Called to Spiritual Headship (1 Cor
11:2-16)
By Jay Wegter
I. Exegetical Observations
A. The problem of gender roles in Corinth
The
role of women is currently a societal battleground. The evil one takes the ideas of secular
society and seeks to influence the Church.
As a result, the Church tends to “catch the world’s diseases” when she
is willing to adopt the spirit of this age.
Paul answers the gender problem in Corinth
by affirming that the principle of subordination and authority pervades the
whole universe. Woman’s subordination to
man reflects that greater general truth about God’s order in the universe. Christ submitted to the Father in order to
redeem us; and we submit to Christ to be saved from certain doom. If women do not submit to their husbands,
society will be disrupted and destroyed (MacArthur, Commentary on 1 Cor.).
The women in the church
of Corinth were seeking to abolish
sexual distinctions; Paul grounds his reproof in the order of creation
(Jamieson, Fauset, and Brown, 1 Cor.).
Neo-pagan
reasoning concerning gender roles placed the Corinthians in need of instruction
by the Apostle Paul. Paul says I would have you know (11:3). This is a solemn expression concerning God’s
pattern of headship. When Paul says, “of every man,” it is clear that he does not refer to Christians only but to all
men. The fact that non-Christians do not
know these things and do not even want to know them does not do away with the
truth of the statement. Paul makes all a
question of creation. The woman must
have a sign of authority on her head – the necessity of her subjection must
appear at every moment. The women of Corinth
raised unrest in the church because they violated the ordinance of God’s
creation (Grosheide, 1 Cor.).
B. God’s divine order for gender is
grounded in creation
Christ is our unseen Lord; thus men
do not have a visual token of subjection to Christ put on their heads. For women it dishonors her head when she puts
away the badge of subjection to her head.
Her man is her true honor because in the institution of marriage, honor
flows from her husband who is connected to Christ his Head. The woman is reflective glory as the moon is
to the sun (15:41). In the divine order of creation, the woman
shines as light derived from man. Not
that under grace she does not come in individual contact with God, but even
here much of her knowledge is mediately given through man on whom she is
naturally dependent (“let them ask their
own husbands at home,” 14:35).
Woman’s original being is taken out of man – as it were there is a veil
or medium placed between her and God in the acknowledgement of this subordination to man in the order of
creation. Man is made immediately by God
(from the dust of the earth); thus no veil (Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown).
“And
God is the Head of Christ” (11:3).
Christ’s subordination to God the Father is evident in the Son’s work as
Agent in creation and redemption. If
women reject the created order it brings degradation, not liberation. The wife’s glory is derived from her
husband. Woman is the divinely made ally
of man to assist him in fulfilling his role as steward of creation; thus she is
glory of man in her complementary
role. For a woman to step outside her
role would bring disrepute upon the wisdom of God in His perfect design of the
created order. God’s order includes
relations within the Trinity – 11:3 (David K. Lowery, Bible Knowledge Commentary).
Between
Christ and man, and between man and woman there is a community life, or bond;
one in the bond is strong, and the other dependent. Even under the gospel economy the woman
preserves her subordinate role to her husband.
A man in Christ has no other Head but Christ. When the Christian man uplifts his radiant
brow in worship, it is the insignia that he is the king of nature and he has no
other Lord in the universe than his invisible Lord of all. The woman’s covering declares her
dependence. The woman’s physical
constitution is a revelation of her Creator’s will concerning her (Godet, 1 Cor.).
Paul states
that the order of authority and administration is the divine structure of
things. Man is the glory of God because
he is subject to and representative of God’s authority. Paul argues for man’s exercise of authority
over the woman due to the order of creation, the purpose of creation (she was
created for man’s sake), and the source of the woman’s creation (v. 8, 9). The women in Corinth
had their heads uncovered in church – as part of his argument, Paul cites that
the angels are sensitive to our conduct (W. Harold Mare, NIV Commentary).
C. Gender differences are drawn from a
contrast in created glory
In
his own home the father is like a king – he reflects the glory of God because
control is in his hands. When a man
covers his head, he brings down that preeminence in which God has placed him.
