# 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 15:28: Does “God Is the Head of Christ” Mean Jesus Is Not God? > Paul says the head of Christ is God, and that the Son will subject himself to the Father. The same verse uses that word head for a husband and a wife. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/god-is-the-head-of-christ-1-corinthians-11-3 - Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: jehovahs-witnesses, christology, trinity - Updated: 2026-10-18 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) No. [1 Corinthians 11:3](/bible/1-corinthians/11/3) sets an order: the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. [1 Corinthians 15:24–28](/bible/1-corinthians/15) says the Son hands the kingdom to his God and Father and then subjects himself, so that God may be all in all. Jehovah’s Witnesses read those lines as proof that Jesus is not God. The verse that names the head of Christ uses the same word for a husband and a wife, and a husband is not a different kind of being from his wife. ## Key Points - The study note on [John 14:28](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/14/#v43014028) in the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 15:20, 24–28 for a separate and superior position of the Father. - Catholic, complementarian, and egalitarian documents disagree about what a husband’s headship asks of a marriage. All three say the husband and wife are equal as persons. - [John 5:23](/bible/john/5/23) says the Son is to be honored as the Father is honored, in the same paragraph where he does what he sees the Father do. - [1 Corinthians 15:27](/bible/1-corinthians/15/27) says the one who subjected all things is not included among the things subjected. The Father is not one more item under the Son’s feet. ## What Does 1 Corinthians 11:3 Mean? The [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of 1 Corinthians 11:3](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/1-corinthians/11/#v46011003) reads: > But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn, the head of a woman is the man; in turn, the head of the Christ is God. The King James on [1 Corinthians 11:3](/bible/1-corinthians/11/3) is the same order: the head of every man is Christ, the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God. Verses 8 and 9 recall Genesis: the woman was made from the man, and for the man. Verses 11 and 12 then say that in the Lord the woman is not without the man, nor the man without the woman, and that all things are of God. The paragraph is about covering the head in worship. It is also a chain of three heads. The middle link is a man and a woman. They share one human nature. Head names who is first in that relation. It does not say the woman is a creature of a lower species. The last link uses the same word for God and Christ. A reader who turns the last link into “Christ is not God” has given the word a force it does not have in the middle link. The study notes on that page of the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) discuss head coverings and the Lord’s Evening Meal. They do not add a sentence that the headship line makes Jesus a creature. The christological reading is in a different note. ## How Do Churches Read the Husband’s Headship? Christians who agree that the Son is God still disagree about the middle link. Their own documents show where. The Catholic reading is in John Paul II’s apostolic letter [Mulieris Dignitatem](https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html), section 24. He quotes Ephesians 5, “the husband is the head of the wife,” and says the way of speaking “so profoundly rooted in the customs and religious tradition of the time” is to be carried out in a new way, as a “mutual subjection out of reverence for Christ.” Then he marks the limit of the comparison: > However, whereas in the relationship between Christ and the Church the subjection is only on the part of the Church, in the relationship between husband and wife the "subjection" is not one-sided but mutual. The complementarian reading is the [Danvers Statement](https://cbmw.org/about/the-danvers-statement/) of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. It says Adam and Eve were “equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood,” and that “Adam’s headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin.” It cites 1 Corinthians 11:7–9 for that order, and 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 for its claim that “some governing and teaching roles within the church are restricted to men.” The egalitarian reading is CBE International’s statement [Men, Women, and Biblical Equality](https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/men-women-and-biblical-equality/). It cites 1 Corinthians 11:11–12 for the full equality of men and women, says husbands and wives are “bound together in a relationship of mutual submission and responsibility,” and says the husband’s function as “head” (kephale) “is to be understood as self-giving love and service within this relationship of mutual submission.” The three disagree about authority in the home and in the church. None of them reads the head of a wife as a being of a different nature from her. Danvers says the two are equal as persons, CBE says fully equal, and John Paul II calls the subjection mutual. The disagreement is about order and office. It is the same kind of question the last link raises. ## Is Jesus Subordinate to the Father? The study note on “the Father is greater than I am” at [John 14:28](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/14/#v43014028) in