1 Corinthians 11 - How Does Authority Work in the Church Between Men and Women?

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Paul starts with this short verse in 1 Corinthians 11:1, 

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

It is a short verse, but it says so much. First of all, I don't think Paul is being prideful when he says, "Follow me". I think he is saying follow me, as I follow Christ meaning there is no reason to follow him if he isn't following Christ. The word for "example" is the word "mimeo", where we get the term "mimeograph". Mimeograph preceded the photocopier. It made copies by forcing ink through a stencil. Depending on how good the stencil and the ink were it was successful.

Our stencil is Jesus. He is the One we copy. He is the one we follow not just in name only, but as we try to live our lives like he would if he were us. We realize that if we are not following Christ then we don't have much to offer. It is like the blind leading the blind. But if we are following Christ, our example will encourage and convict others to follow Christ. This is what church, or better yet, the Christian community are all about. 

On Covering the Head in Worship

Paul continues to teach on various practical matters the church in Corinth was facing. In this situation the issue is "head coverings", which we don't know a lot about as contemporary Christians. We do know the word "head" means authority. Like Jesus is the "head of the church". He is the supreme authority in any church. But he also gave authority to the apostles and to us to do the things he did. 

The idea of a head covering was important in this (and many other) ancient cultures. To wear the head covering (or veil in some translations), was a public symbol of being under the authority and protection of another.

There are some challenging statements about the authority of a man versus the authority of a woman which often get misquoted. We know from Galatians 3:28, "There is neither male or female, Jew nor Greek, slave or free, but all are one in Christ Jesus!"  This is evidenced by many women who had the prophetic gift and exercised it. I.e. Anna in the the book of Luke's gospel. In the Old Testament Miriam was a prophetess, as well as Deborah. 

On the flipside is our culture today which doesn't recognize any difference between men and women. 

Our culture, having rejected the idea in a difference in role between men and women, now rejects the idea of any difference between men and women. The driving trends in our culture point towards men who are more like women, and women who are more like men – and styles, clothes, perfumes, and all the rest are pushing this thought. - Guzik

Paul also espouses the idea of mutuality. 

Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

On top of all Paul has said about male headship in the church, it would be wrong to consider headship as the only dynamic at work between men and women in the church. They must also remember neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man. Men and women need each other, so there is no place for a “lording over” of the men over the women. - Guzik

One of the things commentators point out was the the women were using there newfound freedom in Christ in inappropriate ways. In the end this is one of those challenging passage because Paul definitely asserts the headship of men over women. The problem is there are not so many good examples of mutual submission for the sake of the church 

Paul teaches regarding how men and women relate to each other in marriage, and specifically that a wife should submit to her husband. 

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

But notice verse 25. Paul teaches women should submit to their husbands, but husbands should love their wives just as Christ loved the church giving his life the church. So who has it harder. I think this means, men you should be willing to die for your wives. 

So again, there is no sense of men lording themselves over women, as this passage been badly used for before. 

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper 

Paul also has a corrective word for them regarding how they are practicing Holy Communion together as a church. Though the primary purpose for Holy Communion is to remember Jesus' death and resurrection for us, it is also a time of deep fellowship which results from what Jesus did for all of us. 

But in the church of Corinth there were divisions among. They could not be fellowshipping with Christ and be divided as the body of Christ. Also cliques must have developed between the "haves" and "have nots". Some people when they gathered for the agape meal, which was in connection with Holy Communion, went off by themselves and got drunk when poorer members of the community didn't even have something to eat. 

Because the risen Jesus so often ate with His disciples, it made sense to the early church that eating together went together with celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Paul then recites the words, we call the words of institution to remind them of the correct purpose and observance of Holy Communion. These words were from the Last Supper, when Jesus gathered with his disciples for one last meal before he went to the cross. Paul goes as far as to say, 

'Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord."

What does this mean? It sounds very serious. 

Paul warns the Corinthian Christians to treat the Lord’s Supper with reverence, and to practice it in a spirit of self-examination. However, this is not written with the thought of excluding ourselves from the table, but of preparing us to receive with the right heart.

We can never really make ourselves “worthy” of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He did it because of His great love, not because some of us were so worthy. As we take the bread and cup, we should not stare at the floor or struggle to achieve some sort of spiritual feeling. We should simply open our heart to Jesus and recognize His presence with us – in fact, in us! - Guzik