We Must Examine Ourselves – 1 Corinthians 11

Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #144.  Today we’ll read 1st Corinthians chapter 11 together:  Paul gives instructions about head coverings; he talks about the Lord’s Supper; and says we must examine ourselves.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

By the time you hear this podcast, my baby will have turned 30 years old.  When did that happen?  It seems like yesterday that her dad and I were daily flopping down on the nearest chairs, exhausted.  We were just hoping and praying we’d make it through her toddler years.  She exited the womb full throttle and stayed that way pretty much through school.  Chasing her was the only workout we ever needed. 

Too often, I found myself wishing for that season to pass so I could catch my breath.  Now, I’d give all the breath I have to hear her bubbling laughter just one more time.  Now, she is a caring adult who juggles work and relationships and the minutia of life with grace.  I like her.  I mean, I love her…of course, I do.  But isn’t it nice when you can say you like your kids too?

 So happy birthday, Megan.  I’m so proud of you!  May the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.

1 Corinthians Chapter 11

Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

Instructions about Head Coverings

Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you. But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ. Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head. Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should 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 head be covered.

A man should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. So too, woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

Symbol of Authority

This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.

Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

The Lord’s Supper

Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you. When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk! Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Self-Examination

So, then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup. For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep. If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

Closing Thoughts

Okay, I have a few things to say about this chapter.  First, we must acknowledge that our God is a God of order.  He has an established order in creation and within the Godhead.  He created men and women for different roles within His order and we shouldn’t spend a lifetime rebelling against that order.  Christ was in no way lesser than God the Father, but in His incarnate state, He chose to be subordinate to Him.  He submitted to that order.  

And we are to do the same.  It is no longer a custom for women to have long hair and men to have short.  But God’s economy cannot be offended.  I am subordinate to my husband’s authority.  And that is a good thing because God created it that way.  We will talk much more about this in 1 Peter 3, the one we women struggle with.  We’ll reason it out together.  We will respect those that maintain some of these things literally but we will not argue because, as we learned in Romans 14, they are disputable matters.

Examine Our Hearts

Next, I don’t think any of us can imagine coming to celebrate the Lord’s supper and thinking of it as a meal.  The middle part of this passage says a lot more about how messed up the Corinthians were than about the ceremony itself.  I think we understand that the elements represent sacrificed body and shed blood of our Lord and Savior.  And we celebrate this occasion with solemn-ness and self-examination.  Which leads us to the conclusion of this chapter and perhaps the most significant.  

How do we come before Jesus in the Lord’s Supper?  With bitterness in our hearts?  An ungodly attitude?  Unrepentant sin?  We cannot be one with Christ in an unexamined state.  I think I’d rather think about what I’m doing and/or let the elements pass if there is spiritual business I have to take care of, rather than invite God’s discipline.

Prayer 

Let’s pray.  Father God, thank You for the order in which You created our world.  Help us, Lord, to put aside our ego, our will, our rebellion, and submit wholly to You.  Remind us of Paul’s words to imitate him.  Remind us constantly, Holy Spirit, that Your plans are not to harm us but to give us a future and a hope.  Help us to trust You, Lord, because we don’t do it very well on our own.  We give You glory.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.