1Corinthians 11 Still talking about the principle of liberty and the need to restrain liberty o We don t want our exercise of freedom to become the downfall of others o Paul used himself as an example of self-restraint for the sake of a greater goal the gospel With the secondary goal of ensuring his eternal reward by his self-restraint o Last week, Paul said don t be naïve letting our physical desires rules us is a recipe for disaster that can carry us away into other sin, like idolatry o What s left? How about a couple of examples of how self-restraint and concern for one another are actually being practiced in the church So see chapter 11 as an aside I see it as the natural conclusion to his discussion of selfrestraint and showing concern for the needs of our brothers and sisters 1Cor. 11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. 1Cor. 11:2 Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 1Cor. 11:3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 1Cor. 11:4 Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. 1Cor. 11:5 But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. 1Cor. 11:6 For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. 1Cor. 11:7 For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 1Cor. 11:8 For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;
1Corinthains 11 2 1Cor. 11:9 for indeed man was not created for the woman s sake, but woman for the man s sake. 1Cor. 11:10 Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 1Cor. 11:11 However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 1Cor. 11:12 For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 1Cor. 11:13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 1Cor. 11:14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 1Cor. 11:15 but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering. Verse 1 is a bit of a puzzle. o Better associated with chapter 10? The men who separated chapters knew what they were doing Paul is going to use examples to illustrate where they are doing a good job of imitating him in this area of self-restraint and where they are not Paul begins with a praise o Because the church has generally remembered Paul s teachings and is holding firm to traditions that Paul delivered to them Three important things we learn by this statement The traditions were given by Paul to the church o They were pagan and knew nothing of church practice, so Paul provided them the traditions o The traditions of the early church didn t arrive by chance or from trial and error o They were purposefully established by the Apostles according to Christ s direction Secondly, traditions are not the same as scriptural mandates
1Corinthains 11 3 o They are tied culturally and historically to the people who practice them o We never want to make the traditions of men equal to the precepts of God Third, traditions were important to Paul as a teaching tool o The traditions he gave them were established to teach helpful spiritual truths and build up the church o Showing honor to Christ, edifying saints, ensuring good order, encouraging successful ministry, etc. Therefore, Church traditions aren t all meaningless or optional We need to tread carefully when rethinking how the Christian experience should be practiced within the gathering Our submission to traditions is often a test of our willingness to restrain self-interest for the sake of other s needs o Table etiquette example But tradition doesn t exist for it s own sake The value of a tradition is in it s ability to teach us some important spiritual truth through our observance of the ritual It s a means to an end So Paul begins his praise by reminding them of the principle he wanted to teach through the tradition (e.g., the end ) o Verse 3 states the principle behind a certain set of traditions Paul gave the Corinthian church Christ is the head of the church, speaking of authority and origin Man is the head of the woman Authority (in the context of marriage)
1Corinthains 11 4 Origin (in the context of Adam s rib) God (Father) is the head of Christ Authority within the Godhead Origin in the sense that the Father brought about the incarnation of the man Christ through the HS o The principle of godly authority and origins are fundamental teachings from scripture Paul wanted to reinforce these truths through the use of tradition Paul has praised the church for sticking to this tradition o Specifically, men were told to reflect Christ s headship over them by refraining from wearing anything on their heads while praying or prophesying Wearing head coverings was not uncommon in Paul s day Jewish men commonly wore head coverings in the synagogue or while praying Other head coverings were common among Gentiles o But Paul had instructed the church men not to wear any head covering while engaged in worship To do so disgraces his head in the sense of showing contempt for the authority over him Remember, Paul established this tradition to make a larger point by association So he s not saying that head coverings are automatically disgraceful He s called it a tradition for a reason (rather than a scriptural mandate) He s saying that within the church in that day, male head coverings were prohibited to symbolize a man s submission to Christ
1Corinthains 11 5 o Now after such an association has been explained to a man, and then he continues wearing a head covering anyway What is he saying by his contrary behavior? He is knowing communicating something to everyone else He s saying that his own liberty supersedes the unity of the Body in testifying to Christ s headship That s a disgraceful act The example of the woman follows naturally o The tradition for women was to be covered, reflecting her submission to her husband and the men in authority in the church In that day, it was commonly a shawl that covered the entire head like women in the Middle East still do today Again, these were just convenient symbols Paul conveyed as traditions to reinforce a spiritual truth o Therefore, a woman who is without covering in the Corinthian church was making a statement concerning her willingness to submit Paul says it was like the women who shaved their heads In Greco-Roman culture, a woman who shaved her head was trying to appear as a man It was a kind of protest against a male dominated culture and a statement implying an unwillingness to fit into the conventional role Prostitutes often wore very short hair as a way of advertising who they were to potential clients Num 5 requires that a Jewish women convicted of adultery must have her head shaved as part of her punishment So, a woman who shaved her head was a disgrace and typically seen as scandalous o Knowing that, consider what Paul says in verse 6
