1 Corinthians 11
11
1You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 2I'm grateful that you always remember me and that you are keeping to the teachings just as I passed them on to you. 3I do want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.#11:3. The meaning of “head” in this context is much discussed. In Scripture “head” can have to do with “origin,” “source,” or “authority.” 4A man's head is dishonored if he prays or prophesies with his head covered. 5A woman's head is dishonored if she prays or prophesies with her head uncovered—it's just as if she had her hair shaved off. 6If a woman's head is not covered, then she should have her head shaved. If it's scandalous for a woman to be shorn or shaven, then she should have her head covered. 7A man shouldn't cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, while the woman is the glory of the man. 8Man didn't come from woman, but woman came from man; 9and man was not created for the woman, but the woman was created for the man. 10That's why the woman should have this sign of authority on her head out of respect for the watching angels.#11:10. As many commentators note, this is one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament to understand and translate. Some understand the “authority” as the head covering demonstrating the woman is respectable and has a position in relationship to man. Others see this as an “authority” to speak and prophesy, since this would not normally be a woman's role in this society. There are many other interpretations of this, as well as of the phrase literally translated “because of the angels.” 11Even so, from the Lord's perspective, the woman is as essential as the man, and the man as essential as the woman.#11:11. Literally, “nevertheless neither woman without man nor man without woman in the Lord.” 12As the woman came from the man, so the man comes from the woman#11:12. Referring back to Creation, where Eve is made from Adam, but from then on women gave birth to men.—but more importantly everything comes from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Doesn't nature itself indicate that a man with long hair disgraces himself? 15However, a woman with long hair brings herself glory, because her hair is given to her as a covering. 16But if anyone wants to argue about this, we don't have any other custom than this, and neither do any other of God's churches.#11:16. Paul clearly indicates this is simply the way things work in practice in the church by using the word “custom” or “habit” rather than the word “rule” or “command.”
17Now in giving you the instructions that follow I can't commend you, because when you meet together you cause more harm than good! 18First of all, I hear that when you have church meetings that you are split into different factions, and I believe there's some truth to this. 19Of course such splits among you must happen so those who are genuine can prove themselves by their evidence! 20When you meet together you're not really celebrating the Lord's Supper at all. 21Some want to eat first before everyone else, leaving others hungry. Still others get drunk. 22Don't you have your own houses to eat and drink in? Do you look down on God's church, and humiliate those who are poor? What should I tell you? That you're doing really well? I have nothing good to say about you for doing this!
23For I received from the Lord what I passed on to you: the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took some bread. 24After giving thanks, he broke the bread into pieces and said, “This bread is my body, which is given for you. Remember me by doing this.” 25In the same way he took the cup, after the meal, and said, “This cup is the new agreement#11:25. This translates the word often rendered as “covenant” which has limited use in modern English. The idea is of an agreement between two parties. In this case it is the relationship between God and human beings. sealed with my blood. Remember me when you drink it. 26For every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you announce the Lord's death, until he returns.”
27So anyone who eats the bread or drinks from the Lord's cup in a dishonorable way will be guilty of doing wrong against the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let each person examine themselves, and then let them eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29Those who eat and drink bring judgment on themselves if they don't recognize their relationship with the body of the Lord. 30That's the reason why many of you are weak and sick, and some even have died. 31However, if we really examined ourselves, we would not be judged like this. 32But when we are judged, we are being disciplined by the Lord so that we won't be condemned along with the world. 33So my brothers and sisters, when you meet together to eat the Lord's Supper, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, then eat at home so that when you meet together you won't bring condemnation on yourselves. I'll give you more directions when I visit.
Currently Selected:
1 Corinthians 11: FBV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
1 Corinthians 11
11
1follow me in this attitude, my brethren, as I follow the Christ.
