Final Excuse

I have one final excuse which is: Man is the head of the woman

We find this statement in I Corinthians 11:3

“Now I want you to realise that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”

In the English language the word “head" means either “a part of our physical body” or “someone in a position of authority”, for instance, the head of a school, or the head of a company.

In the Greek language of Paul’s days the word “head” could mean these things depending on the particular Greek term the author had chosen. Paul in I Corinthians 11:3 had chosen the word “kephale” which can mean “physical head” or “source,” “source of life.” However, it did not mean “authority” or “power.”

In the verse we just read Paul did not establish a hierarchical order, for then the sentence structure would have been different. He established a chronological order, for Christ was indeed the source of the life for the first man and every man thereafter. The first man was the source of life for the first woman and God was the source of life for Christ in His incarnation.

He wrote this to bring correction to people’s thinking. Many believers had pagan backgrounds and had been influenced by the idea that the woman was made from a substance different from and inferior to the man, and Paul was bringing correction this error.

Related to the above statement is the statement: The husband is the head of the wife

These words can be found in Ephesians 5:23

“For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the Head of the Church of which He is the Saviour.”

Once again Paul used the Greek word “kephale”. This means that the husband’s function as head of the wife did not mean authority or power. Moreover, Paul went on to specify what examples husbands were to follow as head of their wife: they were to follow the highest example, namely Christ’s example as Head of His Church in His role as Saviour of the Church.

Now, we know that Christ functions not only as Head, but as Lord, as King, as High Priest, as Intercessor among other things. However, it is only in relation to Christ’s function as Head of the Church, which is associated with His role as Saviour of the Church, that the function of the husband as head of the wife was mentioned by Paul.

This means that Paul did not associate the husband’s function as head of his wife with Christ’s function as Lord, as King, as High Priest, as Intercessor, but specifically with Christ’s function as Saviour which is a loving, serving, ministering, sacrificial function.

I have run out of excuses and I hope you have too.

Moreover, God’s Word teaches me that:

“I have become the righteousness of God in Christ”

According to II Corinthians 5:21

“I am a new creation in Christ, the old has gone, the new has come”

According to II Corinthians 5:17

“There is now no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus”

According to Romans 8:1

“In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female”

According to Galatians 3:28:

“I am a co-heir with Christ”

According to Romans 8:17

“I am seated in heavenly realms in ChristJesus”

According to Ephesians 2:6

“I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ”

According to Ephesians 1:3

"So you and I should no longer make excuses and should go to work, for we must work while it is yet day.

Night will come when no-one can work as we can read in John 9:4.

And with God’s help we will surely finish the task that He sets before us so that all of us one day may hear"well done good and faithful servant".