A Sisters Place in the Family of God

7/28/2019 A Sisters Place in the Family of God

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ASister's Placein the

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A SISTE R'S PLACE IN THE FAMILYO F G O D

IntroductionBefore we focus on our first consideration,

we would like to convey this personal message:Although society, morals, permissiveness,

woman!s rights, etc. have changed; God's Wordhas not changed. Our "Bill of Rights" and

"Constitution" is the Bible. In the book ofRevelation 22:19, we are warned not to add orsubtract from the words of the Scripture. Wehave been admonished to live n_the world butnot of the world!

This work is a sincere effort to remind usall that, as sisters in Christ, we do havecertain obligations. Sisters in Christ haveaccepted a responsibility that cannot be over-looked or changed. We have to be careful not tolet the changes that other religious groupsmake influence our adherence to God Ts laws.

We have tried to draw a logical word-picture of a sister Ts life in Christ. We speakas sisters with a desire to share with othersthe findings of our study.

We thank all the Brethren and Sisters fromwhose writings we have gleaned much needed helpand information. We have taken the liberty ofusing some of what they have said in order tofirm up our position.

Sister Dorrie DillinghamSister Lois Riley


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WHAT IS A SISTERTS PLACE IN RELATION TO CHRIST TODAY?

At our baptism, we made the choice to obey thecommandments of Christ, to give all our allegiance toHim, and to strive to be as perfect as He is. Christgave His life for us. What is expected in return?......A Taltkul Continuance In Wall doing I (Rom. 2:5-7)

In order to continue in Mdoing well M we mustconsider our place within the divine hierarchy whichGod has established. We can do this by looking at1 Cor. 11:3, "But I would have you know that the headof every man is Christ; and the head of the woman isthe man and the head of Christ is God. M This referenceclearly brings out the proper order of relationship:

GODChristMan

WomanGod created man in His image and for His glory.

Woman was created for the glory of man. (1 Cor.11:7)She was made secondly; she was madefrom the man; she was created forthe man; she was created as a help-meeta mate designed for and suit-able for the man. The woman was notcreated from man fs head to be ruledover; not from his foot to be steppedon, but from that place closest tohis heart to be loved, cherished, tobe a part of him.l

Yahweh!s plan has not changed, and our place inHis plan has not changed. We, by the grace of Yahweh^will have our place changed when we serve His dear Son

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in the kingdom; for then, and only then, will thereliterally be neither male nor female, neither Jewnor Greek; for we shall all be as one.

If a Sister is an intelligent,active, useful, noble servantof Christ; her being a Sisteris no disqualification or barrier;it only precludes her from theact of public speaking and involvessubjection to her husband. Itdoes not shut her up to babies,pots, and pans though these willdutifully receive the right shareof attention at her hands.She is a partner, a helper, afellow heir in all thingspertaining to Christ and the manwho would degrade her from thisposition is not fit for a placein the body of Christ.For both men and women, thereis a place in the Kingdom ofGod. Though they neithermarry nor are given in marriage,we may depend upon it that God,who never makes mistakes, has aplace in the higher state forthe companionship arising betweenman and women as constituted inthis preliminary state. Thisis one of the sweet secrets wewait to see disclosed. Mean-while, they stand related tothe same rules of admission.Each must be faithful to Christin their several spheres. Theman must be enlightened, believing,courageous, trustful, prayerful,and obedient; and the woman mustbe no less in her more contractedcircle. She must aim particularly

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at those active, multiplied, repeatedand untiring good works in the Lordwhich obtained for sisters of old theapprobation of the Lord and the praiseof His apostles. Thus may both earnfor themselves a good degree which willshine forth with glorious lustre in theblessed ages that are to succeed thepresent evil world.

SISTERS AS HELPMEETSThat old cliche "behind every good man there's

a good woman" can be true in the family of God. Wheremarriage is involved, "behind every good brother shouldbe a good sister'1.

By her loving submission and gentle cooperationin the home as a service to God, a woman can help guideher husband and create unity of mind that will weld themmore completely in a marriage that will make of them"one". It gives her far greater satisfaction than thatwhich so-called "woman's liberation" will do.

