1 Corinthians 11:2-6
Worship practices should visibly honor God's order and reflect reverence in the gathered church.
2 Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.
3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
5 But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.
6 For if a woman is not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or be shaved, let her be covered.
Worship practices should visibly honor God's order and reflect reverence in the gathered church.
Paul begins correcting issues in the Corinthian gatherings by addressing conduct in worship and explaining how visible practices should reflect God's created order and honor within the gathered church.
After calling the Corinthians to imitate Christ-shaped living, Paul begins addressing conduct within the gathered worship of the church. Chapters 11–14 deal extensively with order, edification, and proper practice in the assembly. This passage introduces Paul's discussion by affirming the importance of apostolic instruction while addressing practices that reflected honor and propriety in the Corinthian setting. The broader concern is that worship reflect God's order and not mirror the surrounding culture's confusion.
Head coverings in Greco-Roman society functioned as visible indicators of social honor, modesty, and marital fidelity. Paul's instructions address how Christian worship should reflect dignity and avoid practices associated with shame or dishonor within the Corinthian cultural environment.
Honor, Worship Order, and the Lord’s Supper Under the Lordship of Christ
Because the gathered church belongs to Christ and the Lord’s Supper proclaims his death, believers must conduct themselves in worship with ordered honor, mutual regard, self-examination, and discerning recognition of the body of Christ.