1 Corinthians 11
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1 Corinthians 11
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you.
1 Be imitators of me:
Paul urged the Corinthians to imitate him.
Not disqualified, but running his race.
Convinced of liberty in Christ, but willing to, when helpful to the faith of another, lay it down.
We need examples to follow.
As I am of Christ: Those examples must follow Christ, as Paul did.
3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
3 Head:
Misnomer 1: Men are better.
Jesus is equal with God (Philippians 2:6), but is in submission to the Father.
Misnomer 2: Man was merely the source of women.
We cannot reasonably import “source of” as a definition for head. It means “authority over.”
The husband is not the “source of” his wife (Ephesians 5:23).
The Father is not the “source of” Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3).
Application: God looks for men to servant-lead in the home (and also the church).
What problem did Paul confront?
Possibility: The Corinthians had begun to think there was no difference between their male and female members.
Another possibility: Marriages were backward in Corinth.
Marriage advice:
Colossians 3 — Your life is hidden with Christ in God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 — Transformation.
1 Corinthians 13 — Love believes all things.
Matthew 6 — Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Husbands! Lovingly lead.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels [who understand submission and rejoice to see it occur].
4-7 Some interesting phrases:
Head covered / uncovered / shaven / short / disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head / Man ought not to cover his head
Later: 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.
The head-covering, hair-growth issue was cultural:
13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
Most translations render: 1 Corinthians 11:6b (HCSB) — 6b But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should be covered.
Cultural conclusion in Corinth: 5-6 When a wife of a man in the Corinthian congregation prayed or prophesied with her head uncovered then somehow she dishonored her head. She should cover her head. She needed a symbol of authority.
Scholars: the uncovered head might have indicated singleness or lack of marital submission, while the shaven head might have indicated a symbol of prostitution, adultery, or even maleness.
7 Glory of man / 8 from man / 9 for man: She is still in the image of God, but the glory of man.
Evidence that God’s design was for male/female role differentiation.
Genesis 2:
1 The order of creation.
Paul alluded to this here — 8 But woman from man.
2 Eve was created to be Adam’s helper.
Paul alluded to this here — 9 But woman for man.
3 Adam named Eve, which indicated, especially in that OT cultural context, authority.
Genesis 3:1-7:
Though Eve was tempted, deceived, and then ate the forbidden fruit, then gave it to Adam, God sought out Adam. God held Adam responsible, both then and in the NT (Romans 5:12ff).
Genesis 3:16 (HCSB) — 16 He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you.
In Genesis 4:7 the same phrase “desire will be for “ is used to describe sin’s attitude towards Cain, meaning to rule over.
Eve would want to rule illegitimately over Adam.
The focus of this part of the curse was on changes which would happen to Eve (i.e. labor pains and a desire for her husband), not on what Adam would do to Eve (rule over you).
1 Corinthians 14:34-36 Rules regarding the public assembly.
1 Timothy 2:8-15 The elder-teacher role.
Ephesians 5:22-33 Wives are to follow their husband’s leadership, just as the church is to follow Christ’s leadership.
The analogy of the Trinity.
The examples of Scripture.
Male leadership in Israel.
Male leadership with Christ.
Male leadership in the church.
Male leadership in the home.
Note: Women do play significant — and even leadership at times — roles in Israel, the gospels, and the early church.
But they are roles other than those of highest human religious authority.
Prophetesses or female teachers, but never priests, heads of tribes, kings, disciples, or elders.
Deborah, the notable exception, judged and prophesied over Israel, but the time of the judges was the so spiritually corrupt it is difficult to use her as an example of female leadership. It is better to use her as an example of how far Israel had strayed. It was not at all ideal.
This passage.
Objections:
This view is contrary to the freedom of the gospel.
But the gospel does not do away with all manifestations of relational hierarchy.
Parents and children, employers and employees — we live with structures like these everyday.
Paul’s teaching here does not imply the Father is better than Christ, nor that man is better than woman. Nor should we feel that way. In fact, we should feel the opposite as we embrace the Scripture.
That interpretation of Genesis 2 is wrong. Someone had to be created first. God helps us. Women in Israel named their sons.
It is not an interpretation, it is Paul’s observation.
If God and humanity are what the Bible claims, then we should expect the words, principles, and teachings of Scripture to disagree with our popularly received concepts.
It is no fun to follow a God who always agrees with you.
Tonight: Perhaps some mysterious sayings you don’t readily agree with.
11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman; 12 for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. And all things are from God.
11 In the Lord: We can’t do without one another; we have dependency on one another in Christ, not to mention deep appreciation.
13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16 If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor do the churches of God.
13, 16 Judge for yourselves / no such practice / nor do the churches: When it comes to a wife praying without her head covered or a man wearing long hair it does not seem to stumble believers or hinder nonbelievers.
17 But in the following instructions [new section] I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.
17 When you come together: Paul will now deal with their group meetings, their corporate gatherings (Chapters 11-14).
What they had done with the Lord’s supper:
First: They had turned it into a mere corporate meal.
Second: They had become divisive and factious within their corporate meal.
Third: They had become unequal, neglecting the poor within their corporate meal.
They had completely missed the point of the Lord’s Supper.
Communion says Jesus is our Lord corporately, not just personally.
Mt 6:9 - Our Father in heaven.
Communion speaks of our unity.
Communion speaks of our equality.
Simply put, the Corinthians needed to remember Jesus.
18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
18-19 Divisions / Factions: We’ve already seen how they divided up into theological factions, but here we see their social factions. These were class distinctions, social snobbery.
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
20 Not the Lord’s supper: They thought they were, but weren’t.
One way to look at the flow of history is through five main meals.
Forbidden fruit.
Passover.
Last Supper.
Communion.
Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
21 Each one goes ahead with his own meal / hungry / drunk: The wealthy brought a lot to the meal, while the poor brought what they could, but the rich had then felt entitled to the best of the best.
22 Despise / Humiliate: Times of poverty are times of opportunity. The Macedonian church is the prime example of a generous church (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
23 [Now he takes them back to the point of the Lord’s supper] For I received from the Lord [directly in a vision or indirectly from men, but from the Lord] what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me [REMEMBER!].”
25 New covenant: Jeremiah 31:33–34 (ESV) — 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
26 Proclaim: Our meal has a message - to us personally, to us corporately, and to the world. To marriages, addicts, struggling, tempted, young, old...
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
27 Unworthy manner: They had completely forgotten the point of communion - they had transformed the Lord’s Supper into a common meal designed to satisfy their flesh - not a memorial.
Do not partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.
The Corinthians were guilty of cheapening the meaning of communion.
The Corinthians had ignored the meaning of the bread and cup.
The Corinthians had forgotten Jesus in that meal.
Many have applied this out of context.
Soul searching, introspection, and silent confession are good - if it’s the right kind.
A sense of unworthiness is healthy and does not indicate disqualification.
A doubt of your readiness is better than self-confidence.
A careless and reckless attitude towards the Lord’s Supper is dangerous.
28, 29 Let a person examine himself then / discerning the body: Paul wanted the Corinthians to make sure they were there with the right heart and for the right reasons - to remember Jesus!