the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) says Jesus acknowledged his Father’s greatness, authority, and superior position. It then says that even after the ascension the apostles described the Father as having a separate and superior position in relation to Jesus, and it lists 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 15:20, 24–28 among those texts. That is a fair report of the order Paul names. The Son has a Father. The Son obeys, prays, and returns the kingdom. [Philippians 2:6](/bible/philippians/2/6) is where that order starts: being in the form of God, he took the form of a servant. [Philippians 2:6: Did Jesus Refuse Equality With God?](/jehovahs-witnesses/philippians-2-6-equality-with-god) stays with the word their translation adds there. [If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray?](/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray) is the same question from the Gospels. [John 20:17: “My God and Your God”](/islam/my-god-and-your-god-john-20-17) is the risen Jesus speaking of his God. [Does Jesus Have a God?](/christianity/does-jesus-have-a-god) holds those “my God” lines with [Hebrews 1:8](/bible/hebrews/1/8), where the Father calls the Son God. [John 5:18–23](/bible/john/5) is the other direction. The hearers say he made himself equal with God by calling God his Father. Jesus answers that the Son does what he sees the Father do, that the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, and that all should honor the Son as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. A superior position in the relation of Father and Son sits beside honor that is the same honor. Biblical Unitarians and Muslims use 1 Corinthians 11:3 in the same way Jehovah’s Witnesses do: a head who is God, and a Christ who therefore is not. [1 Corinthians 8:6](/biblical-unitarianism/one-god-the-father-1-corinthians-8-6) is the Unitarian page on “one God, the Father.” The verse in chapter 11 does not say the head and the one under him have different natures. The man and the woman show that. ## What Does 1 Corinthians 15:28 Mean? Chapter 15 is the resurrection chapter. Christ has been raised, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Then each in his own order. The [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of 1 Corinthians 15:24](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/1-corinthians/15/#v46015024) says: > Next, the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has brought to nothing all government and all authority and power. Verse 27 quotes the line that God subjected all things under his feet, and then says it is evident that this does not include the one who subjected all things to him. Verse 28 says that when all things have been subjected, the Son himself will also subject himself to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all things to everyone. The King James of [1 Corinthians 15:28](/bible/1-corinthians/15/28) says the Son also himself shall be subject, that God may be all in all. The study note on “the end” in that Bible takes the moment as the close of the Thousand Year Reign, when a subsidiary government is no longer needed and the role of Redeemer ends. The note on “will also subject himself” says the Son relinquishes rulership and shows he is still humble. Those notes describe an office that finishes. They do not quote a line in which the Son ceases to be the one through whom the dead are raised. Verse 21 has already said that resurrection of the dead comes through a man, and verse 22 that in the Christ all will be made alive. The man who hands the kingdom back is the man of that resurrection, the Son who has a God and Father. [1 Corinthians 15:27](/bible/1-corinthians/15/27) is the guardrail inside the paragraph. The Father is not among the enemies put under the Son’s feet. Subjection of the Son to the Father is the relation the paragraph already assumes. It is the end of a reign, told so that God may be all in all, not a moment when the Son is reclassified as a creature. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does 1 Corinthians 15:28 Mean the Son Stops Being Lord? It says he will be subject so that God may be all in all. [Philippians 2:11](/bible/philippians/2/11) already says the confession that Jesus Christ is Lord is to the glory of God the Father. The kingdom is handed to his God and Father. The one who hands it over is the Christ of the resurrection paragraph. ### What About 1 Corinthians 11:4, 11:5, and 11:9? Verses 4 and 5 are about a man or a woman praying with the head covered or uncovered. Verse 9 says the woman was created for the man. Those lines belong to the worship instructions in the chapter. They use the same word head as verse 3. They do not add a second christology. ## Keep Reading - [Philippians 2:6: Did Jesus Refuse Equality With God?](/jehovahs-witnesses/philippians-2-6-equality-with-god) - [Does Jesus Have a God?](/christianity/does-jesus-have-a-god) - [John 20:17: “My God and Your God”](/islam/my-god-and-your-god-john-20-17) - [If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray?](/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray) - [John 10:30: What Does “I and the Father Are One” Mean?](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-10-30-i-and-the-father-are-one) - [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) - [What vs. Who: One Being, Three Persons](/christianity/what-vs-who-trinity) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### 1 Corinthians 11:3 King James Version. > But I would have you know, that 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 15:24–28 King James