CHAPTER 11

1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Many commentators state this verse probably belongs with Rom. 10.
It is usually thought of as a conclusion to that chapter.

The only way Paul could say "Be ye followers of me" is because he made Christ his example,
and sought to follow Him.
The only way we can ever say follow me, is if we make Christ our example and seek to
follow Him!

2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

Paul was thankful that the church at Corinth continued to follow as he had taught them.
He had taught them according to the will of God from the Scriptures.

And, the church still sought his leadership through letters.
They had written to him concerning several things (See 1Cor. 7:11).

In the remainder of this chapter, Paul is going to speak specifically about 2 things.
First -- about women in the church.
Second -- about the observance of the Lord's Supper.

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.

The words "But I would have you know" precede several statements.
It's like the modern day statement: LISTEN UP, I will share a few things with you.

In Christian marriage: FIRST -- the Head of every Christian man is CHRIST!
He is our LORD, our MASTER.
SECOND -- the head of every woman is the husband.
It is the man who will answer to God for the actions of all his family.
THIRD -- Christ is subordinate to God the Father.
He willingly submitted Himself to God the Father (See Philippians 2:5-11 and Matt. 24:36).

This understanding is preliminary to the following discussion.
As godly Christians:
The man is supposed to exhibit his surrender to Christ as his HEAD,
and the woman is supposed to exhibit her surrender to her husband.

This is NOT a restriction upon women having input into family matters.
For the "two" have become "one." (See Gen 2:24)
BOTH have major contributions to the family.

However, in church, they both should exhibit their allegiance to Christ and properly
acknowlege each other.

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.

To REMOVE a hat, turban, or covering when speaking to a superior is a sign of respect.
The man should NOT have his head covered while praying to or teaching for Christ.

The woman was not to speak in the church (See 1Cor. 14:34), even though
some of them were considered prophetesses. (See Luke 2:36 and Acts 21:9)
It is expressly forbidden that women should teach men (See 1Tim. 2:12), but
they were to teach younger women and children (See Tit. 2:4).

The covering (veil) which women wore exhibited their subordination to the husband (or the father).
(See 1Pet. 3:1-4)

We must remember that in Gen. 2:22 God took a rib from
the man and made the woman.
She is OF the man.
She was made FROM him.

In churches today women don't wear veils or coverings on their heads (most of the time).
However, they can still honor their husbands with demure mannerisms.

And, when we come to church, we should dress honoring God!

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.

The woman was made to COMPLETE the man.
She was created as a "help meet" (mate) Gen. 2:18.

Therefore, she should exhibit her subordination "because of the angels."
Hebrews 1:13 declares that the angels are "ministering spirits" for all those who
are "heirs of salvation."
Angels are watching over us in everything we do -- including church worship.

May we conduct ourselves in such a manner that they can give God a good report of what we do!

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.

In Christ, the husband and wife are ONE.
They both should act TOGETHER in the will of God.

The woman is OF the man, but the man (of today) is BY the woman.
We are ALL born of women.

This is to teach us that men should not dwell on their superiority to women!
When a man and woman are married they BOTH surrender self to each other!
(See Eph. 5:22-28.

Therefore, let us not dwell on superiority, but on TOGETHERNESS!
Let us TOGETHER worship God as He guides us through Scripture study.

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.

"Judge in yourselves" -- THINK bout it!

Let me just say ordinarily, or under NORMAL thinking, that
"nature" (what God has created) teaches us a man's hair
should be shorter than a womans hair.
This custom prevails almost everywhere in the world.

(Of course some of us have hardly ANY hair -- on top of our heads!)

Today, in most European and Western countries, we have given into CONVENIENCE.
It is convenient for a woman to have shorter hair, because it is easier to control.

However, long hair to the woman in Paul's day was a natural VEIL.
It provided her a natural COVERING.

Let's just say that someone decided to be "contentious" about this subject.
Paul says, look at the churches he has begun, and churches other apostles have begun.
There is NO SUCH CUSTOM in them which contradicts what Paul is speaking here.

If a woman prayed in the church, she exhibited her subordination to Christ, by
exhibiting her subordination to her husband (or father).
This is not to say that the husband comes BEFORE Christ, but to say that it is
proper to acknowledge him in her worship.

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.

Here, Paul makes an introduction to a dissertation on the Lord's Supper.

First, the church at Corinth was coming "together" for public worship.
However, they were not together in their thoughts and actions.
They were actually coming together "for the worse!"
BECAUSE there were "divisions" and "heresies" in the church.
So, when they did appear in worship, they were DIVIDED.

Some loved power more than each other.
Some loved popularity above servantship.
Some loved a certain teacher more than Christ!

These are the cause of divisions in EVERY church.
And they disrupt unity and deter performance of Godly principles.

These things are GOING to happen in churches.
Because, often we get in the flesh more than we operate in the Spirit.

But those who "are approved" (of God) will "be made manifest."
Those who sincerely come to worship, without thought of esteem, will be shown in
true relationship with the Lord.

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.

Keep in mind, the church at Corinth had been formed from those who had OTHER allegiances before surrendering to Christ.
It is most likely that many of them had participated in feasts to the gods.

Now, when they came to participate in the Lord's Supper, they had defiled it by two things:
They participated as it were a revelry,
and, they brought with them their divisions.