How refreshing it is for a man to arrive homeafter a pressuring and troublesome day to be greetedwith warm affection and a well-prepared and tasty meal;to be welcomed to a home that radiates a relaxing cheer-fulness in contrast to the bleak existence apart fromit.

On the other hand, how warming it is for a wifeand mother to receive due appreciation for all that shedoes in the home for the family. Love is of greatercompelling power than law; it is easier to get a personto do a thing because he or she delights to do it thanto compel them to do so against their wishes. And ifone loves another, there is a desire to please, eventhough it involves self-sacrifice.

Never go to sleep at night without saying "Iyou" to your mate. Never put children to bedut expressing your love to them, regardless o

love you" to your mate. Never put children to bedwithout expressing your love to them, regardless of


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what the day has been like. Thoughtfulness and thesurrender of self are the constant and sure ingredi-ents of a good marriage.

Marriage is a process of constantadjustment brought about by afervent desire to assist one'spartner to attain unto the Kingdomof God. Thus each must learn tosurrender those habits, desires,and aims which are not conduciveto the spiritual well-being of themarriage and of the other partner.A man and his wife must be alto-gether frank with one another atall times. There should never beanything about which they cannottalk openly and there should beno hidden parts of our lives.Remember that Christ knows every-thing instantly and in full.

WE ARE HELPMEETS. We must do our best tocreate a spiritual atmosphere in our home that issupportive of the work done by our husbands for thebenefit of our spiritual well-being and that of theecclesia. If our brother-husband does not have publicspeaking ability we can help him to develop histalents in other areas. Every ecclesial responsibilityis equally as important as the other! DonTt discour-age him, emcourage himempathy not sympathy.

Should he possess the ability to exhort and/orlecture, make the time to help him with research andtyping, as well as constructive criticism. Take aninterest in what he is doing. Be sure the childrenhave things (quiet things) to occupy their time whilehe is laboring in the Lord fs service so that he isnot being constantly interrupted. Be sure to makethe children aware of the importance of his work

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and of it Ts spiritual value.In order to be a useful tool in the Master !s

hands, we as sisters must be properly educated in HisWord. We must know how to use the aids available tous such as the concordances, Bible dictionaries andthe beautiful, helpful and readable works of our Brethrenthroughout the world! We must make the time to read andstudy by ourselves.

HOSPITALITY plays a big part in being a helpmeet.We must always be ready to welcome any prospectivecandidate into our home. A warm smile can generate arelaxed atmosphere and express your delight in havingthem there. Be prepared for such occasions. Beintelligent and well-informed. Be a good !fback-up" withyour Bible marked and the concordance on hand so you canbe ready and willing, should your husband request yourassistance.

Our doors must always be open to our brothers andsisters (even to those to whom we Tre not so inclined).Hospitality is very important. We should not be so en-grossed in the providing of material things that weforget the spiritual. It is necessary to provide foodfor our guests, but to spend so much time in preparinga variety of dishes that we have no time for anythingelse means that we are getting our priorities wrong.A simple meal served in a calm atmosphere must be morerelaxing and helpful to a visiting speaker than a bigspread served by a hot and harrassed hostess, who hasno time to sit and rest or quietly talk of more importantthings.

Sometimes our hospitality seems to be extendedto people who are able to reciprocate or recompense.We are apt to invite brothers and sisters to our homesand have a happy time together. Later they invite usback. All of this is very enjoyable, of course^ butwe must always remember Mthe loner"! Fellowship is avital part of our spiritual lives.

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The actual meaning of the word translated"hospitality" is flove of strangers . Jesusemphasizes this in Luke, chapter 14:

When thou makest a dinner or asupper, call not thy friends,nor thy brethren, neither thykinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors,lest they also bid thee again,and a recompense be made thee.But when thou makest a feast,call the poor, the maimed, thelame, the blind; and thou shaltbe blessed for they cannot rec-ompense thee; for thou shaltbe recompensed at the resurrec-tion of the just.

As proper helpmeets, we must not forget to begood friends, companions, and "pals" to our husbands.Attend ecclesial functions as a Mcouplef? or a "family".

