Verses 14 and 15 say, “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? Because the long hair has been given to her for a covering.” When Paul says nature here, he is referring to our natural constitution according to God’s creation. Nature itself tells us that man should not have long hair, but the woman should. The woman by her female constitution realizes that to have long hair to cover her head is a glory. This is also a strong ground for the apostle’s teaching concerning head covering.
No matter how bold a sister may be, she would not feel peaceful if she were to assume authority over her husband. There is no need for anyone to teach her to feel uneasy about this. By her natural constitution created by God, she knows that she should not assume authority over her husband. There can be no doubt that the female constitution is different from the male constitution. Therefore, even the feeling we have from our natural constitution supports Paul’s teaching concerning head covering.
In verse 15 Paul says that a woman’s long hair has been given to her for a covering. Some who debate about head covering claim that in chapter eleven head covering simply refers to a woman’s long hair. According to their opinion, as long as a woman has long hair, she has a head covering. But if we read these verses carefully, we shall see that head covering is something in addition to a woman’s long hair. For a woman to have her hair long indicates that she recognizes God’s authority over her. When she puts on a head covering, this indicates that she says amen to God’s governmental arrangement.
In verse 16 Paul concludes the portion on head covering: “But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” Custom here denotes the custom of contention, disputation, and debating. Neither the apostles nor the churches tolerated any disputation concerning the apostles’ teaching. Furthermore, the plurality of the churches in this verse indicates that all the local churches are independent of one another, yet they all act in the same way according to the apostles’ teaching.
In speaking about head covering, it is not our intention for the sisters to accept an outward practice merely in a doctrinal way. From the time the Lord’s recovery came to this country, I have never given a message charging the sisters to cover their heads. Had I given such a message, I would just have been encouraging a formality. We do not want to see an outward form. The wearing of head covering by women is widely practiced in Catholicism. Among the Arabs, women are also instructed to wear a covering on their heads. However, in such cases, I do not believe that there is any understanding of what head covering signifies. When a sister puts a covering on her head, she needs to realize the significance of head covering.
The headship of Christ is a matter that concerns all the saints, both brothers and sisters. In 11:3 Paul says, “But I want you to 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.” First, it is necessary for the brothers to realize that they must be under the headship of Christ. In particular, if the elders of a local church are not under Christ’s headship, they should not expect the sisters or anyone else to be under their headship. In verse 3 Paul first says that the head of every man is Christ, and then he points out that the head of the woman is the man. Moreover, he traces the origin of head covering back to God Himself as the head of Christ.
We need to link Paul’s word about head covering in 11:2-16 to the entire book of Revelation. In Revelation we see that Christ, the slain Lamb, is absolutely under the headship of God for the carrying out of God’s administration. Revelation 4 and 5 show a picture that the slain, resurrected, and ascended Lamb is now in the heavens carrying out God’s administration under God’s headship.
Recently we have published a number of messages concerning the heavenly ministry of Christ. Christ’s heavenly ministry is related to the heavenly administration of the divine government. Christ is the Administrator who is carrying out God’s administration through His submission to God’s headship.
According to Revelation 4 and 5, in the heavens, before the throne of God, there is no rebellion. Instead, as we have pointed out, the slain, resurrected, and ascended Lamb is taking the lead to submit Himself to the headship of God in the heavens. However, the earth is filled with rebellion. Satan takes the lead to rebel against God. But praise the Lord that in the midst of all this rebellion, there is a Body composed of those who have been redeemed and baptized into the Triune God! Baptism is not a formality. We have been baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). According to Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:27, we have been baptized into Christ. To be baptized into Christ as the life-giving Spirit brings us into the Body in an organic way. Thus, on earth there is an organism, the Body, constituted of those who have been redeemed and baptized into the Triune God. This is the Body of the One in heaven who submits Himself to God’s headship. Now, on earth, this Body must reflect Christ’s submission in the heavens.
The Body of Christ on earth should reflect Christ as the Head submitting Himself to the headship of God. We must be a heavenly television expressing on earth what is taking place in the heavens. Christ is the One who became a man, who was slain for our sins, and who was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit so that we may have life. Now this One is in the heavens submitting Himself to God’s headship for the carrying out of the divine administration. As members of the Body, we have a heavenly television within us by which we can see what is going on in the heavens. Now we must be the television to reflect what is taking place in the heavens so that others can see in us what is happening there. This means that the church in each locality must reflect the heavenly vision and express Christ’s submission to the headship of God for the carrying out of His administration.
Is there a heavenly television in the church in your locality? Does your local church reflect Christ’s submission in the heavens? We praise the Lord that in many places there is a proper reflection of Christ’s submission to the headship of God. Although the earth is filled with rebellion, we must be a people under God’s headship reflecting through our submission to Christ His own submission to God.