[In matters of worship] if he puts himself under the authority of others – he
does damage to the honor of Christ. He
is under Christ’s authority; he exercises his own authority in the oversight of
his family. The glory of Christ is
reflected in [executing a] well-constituted order of marriage (Calvin’s Commentary).
Man as the
origin of the woman’s being is thus the explanation of her being. The creation distinction is to be manifested
in the woman being sharply visibly differentiated from the man. Paul’s point is that nature (in terms of
natural propriety) expects a woman to be covered – to be uncovered is an
unnatural act. Paul makes v. 8 the
explanation of v. 7 – man was made solely for God’s service; woman was made to
be a helper to man. She is the glory of
man because she finds her fulfillment in serving him; this is her creation role
(C. K. Barrett, 1 Cor.).
Sexual
distinction is not done away with in Christ because it has a creation
origin. Paul’s argument in 11:6, “Let
her be shorn!” is based on the following logic concerning the woman’s rebellion
– if she flings away her covering while
praying or prophesying, let her also fling away the covering provided by nature
(i.e. her hair). Man is not to wear a head
covering since he is by original constitution God’s image and glory – he is the
glory of God because he reflects the Creator’s will and power (A. T. Robertson,
1 Cor.).
Order and
subordination pervade the whole universe – it is essential to its being. When the order is disturbed, ruin
results. Concerning the image of God,
the chief distinction between the sexes is that the man is the image of God’s
authority; he is invested with dominion.
The woman is equally the image of God, but the dominion that Adam bore,
as God’s representative, was a dominion invested with authority over the
earth. Man as the glory of God is
especially the divine majesty manifested.
The woman is the glory of man because she is subordinate to man and not
appointed to reflect the glory of God as Ruler.
She is the glory of man because she reveals what there is of majesty
about him (Charles Hodge, 1 & II Cor.).
Whatever
Paul’s understanding of “image of God” (Grk., eikou theou) in Gen 1:27, the essential point for his argument is
the contrast he sees in glory (Grk., doza)
between man and woman; it is on account of this contrast that the different
regulations regarding head coverings are based (M. D. Hooker, “Authority on Her
Head,” NTS, 10:410-416, 1963, 64).
The man, by
virtue of his manner of creation (created immediately from the dust to rule
over the works of God’s hands), is the glory and image of God. Woman is the image of God and the glory of
man. In this context, the word glory is not the essential glory of God –
the word glory in 11:3-15 means to
honor and magnify one’s head. Man’s
creation says of God -- what a wonderful order of creature God could create
from the dust as His final creation, and the very crown of creation (Ps
8). Woman’s creation says of God what a
beautiful being He could make from a man (Grosheide, 1 Cor.).
Man
uniquely bears God’s image as ruler within the sphere of dominion and
authority; in that sense he is created to be the glory of God. Woman was made to manifest man’s authority and
will; just as man was made to manifest God’s authority and will. The woman is man’s vice regent and the man is
God’s vice regent. In this gospel age
believing men and women have equal access to God; and they will have equal
glory in heaven; but in the current age the creation order is in force – woman
is the image of God but not directly the glory of God. Her role, as a helpmate corresponding to him, is to submit to the direction of the
man to whom God gave divine dominion.
The woman’s head covering (Grk., exsousia
-- “her authority,” 11:10) was
her right to pray in public because it represents her subordination to man’s
authority (MacArthur).
C. Angels watch over God’s created order
including His plan for gender
Man
images God’s authority on earth. The woman has her origin and purpose of life
in the man. Her head covering is a sign
of the man’s authority. Female
insubordination offends angels who, under God, do the work of guarding the
created universe; they know no insubordination (11:10). Every reason Paul gives for the woman’s head
covering is taken from permanent facts – these permanent facts last as long as
the present earthly economy (S. Lewis Johnson Jr., Wycliffe Commentary).
Woman’s
subordination keeps from offending angels who are the most submissive of all
creatures. Angels would be greatly
offended by woman’s insubordination because it would violate the very creation
order, which they guard. Paul’s exhaustive
argument for the submissiveness of women is taken completely from permanent
facts: 1.) The relations within the
Godhead (v. 3); 2.) The divine
design of male and female as shown in their contrasting glory (v. 7); 3.) The order of creation; man’s
creation first, and man’s body the source of woman’s creation (v. 8); 4.) The role of the woman taken from
the purpose of her creation (v. 9); 5.)
