight and a chicken coop.

But after he got to learn to read he could minister the word of God to prophets. He made a lot of pithy sayings worthy of quoting. Here's one of them.

He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God. He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God. He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God.

He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God. He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God. He said I paid careful attention to Paul's matter for a long time before I realized that I should also pay attention to Paul's word of God.

commended whenever he could before he corrected them. And so to me that's precious. And really the real test of corrective ministry, if not how many pats on the back I can get from those that agree with me already, the real test of corrective ministry is how easy would it be for those that need it to take it.

Years ago at a conference back east somewhere, I know where of course, but I'm not saying, but anyway, a preacher had for his text 2nd Timothy 4 verse 2. Preach a word, be in sin and season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all unsuffering and doctrine. He went over every phrase. Preach a word, he did that.

Be in sin and season, out of season, he tried to do that. Reprove, he is a master at that. Rebuke, he is a past master at that.

And exhort, and then to my amazement, he was going over every phrase, but he left off the last two. As soon as I saw that he left off the last two, I said what a pity, because you could use something of those last two. Of course he's mellowed now, he's improved, but anyway he could, with all unsuffering and doctrine and with teaching.

I hope by the grace of God I never do it, but if I were a minister of the word of God, in my attitude is, if you don't bow 100% to everything I'm saying, I don't want to have a thing to do with you, you're no good as far as I'm concerned, that's exactly opposite to what Paul is writing to Timothy, with long-suffering. And then with teaching, that means I shouldn't insist God's people do it just because I say so. Why, every once in a while at least, I should by the grace of God show from the word of God why they should do it.

Now I praise you brethren, do you remember in all things and keep the ordinances as I delivered them to you. Now the word he uses for ordinances, it's far wider than just the Lord's Supper and baptism. In fact later in this chapter he reproves what's going on at the Lord's Supper.

No, the word he uses is elsewhere translated traditions, like in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 15 and chapter 3 verse 6. 2nd Timothy chapter 2 verse 15, he says, therefore brethren hold fast the traditions that I delivered you, whether by word or by this epistle. Now we want to carefully notice that Paul is not talking about ecclesiastical traditions. Ecclesiastical traditions can be held for a long time, or practices can be held for a long time without apostolic authority.

But he's talking about apostolic traditions. Thank God the traditions Paul is talking about are preserved for us in the word of God. Now the word he uses for traditions comes from the verbal stem of delivered.

So John Nelson Darby in his excellent translation, he gives a sense of it. He says, as I directed you, you keep the directions. But now the doctrinal reason he says, but I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is a man, and the head of Christ is God.

Right, notice first of all, when he tells us that the head of Christ is God, he's safeguarding this teaching from all tyranny and selfishness. Just as the Lord Jesus voluntarily took upon him the form of a servant to carry out God's purpose to redeem sinful men and women like you and me. Why, so the man is to be subject to the Christ, and the woman is to be subject to the man.

So that should be an incentive to our sisters, to be in subordination like our Lord Jesus. Now he's not talking about inferiority, not men whatsoever. Why, in an assembly, there could be a brother that's more spiritual than any of the overseers.

But just because he is spiritual, he'll be in submission to those in leadership. And a wife could have a greater capacity to learn. She could be better educated.

She could be more spiritual and more mature than her husband. But just because she's spiritual, she'll be in subjection to her husband. Now it clearly says in Ephesians 5, verse 24, that the wife is in subjection to her husband even as the church is to Christ.

So the husband is the head of the woman. But here, in this chapter, the man is the head of the woman, whether the man is married or unmarried, and whether the sister is married or unmarried. The headship of the man.

The doctrinal reason, now I should point out that when he says in verse 5, every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. Now some have taken from that, thinking that that's permission for the women to prophesy, but not a bit of it. Why, Paul is dealing with that one thing at a time.

He's dealing here with the women's head covering. In chapter 14, he clearly, definitely deals with the silence of the sister. And that's not the first time that Paul did that.

In 1 Corinthians 8, verse 10, he's saying that they shouldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, because they'll stumble the weaker brethren. But in chapter 10, verse 20 to 22, he gives a much more serious reason why they shouldn't do it, because they'll have fellowship with demons. And so he's dealing here with women's head covering, but in chapter 14, verse 34, he very plainly says, let your women keep silent in the churches.

Now really from verse 4 to verse 7 is a chiasmic parallelism. Verse 4 and verse 7, referring to the man. Verse 5 and 6, referring to the woman.

See, it begins off with a man in verse 3. I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man. So he first takes up the man, verse 4, and then verse 7 also. He says in verse 7, for the man indeed ought not to cover his head for as much as his image and glory of God.

Now in Genesis chapter 1, in creation, it's mankind, men and women. But of course in the light of chapter 2, it was the man first, and the woman afterward. Now I better not go anymore into the doctrinal reason, because I want to keep my promise.

