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Are symbols important to Christians?
Absolutely!
Baptism means more than getting dunked in the water! The symbolism is the old man is buried in death and the new man is raised to eternal life. Romans 6:2-11 There is nothing magic about the water. Baptism is a demonstration of obedience through our faith.
Objectively speaking in human terms, the practice of having someone dunk you under the water in front of a bunch of spectators rings of fraternity hazing. In the same fashion, wearing a head covering smells a lot like a sorority or club induction ritual.
The act of baptism that so many of us take very seriously makes about as much sense as a covering on a woman’s head!
I am not discounting the importance and need to be baptized. I am trying to direct your attention to how symbols play a huge part in the Christian walk or journey.
The Lord’s Supper – eat my body, drink my blood! A ritual of eating a small cracker and drinking a tiny amount of grape juice pretending that it is the body and blood of Jesus.
Really?
Sounds a little far-fetched for someone unfamiliar with the Bible but Jesus Himself instituted the practice.
Because we understand and internalize these rituals – we readily find them acceptable. But for those without a Bible background, these practices are just as strange as a woman covering her head (or a man removing his cap).
Having tried to explain the Lord’s Supper to people who had limited Bible knowledge, I can assure you that some find the tradition of the Lord’s Supper every bit as strange as requiring a woman to wear a cloth covering.
Do I consider the Lord’s Supper significant?
Well, “significant” isn’t a strong enough word.
Jesus said to do this in remembrance of Me. I am wholly trusting in Him having given His body and His blood on the cross as the sacrifice for my sins – the only hope that I have for eternal life.
With the Lord’s Supper in the same chapter of 1st Corinthians Chapter 11 as the head covering commands, how do we reconcile the dismissal of one symbol while adhering to the other symbol?
Many will say that the woman wearing a piece of cloth on her head just doesn’t make any sense; there is no logic behind the premise. “It’s silly!”
Let’s see what else Paul told the Corinthians about another symbol Christians hold dear, i.e., the symbol of the cross. 1st Corinthians 1:18-31 NKJV:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1st Corinthians 1:18-31NKJV (Bold added)
The culture today judges the practice of head covering as foolish. Those who engage in the practice are mocked, laughed at, and made fun of!
The ridicule is not always done face to face with them but with jokes, sly glances, and a haughty attitude. The world sees a woman wearing a scarf or veil as outdated and foolish.
We must never forget the Bible is chocked full of accounts of people doing ridiculous things for reasons they could not explain. 2 Kings 5:1-19 gives the details of Naaman who was told to dip seven times in the dirty, filthy Jordan River to be cleansed of his leprosy.
Bible students love to discuss obedience and all the nuances of what would have happened if he only went down six times, gone to a cleaner river, etc.
Dipping in the Jordan to cure leprosy is foolish from a human perspective (and it was equally clownish several thousands of years ago). No scientific or medical theory would support the idea, but . . . is there a lesson for us?
Naaman’s action required unbelievable humility. He was an extremely powerful and important man in his government. He was a high-ranking officer who had the ear of the king of Syria. 2nd Kings 5:1-15
Assume that Naaman had come up out of the water still having leprosy. Just think how the Jews would have laughed about the stupid Syrian commander who was tricked by a cagey old prophet into bathing in a dirty river!
Naaman would have been mocked for thousands of years for believing the silly fairytale that dipping exactly seven times in dirty water would cure him.
Can we see any correlation between Naaman’s willingness to humble himself and our humility in teaching and practicing a head covering rite that seems equally outlandish?
Symbols in the Bible do not necessarily involve positive symbols such as the Lord’s Supper and the cross that represent the forgiveness of our sins.
Some symbols are demonic, evil, and ungodly.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 discusses eating foods offered to idols.
The Corinthians were told to eat anything and everything (even meat offered to idols), it doesn’t matter! Unless . . . there is someone that may believe the offering to an idol has meaning.
“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” 1st Corinthians 8:9-12 NKJV (Bold added)
Paul uses rhetorical questions to make his point that eating in an idol’s temple might cause a weak brother to eat things offered to idols against his conscious. The questions are asked to bring the reader to the realization that eating things offered to an idol is perfectly fine unless it might cause another to stumble.
Stop and think for just a moment – a person can be eternally lost or perish by eating meat offered to an idol. 1 Corinthians 8:11 One’s soul can be cast into an eternal hell over eating perfectly good food simply because there is an associated symbolic meaning.
“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?” Ist Corinthians 11:9-11 NKJV (Bold added)
Does this teaching about eating meats offered to idols apply today?
Yes, it is just as applicable today as it was 2,000 years ago.
God will not approve of people offering sacrifices to idols today, nor was the practice simply a “cultural thing” in Corinth.
Paul expounds in 1st Corinthians Chapter 10, “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” “Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience?” 1st Corinthians 10:25-29 NKJV (Bold added)
Paul says to eat whatever they put on your plate.
Don’t even ask any questions about what it is or if it involves an idol. Just eat it. But . . . if someone tells you that it was offered to an idol, then don’t eat it!
The head covering instructions are sandwiched between the evil symbol of eating meat offered to idols and the precious symbol of the Lord’s Supper.
Let’s see. . . . . . the negative symbol of eating food offered to an idol can cause me to perish.
The taking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner will make me guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 11:29
But the symbolic meaning of the woman placing a cloth covering over her head that we find inserted between these other two symbols can be ignored.
Sounds a bit like “picking and choosing” to me.
Our physical actions on earth carry symbolic meaning in the spiritual realm that are
highly substantive and important.
The symbols can be positive reinforcement about God, salvation, and giving praise, glory, and honor to God and Christ. Similarly, physical acts can be performed with a symbolic meaning in opposition to God that is sinful, such as idol worship.
We send a message or communicate something regardless of what we do.
We communicate to those around us when we observe a scriptural ritual or when we do not.
Let’s use the Lord’s Supper to illustrate what I mean. Taking of the Lord’s Supper proclaims Christ’s death until He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26
A visitor who does not participate in the sacred communion sends a message to the rest sitting in the pews that he is not a believer, not a Christian.
When we sit next to a brother or sister who abstains from the Lord’s Supper, it may signal a struggle with sin or temptation that has overwhelmed them. This brother or sister may be choosing not to eat to avoid doing so in an unworthy manner. 1 Corinthians 11:27
This brother or sister may know there is an unresolved issue with another. Matthew 5:23-24 (the context being bringing a gift to the altar, but the sentiment to first be reconciled to our brother is applicable).
My point is that communication is taking place no matter what we choose.
The head covering symbols of removing a man’s covering (and the woman adding a covering to her head) are equally meaningful and graphic. These symbolic representations tell God, the angels, and all those around us that we profess God is sovereign. He has commissioned our rank. We accept the role that He has given to us.
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