1 Corinthians 11 – Christian Order and Lord’s Supper

Christian Order 11:1-16

Imitate Paul, who imitates Christ, thus do as I do and imitate Christ. This contrasts the Corinthians imitating their societies' aforementioned secularism, including self-centeredness. Christ serves as the head of man, and man the head of the woman. Paul explains men and women holding distinguished roles and responsibilities in creation's order, with the definition of the Greek word equating to "subordination and origination".⁴⁰ He keeps both humble in spelling out God's created codependency of men and women on one another—the man being her head, and she is his glory and mother. ⁴²
  
He continues with the expectations of women in church meetings.⁴⁰ Regarding women wearing hats, Eldreb Echols of South Africa Bible School views this practice as "linguistically and historically impossible." Rather hair provides the most likely inference of women's head covering. John Calvin argues that women's covered head prevented her beauty from generating lust. The uncovered men's head avoided dishonoring Christ, his spiritual head.

Lord's Supper 11:17-34

Some in the Corinthian church turned the Lord's Supper into mockery and factions, originally this occurred in ignorance. Now Paul addresses with greater sternness. The mockery and divisions resulted from selfishness and immorality, as some ate too much and others drank excessively. Paul admonishes them as participation in the Lord's Supper hinges upon unity derived from Christ's love, this leads to focusing on Christ and the well-being of his people.

The purpose of the Lord's Supper rests in recalling the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, while awaiting his second coming.⁴⁴ The Corinthians abused the Lord's Supper as previously mentioned, consequently Paul tells them that this must halt immediately. Paul specifically instructs the Corinthians to self-examine, individually, before partaking in the Lord's Supper. This includes reflecting on the aforementioned purpose of the Supper, and focus on the unity of their church and its individual members.

Unity mandates waiting for one another. Some Corinthian Christians arrived at church hungry, and quickly ate on their own. Thus, Paul addresses this misbehavior with a command to eat at home if you are hungry. The lack of hunger allows the church members to gather while focusing on the stated purpose for the Lord's Supper.

See Christ, Believe Christ, Achieve with Christ!

Rick E. Meyer
See, Believe, Achieve Inc.
www.rickEmeyer.com
  

(Lowery 1983, 528)
² (Coffman 1984, 164)
³ (Pringle n.d., 356-360)
⁴ (Pringle n.d., 363-371) (MacAurthur 1984, 266-270)
⁵ (Radmacher, Allen and House 1999, 1477)