Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Corinthians 11:3

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God." — 1 Corinthians 11:3 (ASV)

But I would have you know.—After the general commendation in the previous verse, the reproof for neglecting, or desiring to neglect, His precepts in one particular case, is thus introduced. The subject addressed, namely, women uncovering their heads in assemblies for worship, was of fleeting importance and, as we all would now regard it, of trivial significance. Every circumstance, however, which could in the least degree cause the principles of Christianity to be perverted or misunderstood by the heathen world was of vital importance in those early days of the Church. For this reason, we find the Apostle, who most fearlessly taught the principles of Christian liberty, condemning most earnestly every application of those principles which might be detrimental to the best interests of the Christian faith. To feel bound to assert your liberty in every detail of social and political life is to cease to be free—the very liberty becomes a bondage.

The head of every man is Christ.—The Apostle does not merely address the outward practice about which his advice was sought. Instead, he proceeds to set forth the principles that oppose the concept of absolute and essential equality—a concept that found its expression and assertion in the practice of women uncovering their heads in public assemblies.

The allusion here is not to Christ as the Head of the whole human race and of all things (Colossians 1:16; Colossians 2:10), but as the Head of “the Body,” the Christian Church. This thought introduces the general argument regarding the practical subordination of woman by reminding the Corinthians that, although perfect spiritual equality exists in the Church (as taught in Galatians 3:28), it is an equality of order, not of disorder. It is an equality that can only be preserved by remembering that each member is not an isolated, irresponsible atom, but a part of an organic whole.

There is a Head to the Church; therefore, it is not a machine composed of various parts, but a body consisting of various members. As there is a subordination of the whole body to Christ, so there is in that body a subordination of woman to man. The last clause, the Head of Christ is God, gives (as is St. Paul’s custom, see 1 Corinthians 3:23; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15:25) completeness to the thought. As the Head of the Church—that is, as the man Christ Jesus—Christ is subordinate to the Father. Indeed, perhaps the idea is carried further into the mystery of the divine nature itself, which consists of three Persons who are co-eternal and co-equal, yet are designated with an unvarying sequence as “first,” “second,” and “third.”