Devotional 22 January 2026

January 22, 2026 • Steve Torres

1 Corinthians 11:11-12.jpg

“For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.” (1 Corinthians 11:7–12, ESV)

Paul’s words in this passage can feel jarring at first. He states plainly that “man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man” (1 Cor 11:7). In a world already prone to pride, such language can be easily twisted. But Paul does not leave this statement standing alone. He immediately clarifies it so that order does not harden into arrogance, and submission does not dissolve into meaninglessness. Paul is speaking about direction of honor, not degrees of value. Scripture consistently teaches that God alone is supreme in worth (Isa 42:8). When Paul says that man bears God’s glory, he is describing man’s obligation to live openly and obediently before Christ, bringing honor to Him in all things (1 Cor 10:31). In the same way, when Paul says that woman is the glory of man, he is not commanding worship of the husband, but calling the wife to live in a way that honors him, supports him, and reflects well upon him. This pattern mirrors God’s own design. Woman was created from man and for man (Gen 2:18–23), not as a subordinate being, but as a fitting helper. Yet Paul immediately guards against any claim of superiority. “Nevertheless,” he writes, “in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman” (1 Cor 11:11). The man who might boast in creation order must remember a humbling truth: every man since Adam has been born of a woman (v. 12). Dependence runs both directions, and all things ultimately come from God. Paul’s concern, then, is humility. A man who refuses to honor Christ as his head is in rebellion, not strength (Eph 5:23; Col 3:19). Likewise, a wife who treats submission as optional or symbolic empties it of its God-given purpose (Eph 5:22; 1 Pet 3:1). Both errors distort God’s design. Biblical submission is not about superiority or silence. It is about gladly ordering oneself toward another for God’s glory. As believers, we are commanded to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Rom 12:10). In marriage, that honor takes distinct forms, but it springs from the same root: humility before God, gratitude for one another, and joyful obedience within His good order.