Looking at Paul’s instructions to the women in the church at Corinth, how were they to dress themselves and how were they to behave in general?

This text is from a transcript of a talk by David Gooding, entitled ‘Inspiration, Authority and Interpretation’ (1973).

For long centuries the Christian church took Paul to mean what he said and women wore veils or their counterparts in church. Now, for some curious reason, vast sections of Christendom have decided that it was only relevant to Corinth. At Corinth people were very bad and therefore Christian women had to conform to very strict standards of etiquette and behaviour so as not to look like these bad people in Corinth and thereby offend the good people in Corinth. Therefore, in great parts of Christendom nowadays, ladies no longer wear veils, hats, or any other such objects in church.

However, if you look at what Paul actually says, it becomes immediately apparent, right on the surface, that he is not talking about some concession or some temporary thing applicable only to the Christian women in Corinth. He says that the reason why Christian men don't wear hats in church and Christian women do, is for a specific reason:

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 RV)

Evidently this is not referring only to local conditions in Corinth. 'The head of Christ is God'—that is absolutely as true today as it was when Paul wrote it. 'And the head of every man is Christ'—that isn't a little adaptation to suit the conditions in Corinth, it is still true now. I'd better pluck up my courage and read the rest!—'And the head of the woman is the man.'

The apostle urged the early Christians to symbolize those timeless verities in this double symbol; wearing a veil if you are a woman and not wearing one if you are a man. It is a significant symbol of spiritual relationships, just as the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper are symbols.