And now the creatorial reason, verses 7, 8, and 9. And of course verse 7 is the transition verse from the doctrinal to the creatorial reason. Every one of those three verses support the creatorial reason why the woman should have a head covering, and indirectly why she should let her hair grow long. Now first of all, the glory of creation, verse 7. And then verse 8, the priority of creation.

For the, in verse 7, or rather verse 8, for the man is not of the woman, but the woman is of the man. Priority in creation. The man was created first, and the woman was formed of the rib from the man's side.

Now she was formed from a rib from his side. She wasn't formed from a bone in his head to rule over him. She wasn't formed from a bone in his foot for him to trample on her.

He, she was formed from rib from his side, so that he could affectionately, lovingly, responsibly be her head. And then the purpose of creation. For neither was the, neither was the man for the woman, but the woman for the man.

The man wasn't created for the, the man wasn't created for the woman. The woman was created for the man. The purpose in creation.

And what a wonderful gift that is to mankind. I read some statistics in U.S. News and World Report a long time ago, and it was amazing how many times more men that are single, divorced, or widowed, or separated from the wives, get into trouble with the law. Why the men that are single, or divorced, or the wives have died, or the separated from the wives, they get into prison many times more than the married men that are living with the wives.

See God intended all men, whether saved or unsaved, to be living with the wives. Now thank God women, our sisters, are much more useful than just keeping us out of prison. But that, that shows us brethren though, how important God's gift to man really is.

The creatorial reason, and then the celestial reason, for this cause. And if you all what he's just been saying in the previous three verses, the order of creation, for this cause, also woman to have authority on her head, because of the angels. Now the context shows us that he's speaking of a symbol of authority.

So her having a head covering is a symbol of a submission to the authority of a man, and also her submission to the authority of Christ and God, because of the angels. How important it is for angels to observe godly order in assemblies. First of all, these are the elect angels, in contrast to the angels that sinned and left their first estate, Jude verse 6. And then these angels were creation, Job 38 verse 7. When the morning stars sank together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy, they shouted for joy at creation.

And they saw the order in creation. And they also saw the first rebellion. And the angels appreciate when we observe the order of creation.

And then also, these angels, they also cover themselves. Why, in Isaiah chapter 6 verse 2, the seraphim, an order of angels, why, with each one had six wings. With train he covered his face, with train he covered his feet, with train he did fly.

So four of the six angels, four of the six wings rather, were used to cover themselves. And so angels delight to see sisters with their head covering. And then, God is teaching the angels, Ephesians 3 verse 10.

The church which is, his body is giving, showing the metaphor of wisdom of God to the elect angels. And really, angels are interested in local assemblies. First Timothy 5 verse 21.

Not only First Timothy 11, but First Timothy 5 verse 21. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that they observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. I take it from that, that not only does God know, not only does the Lord Jesus Christ know, but even the elect angels know, if there's anything done in any assembly by partiality.

There are other reasons too, the celestial reason, but I pass on to the next, the mutual reason. Nevertheless, neither is the man without the woman, nor the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the man is, as the woman is by the man, even so, the man is also by the woman.

The mutual reason. Now this teaching of headship, doesn't mean, doesn't mean that the woman is dispensable, or that the man is independent. No, man and woman are mutually dependent on one another.

And so that should be an encouragement to our sisters. Not only to let their heads be covered, but to let their hair grow long. We're mutually dependent on one another.

For as, as the man is by the, is of the woman, that is of course, excuse me, the other way around, as the woman is by the, is of the man, that is a rib taken from a side, so also the man is by the woman. Of course the, the woman was by formation, and we are by procreation, or generation if you like that. To me it's very precious to think that the devil used a woman, independent of the man, to bring sin into the world.

And thank God, God used a woman, independent of the man, to bring the Savior into the world. And this all tells us the dignity of womanhood. Now, whenever subjection is taught, there's a balance.

And we should take notice of the balance. In Ephesians 5 verse 18, we read, be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit. Or be controlled by the Spirit.

Why, it's not that we have more of the Spirit, that He has more of us, in every department of our lives. And then, results of the filling of the, control of the Spirit, in the rest of the chapter, and even into chapter 6. In Ephesians 5 and chapter 6, the emphasis is on the wives being in subjection to the husbands. The children obeying their parents, and then the servants obeying their masters.

But before you read any of that, I hope we all take notice of this, before you read any of that, there's a balance. Chapter 5 verse 21, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Also, 1 Peter 5 verse 5, Peter's emphasis there, is the younger in subjection to the elder.

Likewise, the younger be in subjection to the elder. Yea, all of you, be subject one to another, and be closed with humility. So, there's a balance, and there's a balance here.

So, the mutual reason. And then, the natural reason. The natural reason.