1Corinthains 11 6 If a woman isn t willing to keep to the traditions concerning hair covering, then she mighty as well go all the way Show the world she isn t willing to be submitted to any authority Don t go half way If you want to be a rebel and flaunt your freedom, then just shave your head o Christian rebellion is often a safe way to rebel within church culture o Won t give, won t stand during worship, won t agree to church attendance, won t be baptized Paul then reinforces how the tradition also teaches the second issue origin relates to the first issue - authority o Men were created in the image and glory of God Man s very existence was intended to reflect glory on God as we exist to serve Him Woman share in this purpose, as well, but they also have the purpose of reflecting glory upon God by their relationship with their husbands For woman was created for the spiritual and physical betterment of her husband And in fulfilling her God given role, a wife gives God glory o So Paul taught the tradition that a woman s head should be covered as a symbol of authority Because of the angels Maybe the demonic realm, a reference to the problem in the garden when woman were the target of Satan o Neither man nor woman is independent of the other in God s economy The first woman came from the first man, but all men come from their mother Just as all originates from God
1Corinthains 11 7 Then Paul finishes with a proof that s fascinating By nature men have shorter hair and women longer hair Paul means by culture it is seen as right for women to have long hair and men to have short hair Therefore, if a person goes against this cultural tradition, it says something about their heart and their willingness to restrain their flesh and submit to authority Now in one verse Paul makes the transition to the negative example 1Cor. 11:16 But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God. o If someone wants to go against the grain, and do their own thing, we give them no option The church isn t a place for alacarte Christians Paul wasn t looking for individuality or democracy And it wasn t just this congregation They weren t going to go church shopping to find a place where their liberal, self-centered thought could be accepted It was either submit to authority and do what was required, or be left out o But then Paul says he can t praise them in all respects, because they still had problems 1Cor. 11:17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. 1Cor. 11:18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 1Cor. 11:19 For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 1Cor. 11:20 Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord s Supper, 1Cor. 11:21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 1Cor. 11:22 What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you.
1Corinthains 11 8 1Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 1Cor. 11:24 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. 1Cor. 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me. 1Cor. 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until He comes. 1Cor. 11:27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 1Cor. 11:28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 1Cor. 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 1Cor. 11:30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 1Cor. 11:31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 1Cor. 11:32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 1Cor. 11:33 So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 1Cor. 11:34 If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come. Paul says they weren t coming together (church service) for better o They held to his head covering tradition But they were not showing self-restraint in an even more important tradition The Lord s Supper Now the communion meal itself is not a tradition, per se It s a command of the Lord But the way we observe it is a tradition o Paul says that they come together in factions rather than as one And Paul says he believes it and in a way, it makes sense that there are different camps Because the people who do right must stand apart from those who do wrong they must separate themselves
1Corinthains 11 9 What was the mistake? o The way they practiced the tradition of eating the Lord s supper Here s where the theme of liberty and eating come back together again Ties chapter 8 to chapter 11 o They hadn t observed the meal properly because they had viewed it as a feast rather than a ceremony Paul says they weren t coming to eat the Lord s Supper, but their own The communion meal was a tradition that taught a larger spiritual truth The Corinthians had divorced the meal from the message and made it a free for all o Besides completely miusing the Paul lists a three principle of sins Each person takes his own meal first People were bringing their own food to serve themselves without regard for whether their brothers had anything to eat Completely selfish approach to a meal Secondly, some had nothing to eat and went hungry Third, some got drunk on wine Paul then chastises them in typical Pauline style o What (or Indeed) o Don t you have houses? Don t despise the church by shaming your brothers and sisters It was a matter of pride too, They flaunted their wealth before their brothers in the Lord and that left others feeling ashamed of their poverty
1Corinthains 11 10 o Paul won t praise this They should have enjoyed their lavish meals at home out of sight Then he gives them the right way to practice the tradition, based on how the Lord conducted the original meal We ve heard these verses before, and I won t examine them in detail But notice that Paul says he received this information from the Lord And when we consider he wrote this before the gospels were written, it substantiates Paul s source o Because the gospel authors later supported Paul s account with similar accounts themselves All this points to the importance of observing this tradition very carefully and respectfully And that s what Paul says o In verse 27, Paul says that to take part in this tradition but to do so without submitting to its requirements is to bring judgment on himself We re not talking about the judgment of the unbeliever We re talking about some other kind of judgment Paul names the ways God will judge the believer who perverts this tradition You may be physically weak or sick or even experience physical death o So what s an unworthy manner? o Paul attributes these consequences within the church to their approach to this one tradition o You think it s important to God? Anything that is not consistent with an observance of Christ s death as a sacrifice for our sin
1Corinthains 11 11 o If they had judged themselves, Meaning if they had checked their own fleshly desires and restrained their pride and selfishness Then they wouldn t have received God s judgment o But because they couldn t police themselves, God brought discipline So that they might not be condemned along with the world In other words, the Father disciplines His children If they hadn t received discipline when they did the wrong thing, then they would be illegitimate So, God disciplined them so they would not be condemned like the rest of the world He showed that He cared how they behaved in this tradition And He couldn t allow His children to distort the meaning of such an important ceremony By the way, there s a careful play on words in Greek in the original text This is another instance of wordplay in the Greek text. If we judged (diakrino) ourselves, we would not come under divine judgment (krino). When God judges us (krino), it is to correct us so we will not be condemned (katakrino) with the world. Finally, Paul gives the correction o Then come together for the communion meal, wait for one another and eat together o If you re hungry, eat at home so the flesh won t have you tempted to turn the communion into something fleshly o Some other matters Paul wanted to wait to address when he returned
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