Are there differences between
man and woman? Yes, there are a lot of differences, physically and
psychologically. But in the realm of spirit there is none. God created male and
female in his image and in his likeness from the beginning. God made man and
later in time woman from one of man’s ribs. It doesn’t mean woman was the second
thought. Rather, God separated woman from man to teach humanity the mystery of
union between Christ and his church. Whatever has been made by the Creator God
is for purpose and meaning. Nothing exists at random or accidently. All man is
equal in the sight of God. At the same time, there is order in the universe put
in place by God. The smallest element in the matter of the universe humans have
discovered is called atom which can further be decomposed into the smaller
elements like protons and neutrons. It is invisible, but runs and operates in
orderly manner without fail because Christ is holding and sustaining all things
by his powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). “The Son is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers
or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is
before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)
The whole universe is paying careful attention and obeying to the Creator
without an iota of miss. The Sun rises from the east and goes down to the west
for thousands of years. Long winter is for sure followed by the season of
spring, hot summer, and red autumn. Two sexes, male and female, exist
generations after generations. The nature is the vehicle of the Creator to
teach man the mind of God.
“Follow my example, as I follow
the example of Christ. I praise you for remembering me in everything and for
holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. But I want you to
realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,
and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head
covered dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her
head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For
if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off;
but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head
shaved, then she should cover her head. 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
did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman,
but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority
over her own head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is
not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from
man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for
yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is
a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long
hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about
this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.” (1 Corinthians
11:1-16)
It tells the relationship
between man and Christ, man and woman, and Christ and God. Christ is head of
man in him is his body. Four out of five senses are on the head, sight,
hearing, taste, and smell. Head is the commander and authority to govern
the body. Head and body relationship is the most perfect system in which all
the organs are working together, receiving orders from the head and executing
them by the body faithfully. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. We in
Christ are not running and operating the course of church, but he is. He is the
head and we are his servants. “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as
servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.
Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
(1 Corinthians 4:1-2) In Christ, we are following and obeying him as his
servants. We never are in the position of pushing our own agendas and in fact
we can’t. He knows what he is doing, how to lead, where to put, what to do, why
to move or wait on his church. He is the maker and designer of the church on
earth. He gave birth to the church through his blood bled on that cross of Calvary
where he assumed all the shame and guilt and pains in our place. Yes, church is
built on the foundation of Jesus Christ the Lord and no other. Christ is
equipping the church for works of service to reach unity in faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature. He is the living bread to feed
his church now and forevermore.
“So Christ himself gave the
apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his
people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until
we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians
4:11-13)
Body alone cannot exist and
function without head. No life at all. It must be attached to the head. It is
impossible to be headless! Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If
you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can
do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown
away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it
will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:5-8) It shall remain in him
forever. ‘Remain in Christ’ is timeless for any moment of being cut off from
the vine ceases the flow of life, instantly resulting in darkness and lost in
direction. Body is not aimless or lost as long as it is attached to the head. It
is the reason that the Scripture says to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ.
It means to have one mind for no one can serve two masters, God and money (or
anything in the world). No body can belong to two heads.
Therefore, church on earth
shall fix their eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Creator of all things.
Who does send his sheep into the field where wolves are lurking? No shepherd
would do that. But Jesus did just as he says, “I am sending you out like sheep
among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
(Matthew 10:16) Why did he do that? Because he will protect safe and secure no
matter what happens. He sent his church to the world just as the Father sent
the Son to the world. Church is sent to the world to do the work of God the
Father as Christ was sent to do the will of the Father. Christ was sent to
shine the light of truth on the people in darkness. “My prayer is not that you
take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They
are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your
word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.” (John
17:15-19) Church on earth has only one agenda that is to shine the light of
Jesus Christ by obeying his new command, loving one another. Christ is the head
of church, which means we are all brothers and sisters in him. No one is
superior over others, as our Lord Jesus says, “You know that the rulers of the
Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over
them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be
your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son
of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28) We have one Shepherd and one Master, Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Man is the head of woman. Why
so? What is it teaching humanity? Man was made first and then woman made out of
man’s ribs as a helper suitable for him. Woman was deceived by the devil but
man was not. It doesn’t mean that man is superior to woman. “And Adam was not
the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” (1
Timothy 2:14) The role of sex has been designated differently between man and
woman from the beginning. Man as leader and woman as supporter or follower is
in the mind of God. Not mechanically though but voluntarily. God pronounced the
recovery program of humanity right after the fall of man. To the woman, God
says, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor
you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he
will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16) It is not curse but blessing for woman.
God’s love is deeply implanted in the process of taking painful childbearing
and husband’s ruling over her voluntarily. It is the lifetime compass to
remember what she is before God. “But women will be saved through
childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” (1
Timothy 2:15) She is under authority, her husband, which is set and put by God.
Man is the head of woman. It
doesn’t mean that man is authorized to use any forceful means to be the head
over woman. It never works that way. Rather, man may be the head of woman by
loving her as Christ loved his church by giving his life. “Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her
holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present
her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other
blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their
wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one
ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as
Christ does the church— for we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:25-30) Jesus
our Lord did not force anyone to follow and obey him but died for them,
shedding the blood for the sin of the world. Christ became the head of church
through the sacrifice of his own body to purge all sins and failures. This is
the way for man to be the head of woman by giving his life for the sake of
Christ.
The head of Christ is God. What
does it mean? The triune God is a mystery. God the Father, Jesus Christ the
Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in unity. Christ the Son though he is equal
with God did not consider equality with him something to be used to his own
advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a
servant being made in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7). The Son Jesus
voluntarily gave up all rights, power, glory, honor, and he offered his body as
God’s ransom sacrifice. “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice
and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt
offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, “Here I am—it is
written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.”’” (Hebrews
10:5-7) Jesus humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a
cross! (Philippians 2:8) Jesus Christ is a faithful servant to the Father God. In
turn, the Father exalted the Son Jesus Christ to the highest place and gave him
the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Christ
received all power from the Father, but he did not use it to create a new
universe, destroying the old one. “Jesus knew that the Father had put all
things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
(John 13:3) Instead, Jesus himself gave his life to the Father for the sin of
the world, through which he has made new and holy whoever believes in him. The
Son obeyed the Father even to the point of death and the Father loved the Son
by giving him the highest name above all. In this way, the Father and the Son
are one in unity.
So, man and woman in service
shall follow the relationship principle that the head of man is Christ and the
head of woman is man. “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered
dishonors his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head
uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.” (1
Corinthians 11:4-5) Paul may be referring to a head covering used in Roman
religious practice, in order to bring attention to themselves, indicating that
they are socially superior. So, man in service of prayer and prophecy should
not cover his head because it dishonors his head, Christ. Man in service of teaching
and preaching is fully under the headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, meaning
that all men are the servants of God. So do woman in service. Note that man and
woman are in service of prayer and prophecy. The Scripture doesn’t say that
woman is prohibited for prayer and prophecy. But woman in service should not
uncover her head because it dishonors her head, her husband. God is the God of
order. After the fall, God pronounced the prescription for recovery to woman
which we have already examined earlier. It is not curse but the love of God
hidden in the process of voluntarily obeying and following God’s prescription. Voluntarily
yes as our Lord Jesus obeyed the Father in his willingness and joy to the point
of death. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of
faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such
opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In
your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding
your blood. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that
addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, ‘My son, do not make
light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he
accepts as his son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his
children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not
disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true
sons and daughters at all.” (Hebrews 12:1-8)
August 8, 2017
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2015-2017 David Lee Ministries – All Rights Reserved.
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