The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ to be a remembrance of His death for our sins!
It is to be observed with deep repentance for our sins, and with great reverence for Christ.

But what these people were doing was:
bringing their own supper and eating by themselves without unity;
and some were even considering it a time to get DRUNK!
And some of them came without anything to eat, and no one SHARED!

There can be no "praise" for evil intentions!

The Lord's Supper is to be observed with deep reverence for Christ AND each other!
It is a time when we ALL remember His great sacrifice for our souls.
And, it is a time when we acknowledge we are ALL depraved and NEED Christ!
Therefore, it is a time of humility...NOT...of selfishness!

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.

Paul received many "revelations" from the Lord. (See 2Cor. 12:7).
They obviously were revelations concerning relationship with God and with each other in an of the church.
He had "delivered" these to the church at Corinth.

That night, when Jesus had His last supper with the disciples, He first took the "bread."
He gave thanks to God for it, and broke it to give to the disciples.

Then Jesus stated, "this is MY BODY, which is BROKEN for YOU!"
How could one MISunderstand that?
He was using the bread as a SYMBOL.
In the Orient then, and even today, breaking bread with someone was/is a symbol of sharing LIFE with them.

Jesus IS "the Bread of LIFE"! (See John 6:35)
By using the bread as a symbol of sharing LIFE with them, that IN HIM they have REAL LIFE!
Jesus also assured them there is NO LIFE without Him! (See John 14:6)

Jesus charged them to remember this!
Jesus is the GIFT of LIFE from God!

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.

Jesus also took the "cup" and sipped from it.
This cup was RED....for it was fruit of the grapevine.

Again, Jesus is using the cup as a SYMBOL.
That red wine represented (and represents today) HIS BLOOD!

That red wine also represented the NEW TESTAMENT (or covenant) God
was making through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection.
This New Testament signifies that all who come repentantly to Christ,
receive both the Bread of LIFE, and the REDEMPTION from slavery to sin!

Again, Jesus charged them to remember Him when they participated in this ordinance.

His blood was shed for our redemption!
It was shed to make the ONLY ACCEPTABLE sacrifice to God for our sins.
For it is the blood of God Himself!
ONLY God can offer an acceptable sacrifice to Himself on our behalf.
We have NOTHING to give which would appease Him for our sin!
ALL belongs to God!

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

This was an ordinance instituted by our Lord.
It is to be observed periodically as a unifying action in our assemblies.

Participating in the Lord's Supper exemplifies we BELIEVE Jesus died for us, AND
He is coming back to RECEIVE us!

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.

Let's look closely at that word "unworthily."
It is translated from the Greek anaxios.
It can certainly mean unworthy.
It can also mean irreverently!
I prefer to think the latter.

NONE of us can EVER be worthy of receiving the Lord.
If that were the case, Jesus would never have had to come and suffer such indignation!

Anaxios is an ADVERB, not an ADJECTIVE.
It does NOT refer to our qualifications...for we have none!
It refers to the MANNER in which the participation is done.

This has been misunderstood and misinterpreted in many churches.

We are to critically "examine" ourselves and be repentant of sin,
surrendering who we are to Christ.
Remember, there is NO condemnation to those who are IN CHRIST! (See Rom. 8:12)

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.

Another word for us to examine here is "damnation".
It is derived from the Greek krima
It is usually used to infer a decision such as in judgment.

To partake of the Lord's Supper irreverently is (even for the Christian) to incur a decision from God
which may include a form of punishment.
Usually, that is God's Holy Spirit convicting our spirit of wrongdoing.

However, Paul carries this further and states that irreverence while observing the Lord's Supper
may bring weakness, sickness and even death!

The Lord expresses His displeasure when we digress from truly following Him.
He first chastises us by His Holy Spirit. (See Heb. 12:6)
And, He may CONTINUE to chastise us by His Spirit.
However, God may also make a judgment or decision concerning our irreverence and
may cause a form of punishment to be initiated.

As a Father, God chastises us when we go our OWN way, and not HIS way.
He is loving and kind -- seeking to draw us back to Him.
But, He IS a FATHER.
And He will institute punishment if necessary.

We may feel a loss of peace.
We may feel a convicting conscience within.
We may feel a loss of communion with our Lord.

God WANTS us to grow closer to Him each day.
God desires that we take SERIOUSLY the salvation He has so freely offered.

Therefore, in participation of our relationship to Him, let us:
Be reverent in our Biblical study,
Be reverent in our prayer,
And, reverent when we participate in the Holy ordinance of the Lord's Supper.

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.

If we "judge" (examine) ourselves we will not incur that decision from God to chastise us.
Therefore, before partaking of the Lord's Supper, let us reverently and sincerely REPENT of sin,
and then observe with THANKSGIVING!

When God speaks convictingly to our Spirit, it is so that we will not err and be
condemned with the world."
Irreverence (in any form) toward God certainly receives the reprimand of the world.
For instance, "Here is a Christian," one might say, "Yet he/she delights in evil."
God tries to keep us FROM that by convicting us and bringing us to repentance.

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.

The church at Corinth was not exhibiting togetherness by eating separately and not
in unity with one another.
They were observing the Lord's Supper as if it were a FEAST of revelry.

The Lord's Supper is to be observed with penitent hearts, and
in unity.

The summation of this chapter might go like this:
Be REVERENT when you come to worship the Lord in ANY manner!

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.
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