“Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”
(1 Corinthians 11:4 – 5)
“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”
(1 Corinthians 11:14 – 15)
The first issue to handle on the matter of Christian dressing is the issue of covering the hair and hairdo. This is the most uncontroversial aspect of our dressing that has been made controversial by foolish pastors and stiff necked congregations. Such who wrest with God’s word are unfit to be called Christians, but let’s let that go and excuse them that they know not what they do.
I say this issue of hair covering and hairdo (especially hair covering) is the most uncontroversial aspect of our dressing because it is the one given as a direct command in the clearest terms. Not only was it commanded, it was also defended by scriptures, reason, and nature. Apart from this, we see the profound spiritual implication of covering the hair (by women) and not covering the hair (by men). It says that they who do not observe this dishonour their heads. The angels were also mentioned in regard to this command. Despite all the effort of the apostle Paul to explain the vital importance of this command, people who should have known better, that is if we should believe their profession of faith, made this a controversy by foolish arguments and move people (especially women) to disregard this important command and dishonour their heads and disregard the presence of angels.
The Covering Of The Head
“Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”
(1 Corinthians 11:4 – 5)
Now, the commandment is very simple and easy to be understood. It says for a Christian man to either pray or prophesy with his head covered is to dishonour Christ his head. And if a Christian woman, on the other hand, pray with her head uncovered is to dishonour her head which is her husband. I say Christian people because I suppose that Christ is the head of only Christian men and only Christian people could pray or prophesy in the Biblical context in the first place. For this reason the command is that a man, when he prays or prophesies, should not cover his head, and a woman when she prays or prophesies, should cover her head. That is as simple as A B C.
Before I go on, we should understand prophesying may not necessarily mean to foretell future events as it is generally understood today. But I think it means any form of speaking in the name of God. So even adminition and edification could be a form of prophesying. Now some have used this to mean that women should speak in our gatherings, because prophesying is a form of speaking, but it still does not warrant women speaking in church. Women who do so are living in rebellion. I will handle this in details in another book, but it is safe to just point it out here.
The Conjured Controversy
“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”
(1 Corinthians 11:14 – 15)
Now, these foolish preachers use 1 Corinthians 11:15 to contradict 1 Corinthians 11:5. As we have seen, a woman ought to cover her head when she prays or prophesies. But they say that it is her hair that is the covering. So she needn’t put on any covering on her head. How smart, yea indeed, how devilish.
The foolishness of this argument is evident in the fact that it is only about the covering of women’s hair. The foolishness of the argument would have been easily understood when you apply the same stupid logic to men. When Paul says that a woman should cover her head, it means she should have a covering on her head and that covering can’t be her hair. If the hair were the covering, whether it were short or long, it is a covering all the same. So if the hair is what Paul meant that women should be covered with, then if a man is not shone or shaven and prays, he dishonours his head. It is also absurd to think that the Bible requires men to be shone or shaven like Stone Cold when praying. But if the hair were a covering then ought all Christian men to be like Stone Cold, but even without the brow, lashes, beard, and mustach. So the confusion and absurdity in the argument becomes easily obvious when you take into proper cognisance the two sides of the command. The command to women and the command to men too.
Having a long hair is not what we do but what we are, have, or become, though to cut them short is what we do. But to have it is not what we do. It is absurd to think that the Bible would command a woman to have a long hair, for all commands are given that we should do them. It is written, “These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should DO THEM.” (Exodus 35:1). So what do a woman do to have long hair? Pull firmly on her hair? Certainly not. To have a long hair she does nothing, and since she needs to do nothing she needs not be commanded. But it is rational to think that the Bible would ask her to cover her head. For covering the head with a scarf, veil, etc., is something that we do and not what we are or become.
When talking about covering the head, Paul says, “But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.” (1 Corinthians 11:5). If he meant the hair were the covering by which a woman ought to be covered when praying or prophesying, he wouldn’t have given the instances of being shaven, because being uncovered (according to them) is being shaven. He also says, “For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn.” (1 Corinthians 11:6). If the hair were the “covering” and the woman be not “covered” it means she is without hair on her head, there then would be no need to say “let her be shorn.” What need is there to say of someone who is running already, “if he is running let him also run.” Weird.
Some also say that because the Bible uses the word head and not hair, as in, “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.” (1 Corinthians 11:4 – 5). To this I say, to cover the head is the same as covering the hair. Covering the hair however is just for clarity, lest in saying covering the head people understand it to mean the way that the head of people are covered when they are about to be executed. Concerning this the Bible use the statement “cover the face” as in the case of Haman where it is written, “they covered Haman’s face.” (Esther 7:8). We know what we are talking about and so far the right thing is understood it is okay to use either “covering the head” or “covering the hair.”
