Doctrinal Mastery: 1 Corinthians 11:11

Both Men and Women Are Essential in Heavenly Father’s Plan

Young couple stands outside the Ogden Utah Temple. They are looking out at the temple in the background with the Angel Moroni being almost top center of the image. He is wearing a dark blue suit with white collared shirt. She is in a white dress. It is late afternoon/early evening.

In your study of 1 Corinthians 11, you learned about how God views the unique and divine roles of women and men. The intent of this lesson is to help you increase your mastery of these teachings as you memorize the reference and key scripture phrase for 1 Corinthians 11:11, explain the doctrine, and apply principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge to a real-life situation.

Explain and memorize

Look at your hands. Observe how they are the same as each other and how they are different.

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

The following activity can help you memorize the doctrinal mastery reference 1 Corinthians 11:11 and its key scripture phrase, “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”

Write the key scripture phrase and scripture reference. Read or recite the phrase and reference multiple times, erasing or deleting words each time. Continue until you are comfortable repeating the key scripture phrase and reference without looking at the words.

Practice application

In your study journal, record the following principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge:

Act in faith
Examine concepts and questions with an eternal perspective
Seek further understanding through divinely appointed sources

Describe each principle in two or three sentences. You may want to refer to paragraphs 5–12 in the Doctrinal Mastery Core Document (2022) to check your knowledge and add any important information you may have missed.

In 1 Corinthians 11:11, you learned that in Heavenly Father’s plan, both women and men are essential.

How has this truth been misunderstood or disregarded in society?
What are some situations in your life where you might have the opportunity to teach or defend this truth?

Select one of the following scenarios, and think about how applying the principles of acquiring spiritual knowledge can help someone understand the truth from 1 Corinthians 11:11 about the roles of men and women in Heavenly Father’s plan.

Kalee’s younger sister Elle heard some boys at school saying that men are more important than women. Elle asks Kalee, “Aren’t I worth just as much as boys are?”
Reid is concerned because he hears some of his fellow quorum members talking disrespectfully about women.
After watching a popular movie, a group of friends makes fun of the ridiculous actions of the father character. Several agree that the father wasn’t needed, and one friend states, “This is why you don’t need a man to raise a happy family.”
Esteban and Clara are preparing to marry in the temple. Their parents suggest that they talk about how each will fulfill the different roles and responsibilities in their future family.