1 Corinthians 11

Grace to you and peace,

1 Corinthians 11 deals with two very different issues; head coverings and the Lord's Table. And while these two issues appear on the surface to be unrelated, the underlying theme is the unity and communion in the body of Christ.

The Memory passage is
1 Corinthians 11:1, 3, 23-26 (ESV)
¹ Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
³ But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁵ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

The Outline Theme is Correct Communion in Christ.

Verse 1 probably goes with (and is often included in) Chapter 10. Paul's teaching about how to live before all people most likely ends with his appeal to imitate him as he imitates Christ.

Verses 2-16 deal with the topic of head coverings. Paul clearly taught the church correct practices and habits in the church (2). Verse 3 gives a very interesting teaching on authority and submission with three examples; man's head is Christ, a wife's head is her husband, and Christ's Head is God. The last example sheds interesting light on submission. Christ is in no way inferior to God and yet He willfully submitted to Him and His will. He modeled perfect submission to authority as He walked on earth. So should our submission to Christ be, and so should a wife's submission to her husband be.

The covering of one's head was a social sign of respect and submission. Some women were apparently casting off their head coverings, but more importantly, their attitude of respect to others and submission to Christ. Men and women complement each other, and a husband and wife are interdependent. But they still must abide under the Biblical order of authority and submission. Paul teaches in verse 16 that this is the practice in all of the churches and should be adhered to along with other 'traditions'.

Verse 17 through the end of the chapter deal with abuses surrounding the Lord's Table. Paul has no commendation for the church, only correction. There were divisions among them that went unresolved even at the Lord's Table. Not only that, but some in the church were going hungry while others had plenty to eat and drank to excess.

Then in vv 23-26 Paul reminds them of the practice of remembering the Lord's Table. The bread (His body) and the cup (His blood) symbolize the work of Christ and should serve as a 'visual sermon' to anyone participating or observing. His body was unselfishly and willfully given as a sacrifice for our benefit. His blood was shed to atone for our sins and give us a new covenant relationship with God. Both of these were reminders of what had happened as well as anticipators of what was to come.

Some were coming to the table while living in willful sin. Not only did this profane the body and blood of Christ (27) but harmed the other members of the church. Each one is to examine himself and discern the body before partaking. Rebellious lifestyles and choices that go unexamined brought about the judgment of God (in this case in the form of sickness and death). God desires to restore us (5:5), but continued rebellion necessitates the discipline of God to bring us to repentance and restoration.

How does this affect my worship?
Some of my most meaningful and personal encounters of worship have come at the Lord's Table. It requires certain reverence and introspection that necessitates opening one's heart to the work of Holy Spirit. While Christ does not 'die again' every time we partake, the memory of His work must remain fresh in our lives. And while the symbols may vary (bread, crackers, juice, wine...) the symbolism is secure; Christ gave His body and shed His blood to cancel the record of debt that I owed for my sin. And while we proclaim His death, we also must rejoice in His coming again. For what He did in the past ensures our future. That grace, and mercy, and hope resides at the core of true heart-worship.

How does this affect my discipleship?
Teaching and practicing the Lord's Table should be a key part of discipleship training. As part of 'all that He commanded', we should instill in new disciples of Christ the importance of remembering the Lord's work through the celebration of the Lord's Table. It does not need to be administered by a member of clergy or any specific person. I have been challenged to think about how I teach my family about the Lord's Table. Many people have different opinions about what it actually means, what it does, and how to do it; but the bottom line is that we are commanded to remember His work. And along with that comes the teaching of His coming again.

May you remember and proclaim the work of Christ today,

Ethan