A SINGLE SISTER could be a "help-er" rather thana "helpmeet". Some sister-wives canft type. Othersneed babysitters and all need friendship and sisterlylove. Remember we are all one family in Christ. Thesingle sister often has more time to give and a littleless responsibility at home. Single sisters shouldmake every effort to attend all ecclesial activitiesand services. They should get into the habit ofreaching out to make new friends in the Truth.

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SISTERS? ROLES WITHIN THE ECCLESIAIn 1 Cor. 11:3 we have the divine hierarchy set

before us. This is the way it has always been sincecreation. It takes us back to Genesis and points outthat there are distinctions to be made. As mentionedbefore: GODChristManWoman.

1 Timothy 2:8-15 brings forward some of thesedistinctions. Note that verses 13 and 14 have nothingwhatsoever to do with the customs in Greece. "ForAdam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was notdeceived, but the woman, being deceived, was in thetransgression". The reason isn ft open for questionif so, we question divinely inspired Scripture. Becausethe woman was utterly deceived when tempted by the ser-pent, she had better not teach in the ecclesia.

There seems to be two reasons here:1. Priority in Creation2. Deception

In verse 11, the word silence (hesuchia, Grk) meanstotal silence. We might also note that the most frequentcharacteristic that God attaches to the woman throughoutScripture is submissiveness. When Paul admonishes thewomen to learn in silence he also forbids them to teach.He says that their teaching role is to show the othersisters through example and behavior (Titus 2:3-5).

In 1 Cor. 14:34 the word for silence is sigao(Bullinger e.g. to be silent; to cease to speak)."Let your women keep silence in the churches, for itis not permitted unto them to speak; but they arecommanded to be under obedience, as also saith thelaw." Paul is dealing with the whole foundation of thedivine plan of Yahweh.

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Chapter 11 of 1 Corinthians applies to more thanthe Memorial Service. They all met to eat, and itwas a shared community meal. In verse 33 they areadmonished to wait for each other and eat as a groupIt was an extended meeting throughout the day. Therecould easily have been some unbelievers there tolisten, (note 1 Cor. 14:23). So the instructions arenot merely to the Memorial meeting.

The role of a sister is not a public one. In1 Peter 3:1-4 and v. 6, we find the attitude forsisters that Yahweh finds commendable: Verse 4tells the sister that she should have the Lordlocked in her heart and that she exemplify the"imperishable jewel" of a meek and quiet spirit,which is in the sight of God of great price!The true meaning of many of the words in theseverses really brings out a lesson to sisters.

The words of Titus 2:3-5 and 1 Timothy 5:1-10speak for themselves. The words of verse 10 of1 Tim. 5 show what the good deeds of a sister shouldbe. Certainly if a sister was supposed to beteaching brethren (other than by example) Paul wouldhave taken a little time to exhort them as to theproper fashion just as he did the brethren.

Dare we question Paul's authority? In Titus 1:1-3, we are told that he is a servant of God, and anapostle of Jesus Christ, manifesting His word throughpreaching which is committed unto him according tothe commandment of God and our Saviour. In 1 Cor. 14:37, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, orspiritual, let him acknowledge that the things thatI write unto you are the commandments of the Lord,"shows us that if anyone does not recognize this, heis not to be recognized.

One last note from 1 Cor. 14:35. The word for"shame" here means Tdisgraceful in the divine state T.


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A womanTs wisdom is to be quiet and make her influencefelt by her excellent qualities! But, oh what a sistercan accomplish in silence!!! For example:

SERVING AS A TABLE SISTER: Your loving effortsare displayed in silence and beauty as the ecclesialooks upon the pure white linen neatly pressed; shiningsilver goblets and bread plate. The bread and the wine,symbolic of the life given for us.

ORGANIST: The gentle and majestic tones that exudefrom the organ are the result of hours of devoted prac-tice and create the proper atmosphere for the MemorialService, Baptismal Service, Lecture or a good Hymn Sing.

LIBRARIAN: An up-to-date workable library isessential for every ecclesia and without a good librar-ian this is impossible! Every member should be encour-aged to avail themselves of the opportunity for studythat a library presents. And, wouldn ft it be nice tohave a "children's section", Sister Librarian?

