Question:
I have a question concerning the text found in 1 Corinthians 11:10. I can understand what is being said before and after it, but what does this verse mean?
Answer:
This whole section of Scripture has caused questions among the saints for centuries. For some, it has allowed for the subjection of women to be just a little better than slaves. Others have made this section part of their doctrine as to how women should dress themselves. It is important that we understand the customs of those times, because God does work within the times and customs of the various races of people. Otherwise, if this were not true, polygamy could never have become as popular as it was in the lives of Old Testament patriarchs.
Ellen White makes no comment in regard to this text. What is left for us, then, is to try and figure out what Paul is getting at, based upon the whole chapter. We cannot divorce this text from the whole context. One thing is clear from the context. It deals with gospel order.
In the setting up of the early Christian church, it was extremely necessary that order prevail. The success of the church was dependent upon fellowship and mutual respect. In chapter 5 of the Book of Ephesians, Paul set in place the template from which all relationships and congregational fidelity were to be built. “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.” Verses 19–23.
Submission of one to another was the prevailing attitude throughout the East. This was the order that needed to prevail so that the church could prosper. This was part of what is known as gospel order.
There is one fact of which we cannot lose sight: we are not just an island unto ourselves. We have a responsibility to those around us in the church, and we also have a responsibility to the angelic host. The Book of Hebrews makes it plain when it says that the angels are “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” Hebrews 1:14. The whole creation is tied together. Our subjection to one another is a testimony that we are followers of Christ. Women’s subjection to their husbands is also a testimony to the heavenly hosts that God is right and the devil is wrong. The great controversy is still being decided in the minds of many in the universe, including the angels. How gospel order prevails in the lives of God’s people serves as a testimony to every creature in heaven and in earth.
This places a great responsibility upon us as heirs of the kingdom. It will only be when we get to heaven that we will fully understand how all this fits together. Until then, we need to follow the gospel order set down by inspiration.
Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org or mail it to: LandMarks, Steps to Life, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.