The intimate interest of angels in the order of creation (v. 10); 6.) The characteristics of natural
physiology (vv. 13-15) (MacArthur).
Angels see how ruinous it would be if women
sought to occupy a higher place than what they were entitled and appointed
to. Angels would regard this as
presumption (Calvin).
Concerning
the holy angels, to some extent authority for the created order has devolved
upon them, and we would therefore expect angels to be concerned with seeing
that the ordering of things established at the creation is maintained. It is not surprising to find angels present
as the guardians of the natural order, and indeed we might expect to find them
concerned in particular in seeing that the worship of God is conducted in a
fitting manner (M. D. Hooker, NTS).
II. Application
A. Men answering the call to spiritual
headship
As men we must know our
identity; that in Christ we are the glory of God.
The perpetuation of God’s blueprint
for society depends upon two institutions that are intended to systematically
teach the truth of God, the knowledge of God, and will of God. These two institutions are the family and the local church.
In both of these institutions, God
has set up an order that is gender
specific. Men are to be the
spiritual leaders – they are to imitate Christ.
We need to know the reasons why God has appointed men for this role
(especially in our culture of rampant secular humanism and feminist/sexual politics).
God’s plan, according to Psalm
78:5-8, is that the fathers should teach their children the testimonies of God
so that the next generation would come to
know God and put their confidence in Him.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7 is the
foundational O.T. text which gives the command to fathers to diligently teach
the things of God to their children. The
command is incredibly comprehensive; for fathers are to teach their children in
every imaginable setting, from mealtime, to bedtime, to the workplace, to
recreation.
Fathers of course can only do this
if they themselves are walking close to God.
This is why the context for this command is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might. And these
words which I am commanding you today; shall be on your heart; and you shall
teach them diligently to your sons. . . “(6:5-7a).
The father is not merely passing on
religious information; he is sharing his own love of God with his
children. Therefore what is caught by the children will be as
important as what is taught to the
children. In other words, the children
will be able to easily see if their father truly loves God.
Here is where the genius of God’s plan shines forth in
brilliance. Fathers ought to be able to say,
“The greatest need of my children is to see my holiness and to see my walk with
God – so my life will reflect the glory of God.”
The divine plan for passing on the knowledge of God to the
next generation is centered upon a father’s bond with God, and a father’s bond
with his children. The dad is the link that joins these two bonds (he is
the divinely appointed instrument for passing on the knowledge of God to the
next generation – Ps 78:7).
As little sinners grow up, they all
begin with distorted thoughts of God.
The Creator is far off and veiled in mystery – Should I be down right afraid of Him?
Will He spoil my fun? Isn’t it
safest to just keep some distance from Him, yet pray to Him to keep things
going well? Do thoughts of God that are
superstitious count as religious thoughts?
Believing dads are sent into this
darkness to make the love, authority, and wisdom of God real to the child; to
make God’s moral government personal, desirable, and rational. But fathers are to do so not merely by giving
doctrinal lessons to their kids.
Fathers are literally called upon to reflect,
or image God to their families. The husband and father reflects both the love and authority of God. This imaging
is incredibly instructive to the family.
It has the power to take the communicable attributes of God out of the
realm of theory and into the realm of experience. Because he is both love and authority in the
same person; the Christian dad is uniquely suited to image the character of God to his family.
1 Corinthians 11:4, 7 affirms the
spiritual headship of the man – “But I want you to understand that Christ is
the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head
of Christ. For a man ought not to have
his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the
glory of man.”
When a father occupies his role as
spiritual head, he is a clear channel for the glory of God. Thus fathers are to exert constant spiritual
influence within the relational space God
has assigned to them.
But fathers can only pass on what
they are receiving in their own spirits – if God the Father is not the object
of a dad’s love and devotion; then he will not be able to image the relational aspects of true worship.
Gospel-centered Christian living is
essential in order for the man to keep taking delight in God. As Jerry Bridges says, “Since we sin
everyday, we must preach the Gospel to ourselves each day.” Through ongoing repentance the godly man is
in a continual process of having his affections conformed to God’s truth.