Ordering magazines for ecclesial members andcollecting stamps for Bible Mission work are two veryimportant roles. One might have the Recording Brotherannounce newly acquired books and pamphlets to keepthe ecclesia aware of their availability as well as theneed for cancelled stamps to help with the missionary work.

VISITING SISTER: Here is where our "open-voiced"opportunities begin! How much a visit means to thesick (whether spiritually or physically). Phone callswith a nice Mhello, how are you?", "I care" can bejust the necessary medicine. Encourage other membersto send cards and call the sick. A visiting sistermust be a "confidante" and cultivate the keen qualityof receiving and keeping confidential informationto shed sympathy and inject sweetness.

Why not accompany a brother to the home of a sick

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member for a Memorial Service and do the readingstogether? Should a member be absent from theecclesia three consecutive times, why not pay thema visit or invite them to dinner?

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER: Scripture shows us thatmost of the childrenfs teaching was done on the"mother's knee". Now we are most fortunate to beable to extend that preparation time and share thetalents of other sisters to teach the young.Though the role of a sister is not to teach her"head", this does not eliminate her opportunityto teach the children In view of restrictions,the real opportunity of sisters is the teachingof children in the Lord.

HOSPITALITY SISTER: Ecclesias vary in theirrequirements for a hospitality sister, but it inno way lessens the importance of the job. Welcomethe Visitor! If your job is to arrange for suitableaccommodations, share the "visiting rights" amongmany so more can benefit from the experience ofentertaining and the talents of the visitor.

KITCHEN COMMITTEE CHAIRWOMAN: Get thosesisters working! Involve them in your plansfor serving and let them know well in advancewhat you expect of them.

ASSISTANTS: If you are going to be a helper,be a good one! We are not all leaders, but weare all needed.

CLEANING THE ECCLESIA: This is one more way todo your part and it's so important. Take pride inthe cleanliness of the House of the Lord.

SUPPORTING ECCLESIAL FUNCTIONS: Be there!Have a warm smiling face for all and a specialwelcome for visitors. Remember that the speaking

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brother at lectures or classes has put in hours andhours of preparation time. All he asks is one hourof your time. Show your appreciation by concentratingon what is being said. If it !s necessary to bring thechildren, keep them quiet. Consider others that aretrying to listen.

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A SISTERfS CONDUCTA sisterTs conduct is a living exhortation.

Good works are our true charm. They shine out fromwithin. Man is for strength, judgement, and achieve-ment; Woman is for grace, sympathy, and ministration.Between them they form a beautiful unit: heirstogether in unity of purpose.

Eve was not simply to be the mother of allliving. She was to reflect the glory of man as hereflected the glory of God. Gracefulness is capableof shining more eminently in the female characterthan anywhere else.

We must always be aware of the seven thingsthat are an abomination unto the Lord so that wewill conduct ourselves accordingly. Proverbs 6:16-19 needs no explanation for it speaks for itself:

These are six things that theLord doth hate; yea seven arean abomination unto him: Aproud look, a lying tongue,and hands that shed innocentblood, an heart that devisethwicked imagination, feet thatbe swift in running to mischief,a false witness that speakethlies, and he that soweth dis-cord among brethren.

COSMETICS: Now that we have developed our inwardqualities, let's consider our outward appearance. Useyour spiritual common sense! The word modest means"orderly and decent". "Dress, jewelry and cosmeticsrightly used might very well add charm, but there isa point where,they overstep their bounds and becomealmost ugly."

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Bible Cosmetics:EYES = compassionLIPS = praiseHANDS = kindnessFIGURE= uprightnessEARS = truthBOSOM = a meek and quiet spirit

We note in Proverbs 31 the virtuous woman referredto was nicely dressed (purple, fine linen). Sheexhibited strength and dignity (v.25).

We must be very careful as fashion-keeping andostentatious clothing usually means extravagance.Should we spend that much on ourselves when othersare in need? We should have a balanced judgement basedon the Word of God and our ecclesial decisions.

