1 CORINTHIANS - Chapter 11
1 Corinthians Chapter 11
Sunday Evening Service, February 11, 2913, the Year of Our Lord
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
11:1 “Be you followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
Follow me as I follow Christ. 1 Cor. 10: 32-33: Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God; Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.”
Romans 15:2: ‘Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.”
11: 2-3: “I praise you brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.”
Paul gave a word of commendation to a church that is critical of him, often rebellious toward him and full of divisions. The apostle is not one to give praise where it is undeserved, but here he finds an area where he can not be a hypocrite. “I appreciate that you remember me and cling to the teaching I handed on to you.” That they wrote to Paul concerning their problems indicates their desire to conform to his instructions.
Paul now deals with the subject of public worship. The first matter requiring attention is that of the veiling of women. This scripture is commonly misunderstood in western culture.
Underlying Paul’s reasoning is the principle of subjection. Woman’s subjection to man is understood not in the sense of inequality, or inferiority, but in terms of Christ’s relation to God. This position of subjection was expressed by the veil and the long hair worn by women; a custom consistently followed in much of Asia and the Middle East from the dawn of history to the present day.
To break with such a tradition is deemed a disgrace, being a revolt against the dictates of nature and accepted conduct. The problem which exists for those who seek to interpret the text lies in determining to what extent the apostle is teaching conformity with local concepts of subordination and propriety and the degree to which Christians today should conform to the letter of these instructions.
One thing is certain; within the context of our contemporary culture, the modern western hat---decorative, attractive and often obstructive---cannot be said to compare with the veil, either in appearance, function, or purpose.
At best the hat is a token veil. Its significance when taught in the church is valuable, but in common thought the hat is no longer the local means of expressing subordination. To what extent must local churches modify their traditional modes of worship in the light of a changing culture?
Western culture has no readily recognizable means of expressing woman’s subordination, having legally abandoned the concept. This particular symbol of subordination has lost its meaning. However, women are to submit to their husbands as unto the Lord, that is if he acts like the Lord. Paul says “follow me as I follow Christ.” If the husband is not following Christ, the wife cannot come into submission to evil.
The head is symbolic of authority and supremacy. The head of every man is Christ; the head of woman is man; the head of Christ is God. These three statements express partnership as clearly as subordination.
NEB translates this verse: “While every man has Christ for his Head, woman’s head is man as Christ’s head is God. It is subordination among partners; man is to woman as God is to Christ, but not as Christ is to man.
Because the sinless son maintains total allegiance to the Father, He now reigns with all power in Heaven and earth. Yet, he still abides in faithful submission to the heavenly Father. He delights to do his Father’s will and not his own
1 Cor. 11: 4-7: “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. But every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head; for this is even all one as if she were shaven. If the woman is not covered, let her also be shorn; but if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man.”
Subjection is one of the mysteries of God. “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” (Eph. 5:32) It is God’s way for his people…to make way for the flow of His anointing and power from the Throne. Subjection is not intended as a hierarchy in the marriage or the Church. “Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.” (Eph. 5; 21)
(Vs. 3) The head is symbolic of authority and supremacy. Christ is perfecting man in his own image and likeness that we may be an expression of His own Glory in the earth. For the man, the head covering of the Jewish male symbolized failure to accept: “the light of the gospel of Glory of Christ, who in the image of God should shine on them.” (2 Cor. 3: 14—4:1)
The uncovered head was contrary to Jewish custom. For Paul, the head covering of the Jewish male possibly symbolized his continuance in spiritual darkness from which the Christian had been liberated. This is a very important verse because even today Jewish men still cover their head during religious services. Christ rent the veil of separation and the Glory is now on the head of men.
The woman remains veiled only as a sign of her subordination to man. Logically therefore, a Jew or Muslim attending Christian worship should not be required to remove his headwear for the veil remains un-lifted for non-Christians.
The woman obviously took part in the services because she is here identified as praying and prophesying.
Man is the crown of God’s creation and honors and magnifies Him. In the Old Testament the reference is to mankind (i.e. men and women). Woman is the glory of man being formed from him.
The Hebrew word for veil is “exousia” which means authority. A study of life among veiled women in Asia reveals the word means to be under authority and also to have her own authority.
The concept fundamental to all cultures utilizing the veil is the subjection of woman to man. Yet within the realm of subjection, the woman has a place of authority, dignity, respect and security. This is provided by the veil itself which preserves her dignity in contrast to the unveiled woman whose bare face is the evidence of loose morals, or the general shamelessness of western habits.
