Jul 21: 1 Corinthians 11

Christian Order

11 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

² Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I handed them down to you. 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. ⁴ Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. ⁵ But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for it is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. ⁶ For if a woman does not cover her head, have her also cut her hair off; however, if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, have her cover her head. ⁷ For a man should not have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.⁸ For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. ¹⁰ Therefore the woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.¹¹ However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as the woman originated from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. ¹³ Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?¹⁴ Does even nature itself not teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, ¹⁵ but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ But if anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor have the churches of God.

¹⁷ Now in giving this next instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better, but for the worse. 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. ¹⁹ For there also have to be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. ²⁰ Therefore when you come together it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, ²¹ for when you eat, each one takes his own supper first; and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. 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 am I to say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I do not praise you.

The Lord’s Supper

²³ For I received from the Lord that which 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 He also 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.

²⁷ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.²⁹ For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body. ³⁰ For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number are asleep. ³¹ But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ If anyone is hungry, have him eat at home, so that you do not come together for judgment. As to the remaining matters, I will give instructions when I come.