Will your dress harm, provoke, or distract thefellow members of the ecclesia? A thought provokingexample follows:

Girl - More Girl - Much Girl Ilike girls. I always have. Godnever made anything more beautifulthan a beautiful girl. I like tolook at beautiful girls. But there'ssomething that bothers me a greatdeal these days. It's the fact thateverywhere I look I!m seeing too muchgirl. I would hate like everythingto be a Christian teenage boy justnow. Such a young man knows that ifhe looks at a girl to lust after herhe is guilty of adultery. At thesame time, everywhere he turns hesees more girl and less clothes. Hegets girl rubbed all over him everyway he turns. If he gives in to

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temptation and reaches outto touch some of this girlthat is so openly displayed,he is thought to be somekind of a sex fiend. He isin a terrible position.The same Bible that warnsyoung men about the sin ofmental adultery tells usthat if we make youngChristians to stumble, itis better for us that amillstone be hanged aboutour necks and we weredrowned in the sea. Thisis a very serious matter.God is going to hold someyoung ladies and some parentsresponsible. It is ratherto be expected that younggirls will wish to followthe trend of fashion. Onthe other hand, I cannotunderstand the thinkingof a Christian mother whowould rather have her daugh-ter dress like a prostitutethan to be unpopular. Norcan I understand a Christianfather, himself a man ofnormal sexual appetites, whowill allow his daughter tobe the agent of temptationin the life of a young man.This was put in writing sothere can be no mistake inwhat I have meant to say.

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Let me suggest that you askthe Lord what he would haveyou to do about this matterin your house.

The lack of rules printed in black and white doesnot mean there are no restrictions. All things arelawful, but not expedient. A sister Ts proper appear-ance, proper manner, and proper conversation can helpcreate the proper atmosphere at a Bible class, MemorialService,or public meeting

It c with that thought in mind that we nowconsider the wearing of a Head Covering.

WEARING OF A HEAD COVERING: Do you happen to beone of those sisters who stopped wearing a head covering?If you are, did you ever stop to consider the reason why?If Christ asked you to put it back on, would you? Ifyour husband asked you to, would you?

We have noticed a steady slipping away of some fromthe responsibilities we have in Christ. For example, afew years ago the Pope decreed that it was no longernecessary for the women to cover their heads at church.And it wasnTt long before sister members of theChristadelphian ecclesias could be noticed without a headcovering.

Are we listening to apostasy rather than theApostles? Peter warns us to beware of the apostasy(2 Peter 3:17). We know that the Apostles spokethrough the power of the Holy Spirit. So what is thelogical and life-saving choice that we should make?

What it all boils down to is EGO, or the fleshlydesire to boost one fs image. What is fleshly desire?It is sin! If you felt you were offending anothersister or brother by not wearing a head covering, would

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you cover your head? Do you fully realize the meaningbehind a head covering?

Perhaps it fs best to begin with 1 Cor. 11. Inverse 3 we note as previously stated, the properorder of relationship. GOD Ch ri st M an W om an .

Verse 4: Covered here means "to have on thehead" (Gk. Katakephalasechon). We must rememberthat the "head" referred to here is the same "head"mentioned in the preceding verse which is Christ,the Head of man. (If we consider the head cover-ing here to be the hair, then man should beshorn). Covering a man's head scripturallysignifies mourning and humiliation: See 2 Sam.15:30, ESTHER 6:12, and Jer. 14:3-4. Verse 4obviously tells us how wrong it is for a man tocover his head.

Verse 5: "But every woman that prayeth orprophesieth with her head uncovered dishonourethher head; for that is even all one as if shewere shaven." This verse tells us how wrong itis for a woman not to cover her head. If shedoesn't cover her head she might as well be shaven.The issue here is not whether the sisters shouldexercise their gifts in the assembly of believers.Paul deals with that problem later in this letter(1 Cor. 14:34-35) and also in his letter toTimothy (1 Tim. 2:11-14).

There are Biblical examples of prophetesseswho were usually prominent when the males did notprovide leadership:

Miriam Exodus 15:20Deborah Judges 4:4Huldah 2 Kings 22:14Anna Luke 2:36

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Joel prophesied that the Holy Spirit would be givento women (Acts 2:16-18); as, for example the fourdaughters of Phillip testify (Acts 21:9).

