1Corinthians 11
Sunday Evening Bible Study
February 27, 2000
Introduction
Paul continues to deal with specific issues that have been raised by the church in Corinth.
1Corinthians 11
: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.
There is a chain of authority set up here.
Authority does not equal value. Just because you have a greater authority doesn’t give you greater value.
Jesus is equal to the Father, yet He willingly submits to the Father.
A husband isn’t of greater value than the wife, but God has put him in the place of authority over his wife.
:4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
Who is the "head" of the man? It’s Jesus (vs. 1).
If a man prays or prophesies with his head covered, he is dishonoring Jesus. Why?
The Jews pray to God with their heads covered with a veil supposedly after the pattern of Moses, who began putting a veil over his head when he met with God.
For the Jews, they cover their heads as a symbol of their unworthiness to approach Him.
But Paul tells us that Jesus has taken away the veil because He died to remove our unworthiness. We can now approach God with "unveiled faces". (2Cor. 3)
If a man prays or prophesies as a Christian with his head covered, he is bringing disgrace to Jesus, claiming that Jesus didn’t pay enough for him.
Lesson
Don’t shame Jesus.
There are some people who struggle with accepting God’s forgiveness.
I know that sometimes our guilt can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with, but the bottom line is that Jesus HAS paid it all for us.
Don’t struggle with accepting God’s forgiveness. Receive it.
: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.
NOTE
: Paul mentions women praying and prophesying.Who is the "head" of the wife? Her husband.
Here the principle is different from the man. The principle comes from a different place.
Corinth was famous around the world for it’s lewd set of standards. On the highest hill of the city stood their temple to Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Every night Aphrodite would send out 1,000 of her priestesses, prostitutes who would sell their bodies for Aphrodite. How could you spot one of these prostitutes? How could you tell the apart from the other gals? The prostitutes did not cover their heads.
A Christian woman in Corinth could make a case that she is "free in Christ". Aren’t "all things lawful"? Yet if she went around without a head covering, she would be mistaken for a prostitute. And if she was married, that would bring disgrace to her husband.
Lesson
Don’t dress like a prostitute.
I think it’s good for gals in the church to dress modestly. Don’t dress in a way that gives people the wrong impression.
: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.
Being shaven for a woman was a symbol of shame.
:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
Woman was created by taking man’s rib (Gen. 2).
:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.
Why would the angels have a problem with a woman’s head covering?
I don’t know.
:11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
(1 Cor 11:11 NLT) But in relationships among the Lord's people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women.
:14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Interesting idea in our culture where long hair is accepted. I have to admit that sometimes I fell a little weird when I’m behind a person with long hair and I assume it must be a woman until the person turns around and has a beard.
:16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
If you want to pick a fight with Paul over this, the fact is that this isn’t some hard fast rule in the churches. But especially in Corinth it sure makes wise sense.
:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
heresies – hairesis – act of taking, capture: e.g. storming a city; choosing, choice; that which is chosen; a body of men following their own tenets (sect or party); dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims; factions
Lesson
People divide for their ego.
One of the reasons why you are going to find people picking fights and disagreeing with others over things is so they can feel better about themselves.
:21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
The church would often meet not just to share in communion, but an "agape", or "love feast". It was like our potluck suppers.
But when they did it, people were abusing what was done. Some didn’t have enough food, others came and got drunk.
: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.
new testament – a new agreement between God and man based not on the Law, but on Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins.
in remembrance – there are many different views of communion. Some say that when a priest says the magic words over some bread and wine, that it turns into the real, literal, actual, physical, body and blood of Jesus Christ. I’m sorry, but it doesn’t look like flesh and blood. It doesn’t seem truthful to me.
We believe that communion is meant to be a symbolic ritual. It is done for "remembrance", to help us remember what Jesus has done for us. The bread is symbolic of Jesus’ body, the juice is symbolic of Jesus’ blood. It’s still real bread and real grape juice.
:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
What does it mean to eat or drink "unworthily"?
Some have the idea that it means that you must not sin for at least 24 hours before taking communion. I think that’s frankly impossible.
Paul says that the issue is one of "not discerning the Lord’s body". I think this carries at least two aspects:
1) A person does not understand what Jesus has done for them, dying in their place. I think this is the case when an unbeliever takes communion. They’re might think that they’re just performing some silly ritual, but they are in fact disgracing the body of Jesus, the body that was broken for the sake of their sins.
2) I think there is an element here of not realizing that the others around you are also the "Lord’s Body". The people in the church in Corinth were in the practice of not caring anything about each other, and hence were not "discerning the Lord’s body".
:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
There were people in Corinth who were sick and dying because of their abuse of communion.
:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Judge what you do and change your actions lest you find yourself being judged by God.