Just, judging yourselves, doth not even nature teach you, that it is uncomely for a woman to pray to God, unto God uncovered. Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a woman have long hair, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him. But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory unto her.

Now, before I go into that natural reason, I should make this statement, that there are some commentators, that would like to do away with the regulation of the women having their heads covered. And so, they try to say, that it was just a social custom. And it doesn't apply to us today.

But we should carefully notice, that the Apostle Paul goes behind the practice, to the principle. And he won't allow the Corinthians to violate the principle. They won't allow to violate the principle, and neither are we.

It's an abiding principle, for an abiding practice. But now, the natural reason. Judging yourselves, is it not, is it uncomely, or fitting, or proper, or becoming, for a woman to pray unto God uncovered.

He, he's expecting them to agree with him. He's expecting them to see it his way. So, even though he's been appealing to the word of God, which is the most important.

But now, he's appealing to their instinctive feelings. And he expects that to support what he's been teaching. And then, he says, doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him.

But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory unto her. So, even nature teaches. Nature teaches by giving women longer hair than men.

Why, there's a good many men, and some of them right here, of course, that have bald hair, or bald heads. But hardly ever do women have bald heads. Hardly ever.

And so, that's one way nature, nature teaches us. If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him. In the summer of 1968, when I had my wife and children to Newfoundland, to Templeman, 200 miles from the nearest assembly.

I'm thankful there's a little assembly there now, and five other assemblies around the 180 mile loop. But that summer, I was thrilled that Charles Goodyear, a 32 year old father, came for the first time. His sister, Myra Stratton, had come almost every night for the previous ten weeks in the previous summer.

But this was the first night for him. And I don't know how he did it, but he, he had a big head of hair sticking out like that. Maybe some of the young ones know how to do it, but I don't know how he did it.

But anyway, that night, Count Payne was to go first, and I followed him by speaking on Isaiah 53. And I wanted to tell about a conversation I had with a Jewish college student in a restaurant in New Jersey. And before I knew it, at the gospel meeting, I said, because this young college student had feminine long hair.

So I said, God intended men to be men, and women to be women. And that's positively true. But I caught myself.

I said to myself, look what you're saying. And that man in here with a first, for the first time with his big head of hair. Brethren, I don't mind offending, provided when it's all said and done, there's nothing I said I shouldn't have said, or nothing that I said that could have been said better.

But I feel terrible if I unnecessarily offend anybody, unsaved or saved. And so I decided I can't take back what I said. What I said is absolutely true.

God intended men to be men, and women to be women. But I decided the best thing to do is not say another word about men's hair and go on. And so I did.

At the end of the meeting, Mrs. Carol Payne and Mrs. Gordon Blackmore were talking. One said to the other one, did you hear what Mr. Gustafson said tonight about men's long hair? And that man in here with his big head of hair. And the other one said, I noticed it, but I don't think he meant it.

I don't think he meant to say it. I think they probably caught the hesitation. But anyway, I always like to pray for the unsaved ones that come to my meetings.

Brethren, I pray for him especially, because if he never came back again, I blame myself. I should never have said that with him in there with his big head of hair. It'd be alright if nobody was there, but he had that big head of hair.

And I'm thankful to God I got an answer to my prayer. About three nights later, he came to the meeting with as good a haircut as any one of us brethren have ever had. And surprisingly, no, he's not saved yet.

Would you God that the ministry among us God's people was that effective. So if a man had long hair, it's a shame unto him. But if a woman has long hair, it's a glory to her.

Why, the woman is the glory of a man, because she's created from him and for him. So she's the glory of the man. And of course, in the assembly, the glory of man should be covered, and the glory of Christ should be uncovered.

So that's one reason for these sisters having their head covering, because in the assembly, in the assembly, the glory of Christ should be covered. Of course, there are some brethren, a few brethren, that have gone to extremes. And because the glory of the woman is the hair, they've decided that she should have all the hair covered.

But Brethren, Paul is not talking about a hair covering. He's talking about a head covering. And when she wears her head covering, it's a symbol that the glory of Christ should be seen, and the glory of man should be covered.

Well, even so that she has a head covering, it's still obvious that she's the glory of the man. So he's only talking about a head covering, not a hair covering. It's a glory to her.

Why, for a woman to have long hair is distinctively feminine and beautiful. And Charles Hodge wrote quite a few years ago that in every age, and in every nation, a woman's long hair was an ornament to her. Now I should say this, that we shouldn't really judge spirituality by the length of a sister's hair, for the simple reason that God hasn't given every white sister the same length of hair.

And then it's possible for a sister to have beautiful long hair, and yet not have the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God of great price, 1 Peter 3 verse 4. But how wonderful for every sister who has beautiful long hair, and also has the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit. It's a glory to her. I know a young sister real well.