The question now to be resolved was this: Didsuch a privilege of being a prophetess nullify therequirement of a veil to cover the head as a sign ofsubordination to the males? Let's examine Paul'sanswer:

"With her head uncovered" - "uncovered" in theGreek is Akatakaluptos, e.g. uncovered, unveiled.Youngs: unveiled, also RSV, RV, Nestle.

"Dishonoureth her head" - i.e. her husband (man)verse 3. To appear in the assembly with an unveiledhead was to disregard the divine hierarchy and thesubordinate role of the woman in relation to the man.This was a serious offence as the oft repeated instruc-tion that a wife ought to be subject to her husbandi n everything would indicate. See Eph. 5:22,24;1 Tim. 2:11; Col. 3:18; 1 Pet. 3:1,5.

"For that is even all one as if she were shaven" -To abandon the head covering on the grounds of privilegewas to remove the sign of her subordinate position andto be regarded as shamefully as if shaven or shorn.

Verse 6: A definite distinction can be noticedhere between hair and a covering. For Paul states:"if a woman be not covered, let her also be shorn."If a woman didn't cover her hair she might as wellshave it off and be shamed.

Verse 7: Again we are reminded that man must notcover his head as he is the image and glory of God, butwoman must cover her head as she is the glory of the man.

Verse 15: A totally different word for covering is

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used here. Here the word for covering is Perivolaion,e.g. something cast around. The long hair of a womanis her natural veil or mantle. And what is appropri-ate naturally ought to have a spiritual parallel:That womanTs head should be veiled.

An interesting article written by a sisterfollows:

When people ask why Christadelphian womenwear hats or scarves to meeting, do we knowhow to explain our reasons? If all we can say is'Paul says to in 1 Cor. 11", they answer that Paulwas advocating compliance with a local customand that his argument "must be applied todayagainst the background of the different sociologicalsituation. Otherwise we must revert to the clothes,and slavery of those times."

Too many of us, also, explain Paul Ts argumentas primarily advocating male supremacy as illustra-ted by the figure of the church as the Bride ofChrist; which is putting it backwards, besides in-stantly, and unnecessarily, shutting some mindsagainst us. Surely what Paul is arguing for is apublic demonstration in symbol of the glorificationof the risen Christ and the church Ts betrothal tohim, illustrated by a wife's relationship to herhusband.

Let us look at Paul Ts argument verse byverse.

Verse 2: "the ordinances" (traditions" in theA.V. and R.S.V. margins) e.g. not local traditionsbut the oral teaching of Paul and the other apostles.What we have in the New Testament is only thespirit-inspired writings God chose to preserve forus. There was a great deal more spoken than waswritten. Consider for instance 1 Cor. 15:6-7 and2 Thess. 2:15. If Paul had been advising adiplomatic compliance with local tradition, he wouldhave disposed of the matter as briefly as v.16 and

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Acts 15:20,21.Verse 3: "the Head of every man is Christ, and

the Head of the woman is man and the Head of Christ isGod.M Christ had ended the law of Moses and Christianwomen rejoiced that now they could worship beside men,not left behind in the court of the women. Apparentlythey, or some of them also thought that "in Christthere is neither male nor female" meant they were alsoreleased from submission to their husbands. They hadto learn that, like Isaiah and Ezekiel (Isa. 20:2,3 andEzek. 4:1-12) Christians are living symbols. The newsystem has its own symbols; baptism as the symbol ofdeath and burial and resurrection to a new life; breadand wine as symbols of Christ Ts sacrificial life anddeath; and the uncovered heads of the brethren as thesymbol of Chrises present glory with the Father.

Verse 4: "every man praying or prophesying havinghis head covered dishonoreth his Head." Covering ona man fs head, scripturally, signifies mourning andhumiliation. (2 Sam. 15:30, Esther 6:12; Jer. 14:3,4)In meeting, man represents Christ who passed beyond themourning and humiliation of earthly life. For man towear a head covering in meeting is to deny the glori-fication of Christ, to dishonor him by implying that heis still sinful flesh.

