Lesson for August 7, 2022
The Book of I Corinthians
Chapter 11:1-34
In I Corinthians 11, Paul addressed two issues that needed correction in the Corinthian church: head coverings for women and how to observe Communion together.
Verses 1-2
“Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.”
Paul began by encouraging these believers who had followed false teaching to follow his lead in imitating the character of Jesus Christ. Imitators is the Greek word “mimetes” which means to mimic. A spiritual believer is a person who imitates Christ. (Galatians 4:19; 5:22-23)
Hold firmly to the traditions means to follow the teachings or instructions of the apostles. As a church, some were praying for Paul and still following his teaching, but some were not because they were being deceived by false teachers.
Verses 3-6
“But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.”
Paul was dealing with a group of believers who were confused about their roles within the local church at Corinth. So, Paul wrote to them to remind them how God had designed the roles of men and women. Praying or prophesying refers to when praying and teaching was going on in the local church.
Verses 3-16 are about how God’s plan for mankind is organized into various roles. Just as Jesus submitted to authority of the Father by recognizing the different functions of the Godhead, men and women have different roles within the local church and in marriage. Jesus’ role as a member of the Godhead was not diminished by His role as Savior. Spiritually, men and women are co-equal within the Royal Family of God.
Apparently, nearly all women wore head coverings in public during this era. This included Jewish, pagan, and Christian women. Women seen without head coverings may have been considered morally loose, sexually available or slaves (perhaps from the pagan temple). People of Paul’s era would have reacted to a woman with an uncovered head much the same way modern people might to a woman wearing extremely revealing clothes.
For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. Paul received a report that some of the women in the Corinthian church were not wearing head coverings during church services. This would put a woman in the same category as a woman with her hair cut off, which could have been viewed as a stumbling block. Women in this culture who had their hair cut off were thought to be immoral. The custom of the culture when Paul wrote this was for women to cover their heads in public, which would include when they assembled for church services. This custom demonstrated that a Christian woman had respect for God, her husband, if married, and the one teaching in the local assembly.
Verses 7-9
“For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.”
Now Paul goes back to the doctrine of creation to pick up the principle of spiritual leadership in marriage. Since he is the image and glory of God means a man is to glorify God by believing in Christ and living his spiritual life. In the same way, a woman brings honor (glory) to her husband when she lives her spiritual life. A wife is the husband’s partner and helper and without her recognizing and fulfilling this role in marriage, the husband’s life is not complete.
Verses 10-12
“Therefore, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.”
The woman’s long hair was a sign of her recognition and acceptance of her husband’s leadership role. Because of the angels refers to elect angels who are observing mankind. They rejoice because they know that the woman is fulfilling her function in the marriage, which makes her marriage a testimony to others. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. As believers, men and women in marriage are spiritually equal, though their roles in life are different.
Verses 13-16
“Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering. But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God.”
Judge means to discern. You must be discerning about everything in the Christian life and discernment comes through accurate Bible doctrine. Paul was referring to praying while the church was assembled. Covering her head in the culture of the day in Corinth was a testimony to others that a woman understood her role in marriage and in the Christian life.
Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? A man’s hair was typically shorter than a woman’s hair and was an analogy to show the different roles in marriage.
But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God. The word contentious means to ignore the principle of covering your head when assembling as a church. Apparently, some of the women in the church at Corinth were refusing to wear a head covering, which was considered immodest in their culture. Perhaps they were using their liberty in Christ to defy the practice. However, in the culture of the day, the practice of a woman covering her head in public was done in all the churches, so as not to be a stumbling block to others.
Verses 17-34 are about the partaking of Communion in the local church.
Verses 17-19
“But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you.”
Many of the Corinthian believers were ignoring the teachings of the Apostle Paul and were coming together not to study the Word of God. Instead, they wanted to debate the teachings of grace in favor of keeping the Mosaic Law, like the Judaizers taught. They were also arrogant and were causing dissension and factions. The Greek word for factions is “hairesis,” which means self-willed opinions or heresies contrary to accurate doctrine. The approved ones are those applying doctrine correctly and not ignoring the true purpose of assembling as a church.
Verses 20-22
“Therefore, when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.”
Unity among believers in honoring Christ is the purpose of Communion. The early church met in houses and celebrated the communion service every Sunday. They followed the pattern of Christ in the upper room where they came together for a meal and fellowship before observing Communion. (Acts 2:42-47, 12:12; 20:7, Romans 16:5; I Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15)
Some of these believers were being gluttons and drinking too much alcohol and were drunk by the time the communion service began. They all brought their own food and some had more than others and were being gluttonousness instead of sharing with other believers. So, Paul posed several questions in an attempt to wake them up to the error of their ways. “Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.” If the only purpose for coming together was to eat and get drunk, then stay at home was Paul’s conclusion. The church was designed by God to be a group of assembled believers with things in common and a love for one another.
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 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.” In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”
The bread speaks of the Person of Christ, which includes the doctrines of the Virgin Birth, the Hypostatic Union, and the impeccability of Jesus Christ. These doctrines uniquely qualified Christ to pay for the sins of the entire human race. He could not go to the Cross on our behalf unless He was a unique Person. The bread is to bring to our memories the uniqueness of the Person of Christ, His physical death and His resurrection from the dead.
The cup speaks of the work of Christ. On the Cross, Christ “drank from the cup of judgment” for all of the sins of the world. That was when Christ died spiritually and said, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The unfermented wine represented the blood of Christ, which spoke of being judged for sin. Like the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament, shedding of blood on the altar was a picture of judgment. (II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:22)
The communion table has the principle of restoration to fellowship. Remember that every believer is a priest and because of this he has the right of worship. (I Peter 2:5,9, the universal priesthood of believers) Because every believer is a priest, they have certain privileges. The priest has the right of worship, and he represents himself before God in worship. Eating represents the picture of faith in Christ, the bread represents the humanity of Christ; drinking indicates faith in Christ, specifically His work. Eating and drinking are illustrations of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Unworthy refers to a believer partaking of Communion out of fellowship. This believer is said to be “guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.” When believers are grieving and/or quenching the Holy Spirit, there is no reality when partaking in Communion. Out of fellowship believers are incapable of worshipping Christ and dishonor the very purpose of Communion, which is remembering what Christ has done for us on the Cross.
Verses 28-34
“But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason, many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come.”
Before taking Communion there must be a self-examination and restoration to fellowship with God, if necessary. If a believer fails to follow this principle, they can expect divine discipline. Divine discipline in Corinth was based on the prolonged carnality and continual dishonoring of Christ by some in the congregation.
There are three stages of divine discipline in these severe cases according to Paul. “Weak,” means to be feeble, to have loss of energy, or loss of strength and is the mild category. “Sickly,” means to have an illness and is a more severe category. “Sleep,” means to die prematurely after a prolonged time spent in a state of reversionism, and it is the worse and final category called the sin unto death. (I John 5:16)