Copyright © 2004, Josh Creel

Question: “There is a verse in the Bible about women covering their hair when they pray. I was just wondering why no one has mentioned it before?”

 

Answer: The passage you have in mind is I Corinthians 11:3-16. I am sure that this passage has been explained in past sermons or Bible classes, but it may have been some time since this issue was addressed. While there is no contention on this subject here, you may be surprised to find that in some places this issue is hotly contested with some congregations going to the extent of withholding fellowship from any woman who will not wear a veil or from any man who does not support their stance on this issue.

            Time and space do not permit me to go into all the arguments for and against the use of the covering in our assemblies today, but let me briefly explain what my studies have led me to conclude concerning this passage.

            An understanding of the context will help us greatly in our attempt to understand Paul’s words in I Corinthians 11:3-16. This letter was written during a time when miraculous spiritual gifts were still available and in use among Christians. Several portions of the letter deal with different aspects of spiritual gifts: Paul warned them against being divided over their different gifts (ch. 12), they were told that these miraculous abilities would come to an end (ch. 13), and they were told how to use these gifts in the assembly (ch. 14). Now look at I Corinthians 11:4-5, “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved,” (emphasis mine, JC). I view the words “prays or prophesies” as being key in understanding this passage. Those who hold to the view that a woman is required to wear a covering in the assembly, look at these words as applying to when a woman is praying silently when a brother is leading in prayer, and to when a woman is receiving instruction in either a Bible class or a sermon is being delivered. There are a couple of problems with this line of reasoning. First, the words “prays or prophesies” are used in the active sense, not passively. They apply to one who is actually doing the praying or the prophesying. Second, prophesying and teaching are not the same things. The word translated as “prophesying” in 11:4-5 always means inspired revelation in the New Testament. In fact, prophesying and teaching are differentiated in I Corinthians 12:28.

            The best answer, considering the context, seems to be that Paul was speaking to those men and women who possessed the gifts of praying and prophesying by the Holy Spirit, and were doing so outside of the assembly. They had to be outside of the assembly because women, even if they possessed spiritual gifts, were forbidden from speaking in the assembly, I Corinthians 14:34-35. Women who were going to exercise their spiritual gifts outside of the assembly needed to do so in a way that was still in submission to man, thus God instructed these women to cover their heads.