The reason why they point out about the Bible saying we asked to cover/uncover the head and not hair is because they still wish to bring up a pretext to defend why women ought to disobey and not cover their hair. But we ought to know that the hair is a part of the head the way the lashes, brow, nose and eyes are all parts of the head. If we can’t say the brow, lashes, nose, etc. are coverings of the head, so we can’t also say that the hair is a covering. But as I mentioned before, we mustn’t see this command to therefore mean that the whole of the head ought to be covered so that one can neither breathe, see, eat or speak, etc. But in that the passage was with special emphasis on the hair, since we see words like shaven, shaved, etc., we know that it does not mean that the whole head should be covered but that the hair alone should be concealed when praying.
These two photos are of exactly the same model. The only difference is the hair. This is what the Bible means when it says a woman’s hair is her covering.
This however is a proper covering of the head when praying or prophesying, or in church. I got this photo from pro-medienmagazin.de
Now where does this error come from and what is this deception built upon? Errors come when people try to give sophisticated interpretation to simple words of scriptures. A little child, reading these words, would understand easily what was commanded. But it takes a fool on the pulpit to obfuscate the truth of the commandment with sophistry. The error therefore comes when you don’t understand what is being referred to in both cases. Such errors is what you get when you jumble things all up in such a disorderly way. In the first part of this discourse, Paul wrote about covering the hair. In the second he talks about having long or short hair. It is expedient to talk on the two because they are related. But it doesn’t mean we should foolishly jumble them up, applying the verses that spoke about having long or short hair to verses talking about actual hair covering. So this brings us to the next point.
Hairstyles
“Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.”
(1 Corinthians 11:14 – 15)
So what is the Bible really saying? The first part is definitely saying that a woman ought to cover her head when praying or prophesying. That is beyond doubt or controversy. But concerning the second part, it is saying that a man ought to have short hair and women long.
In that it says that a woman’s hair is given her for a covering, it means that her hair was given her to conceal the shape of her head. It is therefore inappropriate for women to have the shape of their head revealed by their hairdo. It is wrong for a woman to do her hair in a way of which people would be able to tell if her head has the shape of a pear, mango, beans, mushroom, bullet, missile, etc. This shape of her head ought to be concealed and this is what her hair is meant to conceal. This is the covering the Bible is talking about and not that it should act as a covering of her hair when she prays.
For this reason, there’re certain hairstyles that Christian women ought not to do. Plaiting the hair for example does not conceal the shape of the head. Any way of making the hair that doesn’t conceal the shape of the head should be avoided by Christian women. Generally, I think all styling of the hair should be avoided. The hair should be left natural, flowing to the back. For us who are Africans with hairs that don’t flow, it could just be combed backwards and left that way. Other form of doing the hair may just be to tie it with a hairband or keep it in place with a headband or ribbon. These are not styles per se, but are just done for convenience sake, to keep the hair from the face. This I believe should be how Christian women should do their hair.
For men, it is good to keep the hair short by consistently cutting it before it gets too long. All styles ought to be avoided. I suppose that altering the texture of one’s hair is also not good, for both men and women. So using things like relaxer, or frying the hair, or baking it, or cooking it, or roasting it, etc. shows a major defect in the reasoning of those (especially men) who do it. I’d also like to discourage men from trimming their hair. All these just shows that people are giving undue attention to being fine and pleasing to the eye, which things are all vanity. It is sad that pastors do all these foolish things to their hair. As expected, most of such preachers ended up in cases of adultery, infidelity, divorce, and even rape down here in Nigeria. It is obvious that people who do such to their hair do it as a bate to catch silly women. So, if our focus is the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we’d rather use our time for better things than inventing and doing foolish hairstyles.
Now What Is That Covering?
“But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”
(1 Corinthians 11:5)
If the Bible says that men ought to uncover their heads when they pray and we know that it is absurd to think that the hair is what it refers to as a covering, it is easy to know what ought to be done when praying. Nothing ought to be on the head of a man when praying or prophesying and nothing is very easy to define. However, it is sad that some bishops in some Christian gatherings don’t even understand this. You’d see bishop in church still putting on skull caps like idiots who seek to teach the Bible yet don’t understand simple English. The command for men is very simple despite these bishops flouting God’s command.
However, what needs some more careful consideration is what constitutes the covering of a woman’s head. We must consider first what it is meant to achieve before we can be able to rightly define what it ought to be. I believe the purpose of this covering is to conceal the hair. For this reason it is the whole of the hair that is to be concealed and not parts. For Frances Ridley Hevargal rightly said, “only the whole can be perfectly true.” To cover in parts is almost one and the same as not to cover at all. For that covering which is only in part is a covering with a defeated purpose. For that which is meant to be concealed still appears. So I don’t believe that a hat is adequate to keep this command. Hat may be good for a woman to go about with, but it is not an adequate covering for prayer. I’ve also seen people who’d use a scarf but let parts of their hair at the front be visible. This is also wrong for the purpose of prayer and prophecy. The whole ought to be covered.
