Notes on 1 Corinthians 11

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
3 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.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

Not everything about the Corinthian church was negative. For all their contentiousness and spiritual pride, they still tried to obey the instructions Paul had given them, from the Jewish law, and they still lifted him regularly in prayer. Even in matters of the conduct of worship, though, there were problems. Some of the women, at least, were very brazen in flaunting their sexuality, which is the issue connected with uncovered heads. Just as in Middle Eastern cultures now, women covered their heads as a sign of modesty and respect. Coming into the church with heads uncovered was considered very immodest, and showed a lack of respect to the Lord and his church. The same was true of men wearing long hair; this was an indication of being effeminate, or taking on the role of a woman. Though social standards have changed, and what constitutes immodest behavior no longer includes issues relating to head coverings or, necessarily, length of hair, the principle is the same. For either a woman or a man to come to a worship service dressed in a way designed to attract the attention of the opposite sex is an affront to God, and to the church. Unbelievers should not be sent away because they exhibit objectionable behavior or dress, but church members, Christians, should adhere to higher standards. That goes beyond church walls as well; it is a poor witness for a Christian man or woman to appear in public dressing, or behaving, in a seductive way.

The status of women versus men in the family and in the church remains a controversial one. Liberal churches have gone to great lengths to debunk the idea that God gave men any special status. Hymnals, and even versions of the Bible, have been rewritten to remove gender-specific references to God, or to the human race. The idea seems to be that if the plain message of the Bible is not socially correct, it should be changed to assure that it conforms to current standards. That approach is taken by cults as well, and the results are very dangerous. While dress standards and gender roles are important, though, they should not be allowed to cause contention in the church. Being divisive, or contentious, says Paul, is never a custom of the church.

17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

As in matters of dress and demeanor, there were major problems in the Corinthian church with the ordinance of communion. Once more, the issue was the "me" attitude that permeated so much of the life of the church. The communion was not an occasion for worship and fellowship, but an excuse for gluttony and drunkenness. Paul attempts to redirect the church towards the correct meaning and significance of the Lord's supper. His account mirrors that in the Gospels, but at this point, the Gospels had not yet been compiled, so there was no written authority to go to. We sometimes fail to recognize the vital importance of Paul's pastoral letters; they were often all that stood between the early church and heresy; there were no Bible schools to train local leaders. Those who were well-versed in the correct doctrines of the Gospel, such as Paul and Silas, Timothy, and Titus, had to be shuffled from church to church to combat problems that arose, like those in Corinth.

Self-examination should be an integral part of the communion service, Paul says. Many churches ignore that advice; communion is just a rote ritual, like so much of other worship practice. It may well be that one of the chief causes of the decline of so many churches, and the destruction of their witness, arises from the failure to emphasize confession and repentance as a regular part of church life. When the Lord corrects, or chastens us, it is because we persist in disobedience, bringing reproach on ourselves and on the church of Christ. The writer of Hebrews, whom many believe was also Paul, devotes an extended passage to the idea of being chastised by God for our own good, as a parent disciplines a child (Hebrews 12:5-11). That chastisement, the writer asserts, comes to every believer; if we are never chastised by God, then we are none of his. Deliberately profaning the communion meal may cause serious illness, or even death, another fact that receives little or no attention in most churches. The term applied to not doing so, judgment or damnation, is a strong one, and may apply not only to those who abuse the worship of God, but the body itself which allows or condones it.

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