1Cor 11:11-12 - What's Sauce For the Goose...

...is Sauce For the Gander!

11-12 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.


Don’t you just love the completeness of the circle? Just as the male sex might be ready to start misapplying the doctrine of differentiation God snatches the words from his mouth by reminding him that every man since Adam has been born of womankind. He cannot therefore sit on his high horse to make the case that men are more important than women, or that they occupy a place of more importance as a gender within the race. Oh, no! God makes sure by humbling such thoughts in the ordinance, the providence, the creative pattern that all men must enter the world through the womb of a woman, having been nurtured and cared for while utterly helpless, for a period of nine months.

But neither are women greater than men. Rather, they are interdependent. They were made that way. Yes, the man first and, yes that sequence of creation has significance with regard to authority in the universe, for the sake of good order (for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace). {1Co 14:33} Paul has plainly communicated the idea here and appeals to the creation itself for authority in the application of his doctrine to the church at large. He revisits it when speaking of teaching and authority in the church - that no woman should teach a man. {1Ti 2:12}

However, these things have to do with order and not with value. Each sex is to value the other equally, for the Lord’s sake. Their roles are differentiated, but their significance is not. For those women in the church who say that they want to preach and teach to teach men, and that they ought to be able to do what they want - this is dangerous ground because it goes against clear the teaching laid out here and elsewhere. Particular attention ought to be paid because the appeal Paul makes is to the creation order, which has never been rescinded.

The most important phrase here is, "And all things are from God." It is a reminder to both sexes that, whatever their relationship may be, it must first and always be referred to God and not to the other sex. All mankind is here to serve God - but each sex has been given a different role by God. Thus, each answers to God for the way they perceive, receive and fulfill that role. A wife may serve God by obedience to her husband and a husband may serve God by cherishing and caring for his wife. When all things are referred to God first, and are properly received as a part of either His creation order or His providence then the manner of service to Him is only a slight thing.

But in bucking against the creation order by trying to usurp the role of the other sex, as the so-called "Christian feminists" do, they cease to refer their actions through God’s already revealed will and clothe a rebellious and self-serving desire in pious sentiments. In this context, Paul is interpreting the behaviour of the Corinthian church in the midst of its pagan culture by appealing to the creation order. The message is, "Don’t mess with what God ordained from the beginning." In the Lord (verse 11) there is order and differentiation of certain roles for the children of God based on gender. This is not politically correct today, but it is Biblically correct.

The pagans almost always observe the ordinance to some degree, without having any light on the matter, apart from a vestige - a whisper - a vague imprint or memory grounded in their deepest being. But it is an observance that is itself corrupt. Fallen men took authority in most cultures based first upon strength (see the account of Lamech in Ge 4:23-24 and discover a butcher, a bully and a braggart impressing his wives) The natural reaction of fallen women was to control using either allure or trickery (see Delilah).

These are simplistic observations. Undoubtedly there were men and women who were devoted to each other in a lifelong commitment, even in pagan societies. (Today, this is true to the degree that pagan and Christian divorce rates are identical.) And the complexity of inter-sexual relationships allows for many nuances. But the point that the Bible makes, and the point I am making here, is that all relationships were broken at the fall. Relationship with God, with ourselves, with the opposite sex, with our neighbours - no relationship is excepted.

Broken relationships are not only the result of sin, but have become its cause also. Without the spiritual life from God to lead us, we have become self-directed and self-centred in all that we do. Our motives are impure. Our aims are corrupt. Our priorities are twisted. The most altruistic of thoughts and deeds are soiled with sin. Our very minds are fragmented and are alienated from every other being in existence.

The capstone of it all is the phrase "all things are from God." In other words, all things are subject to the One who is the source or Creator. This is more than a statement about origins; it is a re-affirmation of the order of existence. He who is the Originator of all things {Ge 1:1,Joh 1:1-3} must ultimately be the One to Whom all creatures bow the knee. He is the One Who not only is able, but also will inevitably bring to pass in the mind-attitudes of His creatures a right understanding of, and obedience to, the order of the universe, as He always intended. And His order of authority for this period of creation is God, Jesus Christ, men, women, children - in that order.

But the gap between God and all His children is bridged by the God-man, Jesus Christ. He is unique, for He is both man and God. As God He is transcendent, glorious, eternal, omnipotent, and all the other attributes you can think of that make God to be God. It is in Him that all God’s children find their value. It is not in themselves, but in Him. As with gifts of the spirit which are distributed as it pleases God (not us), so our physical constitution is given by God as he pleases. We must not bridle and complain at the order of things into which we have been born because there are no accidents with God. We must not complain when God orders society and family to work in certain ways.

All authority is His authority. It may be delegated in certain ways, but there is no other authority than God’s. People may abuse it. People may ignore it for a season. But all will answer for their actions in the light of it. He is judge of all precisely because He is Maker of all.