Influencers - Day 15
Day 15 - Friday, September 1
Read 1 Corinthians 11
Highlight
The first half of 1 Corinthians 11 is a profoundly difficult passage to understand. On the one hand, it’s difficult because it grates against our modern sensibilities of equality between the sexes. On the other hand, there are simply phrases that are used by Paul that make very little sense without a serious understanding of the historical context… And even then, scholars disagree on the details! How do we approach a passage like this? This reading plan is not the format to unpack the long and complicated arguments about this passage. But there are two big rocks we can hold on to when we hit a passage that is this confusing.
The first thing to remember is that the best thing to use when interpreting the Bible is the Bible itself. When we see something in Scripture that seems to lower the worth or value of any person, we need to take a step back and keep the full testimony of Scripture in mind. In this case, we don’t even have to go far! It was only a few chapters back that Paul was counter-culturally affirming of the great worth of women (1 Cor 7) and the mutual rights they have with men before God. Never forget the full testimony of Scripture. Someone has said that the great irony of the attacks that Christians receive for being sexist and regressive is that the sticks we are being beaten with were taken from us! Why does the Western world have such a high view of women? Because that is the testimony and trajectory of the Scriptures.
The second thing to remember is that this is a letter written to a certain group of people to deal with certain issues that both the writer and the recipient already know about. Paul was not thinking about any other people reading this letter but the people in Corinth, let alone modern readers removed by nearly two thousand years. Thus he did not provide a bunch of context to help outside observers. When he refers to women having short hair and head coverings, we simply don’t know the full context. But the most likely explanation is that this is a cultural issue that is unclear to us but would have been crystal clear to the recipients of the letter. One of the leading theories of scholars is that the temple prostitutes that were addressed in 1 Corinthians 6 may have had shaved heads and unveiled faces. That means that this command by Paul is staying within the same vein as the other recent chapters of 1 Corinthians: submitting every aspect of our lives to the greatest good of the advancement of the Gospel.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
Read 1 Corinthians 11
Highlight
The first half of 1 Corinthians 11 is a profoundly difficult passage to understand. On the one hand, it’s difficult because it grates against our modern sensibilities of equality between the sexes. On the other hand, there are simply phrases that are used by Paul that make very little sense without a serious understanding of the historical context… And even then, scholars disagree on the details! How do we approach a passage like this? This reading plan is not the format to unpack the long and complicated arguments about this passage. But there are two big rocks we can hold on to when we hit a passage that is this confusing.
The first thing to remember is that the best thing to use when interpreting the Bible is the Bible itself. When we see something in Scripture that seems to lower the worth or value of any person, we need to take a step back and keep the full testimony of Scripture in mind. In this case, we don’t even have to go far! It was only a few chapters back that Paul was counter-culturally affirming of the great worth of women (1 Cor 7) and the mutual rights they have with men before God. Never forget the full testimony of Scripture. Someone has said that the great irony of the attacks that Christians receive for being sexist and regressive is that the sticks we are being beaten with were taken from us! Why does the Western world have such a high view of women? Because that is the testimony and trajectory of the Scriptures.
The second thing to remember is that this is a letter written to a certain group of people to deal with certain issues that both the writer and the recipient already know about. Paul was not thinking about any other people reading this letter but the people in Corinth, let alone modern readers removed by nearly two thousand years. Thus he did not provide a bunch of context to help outside observers. When he refers to women having short hair and head coverings, we simply don’t know the full context. But the most likely explanation is that this is a cultural issue that is unclear to us but would have been crystal clear to the recipients of the letter. One of the leading theories of scholars is that the temple prostitutes that were addressed in 1 Corinthians 6 may have had shaved heads and unveiled faces. That means that this command by Paul is staying within the same vein as the other recent chapters of 1 Corinthians: submitting every aspect of our lives to the greatest good of the advancement of the Gospel.
Reflection & Prayer
For this reading plan we will be using a tool to guide our study of Scripture that’s called the S.O.A.P. Method. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. We recommend you use a journal with this method and write out your thoughts on each of these areas for each day of reading. It doesn’t have to be long-winded and you don’t need a fancy journal. But for anyone that has not journaled before, the benefit is that it often helps us focus and avoid distractions during prayer and Bible study.
S.O.A.P. Method
Scripture - Pick a verse or two that stood out to you and write it in your journal. Be looking for a “Holy Spirit Highlight.” What did you read and think “I needed to hear that” or felt like it was written just for you?
Observation - Now write some observations about the verse(s) or passage. What is this passage or verse saying? About God? About people? How is Jesus revealed in these verses?
Application - Now write a few sentences on how this passage applies to your life. Is there truth about God that you are to believe? A promise to receive? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of something you need to do or stop doing in light of God’s truth?
Prayer - Now write out a prayer to God in response to this Scripture. This is a way to turn God’s Word to you back to Him. Be honest and express your heart to Him. God always listens and He delights in your prayers. (Psalm 34:15; Proverbs 15:8)
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