Cross-centered living helps prepare
a man to occupy his teaching role. When
dads attempt to manage their personal
depravity by approaches other than the Gospel (i.e. moralism, legalism, or
escapism); they will not have a consuming passion for God’s glory. A man needs to be living upon Christ in order to promote the glory of Christ.
Without a passion for God’s glory,
the father’s two edged sword of tender
love and authoritative truth will
be more of a “decoration” than a spiritual weapon. In other words he must be in the habit of
using the sword of God’s truth on himself if he is to be prepared to use it
upon others.
But now more about the man’s unique
role as spiritual head and imager of
God -- Jeremiah 9:23, 24 declares that a man’s boast must be that he knows God. All other “boasts” are nothing more than
vanity and arrogance born of the pride of life.
Man’s glory is his knowledge of
God. Believing husbands and fathers
occupy an integral role in imaging the
glory that comes from the knowledge of God.
This truth should shape the entire value system of a man – so much so
that the man ought to regard it to be a high privilege to have such a key role
in the divine chain of honor.
It is a truth lost upon our
feminized secular culture of disrespect
that the man is God’s appointed instrument for conducting honor and glory to
his family members. This chain of honor is dependent upon a man
knowing Christ his Head. It is God’s
intent that glory, dignity, and honor (resulting from the knowledge of God)
flow through the man.
Our challenge as men is to know the
dimensions of this fragile conduit that conducts divine glory and honor; for
nothing is easier than to have the flow of glory down the chain of honor
interrupted by a man’s disobedience and neglect.
The greater a man’s passion to know
God; the more he will be ready and willing to image God’s love, truth, and authority to his family. The man who seeks God as his life’s calling
will embrace the vision to image God. When dads drift from God, their spiritual
headship becomes more and more two dimensional; almost invisible.
By contrast when a man embraces his
spiritual headship, he will avidly seek to communicate to his family the
character of Christ. (Jesus lived a life
of self-denial. He taught fidelity to
principle; delayed gratification; maximum servanthood; self control; meekness;
love for the brethren; righteous indignation; compassion; courage; willingness
to suffer for righteousness sake; even die for the truth. Everything He did on earth perfectly imaged the character of His heavenly
Father.)
The man who genuinely fears God
will make imaging his heavenly Father
his life work. So also, the woman who
fears God will make the virtues of Proverbs 31 her life goal. She will embrace her support role as the glory of man (1 Cor 11:7b).
B. Facing the challenges that oppose our
spiritual headship
As men we must know the lies
we are delivered from and called upon to refute. Just as a man’s
depravity is expressed in gender specific
ways (domination, emotional and physical abuse, passivity, wantonness,
lust, predation, laziness, violence, and greed); so also a woman’s depravity is
expressed in gender specific ways.
A woman without the fear of God
will tend to pull her children to herself through indulgence, pleasure,
gratification, over nurturing, over protection, bestowal of unearned
narcissistic privilege – often this is accompanied by possessiveness, control,
and guilt.
When a son has had massive amounts
of this soft side input, not balanced
out by paternal godly, masculine input; it tends to unleash decay upon society
(and it constructs a personal staircase to hell).
Sons who experience a narcissistic
upbringing are often self-serving, listless, violent, sensual, reckless, disrespectful,
and suspicious of all authority. The
O.T. prophet Malachi warns that if the hearts of the children are not restored
to the fathers; God will smite the land with a curse (Mal 4:6).
We know from Isaiah 24 that the
threatened curse is manifested in the
break down of society in which there is such a distortion of roles that moral
order disappears. The implication we can
draw from Malachi’s warning is that narcissistic sons who use their masculine
strength for lust and selfishness will become the destroyers of society.
Historians have observed that feminine cultures (characterized by
sensual indulgence) are inevitably conquered by masculine cultures (those characterized by order, self-discipline,
and self-control). Without those
masculine traits of self control, the sacrifices necessary to maintain liberty
are absent; the will to remain free is
lost.
There is an undeniable parallel in
the spiritual realm. When the will to
maintain male spiritual headship is lost; the generational knowledge of God
breaks down. Matriarchal input rushes in
to fill the gap left by the abdication of paternal responsibility. When a culture degrades spiritually; it does
so in the direction of the matriarchal.