Version. > [15:24] Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. [15:25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. [15:26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. [15:27] For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. [15:28] And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. ### John 14:28 New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). [Open on jw.org](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/14/#v43014028) > You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I am. ### John 5:23 King James Version. > That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. ### 1 Corinthians 15:27 King James Version. > For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. ### Philippians 2:6 King James Version. > Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ### Hebrews 1:8 King James Version. > But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. ### John 5:18–23 King James Version. > [5:18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. [5:19] Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. [5:20] For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. [5:21] For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. [5:22] For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: [5:23] That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. ### 1 Corinthians 15:28 King James Version. > And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. ### Philippians 2:11 King James Version. > And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ### Philippians 2:6–11 King James Version. > [2:6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [2:7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [2:8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [2:9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [2:10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [2:11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 11:3; 11:8–12; 15:20–28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/11/3). King James Version 2. [Gospel of John, 5:18–23; 14:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/5). King James Version 3. [Letter to the Philippians, 2:6–11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/philippians/2). King James Version 4. [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of the Holy Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 11:3 (2013 revision)](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/1-corinthians/11/#v46011003) (Study Edition. The head of the Christ is God, in the same sentence as the head of a man and the head of a woman.) 5. [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of the Holy Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 (2013 revision)](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/1-corinthians/15/#v46015024) (Study Edition. The Son hands the Kingdom to his God and Father and then subjects himself.) 6. [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of the Holy Scriptures, Study note on John 14:28 (Study Edition)](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/14/#v43014028) (The note cites 1 Corinthians 11:3 and 15:20, 24–28 for a separate and superior position of the Father.) 7. [John Paul II, Mulieris Dignitatem, Apostolic letter, 15 August 1988, section 24](https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1988/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19880815_mulieris-dignitatem.html) (The husband is head as Christ is head of the Church, and the subjection between husband and wife is mutual.) 8. [Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, The Danvers Statement, Affirmations](https://cbmw.org/about/the-danvers-statement/) (Complementarian. Adam’s headship in marriage was established before the Fall.) 9. [CBE International, Men, Women, and Biblical Equality, Biblical Truths, Family 11](https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/men-women-and-biblical-equality/) (Egalitarian. The husband’s headship is self-giving love and service within mutual submission.) ## See Also - [Did Jesus Die on a Cross or a Stake?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/cross-or-torture-stake) — Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus died on an upright stake. John speaks of nails in his hands, and Justin Martyr describes two beams. - [Does “Jehovah” Belong in the New Testament?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/does-jehovah-belong-in-the-new-testament) — The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) uses the name Jehovah 237 times in the New Testament. The Study Edition’s note on Acts 7:60 says the Greek manuscripts read “Lord.” - [How the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) Changes John 1:1 and Other Verses About Jesus](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-the-new-world-translation-changes-verses-about-jesus) — How the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) renders John 1:1 as “a god” and other verses about Jesus, beside the King James and the Greek. - [Is Jesus “Our Great God and Savior” in Titus 2:13?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/titus-2-13-our-great-god-and-savior) — Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 use one Greek article for God and Savior. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) reads them as two persons. - [Is Jesus God?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-jesus-god) — Yes. Jesus is truly God and truly human. Where Jesus claimed to be God is this page: he forgave sins, applied God’s name and honor to himself, and received Thomas’s confession that he is Lord and God.