I Corinthians 11
11
1Imitate#Eph. 5:1 me, just as I also imitate Christ.
Head Coverings
2Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to know that #Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:19the head of every man is Christ, #Gen. 3:16; (Eph. 5:23)the head of woman is man, and the #John 14:28head of Christ is God. 4Every man praying or #1 Cor. 12:10prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were #Deut. 21:12shaved. 6For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is #Num. 5:18shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since #Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8For man is not from woman, but woman #Gen. 2:21–23; 1 Tim. 2:13from man. 9Nor was man created for the woman, but woman #Gen. 2:18for the man. 10For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11Nevertheless, #(Gal. 3:28)neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.
13Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But #1 Tim. 6:4if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, #1 Cor. 7:17nor do the churches of God.
Conduct at the Lord’s Supper
17Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18For first of all, when you come together as a church, #1 Cor. 1:10–12; 3:3I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19For #Matt. 18:7; Luke 17:1; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Pet. 2:1there must also be factions among you, #(Deut. 13:3); Luke 2:35; 1 John 2:19that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and #2 Pet. 2:13; Jude 12another is drunk. 22What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise #1 Cor. 10:32the church of God and #James 2:6shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Institution of the Lord’s Supper
23For #1 Cor. 15:3; Gal. 1:12; Col. 3:24I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: #Matt. 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:17–20; 1 Cor. 10:16that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death #John 14:3; (Acts 1:11)till He comes.
Examine Yourself
27Therefore whoever eats #(John 6:51)this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But #Matt. 26:22; 2 Cor. 13:5; Gal. 6:4let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31For #(Ps. 32:5; 1 John 1:9)if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged, #2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 94:12; (Heb. 12:5–10; Rev. 3:19)we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33Therefore, my brethren, when you #1 Cor. 14:26come together to eat, wait for one another. 34But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
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I Corinthians 11: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 11
11
To Honor God
1-2It pleases me that you continue to remember and honor me by keeping up the traditions of the faith I taught you. All actual authority stems from Christ.
3-9In a marriage relationship, there is authority from Christ to husband, and from husband to wife. The authority of Christ is the authority of God. Any man who speaks with God or about God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of Christ, dishonors Christ. In the same way, a wife who speaks with God in a way that shows a lack of respect for the authority of her husband, dishonors her husband. Worse, she dishonors herself—an ugly sight, like a woman with her head shaved. This is basically the origin of these customs we have of women wearing head coverings in worship, while men take their hats off. By these symbolic acts, men and women, who far too often butt heads with each other, submit their “heads” to the Head: God.
10-12Don’t, by the way, read too much into the differences here between men and women. Neither man nor woman can go it alone or claim priority. Man was created first, as a beautiful shining reflection of God—that is true. But the head on a woman’s body clearly outshines in beauty the head of her “head,” her husband. The first woman came from man, true—but ever since then, every man comes from a woman! And since virtually everything comes from God anyway, let’s quit going through these “who’s first” routines.
13-16Don’t you agree there is something naturally powerful in the symbolism—a woman, her beautiful hair reminiscent of angels, praying in adoration; a man, his head bared in reverence, praying in submission? I hope you’re not going to be argumentative about this. All God’s churches see it this way; I don’t want you standing out as an exception.
17-19Regarding this next item, I’m not at all pleased. I am getting the picture that when you meet together it brings out your worst side instead of your best! First, I get this report on your divisiveness, competing with and criticizing each other. I’m reluctant to believe it, but there it is. The best that can be said for it is that the testing process will bring truth into the open and confirm it.
20-22And then I find that you bring your divisions to worship—you come together, and instead of eating the Lord’s Supper, you bring in a lot of food from the outside and make pigs of yourselves. Some are left out, and go home hungry. Others have to be carried out, too drunk to walk. I can’t believe it! Don’t you have your own homes to eat and drink in? Why would you stoop to desecrating God’s church? Why would you actually shame God’s poor? I never would have believed you would stoop to this. And I’m not going to stand by and say nothing.
23-26Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord’s Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said,
This is my body, broken for you.
Do this to remember me.
After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:
This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.
Each time you drink this cup, remember me.
What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.
27-28Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.
29-32If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.
33-34So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you’re so hungry that you can’t wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast.
The other things you asked about, I’ll respond to in person when I make my next visit.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.