Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.46UNLIKELY
Fear
0.11UNLIKELY
Joy
0.56LIKELY
Sadness
0.21UNLIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.67LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.08UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.95LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.81LIKELY
Extraversion
0.7LIKELY
Agreeableness
0.73LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.74LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
Today we are in 1 Corinthians 11:1-16.
As you turn to this passage, it is important to remember that Paul did not write this letter with chapter divisions as we have them in our Bibles today.
Sometimes we can take passages like this, and view them on their own.
That can be a dangerous practice.
When we study God’s Word, we always want to study it in context.
We want to know the historical context.
We want to know the context within the book.
We want to know the context within all of scripture.
Scripture does not contradict itself.
It has one author, the Lord, who does not lie, nor change.
He used about 40 different men to record what he wanted written.
The Spirit worked in such a way that these men used their language, their vernacular or way of speaking, to record exactly what God wanted recorded, down to the very words used.
That is important to keep in mind with this passage, because this passage is one of those that has been misunderstood, and misused often.
In our church culture today, there is a tension between what is called egalitarianism, and complementarianism.
Today, we want to be sure to not take this passage out of context, nor deny what the Lord is teaching us in it.
Let’s pray, and then we will read through the passage, and discuss it within its context.
Prayer
Historical Context
What is going on?
What is Paul addressing here in Corinth?
As I have mentioned many times, Corinth was a city that in many ways reflected our society today.
There was a lot of social mobility in Corinth.
There are records of a slave eventually rising to a prominent political position in Corinth.
It was a city of sexual license.
There were temples filled with temple prostitutes, both male and female.
To Corinthianize was to be sexually promiscuous, and this included both adultery and homosexuality.
Many of the believers were saved out of this background, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
These cultural influences had their impact on the church, and there were a number of divisions in the church.
As we have seen in Paul’s letter thus far, the divisions really all had their root in pride.
The Corinthians were trying to one-up one another by associating with certain teachers.
They were putting down Paul because he was not rich, nor an influential, polished speaker.
They were prideful about their forward thinking, and permissiveness of sin and immorality.
Or, they were prideful about how they gave up sexual relations in their marriages.
They were prideful about having the right opinions regarding eating meat sacrificed in the pagan temples, or abstaining from doing so.
In all these things, Paul directed them back to the truth.
He directed them back to the Savior who bought them out of these ways.
He directed them back to following our Lord in considering others, living for the gospel, and doing all things for the glory of God.
He wanted them to:
Now, he begins addressing the next areas where their pride is leading them down wrong paths.
As it is said, “You attract more flies with Honey than with Vinegar.”
Paul has been gracious throughout this letter, than, he lets them have the truth.
He begins this next section with some honey before getting into the vinegar of correction.
Praise for Holding to the Traditions?
What traditions?
If we look over the next few chapters, we will find that Paul is going to address the following:
Men and Women praying and prophesying
The Lord’s Supper
Spiritual Gifts
Orderliness in Worship
The importance of the Resurrection
Paul had already taught them on these things when he was with them for a year and a half (Acts 18:11).
They were still praying and prophesying.
They were still celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
They were still using Spiritual Gifts.
They were still gathering together for Worship, and they still believed Christ rose from the dead.
However, they were struggling in each of these areas.
So, while Paul begins with praise, he quickly says, “But...”
Let’s keep reading.
It starts with Proper Theology
When addressing how they viewed leaders, and wanted to align themselves with leaders, Paul first reminded them of proper theology.
Christ is the wisdom and power of God.
God’s wisdom is foolishness to men.
God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.
Then, Paul told them how to view leaders.
When addressing sexual license he brought them a dose of proper theology, that they were bought with a price, they were sanctified,they were united with Christ.
Then, he told them to flee sexual immorality.
Here now, I see Paul about to address issues in their praying and prophesying, so he starts with setting them on a firm foundation of good theology.
What does Paul mean by ‘head’?
In Greek culture, they used the head more literally.
However, in the Jewish culture, and then the Christian culture, head was used symbolically for either ‘source’ or ‘authority’.
In this passage, Paul uses the head literally, and symbolically for the authority over another.
Christ is the authority over man, and man is the authority over woman, and finally we see God as the authority over Christ.
Now we know that God the Father and God the Son are both equally God.
It is not a matter of greatness, or priority.
It is rather a matter of roles played in unity.
That is how it is to be with the man and the woman.
It not a matter of greatness, nor priority.
It is a matter of roles being played properly for unity.
We know this because of the example of the Father and the Son, and also because of Galatians 3.28
Christianity is revolutionary in its treatment of women.
Prophetesses: Miriam (Exodus 15), Deborah (Judges 4), Anna (Luke 2:36), Acts 2:18, Philip’s daughters (Acts 21.9)
Women are not less than men.
And, women can and do have many of the gifts that men receive from the Lord, like prophesy.
However, in God’s established design, there are roles to be played properly in unity in order to honor the authority over us and glorify God who designed the structure.
That is what Paul is about to address.
Honor his Head - Christ
Pagan priests covered heads
Honor her Head - Man
Cultural practice - covered heads, hair up in public
Prostitutes were uncovered, hair down in public
Shaved heads of adulteresses
Honoring God’s Created Order
Honoring God before Angels
A word of caution
Honor the Head, not looking down on, or reducing others to lower status.
It is about glorifying God.
Conclusion
It is about honoring God, not about status.
Honor God - don’t do things to make people equate this with pagan rituals.
Honor God - don’t do things to make people think you do not honor God’s established order
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9