Another thing to consider is that the hair covering is not meant to be an accessory. It is not a decoration. It is not for beautification. And not for glorification. Rather it is an expression of meekness. If the hair of a woman is said to be her glory, then the command to cover her hair is a command to conceal her glory and not make her more glorious. This is why I say that this act of covering the hair is an expression of meekness. So in considering what is proper for the covering of a woman’s hair, we should not be thinking, as people often do, whether it is beautiful or comely. Whether it makes her cute, elegant, or what have you. The only consideration to make is whether it covers the hair properly.
I suggest therefore that what women ought to cover their hair with is a scarf, a veil, a turban, and other hair covering that conceals the hair in whole. Sometimes I see ladies scamper into our Christian gatherings, bring out a handkerchief from their bags, and cover their hair with it. Then the fan blows it off. Oh how I love those fans. The fans are more sensible than such ladies. They at least know that a handkerchief is not an appropriate covering for the hair and so blow it off. And that’s true, covering the hair with a handkerchief is as good as not covering it at all. Alas, they usually don’t still get the message of the good fan, they still go after the handkerchief to put it back on. So let the hair be covered with the right, proper, and appropriate covering.
When Should We Keep These Commands
“Every man praying or prophesying… But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth…”
(1 Corinthians 11:4 – 5)
The essence of covering the hair is not to hide it from the eyes of men, but a thing only required when praying or prophesying, and that because of the angels. It should not therefore be seen as a sin should a woman’s hair appear, but it is a sin should she pray without covering her hair. The hair is not a woman’s nakedness and it is not indecency for the hair to be seen. While it may be reasonably considered indecency, we have no scriptures to conclude so. And where we have scriptural commands we need not create commands of our own. The import of covering the hair WHEN praying is purely spiritual.
The hair can’t be covered at all times. For example, when it needs to be washed, or for some other reasons it is not possible to have the hair covered, it shouldn’t be seen in such times that it is a sin to pray in one’s heart because her hair is not covered. Should one, in the process of washing her hair, hear a loud bang, she could pray for God’s protection and intervention though her hair be not covered, and that, I believe, won’t be a sin. If in the same instance of washing her hair, a thought of God’s kindness comes to her heart, I believe it won’t be accounted a sin should she in such an instance tune a heart of praise to God. So I think, while the hair can’t be covered at all times, prayers can be made at all times. So there are few instances where to pray without covering the hair is excusable.
But in instances where the prayer is planned and deliberate, or in church where we mustn’t do anything but by prayer, covering the hair is a must. Even if it is in a non-Christian gathering, if there is a call for prayer, the hair ought to be covered. And if a man have on a hair covering such as a hat, a helmet, a wig, etc., he should take them off when it is time to pray, either personal prayer or corporate prayer. In these instances there isn’t any excuse and all acts of prayer without covering the hair is a sin, a dishonouring of the head, a removal of power from the head, and a disregard of the angels. In such instances, apart from being a sin, it openly dishonours God when we fail to obey these commands when praying in the view of unbelievers who mostly know we are commanded so.
It was said of the mother of the Wesleys that anytime she wishes to pray she would cover her hair with a veil and her children would say “hush mummy is praying.” They knew she was praying because she covered her head. So reverent was she of God’s commands that it is no wonder she raised up such powerful men for God. Men that greatly revived England. Let no time of intentional prayer be done without covering the hair.
So I believe that the hair should be covered by women and uncovered by men in all deliberate prayers such as personal quiet times, family devotions or church gatherings. But we have no command in scriptures that the hair should be covered always by women or uncovered always by men. However I believe that it is good for women to have the hair covered at most times, at home and abroad, for a true Christian prays always. I’m particular about women because to remove a hat by men is a cinch. But not so with covering the hair of a woman. I therefore believe that Christian women ought not to leave their houses without a covering on their heads. In cases where they, for some reason, don’t want to cover their hair (of which I don’t know of any reason except it be vanity), they should at least have a scarf at hand, or something that could appropriately cover their hair should the need arise for a prayer. They could have it in a bag, or wrapped round the neck, or whatever. But there is no better time to cover the hair properly than when at home, before leaving the house, standing before the mirror to make sure it is well done. But in all I leave this to the judgment of each home. But for all deliberate acts of prayer, for women to uncover their heads or men cover theirs is a sin.
The The Reason Spirituality Of Covering The Hair
“For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.”