She had beautiful long hair. She went to a hairdresser, and she asked the hairdresser just for a trim. She didn't ask for 15 inches of her hair to be taken off.

She asked for a trim. But that hairdresser, and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be the only unsaved hairdresser to do a thing like this. She saw an opportunity to make some money on that extra hair.

So instead of just giving her a trim, she cut off 15 inches of her hair, and she hid it away. When that young sister was through, she couldn't find the hair that came off. And when she looked in the mirror, she wept.

And her unsaved brother, her unsaved brother, said to her, why you gave up the best thing you had going for you, giving up your long hair. Brethren, I hope sisters you understand that it is beautiful, feminine, and I hope you'll be encouraged in it. Really, for myself, the first time, I was at a Manchester, Connecticut conference, 1947.

That was the first assembly where most of the young sisters had beautiful, feminine, long hair. Now in my home assembly, most likely every older sister had beautiful, long hair. But this was the only first assembly where most of the young sisters had beautiful, feminine, long hair.

And I was so favorably impressed that I decided I was going to marry one with long hair. And I did nine years later. And then 21 months after my first wife died, I married another one with long hair.

And so it's beautiful. And Jim Wormsley told me that when he was at the customs in Venezuela, the customs man had visited Great Britain. And he said to Jim Wormsley, he said, an unsaved customs man, he says, I don't like it the way so many, many women in Great Britain cut their hair short.

Because at that time, all the women of Venezuela had let their hair grow long. But alas, alas, it's no longer true. The reason it's no longer true is because Venezuelan women see so many American women on TV with short hair, they cut their hair short.

But up until TV, all the women in Venezuela had beautiful, long hair, and unsaved men appreciated it. So if a woman has long hair, it's a glory to her. For hair is given her for a covering.

Now, some have taken from that, that she doesn't need to wear a head covering. But really, if you substitute hair for a head covering, in verse six, you've got nonsense. For a woman be not covered, let her also be shorn.

But if you substitute, if a woman has no hair, let her also be shorn. Well, that's ridiculous. A woman without any hair can't be shorn.

And so that's what you get if you try to substitute it. And then not only that, it's a different word than the word used earlier. The word used earlier, it's a head covering.

But this is a covering for the body, a shawl, or a wraparound. And God has given women long hair so that parts of the body at least can be covered by the hair. So, the natural reason.

And then, we should say something about the apostolic reason. Why Paul is appealing to his apostolic authority, verse two, verse three, and verse sixteen. If any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom.

And the we means him and his fellow workers at least. But I think it's more likely him and his fellow apostles. Apostolic authority.

Now, some would like to think that he's only meaning we have no such custom as being contentious. So, in other words, they'd like to believe that what he's meaning was, it's not really worth contending about. But brethren, I hope you won't take that because it's inconceivable that Paul takes thirteen verses to show the importance of women having head covering and then say it doesn't make any difference.

He possibly is not doing that. This custom of the sisters having their heads covered and letting their hair grow long has apostolic authority. And then, the universal reason.

Neither the churches of God. Why, it was only the Corinthian church of God, only the Corinthian assembly that had women uncovered. And so, the Word of God teaches an inter-fellowship between assembly.

This is the third of four references in 1 Corinthians, an inter-fellowship between assemblies. But then, I should say before I sit down, and that is the devotional reason, the devotional reason, I don't want any sister to let your hair grow long for my sake, but I hope you'll do it for the Lord's sake. You know, some sisters in evangelical circles, when they've been faced with 1 Corinthians 11 verse 15, if a woman have long hair, there's a glory to her.

In 1 Corinthians 14 verse 34, where let your woman keep silence in the churches, some have said, oh, that's just because it was the Apostle Paul. He was an old bachelor. He didn't care for the sisters.

Well, brethren, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 37 should banish that from our thinking forever. If any man think of himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write to you are the commandments of the Lord. That's how we ought to esteem them.

Not just the Apostle Paul's writing, but the commandments of the Lord. And the Lord Jesus said, John 15 verse 21, if he that hath my commandments that keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. Oh, may the Lord help us by his grace to prove our love to him by doing the things that please him, the devotional reason.

So the reasons why that our sisters should have their heads covered and indirectly let the hair grow long is, first of all, a doctrinal reason. Second, that is verses 2 to 6. Then the creatorial reason, verses 7, 8, and 9. Then the celestial reason, verse 10, because of the angels. Verse 11 and 12, the mutual reason.

Verses 13, 14, and 15, the natural reason. Verse 16, the apostolic reason, the universal reason. Why we should do this? I should point out that the word for long hair in verse 15 is nourished hair.

That is hair that is encouraged to grow. The men, of course, shouldn't encourage their hair to grow. They should cut it off.

But the women should encourage the hair to grow. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all.