Thursday, March 27, 2008

1 Corinthians 11:7-9

"For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man."

We need to acknowledge the truth and give heed to it, even if it flies in the face of our culture. Husband and wife are equals before God, our culture accepts this, and later verses testify to this truth. But these verses show us that equal does not necessarily mean the same. God had different reasons for creating men and women, and because of God’s design, men and women have different roles and find deeper fulfillment in doing what each was designed for.

Recognizing man’s need, God created woman for man. She was designed to complement or complete him. In a marriage relationship a woman who supports her husband publicly and privately does bring glory to her husband. The husband also has a responsibility to make the wife better by leading her in the right direction, but man’s primary responsibility is to glorify God. This is the wife’s responsibility too, but one of the main ways she does this by honoring her husband.

The wife wearing a head covering is a symbol of her recognition of this relationship. The symbol is important, but the underlying relationship and heart attitude is far more important.

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