Does 1 Corinthians 11 mean women sin if they shave their heads? What if it’s due to illness?
That’s what one listener named Anna asked Pastor Adriel Sanchez during an episode of Core Christianity. Her hair was falling out due to health problems and she wanted to know: “If I shave my head, am I dishonoring God?”
The passage she referred to—1 Corinthians 11:5–6—says a woman dishonors her head if it is uncovered or shaven. It’s a passage often quoted, rarely explained well, and frequently misunderstood in modern discussions about gender, the body, and Christian worship.
What many overlook is how tightly this is tied to first-century cultural norms. Corinth was a Roman colony where dress, grooming, and head coverings carried different connotations depending on whether you were Roman or Greek, male or female, high or low status.
In that time and place, a woman shaving her head could signal disgrace, grief, or mourning. In some cases, it could be associated with immorality or religious shame. But this is not a timeless rule tied to a woman’s inherent dignity or salvation. Rather, it’s about honoring God and others within your cultural context.
Sanchez emphasized that these were cultural markers, not permanent spiritual mandates.
“You shaving your head today does not mean what it meant in Corinth,” he told her. “It wouldn’t be scandalizing. It wouldn’t dishonor God.”
The passage in question is one of the more debated ones in the New Testament. Paul writes:
“Every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven.”
(1 Corinthians 11:5)
But what’s actually going on here?
Adriel explained that this chapter sits within a longer discussion (chapters 11–14) on worship and order in the early church. Paul’s concern is not just about hairstyles—it’s about what’s honorable and culturally appropriate within a particular context.
At the time, Corinth was a Roman colony with strong Greek influence. And in that cultural moment, a woman with a shaved head could be signaling a number of things: grief, shame, ritual impurity, or even rebellion against social norms. In short, it wasn’t about personal grooming—it was symbolic.
Paul’s goal wasn’t to issue a permanent law about hair length or fabric head coverings. He was encouraging believers to worship in ways that respected the created order, upheld modesty, and didn’t cause unnecessary scandal within the church or society.
“Paul is aiming for decency and order in worship (see 1 Corinthians 14:40), and for respect in the male–female relationship,” Adriel said. “But that’s not a universal or timeless command.”
That’s where Anna’s situation becomes so important. She’s not making a social statement. She’s not trying to reject biblical womanhood or disrupt a worship service. She’s sick. Her hair is falling out. She’s trying to make peace with shaving her head—and is wondering whether God will see that as rebellion.
In response, Adriel drew a crucial distinction: “You shaving your head today does not mean what it meant in Corinth. It wouldn’t be a scandalizing thing. It wouldn’t dishonor God.”
This is a key principle in interpreting Scripture: context matters. Some biblical instructions are tied closely to cultural meanings that no longer carry over. Applying them today requires wisdom, not wooden literalism.
In Anna’s case, there’s no biblical reason for guilt or fear. Her heart is oriented toward honoring God. And that’s what the Lord sees.
Beneath the question of hair is something much deeper: a desire to be faithful in weakness. Anna isn’t asking what she can get away with. She’s asking how to please God in the middle of a painful, public, and physical trial.
That’s a posture the Bible celebrates. Scripture is full of people bringing their questions, brokenness, and limitations before the Lord—only to be met with grace.
So when Adriel told her, “God sees your heart,” it wasn’t a throwaway line. It was Gospel truth. God isn’t measuring Anna’s righteousness by how she looks, but by whether she trusts Him.
And in asking the question, she showed that she does.