The price of the aforementioned
spiritual declension is beyond calculation.
Fathers must be vigilant to maintain the exercise of their spiritual
headship. The cost of maintaining the chain of honor (and our knowledge of God)
is ongoing repentance.
As we will see in a moment; when
the chain of honor breaks down,
forces of spiritual evil are unleashed.
The evil one knows that God’s appointed conduit for the knowledge of God
turns upon the spiritual headship of the father of a family.
We must be aware of the obstacles
raised up against our headship. Consider
the “boogie men” in our culture that have been paraded against patriarchal
leadership. Male authority has been
consistently demonized in college texts and classrooms. The numbing drumbeat of the feminist agenda
is relentless; sexual politics seeks to lay society’s problems at the feet of
male authority.
Neo-pagan models of spirituality
abound – global and earth mother goddess religion is gaining public acceptance
as a legitimate alternative to patriarchal Christianity. Needless to say these cultural forces bring
additional pressure upon the male to back away from his spiritual headship (and
to be ashamed if he holds to male authority).
Male self-loathing seems to be the
knee jerk reaction to this avalanche of neo-pagan sexual politics; one might
accurately say that male self-hate is the accepted form of “worship” within the
earth mother cults.
The feminized male doesn’t trust
himself to wield the sword of truth – his appointed role as imager of God’s truth/authority is
neutralized when he defines his gender role by feminist humanist philosophy
rather than the Word of God.
The powers of darkness have much to
gain by promoting the lie that the fairer sex has been given the lion’s share
of spirituality, ethics, discernment, and purity. It has always been true that when earth
mother ideology waxes strong; male headship wanes and retreats.
Witness the fertility cults of Canaan
during the Major Prophets that were assimilated into Jewish culture. As the patriarchy decayed; matriarchal earth
mother idolatry flourished in Israel
(Jer 44:17-19). Revival starts when
fathers return to their role as spiritual heads.
The Deuteronomy mandate instructing
fathers to diligently teach the knowledge of God is about learning to rely upon
God. Saving faith takes hold of God
Almighty as our true Source (the Lord as “Source Person,” see Paul F. M. Zahl, Who Will Deliver Us?). It is to Him that we look for supply,
security, protection, provision, belonging, identity, and stability – He is our
true home and dwelling place (Ps 90:1).
But it is even deeper; for
confidence in God as Source reaches
down to the ontological bottomland of our souls. The very personhood of the believer is bound
up in God. The Lord is the source of his wellbeing; his son-ship;
his wholeness; his completeness; and his ultimate affirmation of dignity and
worth.
In a Christian family, the father’s
life and teaching points to God as
ultimate source. As such the earthly
father’s spiritual headship involves imaging
God as Source. A man’s role in the
chain of honor is crucial; he will function as a trusted steward of divine
things who (in his relational space as spiritual teacher) will image the Heavenly Father as Source
Person.
Dad grants honor, dignity,
acceptance, affirmation, and son-ship in a way that is different than mom. When dad grants it; it is within a context of
knowing God who is majestic in His authority and who is the ultimate Source of
truth and personal completeness.
This is the very reason why
children have a father hunger so to
speak. Fathers, within their relational
space as family head, offer something mothers cannot; namely a picture of God
as King and Source Person.
This is why it is so serious when
fathers abdicate their spiritual headship.
When they do so the chain of honor, which communicates the knowledge of
God breaks down. When the mother, by
default, assumes the role of source
person; the chain of honor becomes perverted and distorted.
When gender roles are reversed; the
powers of darkness seek to operate in an opportunistic fashion, which unleashes
evil spiritual forces. Distorted gender
roles distort God’s self-revelation.
Children and marriages pay the price; and the true knowledge of God
suffers.
Our sex-crazed culture is not just
preoccupied with its readily available objects of lust. Pornography is also a worldview that necessarily rejects God’s plan for manhood and
womanhood. As such, there are spiritual
dimensions, which contribute to the consumption of pornography.
No doubt some would argue that “spiritual evil” is too strong a language
for the effects of gender role reversal.