Verse 5: "every woman that prayeth or prophesiethwith her head uncovered dishonoreth her Head....as ifshe were shaven". Shaven here is "xurao" from "xuron"a razor, the same word used in Acts 21:24. "Shorn"in verse 6 is "keiro" most commonly used of sheep leftnaked by the total removal of their wool, so it !s notjust bobbed hair Paul is talking about, but the publichumiliation of a shaved head.

Verse 6: "if the women be not covered"; There maybe a double significance to "covered" here. For a manto cover a woman with his own clothing meant he acceptedher as his betrothed wife. Ruth 3:9, Ezek. 16:8. Theveil on awoman Ts head was the sign that she was married

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and accepted her husbandfs authority (as inv. 10) If, in symbol, the Bride of Christ sym-bolized by the sisters rejects the head-covering sheis in symbol rejecting the bridegroom, and followingin the steps of natural Israel, who became an adul-terous woman. So, "if the woman be not covered,let her also be shorn". Either the Bride of Christaccepts his authority or she is an adulterous wifespiritually.

Verse 7: "Man....is the image and glory of Godbut woman is the glory of the man" in the sense of"this is my body...this is my blood" as in verses 24and 25. That is, in meeting, man represents theimage and glory of God in Christ (Jn. 1:14 and 14:9)and woman represents the glory of mankind. All theglory of mankind is not enough to make them accept-able to God. The only way the Bride can approachGod is as part of Christ, in oneness with Christ.

Verse 10: "because of the angels". When weare at meeting surely our angels are there also (Psa.34:7). Since there was one particular angel (besidesthe angels of the true believers) with "the ecclesiain the wilderness" which was Israel, one angel whoespecially represented the presence of God (Isa. 63:9)may there not be likewise at our meetings one angel,besides our individual angels, who represents thepresent of Christ? These Angels of the Presencewould surely be especially offended by the presenceof bare-headed sisters and grieved by their lackof understanding.

Verse 13: "is it proper for a woman to prayuncovered". In verse 4, the word "prophecy" is, inGreek "propheteus" defined as "to tell forth" theDivine counsel; to publicly expound", so it is afair inference that the prayer referred to is publicprayer. Certainly it is public worship, the conductof the meetings, that Paul is considering here. Sothis should not be taken to mean that sisters mustnot pray in private with uncovered heads, any morethan a brother at work in a cap (or safety hat, for

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instance) and with both hands busy should not offera prayer because his head is covered.*"

Verse 15: "her hair is given her for a covering"...Some are disposed to argue from this that a sister withlong hair is thereby sufficiently covered. By thatargument, a brother with Tanyf hair is too much covered.And isnft Paul saying that a woman's long hair is (repre-sents?) a human glory? No natural endowment can makeus acceptable in the sight of God. No matter howmagnificently endowed by nature we still cannot approachGod without the sin-covering provided by Christ.

The head covering on sisters at meeting symbolizedthe ecclesia*s humble submission to God and throughthe Lord Jesus Christ.

Godly sisters will act out of an appreciation forthe principles espoused. Their demeanour will surelyevidence a desire to extend the application, not to seeka minimum which will satisfy themselves. In the truespirit of Christ we ask this be given thoughtfulconsideration that we may fulfill to the best of ourability all the commands of our Heavenly Father. Mayour sisters see this as a contribution to ecclesiallife necessary for an acceptable approach unto the Lord.We suggest that it would be a good thing, if all brothersand sisters would take time to become familiar with theseprinciples to the end that we may be strengthened in theone faith,"^Editors' Note: Upon further study, we have concludedthat any time we pray it is considered true worship. Doesit matter "where we are" or "when we are" in prayer? Doesthe building we are in change our prayer in any way? DoesGod look upon one prayer as different from another if weare speaking in sincerity? If we think upon these thingswith an open mind, the questions answer themselves. Sincethe head-veiling points not only to the specifically redemp-tive aspect of our life relationships, but also speaks ofGod Ts order for society, it is a witness needed beyond theintimate fellowship of our Ecclesial assemblv.Also we have found that because the "angel of theLORD encamps around those who fear him...", we arealways in the presence of the angels. Therefore, weshould cover our heads whenever we pray (Matt. 18:10;Psa. 34:7).

