1 Corinthians 11
The Unique and Divine Roles of Men and Women
Continuing his instruction and encouragement to the Corinthian Saints, Paul taught that men and women are meant to work together and support one another as they follow the Lord. The intent of this lesson is to help you better understand why men and women need each other in order to obtain the highest blessings in Heavenly Father’s plan.
Student preparation: Invite students to recall when they have seen men and women work together and support one another. Encourage them to think about how the different perspectives, abilities, and strengths of men and women positively influence marriage, family, community, and Church relationships.
Possible Learning Activities
The roles of women and men
As an alternate way to begin, consider showing a portion of President Jean B. Bingham’s address “United in Accomplishing God’s Work” from time codes 9:45–10:54.
Consider the following questions as you look at this image of a tandem bike team.
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What skills or abilities are needed to help this team succeed?
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How might differences between the individuals strengthen their partnership and help them become more united?
As you study 1 Corinthians 11, ponder how men and women can righteously work together as equal partners to fulfill their divinely appointed roles and qualify for eternal life.
Help students understand that some of Paul’s teachings related to specific cultural standards of that day and can be difficult to understand. Remind students to be careful to not judge Paul’s writings and the people of that time according to the standards revealed by the Lord today.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1–16, Paul addressed social customs among the Corinthians of his day that were not aligned with the Lord’s view on the divine roles of men and women. It is important not to confuse these customs with the truths Paul was teaching.
Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord revealed timeless truths about the divine roles of men and women in 1 Corinthians 11:11–12.
Read 1 Corinthians 11:11–12, looking for truths you learn about God, men, and women.
Women and men in full partnership with the Lord
In 1 Corinthians 11:11 we learn that in Heavenly Father’s plan, both men and women are essential.
Consider displaying the following statements and inviting students to read and discuss in pairs or small groups the questions that follow. They may want to share with the class examples of men and women working together.
Read the following statements from the proclamation on the family and from members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, looking for ways men and women are essential in Heavenly Father’s plan.
From the proclamation on the family we read:
Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners.
(“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
In our Heavenly Father’s great priesthood-endowed plan, men have the unique responsibility to administer the priesthood, but they are not the priesthood. Men and women have different but equally valued roles. Just as a woman cannot conceive a child without a man, so a man cannot fully exercise the power of the priesthood to establish an eternal family without a woman. … In the eternal perspective, both the procreative power and the priesthood power are shared by husband and wife.
(M. Russell Ballard, “This Is My Work and Glory,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 19)
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
The unique combination of spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional capacities of both males and females was needed to enact the plan of happiness. “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:11). The man and the woman are intended to learn from, strengthen, bless, and complete each other.
(David A. Bednar, “We Believe in Being Chaste,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 41–42)
Give students enough time to discuss what they find and any questions they may have. Listen carefully as they respond, and consider asking follow-up questions to help students deepen their understanding such as these: Why do you think it is important to understand this teaching? What do we learn about Heavenly Father’s view of women and men? How is this view different from how the world talks about men and women? How might that truth influence your attitudes and behaviors?
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Why do you think that in Heavenly Father’s plan, His sons and His daughters achieve eternal life together?
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How does this demonstrate Heavenly Father’s love and respect for both women and men?
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How could understanding these truths help you when you face contrasting views about the roles and responsibilities of men and women?
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How could you apply these truths about women and men in your life (for example, at home, in church with other young men or young women, and as you prepare for your future family life)?
Depending on available class time, students may benefit from continuing their study of 1 Corinthians 11 and discussing the sacrament. See the “Supplemental Learning Activities” section for one way students could study the sacrament.
Commentary and Background Information
What if people that I love do not marry or have children?
Some may worry or wonder about how Heavenly Father’s plan for both women and men can be fulfilled for those who do not marry or have children. With great compassion, President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated these comforting words:
Those who do not marry or those who cannot have children are not excluded from the eternal blessings they seek but which, for now, remain beyond their reach. …
Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son. You will be given a personal assurance from Them that your life will be full and that no blessing that is essential will be lost to you.
As a servant of the Lord, acting in the office to which I have been ordained, I give those in such circumstances a promise that there will be nothing essential to your salvation and exaltation that shall not in due time rest upon you.
(Boyd K. Packer, “The Witness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 95)
Why does Satan want us to be divided as men and women?
President Jean B. Bingham, former General President of the Relief Society, taught:
The adversary has been quite successful in his goal to divide men and women in his attempts to conquer our souls. Lucifer knows that if he can damage the unity men and women feel, if he can confuse us about our divine worth and covenant responsibilities, he will succeed in destroying families, which are the essential units of eternity.
Satan incites comparison as a tool to create feelings of being superior or inferior, hiding the eternal truth that men’s and women’s innate differences are God given and equally valued. He has attempted to demean women’s contributions both to the family and in civil society, thereby decreasing their uplifting influence for good. His goal has been to foster a power struggle rather than a celebration of the unique contributions of men and women that complement one another and contribute to unity.
(Jean B. Bingham, “United in Accomplishing God’s Work,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 60–61)
Supplemental Learning Activities
Complementary roles in marriage
Consider showing the video “Renaissance of Marriage” (2:36), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, where President Henry B. Eyring spoke at an international colloquium about marriage. He shared how the complementary roles of a husband and a wife can create happiness for themselves and their families in this life and in eternity.
How the Savior treated women and men
To help students think about how Jesus Christ interacted with and valued both women and men, consider displaying various images from His life. These could include the raising of Lazarus, the woman at the well, the woman taken in adultery, the rich young ruler, Jairus and his daughter, the woman with the issue of blood, and others. Invite students to reflect on how the Savior’s example demonstrates how they should value and respect both the women and men in their lives.
We should examine our lives as we partake of the sacrament
Students may benefit from studying 1 Corinthians 11:23–32 and identifying the truth listed above (see verse 28). It may be helpful to explain that Paul reminded the Corinthians of the Last Supper, when Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament in remembrance of His sacrifice (see verses 23–27). After students identify the truth from verse 28, consider sharing this statement by President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95):
I asked myself this question: “Do I place God above all other things and keep all of His commandments?” Then came reflection and resolution. To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament is equally serious. The solemn moments of thought while the sacrament is being served have great significance. They are moments of self-examination, introspection, self-discernment—a time to reflect and to resolve.
(Howard W. Hunter, “Thoughts on the Sacrament,” Ensign, May 1977, 25)
Students could then consider what questions they could ponder next week during the sacrament to examine their lives. These questions could be listed on the board.