But consider some of the reasons why woman in a matriarchal role of source person and earth mother goddess -- has been historically cultic, and
intimately tied to pagan idolatry:
1.) The God-given role of spiritual
head cannot be successfully assumed by a woman – devastation results when it is
attempted. 2.) When the chain of honor is broken; earth mother “spirituality”
aggravates this severed condition. 3.)
Holy angels respect and recognize the gender roles God has created in His
government of mankind. Demons seek to
get a foothold by overturning God’s gender blueprint so that the knowledge of
God is concealed and the glory of God dishonored. 4.) The historic queen mothers in ancient Israel
sought to consolidate their control through the worship of a female deity. The queen mothers mass-produced images of the
female body and set them up in the land – 2 Chr 15:16 (what a parallel today to
see pornography mass-produced). 5.) The woman
as source person tends to encourage
the worship of sex and sensuality.
Unlike ancient Palestine,
our culture has no formal worship which could be designated a fertility cult. Nevertheless sexual license and the
female body are both worshipped in our culture with the media functioning as
the willing priestess. The effects are
devastating: sexual immorality; sexually
transmitted disease; millions of babies aborted; teen pregnancy; a rise in
homosexuality; rampant divorce.
When fathers relinquish their
spiritual headship role; the knowledge of God is lost. Idolatry replaces it; nature abhors a
vacuum. It’s time for fathers to rise
up, stand in the gap, and assume their spiritual headship – a revival is
needed. The call to image God to the next generation needs to be answered by the only
ones who are able do it – Christian men.
As men we need to know what
kind of spiritual training equips us to occupy our spiritual headship. Now let’s turn our attention to the
obstacles that men face – the hurdles that stand in the way of their
fulfillment of spiritual headship.
In Genesis three we are told that
Adam’s penalty for sinning was not only death, but also a cursed world. He would have his stewardship mandate opposed
at nearly every point. His efforts to
subdue the earth would be resisted by thorn, thistle, mildew, beetle, worm, and
blight. His efforts to supply leadership
would even be resisted by his wife.
We could designate this particular
resistance as Adam’s gender-specific
wound. For Adam’s manhood was
genuinely wounded by his sin. His
dominion would no longer be effortless; but would be met by obstacles at every
point.
We could compare Adam’s gender-specific wound to a broken
scepter. The man appointed by God to be
planetary king was, from then on, struggling with personal adequacy. We, as men, have inherited Adam’s condition;
“his broken scepter.”
(Is it any wonder that we love to
bring our insecurity and inadequacy to forms of recreation and amusement, which
measure a man’s performance – i.e. forms of competition of every kind—from golf
to paint ball competitions.)
We could accurately say that a huge
percentage of our personal motivations stem from a desire to conceal our Adamic
inadequacy and avoid the risk of exposing ourselves to personal failure.
Countless things can bring our
inherent weakness to light. Every man
fears being weighed in the scales and
found wanting; being found inadequate in one or all of his roles. Consider the plethora of responsibilities
that define what it means to be a man.
Manhood is practically a balancing act in our over-scheduled culture.
He must be a provider, a protector,
a leader, a lover, a friend, a man of principle, of generosity, of
self-control. He must be physically fit,
but not a fanatic. He must be
transparent, but not gushy. He must be a
leader; but not a tyrant. He must be an
example; but not self-righteous. He must
be non-compromising; but likeable.
Every one of us as men tend to
define our manhood by what we do best; whether catching bass; closing deals;
keeping friends; loving our kids; or cherishing and fulfilling our wife. We hesitate to step out on new ground and
risk failing at new responsibilities.
For many believing men, the
occupation of spiritual headship is just too daunting. They fear being the heavy. They are
apprehensive; perhaps their efforts would be mocked, misunderstood, or
unappreciated by wife and family. It’s
just easier for them to abdicate their God-given calling. They don’t want their broken scepter to show.
Quite a number of things have to be
aligned in a man’s life if he is to successfully image the knowledge and glory of God to his family. The conduit known as the chain of honor is fragile and must be diligently maintained if a
man is to communicate the knowledge and honor of God to those he loves.
It is easy for a man to instantly
feel like a hypocrite the moment he contemplates the exercise of his spiritual
headship. He will have to work past his
personal demons and gender wound fears.