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OUR NAZARITE-LIKE VOWJesus is our High Priest andas laymen and women, we cancopy him by our Nazarite-likevow to total consecration inthe service of God. In ourEcclesias the brethren repre-sent our Lord Jesus Christ,'the image and glory of God f,while the sisters representfthe glory of the man f whichmust be covered in His presence.Paul was careful to avoid usingthe same word for fcovering 'in 1 Cor. 11:6-7 (katakalupto)as he does in verse 15 (peri-bolaion). The idea behind theformer word is 'complete*covering (of the hair, not thefact of 2 Cor. 3:18) where asthe latter word (only found hereand in Heb. 1:12) means 'some-thing cast around'. Obviouslylong hair can only convenientlybe covered by first winding orbraiding it round the head insome way.Without diverting attention fromthe primary teaching, Paul has,nevertheless, pointed the wayto an understanding of theprinciple underlying his commandthat, in official meetings ofthe ecclesia, the symbolism ofhead covering should be used toshow that we 'all' accept thedivine authority of Christ asthe Head of the Body. Thebrethren uncover their headsas representing Christ in His

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gl or y th e unsullied image of God.The sisters cover their hair inthe presence of the One who hasauthority over the ecclesia theyrepresent. Head covering is nota symbol of the intellectual,moral, or spiritual inferiorityof sisters for fthere is neithermale nor female, for you are allone in Christ Jesus' (Gal. 3:28)

Paul made it clear in the phrase!power on her head' that thesisters had authority on and overtheir heads to see that they wereproperly covered. They will beheld responsible by their Lordfor what they do by way of obeyingthis ordinance of Head Coveringgiven^to us through the ApostlePaul.

SO WHY GRUMBLE?Grumbling is very contagious,and its effects are deadly. Itis a common complaint, and onewhich is not escaped by Christadel-phians. It should be the earnestendeavor of everyone of us toovercome this evil. Grumblersare not friends of God. They areclassed by Jude among the ungodly.It was persistent grumbling thatbrought the vengeance of God uponthousands in Israel in the timeof Moses. In Paul's letters(1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14) grumblingis expressly forbidden. Particu-larly painful is the habit whendirected towards ecclesial affairs.

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Those who indulge in grumblingcheck and hinder where theyshould offer warmth andencouragement.It may be just thoughtlessness,but it is, nevertheless unkind,It hampers the strivings ofthose who are laboring for theTruth. It should not be for-gotten that Christ is at thehead of all ecclesial affairs.If there are troubles or thingsunsatisfactory it is possiblethat He may have thus wiselyarranged them. This thoughtalone would quiet the murmuringtongue.

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CONCLUSIONYahweh has laid out in scripture for us a clear

picture of a virtuous daughter. We can adorn it orabuse it. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Would I knowingly offend a Brotheror Sister?

2. Do I responsibly recognize my positionas a Sister in Christ to be differentfrom the world?

3. Am I anxious to join in fellowship withmembers of the household of faith orwould I prefer an evening "out"?

4. When people ask me why Christadelphianwomen cover their heads at ecclesialfunctions, do I know how to explainmy reasons?

5. Do I "dress" to "impress"?6. Am I spending enough time each day

for my personal study of God's Word?7. Am I prepared for Christ to come TODAY?We are all aware that Christ's return is just

around the corner. Let's get our "Spiritual House"in order and work towards presenting ourselves "aliving sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God whichis our reasonable service". (Rom. 12:1)

EVEN SO - COME LORD JESUS!

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BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Brother Maurice Stewart2. Brother Robert Roberts3. Brother Harry Tennant4. Brother Dennis Gillette5. Newspaper article6. Christadelphian Tidings,

Vol. 40, Sept.-Oct. 1977.Sister Pixie McLeod.7. Christadelphian Magazine, Jan 1979,

Brother Stuart Cowlishaw.8. A.T.J. (1886)


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Documents

A Sisters Place in the Family of God