Reflections on 1 Corinthians 11:8–9
“For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” (NIV)
These two verses have been used for centuries to put women in their place. I don’t believe that is what Paul is doing here at all. This is not a bunch of rules on how to address a husband or how a woman should dress; that would be petty and not worth a place like this in the Scriptures. This is a conversation, given under inspiration, about the natural laws of relationship between a husband and wife – laws that, if ignored, will cause strife and pain.
A Picture of the Godhead
God created man a social being; he needed a companion to share his life with. But God was also doing something more. In the creation of man and woman He was demonstrating the relationship between Christ, His Father and the Holy Spirit. Christ came out of God, and after that all other created beings, worlds, the entire universe came from Christ. In the same way Eve, woman, drew her original life from Adam.
Yet Adam has no ability to conceive and bear children. That is what woman does, with the cooperation of man. Every man since Adam has come through a woman – Paul says exactly this a few verses later: “as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God” (1 Corinthians 11:12). God is revealing Himself in this. And here is the beautiful part: this was the way God planned to reveal Himself before the fall, so sin never marred this part of the illustration. Every child born is still a small sermon about where life comes from.
The Lies It Answered
Satan was already spreading lies about the Godhead. He had access to and knowledge of the relationship between them that no other angel had witnessed, and there were no other witnesses to refute what he said. The creation of Adam and Eve, two becoming one flesh, one in heart, mind and purpose, gave the universe something it could see for itself: an unmarred representation of the three in one.
The Most Important Choice
How does this relate to us today, after sin has destroyed the perfection of God’s creation? Marriage is the most important relationship we form in this life. No one else can have the influence a married couple have on each other, for good or ill. A man who lets God be his head will begin to reflect the character of Christ – it is a law of worship that cannot be avoided. The woman who accepts him as her head will in the same manner begin to reflect his character, and he will mirror hers. The two become one.
This is why God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18). Man needed woman, and she was created to fill that place in his life – to grow into, mature and become exactly the partner for him. As you spend years with a person, loving and caring for them, you develop traits to fit them best, to please them. You become an extension of each other. And sadly, this choice is often made in the heat of the moment, with little thought of what it will do to our personality, character and happiness over a lifetime.
Made For Growing
So what does it mean that woman was made “for man”? Not for his convenience. There would have been no way for Adam or Eve to mature into loving, dependable creations of God without someone to care about. We need people to care for, those we can do for and make happy. Without that, life would be completely self-focused, and a self-focused life is not an expanding or happy life.
One translation, The Remedy, puts it beautifully: woman was created “to help man enter into the fullness of Godlike Love by being the selfless recipient of man’s humble, loving service.” Eve gave Adam someone to love, and in loving her he became more like God. And the same was true for her. Neither is the servant of the other; both grow by giving. That is the circle of Love God built into the very first home.
