1 Corinthians 11 - How Should You Prepare for Holy Communion?
11 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
One might think this is a prideful statement until you really look at what Paul is saying. Paul is saying only follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. This statement says so much about what it means to be a Christian, and what it means to be a member in the body of Christ. We could never say this is if we didn't have some confidence that we are actually following Christ. At the heart of being a leader in the church of any ministry is being able to say this to those around you.
Could you say this? Why or why not? If you can't say this how might your life need to change so you COULD make this comment to someone else in the church.
On Covering the Head in Worship
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. 3 But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,[a] and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.
Paul now addresses an issue that was unique to the church in Corinth. But Paul does make a statement that I think is challenging. He says, "The head of the woman is the man."
David Guzik's commentary says,
In its full sense, head has the idea of headship and authority. It means to have the appropriate responsibility to lead, and the matching accountability. It is right and appropriate to submit to someone who is our head.
"It is essential to understand that being under authority does not equal inferiority. Jesus was totally under the authority of God the Father (John 5:19 and 8:28), yet He is equally God (John 1:1, 8:58, and 10:30). When God calls women in the church to recognize the headship of men, it is not because women are unequal or inferior, but because there is a God-ordained order of authority to be respected."
In Ephesians Paul says that men and women should submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Bottom line is that submission is not a bad word. The problem is that because of our human nature when someone is called to submit to us, we can misuse that authority. Over the years men have used this authority in unhealthy ways. In some ways maybe this has gone in the opposite direction.
7 A man ought not to cover his head,[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. 10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own[c] head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
This teaching can be even more confusing. Paul seems to say a man is made in the "image of God" and a "woman is the glory of the man".
We know that we are all made in the image of God in the sense we are all equal as men and women, but this is more talking about authority.
I would encourage you to read the whole commentary on these matters. They challenge me to really think about the roles of men and women in the church, and what the bible teaches. We can't take 1 Corinthians 11 as the sole teaching on the role of men and women, but at the same time it is part of God's inspired Word. More discernment is needed in this area in my opinion.
In these verses, Paul seems to soften his stance in the previous verses.
Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
He emphasizes that men and women need to work together for the sake of Christ. Although in the initial order of creation Eve came from Adam, every other person born after that came from a woman.
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.
Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper
17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
Paul then addresses the division he is seeing in the church. This was manifested as they celebrated the Lord's Supper together. There were some people who used the Lord's Supper as a private dinner for their friends, to the exclusion of others in the church. They were even drinking too much. When you consider the nature of the Lord's Supper, and how Jesus implemented it among his disciples, this behavior is pretty shocking. Jesus washed his disciples' feet and then used the symbols of bread and wine to show how he body was broken and blood shed for the sins of the world.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Paul then gives the words, which we now call the Words of Institution. These are the words that tell us what the celebration of the Lord's Supper is all about. Remember this was the night in which Jesus was betrayed. Jesus took the bread and broke it, as a symbol of his body broken for them and the whole world.
In the same way, he took the cup, gave thanks and taught that the wine was a symbol of his blood shed on the cross, which represented the new covenant that had been prophesied about since the Old Testament. While the Old Covenant was fulfilled by the blood of the innocent lamb being shed for the sins of the people of Israel, in the New Testament, Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Importantly Jesus said that as they partook of the bread and the wine, they should do it "in remembrance of Him". Specifically this related to what was about to happen on Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world. This is why when we observe the Lord Supper, Holy Communion, it should be marked by reverence and deliberate meditation of the cost Jesus paid on the cross.
Remember Jesus chose the cross. He chose the cross because of his deep love for us. When we celebrate Holy Communion we remember the very heart of what it means to be a follower of Christ. It is an intimate time we share with our Savior.
It is good to reflect on our lives before we receive Christ's body and blood. We should be willing to repent of anything in our lives that is not glorifying to our Lord. We will never be perfect, but as we come to the table it is a good time to come clean with God. If we have a grudge or a spirit of unforgiveness toward another brother or sister in Christ, we should resolve to reconcile with them as soon as possible.
Finally, as we celebrate this meal, we look forward to the day Jesus will return, and we will celebrate the feast which never ends.
27 So then, 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. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
Paul emphasizes what I just mentioned that part of partaking of Christ's body and blood in a worthy manner is to examine themselves before they receive Holy Communion. Paul even warns that if people observe communion in an unworthy manner there could be dire consequences, even death.
Again, Guzik gives some good commentary about a really challenging set of verses.
The judgment is significant. Evidently, among the Corinthian Christians, some experienced illness and some had even died as a result of God’s corrective discipline. In writing eats and drinks judgment, Paul does not refer to eternal judgment, but to corrective judgment. There is no article “the” before “judgment,” so it is not the judgment. This chastening is not a judge condemning a criminal; it is a father correcting disobedient children.
However, it is certainly presumptuous to think this about every case of an untimely death of a believer, or to use it as an enticement to suicide for the guilt-ridden Christian. Our lives are in God’s hands, and if He sees fit to bring one of His children home, that is fine.
I think we can conclude that when we receive Holy Communion it should not be done flippantly or without contemplating why Jesus gave us this meal to remember him. Holy Communion is also inexorably linked to our life together in the body of Christ. We receive Holy Communion together which reminds us that we are the body of Christ and we belong to each other. The same love Jesus showed us on the cross, we should share and show to one another!
How does these views challenge your view and practice of Holy Communion?
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