He will have to go on the offensive against his lusts; he’ll have to
guard his calendar; he will have to turn a deaf ear to the shrill attacks that
abound against patriarchal leadership.
He will have to live upon Christ and the Gospel in order to overcome
self-recrimination and thoughts of unworthiness for his task.
One of my favorite cartoons
appeared in the Sunday comics. In Hagar the Horrible, Hagar’s wife and
daughter are having a talk. The daughter
tells her mom how unfair it is that men have all the power and privileges. The mother answers back that the gods have
given women a secret weapon. The daughter, riveted with interest, eagerly asks,
“What it is?” The mother answers, “Man’s
guilt.” Then the mom proceeds to show
how it works on Hagar her husband who is easily turned into a puddle of mush by
her accusation and shaming. Then the
punch line is priceless. The daughter
asks, “What if the man is not guilty?”
Mom says, “Nonsense, every man is guilty about something.”
What a commentary on human nature
in its gender dynamics. Men are created
by God to live out, and to discern, and to enforce principles on every
imaginable plane. They are made to see
things in black and white. No wonder
Hagar’s wife said, “Every man is guilty about something.”
Men and women are wired differently
– a man may have to shoot the enemy between the eyes. Men are wired to maintain integrity and
fidelity to principle; even when it impacts relationships negatively.
But women in their primary calling
are not designed by God to command armies and make decisions about life and
death. Their traditional sphere is in
the area of human connection; in nurturing the relationships that the family
provides.
As a consequence we could say that
women tend to run things through a “blender of emotion” and nurture – they are
always asking, “How will this affect the relationship?” Consequently, ethical things are seen more in
shades of grey and not quite as black and white as men see them. Women tend to be far less tortured than men
over personal compromise, imprecision, and a lack of fidelity to principle.
It’s interesting that when Scripture describes
female depravity at its worst; it tends to set forth the woman as having a
defective conscience. This is the way of an adulterous woman: she
eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I have done no wrong” (Prov 30:20).
It is also fascinating that the
woman, in her depravity, is just as likely to attempt to control others with
guilt even if her own conscience is shut down.
Jezebel, the Bible’s most notorious female villain, attempted to “guilt
trip” Jehu by comparing him to an historical figure named Zimri; a traitor who
murdered his master (2 Ki 9:31).
(Jezebel attempted this “guilt-tripping” on Jehu who was anointed
by God to exterminate the household of Ahab and Jezebel as well as all Baal
worship in Israel.)
When men give their wives a higher
position than Christ as their personal evaluator and ethical barometer, they
step into the dangerous pit of making the wife’s moral judgment their standard.
As soon as that step is taken, it
greatly reduces their ability to image
God’s moral authority. Role reversal
neutralizes their ability to reflect God’s moral majesty. We can be protected from this by pleasing
Christ first (2 Cor 5:9).
Generational
matriarchies feed upon male emotional dependency. When males from one generation to the next
see the female as source person; it leaves a wake of emotional castration and
spiritual weakness. The one we seek to
please first—above all others, will be our primary evaluator. This is an inviolate principle. We will be subordinate to the person whose
approval and acceptance matters to us.
We will be subordinate to them—whether it is the Lord; or one’s wife.
God is for our manhood more than we
can possibly imagine. The development of
godly masculinity is inseparable from
a man’s personal holiness. A man’s
sanctification is tied to his obedience and desire to model and image God (Eph 5:1-2).
When men abdicate this high calling; their
progressive sanctification suffers. It
takes courage to impart spiritual truth and one’s own spiritual life to those
who know you best. They are familiar
with our faults and character flaws.
We must keep a clear conscience in
order to be able to answer our high calling as the glory of God. The evil one
is always ready – he prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to
devour. He watches the serious
Christian. He studies us to see if he can make a connection between a worldly
temptation and an un-mortified lust in our soul. He knows that a defiled conscience will kill
our courage to occupy our spiritual headship.
Spiritual leadership in the home is
God’s mandate for every Christian husband and father. God’s plan, or blueprint if you will, places
an immense privilege and obligation upon the believing man. The fulfillment of spiritual headship is the
divinely appointed tool for passing on genuine faith to the next
generation. Let us answer the upward
call for sake of God’s glory, for our own soul’s sake, and for sake of our
children’s faith.