A Reformed Baptist Perspective on Public Theology: The Pauline Epistles, Part VII – 1 Corinthians 11

theroadofgrace

You can read earlier posts in this series by clicking on the links below:

•An Introduction

•Augustine’s Two Cities

•Two Kingdoms in Luther

•The Reformed Confessions (Part I)

•The Reformed Confessions (Part II)

•The Reformed Confessions (Part III)

•Sphere Sovereignty in Kuyper

•Redemption and Creation in Kuyper

•John the Baptist

•The Prophet Amos

•The Incarnate Lord (Part I)

•The Incarnate Lord (Part II)

•The Incarnate Lord (Part III)

•Introduction to the Book of Acts

•The Ministry of Peter and John in Acts

•The Ministry of Paul in Acts, Part I

•The Ministry of Paul in Acts, Part II

•The Pauline Epistles, Part I – Romans 1-8

•The Pauline Epistles, Part II – Romans 9-11

•The Pauline Epistles, Part III – Romans 12, 14-16

•The Pauline Epistles, Part IV – Romans 13

•The Pauline Epistles, Part V – Galatians

•The Pauline Epistles, Part IV – 1 Corinthians 1-10

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As mentioned in the previous blog, Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church in order to address several issues within the Church. We now move into a section in which Paul address an issue that directly intersects with our society today: gender and sexuality. Within the Church, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 has been discussed extensively and the text has been central to numerous debates (such as the egalitarian/complementarian debate and the debate regarding head coverings). However, this passage has much to teach us regarding the meaning of gender and the relationship between the sexes.

The Foundational Analogy

We begin with v. 2-3

“Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 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. (1 Corinthians 11:2-3, NASB)

We begin with the first statement that Christ is the head of every man. This affirms the truth that since Christ is the Creator and Preserver of all men, he must therefore be the head (or master and ruler) of mankind. Christ is the head of all men in that all gifts are derived from him and as the….

 

 

 

Read the entire article here.