The veil is their greatest rights and security. Paul argues for a Corinthian woman to throw off her veil in church was not only to deny her subjection, but to abandon her dignity because of the angels. This means the angels are present in worship and will observe their conduct. That they do observe human conduct is confirmed in Luke 15:7: “I say to you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents…”
1 Cor. 11:8-12: “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.”
The balance of Paul’s argument proves that woman is not inferior to man. Throughout, the apostle is reasoning not on the basis of her inferiority, but of her partnership with man and of the traditional customs of the Asian culture. Neither male or female is independent of the other. As Christians---in the Lord---this relationship is enhanced. In Christ, the submissive wife is neither abused nor despicable. Woman was made from man, but now he is born of her and God makes both.
Since all believers are one “In Christ” where there is neither male nor female; neither should be contemptuous nor vaunt priority over the other. In the Spirit no one enjoys a higher dignity than any other. However in the natural realm, it can be clearly seen that the man is stronger.
1 Cor. 11: 13-16: “Judge in yourselves; is it comely that a woman pray to God uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man has long hair, it is a shame to him? But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.”
Most men, whether eastern or western, wear their hair short in contrast to their womenfolk. Asian women usually regard the length of their hair with pride. Even within a western culture a woman’s hair is usually kept longer than a man’s.
Paul is saying it is not a matter of strife. He appeals to the custom of his time. Also, that it is not a matter of contention in the churches of God. The apostle refuses to debate the matter further. I think that is a good plan for the churches.
1 Cor 11: 17-20: Now we come to a matter in which I cannot commend you. Your meetings are not for the better, but for the worse. (You are doing more harm than good.) First of all, when you come together in the church, I hear that there re divisions among you; and I partly believe it. There must also be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When you come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s Supper (because there is no unity).
However well the traditions had been maintained in other aspects of their corporate life, their assembling as a church for the Lord’s Supper had been sadly marred by their deep-seated factions which revealed themselves in the formation of cliques or parties.
The fellow-ship meal itself designed to be a demonstration of unity in Christ degenerated into an unholy free-for-all, in which the memory of their Lord became blurred beyond all recollection before the poverty of one and the gluttony of another.
The prosperous ignored the poor; the practice of fellowship was forgotten. Such humiliation of the needy could only increase their divisions with their despicable disregard for the church of God inevitably earned divine retribution. The love feast was dead.
The purposes of the love-feast are abandoned---the expression of mutual love through the shared food culminating in the remembrance of Christ’s great act of love---then it is better to eat at home.
1 Cor. 11: 21-25 – paraphrased) you are actually eating your own supper, for each person hastens to eat what he has brought. As a result some go hungry and others get drunk. I can’t believe you’d do this! Don’t you have homes of your own in which to eat and drink? Or do you so despise the church of God that you knowingly shame those who have no home or food to bring? Do you expect me to commend you for this? There’s no way I could do that. Now here is what the Lord Himself gave me about His supper and it is the same tradition I passed on to you: On the night in which He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, thank God for it and broke it, saying, :This and eat it. It is my body which is being broken for you. Do this as a memorial to me.” After supper He did a similar thing. He took the cup and said, “This cup is the New Testament, put in force by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do so as a memorial of me.” (C.S. L.)
There is no new covenant without the blood. The breaking of bread is a continual proclamation of the Lord’s death; not an act of mourning, but an occasion of living hope until he comes.
1 Cor. 11: 26-34: “For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death until He come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore my brethren, when you come together to eat, tarry one for another. If any man hunger, let him eat at home; that you come not together to condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”
This is serious. Sober self-examination preserves from judgment and condemnation. The unworthy manner is caused through the lack of love, factious spirit, greed and contempt which Paul has been rebuking so strongly.
The guilt is not primarily against fellow-believers, great as that is, but against the person of Christ symbolized in the elements.
Absence of self-judgment necessitates divine judgment.
(The following section is an excerpt from the Veil of the Woman by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom—July 12, 2000 –Sermon notes-www.eastgateministries.com):
We have fallen short of this Glory. The fall of the Bride (male and female) can always be attributed to pride, and to false confidence in her position (Hagar). ‘But you did trust in your own beauty” (Ezekiel 16:15)
Our history as a Church parallels the history of Israel as a nation. “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.” Yes, our nation is filled with broken homes, violence in our schools, rebellious children, self-will, self-indulgence, greed, and immorality. C. S. Lovett wrote, “God has placed woman as the carrier of morals. When she becomes immoral, the nation will follow.”
Yet, “Woman is the glory of man.”
The good news is, our God is preparing a Bride, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: For the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)
Our veil of subjection is exchanged for His Glory. “But we all are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
What beauty was that? Nothing less than what she has received as a gift from her Lord: “for it was perfect through my splendor which I have bestowed upon you, says the Lord.” (Ezekiel 16, 14, 15)
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Resources:
Holy Spirit
King James Bible
F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary
The Veil of the Woman by: Carolyn Sissom 7/12/2000