1 Corinthians - Chapter 11

I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter study. This has been a difficult chapter for me. I prayed and studied it, then prayed some more for guidance from the Holy Spirit. During the church service last Sunday morning, my eyes were opened. Whatever was hindering my understanding of this chapter seemed to lift, and I could suddenly see the meaning more clearly.

¹Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Paul is not being boastful. Although not sinless, he was a living example of what a Christian should be. The gospels hadn’t been written yet, so most of those in the church of Corinth didn’t know much about Jesus. If he’d said to imitate Jesus, they wouldn’t have understood what that meant. Paul had spent almost two years in Corinth and built a trusting relationship with many of the new believers. So he was the only example for them to follow.

²I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. ³But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Paul’s concern here is the proper relationship between men, women, Jesus, and God when it came to worship. Without our head, our body would be worthless. Man is to be helpful to Christ, working for and serving Him. Without Christ, a man’s life is worthless. Woman was created to be a help-mate for man. If married, she is to support and assist her husband. Does this mean she is worthless if she is unmarried? Of course not. Submission is necessary for any business, government, organization, or family to run smoothly. It prevents chaos. The term “too many Chiefs and not enough Indians” comes from having too many people unwilling to do the work while they all want to rule, resulting in nothing getting accomplished. That is what happens when no one is willing to be submissive.

What do we mean by the word submissive? It is NOT surrender, withdrawal, or apathy. It is NOT inferiority. God created all people in His image, so all have equal value. Submission is mutual commitment and cooperation to achieve a common goal.  God did not make man superior to woman. He made a way for them to work together without conflict. Jesus Christ is equal to God the Father, but submitted to Him to carry out the plan for salvation. Submission between equals is submission by choice, not by force.

 ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Paul returns to his theme of how to conduct yourself as a Christian so as not to offend others and cause others to turn away from the church. It is not a Scriptural command for women to wear head coverings during worship. However, this was a cultural problem in Paul’s day. It was customary in Greek and Eastern cities for women to cover their heads in public. Those who didn’t were considered women of immoral character. Some of the Christian women felt they no longer needed to live under the Jewish law because they were set free from the law when they became Christians. They ceased wearing their head coverings and veils. This upset others within the church and was threatening to cause conflict within the church. So to keep peace, Paul tells the women to continue to cover their heads as was the custom.

 When Paul talks about length of hair for men and women and hair coverings, he is saying Christians should behave in ways acceptable within their culture. Paul said, “…IF it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

 Long or short hair is obviously relative according to the culture. In some societies long hair on men is considered appropriate and masculine. However, in Corinth it was considered a sign of male prostitution. Women with short hair were labeled prostitutes. Paul was saying in the Corinthian culture, Christian women should keep their hair long. A woman with short hair would find it more difficult to earn respect and be taken seriously as a believable witness for Christ. We should avoid appearances and behaviors which will detract from our ultimate goal of being believable witnesses for Jesus Christ.

 ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.

Angels are observers of our worship. They understand the heavenly hierarchy and would therefore understand the concept of a woman covering her head as a sign of submission. It would not be appropriate for a man to cover his head since “he is the image and glory of God,” as Paul said in verse 7.

 ¹¹Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

Paul is reminding them of the equality of all people. Without men, there would be no women. Conversely, without women, there would be no men. We are all God’s creation, and therefore equal in His sight.

 ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Paul repeats his stance to stress its importance. They did not have bold type or any other means of emphasizing in their writings. So when something was important, they repeated it two, three, or more times. The more a point was repeated, the more important it was.

¹⁷In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

Paul has heard about disagreements within the church. He recognizes there will be differences of opinion within groups, but his concern is these differences may cause conflict and diminish their purpose of worshipping the Lord. Those who cause discord serve to highlight those who are genuine believers. As the saying goes, ‘The cream always rises to the top.’

 ²⁰So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

The church in Corinth had lost sight of the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. In addition to Communion, they would include huge feasts of fellowship. This fellowship meal had become a time of gluttony and excessive drinking for the rich among them, while the less fortunate went hungry. This certainly did not demonstrate the unity and love which should have been characteristic of the church, nor was it the proper preparation for Communion. Paul rebukes their practice and then goes on to remind them of the purpose of the Lord’s Supper.

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night of the Passover meal. Just as Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt, so the Lord’s Supper celebrates deliverance from sin by Christ’s death. The bread represents Christ’s body, and the wine represents His blood. Participating in the Lord’s Supper is an important element in the Christian faith and strengthens us spiritually as we remember the basis of our beliefs.

In the old covenant, people could approach God only through the priests and the act of sacrifice. The death of Jesus on the cross created a new covenant, or agreement, between God and His people. “…the new covenant in my blood…” allow all people to personally approach God and communicate with Him. Eating the bread and drinking the cup shows we are remembering Christ’s death for us and renewing our commitment to serve Him.   

²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.

Paul gives specific instructions on how we should approach the Lord’s Supper.

1.      We should make sure everyone is gathered together and partake in an orderly and unified manner.

2.      We should examine ourselves. Consider if we are worthy. Are we heavy hearted about something? Then pray and lay it at the feet of the Lord. Is there sin in our life? Then repent of it. Any unconfessed sin or resentful attitudes, whatever is not right in our life, should be corrected before partaking in the bread and cup.

3.      Next, we should remember Christ and His sacrifice for us, and take the Lord’s Supper with due reverence and respect.

Paul was speaking to church members who were rushing into the Lord’s Supper as a ritual without thinking about its meaning. Those who did so were not honoring Christ’s sacrifice and shared in the guilt of those who crucified Jesus. We should prepare ourselves for Communion through introspection, confession of sin, and resolution of differences with others. This will remove the barriers affecting our relationship with Christ and with fellow believers.

 ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³²Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. ³³So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

“Fallen asleep” is Paul’s way of describing death. Paul describes disciplinary judgments to highlight the seriousness of the Communion sacrament. The Lord’s Supper is not to be taken lightly. This new covenant cost Jesus his life. It is not a meaningless ritual, but a sacrament given by Christ to help strengthen our faith.

The Lord’s Supper is a time of fellowship for believers and a time of remembrance. It is not a time to quench your thirst or alleviate your hunger. Paul says to eat beforehand so you can come to the fellowship meal in the right frame of mind.