Paul’s views on woman in the church
2You do remember and mark my words, I know, and you do keep the rules and the instructions which I lay down. I commend you as an obedient flock, and therefore listen now to another rule, a tradition I wish to be observed in our churches. 3Let men be bareheaded at our meetings, but let the women still wear the head-covering, as has always been the custom, and not thinking themselves free, as they begin to do, appear bareheaded like to men. 4-9And why? There is a reason. If a woman is to appear bareheaded like a man, then let her cut her hair, and wear it in the way that men wear theirs. That would be ugly, you say, and I agree. There is then a difference between the man and the woman; and what is our interpretation of it? Mine is this. Man stands for God; but woman stands for man. The head of the man is the type of Christ governing the body, and the head of Christ is God. The man then in every way stands as the type of the divine, the image and likeness of God, and with unveiled head he stands in the presence of God. 10But woman represents the glory of man; and in the presence of the angels of God man’s glory should be veiled. A woman’s beauty is her modesty. Her long hair is her glory, because it clothes and covers her. 11The male comes first as the representative of God, and the female next as the representative of man. 12In the second chapter of Genesis the difference made between the creation of man and of woman lies, as I interpret it, in these two different types, the one of God, the other of man; 13-15and so I advise you to keep the old custom whereby men wear their hair short, and bare their heads in prayer or preaching, but women wear their hair long, and in praying or in preaching they keep their heads covered. 16I advise you, I say, to keep this rule, but if you intend to argue the point with me — then I declare I am ignorant of any such custom, and the churches of God know it not!
Divisions and abuses at the Lord’s table
17Now in this next point I cannot add any commendation to the advice I am going to give you, for the reason that things are far from well, and that you are receiving harm where you ought to get only good. 18It is an excellent thing that you assemble yourselves together that you may get mutual profit thereby, but not if thereby differences and divisions arise amongst you. This I have heard to be the case, and so in a measure I believe it to be; 19because these divisions, it would seem, have a part to play in our faith, whereby the false are separated from the true, and true faith is tried and tested. 20-21Similarly taking food and drink in common, arriving at this meal hungry and thirsty, is no part of our faith. To dine all together is not to eat the supper of the Lord, especially when some are far better provided than others, and there are great differences in the way you fare at this common feast, and excess even and want are found seated at the same table. 22I like not such customs as that. Why not take your meals in the ordinary way at home? To eat and drink in such a way is to hasten the doom that is coming on all flesh — that doom and judgment of the flesh which is seen in the sickness, the ill-health and the death that still is found amongst your numbers. Now through the eternal body and blood of the Christ we are released from that fate and judgment that come upon the flesh. We look forward to the appearance and coming of the eternal Christ, and we show forth that peculiar death of his which overcame death and releases us from it.
The last supper described
23That is what the Lord Jesus meant by his words at that last supper the night on which they took him, when he handed the cup to his disciples, and broke the bread for them. I taught you his words and his action on that occasion, as they were given me by those who were present. 24After taking the bread, he gave thanks, spoke the usual blessing, and handed it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is surrendered on your behalf. In future, when you break bread thus, and give thanks, remember my body, remember me.” 25-26In handing the cup after dinner, he said, “This is the new covenant, sealed in my blood. In future, whenever you take wine thus together, think of this new covenant, remember my blood.”
Its spiritual meaning explained
27Do you then my brethren, when you come together, eating and drinking, with the intention of carrying out his injunction, and recalling his words, do you really discern beneath this semblance and type of bread and wine the eternal body of Christ to which we belong? Do you really celebrate that wondrous death of his, which differed from all other deaths in that it is to be followed by his second coming and eternal presence in the world? 28Examine yourselves on these points, and assemble together in that spirit only. Otherwise you will only eat and drink the doom of all flesh, as it comes upon the whole world. 29But if you discerned that infinite eternal body, if you understood the meaning of Christ’s death in the flesh, and what is signified by the shedding of his blood, and the giving up of his mortal life and material body — 30-31then, my brethren, there would not be so much sickness and disease and death in your midst as there still is. 32-33You would not be bound up with the world in the common doom of perishing mortality, but by first judging yourselves, you would then escape the general ruin. 34Such feasts as you observe, where the eating and drinking predominate over the teaching, have little in keeping with the Lord’s supper and this can be avoided by eating first at home, and then when you come together, giving place to one another, and taking the bread and wine as it comes to you. There are other details in connection with this matter which I will arrange when I see you.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Translated in 1916, published in 1937.