Likewise, the Bible teaches us that the glory of woman should also be covered in the meetings. The glory of women is long hair (1 Corinthians 11:14). The fact that women naturally glory in their hair in almost every culture is not debatable. Have you ever thought about why Lazarus’ sister Mary used her long hair to wipe Jesus’ feet after pouring out her expensive perfume? You don’t have to be a genius to know that hair isn’t the best drying agent, even her clothes would have worked better. The thing that made what she did even more amazing than using that expensive perfume to wash dirty feet, was that this woman—likely unknowingly—was also using that which naturally brought her glory to honor the Lord Jesus Christ. There’s a great lesson in that story that we often overlook.

It’s easy for a short-haired woman to read verse 15 and refuse to cover her head because according to it, she doesn’t have any natural glory. However, even without long hair, she is still the glory of man according to the order of creation because she is a woman. As such, during the meeting, she should have a covering on her head—the epicenter of the body—to symbolically prevent the glory of man from being displayed. The only alternative given is that “if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head” (1 Corinthians 11:6). The first “if” proves that this covering is one that the woman must decide upon whenever she is preparing to pray or prophesy. This isn't referring to the natural covering of hair referred to in verse 15. For example, consider verse 6, “For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off” (1 Corinthians 11:6). If the woman’s hair was the required covering, the words “does not cover her head,” could be substituted for “does not have hair” and the verse should technically still make sense. The verse would then read, “For if a woman does not have hair let her also have her hair cut off.” It would be impossible for someone who doesn’t have hair, to cut off what they do not have. 

We could also look at verse 4 for further clarity. It says that “Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head” (1 Corinthians 11:4). If we use the same logic of hair being a covering, the verse would translate as, “Every man who has hair while praying or prophesying disgraces his head” (1 Corinthians 11:4). That would mean that every man must be completely bald when praying or prophesying because being covered or to “have hair” while doing so, would be a dishonor to Jesus. We know this isn’t the case because Paul himself had a head full of hair during his first two missionary journeys until he mistakenly shaved his head as a vow (Acts 18:18). We can conclude that the covering being mentioned in this passage is more than just the natural covering of hair. It is something else that the woman must willingly choose to wear, and the man must decide not to.

The point of all of this is that no one within the body of Christ deserves glory but God. Only His glory is to be exalted and on display (Isaiah 42:8). Not man’s glory which is woman, or the woman’s glory which is her long hair. In the church, the glory of the woman must be covered just like the glory of man. Therefore, the woman’s long hair—that which gives her glory—must be covered when praying or prophesying. 

A Symbol to Angels

The woman’s head covering also serves as a testimony to the angels. 1 Corinthians 11:10 says, “Therefore, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels" (1 Corinthians 11:10). I’ve heard it said that whenever we read the Bible and notice the word, “therefore”, we should always go back and see exactly what it’s “there for.” As I've already mentioned, verses 7-9 summarizes part of the creation account—woman was created from man and woman was created for man. This is why the word “therefore” is used at the beginning of the verse. Together, the verses reads as follows, “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.” The context reveals that this creation order is one of the primary reasons for this symbol of authority that angels can see. Two of the epistles that speak the most about church life, both make mention of the fact that the church is on display to heavenly beings (1 Corinthians 4:9, Ephesians 1:10).

Although we cannot say exactly what "because of the angels" means, we know that this verse speaks about the incredible privilege given to a human woman, created a little lower than the angels, to be an example to them in heaven. If no other reason then “because of the angels” was given, even without thorough understanding, I think it would still be more than enough to prove that we as the church need to be obedient to this teaching today. When we do, the angels can point to Christian women and marvel at them, saying, “Look at that! We are always obedient to God, but we’re angels, in heaven, before the actual throne of God. Those women are living on the earth and are still obeying God. Wow!” 

Many of those who reject the practice of head covering will say, “It’s only a symbol, why does it matter?” I would then ask them the same question, “It’s only a symbol, why does it matter?” This isn’t even dealing with the far more important and costly issue of being a Christ like leader or being submissive from the heart. It's simply suggesting an outward representation of these hidden things. Nearly every Christian denomination teaches that we should keep the tradition of baptism, which I believe they should, but baptism is also a traditional symbol, though a very important one I might add. It’s not something essential to being born again for that would nullify the truth that we are saved by grace through faith and no works of our own (Ephesians 2:9). There are also symbols which play a big roll in our culture outside of the church. Countless Christian men and women will likely become anxious if they lose their wedding ring. The loss of the ring doesn’t mean that the marriage is over, nor is it an indication that any love has been lost. Still, it’s an important symbol none the less. In various countries, it’s illegal to revile or damage the national flag in public. Such crimes are punishable by law with a fine or imprisonment, but once again, a flag is just a symbol. When we consider things like this, we obviously cannot deny the fact that symbols and signs are important things.

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Not A Cultural Commandment

Others will say, “But that was specifically for Corinth because of the time and culture they were in. The prostitutes went about with their heads uncovered so they could easily be recognized. That’s why Paul was saying this. He didn’t want the Christian women to be mistaken for ladies of the night. Today that sort of thing really wouldn’t hold the same significance.” Whether the claim about the women in Corinth is true or not, it would in no way nullify the principles of this teaching. We need to be straightforward and just look at the verses. None of the arguments presented by Paul suggest that the presence of this commandment was the result of Corinthian culture. Hypothetically, if this was the case, immediately we would also have to acknowledge that men are also given a clear commandment not to cover their heads. This would then pose the question, what was the cultural significance for that? How would this be handled by newly converted Jewish men in the first century who traditionally covered their heads? 

Although there are a few cultural commandments in the New Testament, when commandments, promises, or traditions are emphatically connected to numerous eternal realities which transcend time, culture, and geography, it should be a clear indication that such things cannot be limited to their original audience. For example, the tradition of the Lord’s Supper (known as Communion today) was originally established in a Jewish society with only Jewish people present as they obeyed the Jewish law to eat the Passover meal, and yet, it is not regarded as irrelevant on the grounds that many of us aren’t Jewish or that we happen to live in a different culture. 

Why is that? 

It’s because the practice finds its theological footing on the blood of the New Covenant, the broken body of Christ, and the unity of the church. These are three Christian fundamentals that stretch beyond societal boundaries. Head covering is no different. For this reason, the tradition of head covering was embraced by nearly all believers for over 1900 years. Anyone who studies church history from the first century onward will discover this.

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