(1 Corinthians 11:10)
We’ve talked about the spirituality of dressing right making a reference to how covering the hair is a spiritual command, for spiritual reasons and with immense spiritual benefits. Benefits we can’t afford to throw away. It is important for us to touch on it again as we consider the reason for this commands…
Some people say that Paul gave the Corinthians this command because he was following the tradition prevalent in Corinth. They come up with assumed stories of how the women in Corinth were dishonouring their husbands by not covering their hair, and that Paul gave this command to put a stop to this. I’ve written against this form of stupid assumptions, I think in my book titled “THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN HOME.” These people talk without even stopping to listen to themselves and hear how they sound. They tell you so many stories about Corinth as if they were there about two thousand years ago peeping through their windows and seeing to witness all these things they’re talking about. Or you’d think that Corinth is the name of their hometown where they grew up. They don’t have the slightest clue of what they’re talking about or what life is like in modern Corinth, but they want to tell us what life is like in ancient Corinth of about two thousand years ago. I don’t see the wisdom of leaving Paul’s plain commands to be going after mere assumptions. They, by these foolish assumptions, show us who their father is. For they utter lies like their father the Devil.
They didn’t live in Corinth so they don’t have what it takes to be making assumptions that we should regard as anything close to credible. But Paul lived in Corinth at exactly that time these people are talking about and he didn’t say he was giving this instructions to follow the traditions of men. How unlike Paul would it be to be teaching Christians to follow the traditions of men? The reasons Paul gave for women to cover their hair was absolutely spiritual and not cultural. First, to honour their heads. Second, it is to have power on their head. Third, it is in regard of the angels. And all these applies only to when they pray, not when they attend cultural meetings as we would expect, if it were a command given in respect to culture. These are the three reasons Paul gave regarding how Christians ought to pray. Would it not be very dubious of Paul to present these as the reasons for giving these commands but to secretly meant it to make Christians obey the cultures of men? Men of Corinth who before these times were given to superstitions and worship of Devils.
Paul also gave another reason that the covering of the hair by women is meant to show submission. This submission that vain people have been wresting in recent years. Women are given more and more reason why they ought not to be subject to their husbands. William Barr, the Attorney General of the United States, in his speech at Notredame which I’ve referred to a number of times in the past, said that governments are more interested in being husbands to divorced women rather than in looking into the root cause of divorce to avoid it from occurring in the first place. For governments to be interested in being husbands to divorced women is just a way of showing them that they needn’t be subject to their husbands. From their childhood to adulthood girls are taught to compete with their male counterparts and prove to them that they’re equal. The emphasis on girl child education is also one of the designs to wrest the subjection of women to their husbands, which subjection is part of God’s order of things. The list goes on, but this order is one of the reasons for instructing women to cover her hair. For Paul in giving further reason for the command says, “For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” (1 Corinthians 11:8 – 9).
So the covering of the hair by women and the uncovering of the hair by men is a completely spiritual and divine one. And that concerning having long hair by women and short hair by men is not also in reference to culture but nature. Paul wrote, “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” (1 Corinthians 11:14). This is a teaching according to nature and not according to culture. Nature refers to the way God ordains things to be without human interference or manipulation. That is what nature means. That is why you can’t see a photo of a city of sky scrapers and you call that nature. Nature must be void of human interference. So this, how God made us without our manipulation or interference, not culture, is what informs the commands about keeping long hair or short hair.
Conclusion
“… let her be covered.”
(1 Corinthians 11:6)
The commands of the Bible concerning these things are quite clear and simple. They are spiritual commands defended by Paul using both scriptures, reason, and nature. Let us obey it in simplicity. The benefits of these things are too great to be neglected. The Devil has taken power off our women’s heads for too long, it is time to put it back on and take back the field we have lost these many years.
Richard Baxter wrote this words in his book, “A Christian Directory, Part 2: Christian Economics,” “I confess that it is unsafe extending the sense of Scripture beyond the importance of the words upon pretence of a parity of reason ; lest man’s deceitful wit should make a law to itself as divine, upon pretence of interpreting God’s laws.” While we must apply reason to our understanding of scriptures we must in no way add to what is being written or turn simple commands into controversy under pretence of interpreting God’s word. Many preachers in recent years have, under pretence of expounding God’s word, brought up a lot of confusion, division, and disobedience against God in the church. It behoves true Christians in times such as these to stand up and resist this orchestration of the Devil and seek to restore the church to practices that honour God.
May God help us to understand his will fully and obey him in full hearted devotion and commitment. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Prayer: Dear God and Father. As you have given us your word to obey, give us also a heart to understand what we ought to obey. Though men have made this simple command a controversy, we pray that you remove all controversy from our midst and help us to be united in one mind concerning this and all things else. Thank you dear Lord and Father. In Jesus’ name we’ve prayed. Amen.
