Christ appears as part of a hierarchical authority structure ("head of every man is Christ") in only three Pauline passages, contrasting his typical role in discussions of faith and righteousness.
1 Corinthians 11
Head Coverings in Worship
1Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.
3But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
5But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved.
6For if a woman is not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or be shaved, let her be covered.
7For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man.
8For man is not from woman, but woman from man;
9for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man.
10For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.
11Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord.
12For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God.
13Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled?
14Doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?
15But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering.
16But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do God’s assemblies.
Abuses at the Lord's Supper
17But in giving you this command I don’t praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.
19For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you.
20When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.
21For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken.
22What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.
23For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.
24When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”
25In 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, in memory of me.”
26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.
28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body.
30For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep.
31For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged.
32But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
33Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.
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Theme
Paul addresses two worship-related issues troubling the Corinthian church: proper head coverings during prayer and prophecy, and serious abuses during the Lord's Supper. He establishes principles of authority and order in worship while emphasizing mutual interdependence between men and women. Paul then confronts the Corinthians' divisive and selfish behavior during communion, reminding them of the sacred nature of this ordinance and warning against participating unworthily.
Context
This chapter continues Paul's response to issues reported from Corinth, transitioning from questions about Christian liberty to matters of proper worship conduct.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-2 Praise for Following Traditions Paul commends the Corinthians for remembering his teachings and holding to the traditions he delivered.
- 3-10 Head Coverings and Authority Structure Paul explains the theological basis for head coverings in worship, rooted in creation order and divine authority.
- 11-16 Mutual Interdependence and Natural Order Paul balances his teaching by emphasizing equality and mutual dependence between men and women in the Lord.
- 17-22 Divisions at the Lord's Supper Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their selfish behavior and class divisions during communion meals.
- 23-26 Institution of the Lord's Supper Paul recounts Jesus' words at the Last Supper, emphasizing the sacred meaning of communion.
- 27-34 Warnings Against Unworthy Participation Paul warns of serious consequences for those who partake of communion without proper reverence and self-examination.
Head Coverings in Worship
11:1–11:16 epistle instruction solemn
Paul addresses proper head coverings in worship, establishing principles of spiritual authority and gender distinctions while emphasizing the interdependence of men and women in God's created order.
person_contrast
Christ appears as part of a hierarchical authority structure ("head of every man is Christ") in only three Pauline passages, contrasting his typical role in discussions of faith and righteousness.
Abuses at the Lord's Supper
11:17–11:34 epistle rebuke solemn
Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their divisive and inappropriate behavior during communion, reminding them of the sacred nature of the Lord's Supper and warning of judgment for unworthy participation.
person_contrast
Paul's harshest rebuke in 1 Corinthians targets communion abuse, uniquely linking the sacred meal to church unity rather than his typical emphasis on grace and fellowship.
Insights
Paul's harshest rebuke in 1 Corinthians targets communion abuse, uniquely linking the sacred meal to church unity rather than his typical emphasis on grace and fellowship.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
1 Corinthians 11:3 2 references
Lexicals 2
1 Corinthians 11:5 1 reference
1 Corinthians 11:7 4 references
Lexicals 4
Ephesians 5:28 Lexical
Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
Acts 27:21 Lexical
When they had been long without food, Paul stood up in the middle of them and said, “Sirs, you should have listened to m…
Ephesians 5:23 Lexical
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the bod…
Acts 17:12 Lexical
Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men.
1 Corinthians 11:10 1 reference
1 Corinthians 11:11 3 references
Lexicals 3
Ephesians 5:33 Lexical
Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband…
Matthew 15:38 Lexical
Those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children.
Matthew 14:21 Lexical
Those who ate were about five thousand men, in addition to women and children.
1 Corinthians 11:12 4 references
Lexicals 4
Ephesians 5:24 Lexical
But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:33 Lexical
Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband…
Ephesians 5:28 Lexical
Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
1 Peter 3:5 Lexical
For this is how in the past the holy women who hoped in God also adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own hu…
1 Corinthians 11:14 2 references
1 Corinthians 11:15 1 reference
1 Corinthians 11:18 4 references
Lexicals 4
Acts 19:32 Lexical
Some therefore cried one thing, and some another, for the assembly was in confusion. Most of them didn’t know why they h…
1 Corinthians 12:28 Lexical
God has set some in the assembly: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracle workers, then gifts of h…
Acts 21:20 Lexical
They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jew…
Romans 3:2 Lexical
Much in every way! Because first of all, they were entrusted with the revelations of God.
1 Corinthians 11:21 3 references
Lexicals 3
1 Corinthians 7:7 Lexical
Yet I wish that all men were like me. However, each man has his own gift from God, one of this kind, and another of that…
Matthew 25:15 Lexical
To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his j…
Romans 14:5 Lexical
One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own min…
1 Corinthians 11:22 1 reference
1 Corinthians 11:24 1 reference
1 Corinthians 11:25 2 references
1 Corinthians 11:26 2 references
1 Corinthians 11:27 4 references
Lexicals 4
1 Corinthians 10:16 Lexical
The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a shar…
Luke 7:33 Lexical
For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’
Matthew 26:26 Lexical
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples and said, “Take, eat;…
Mark 14:22 Lexical
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had blessed it, he broke it and gave to them, and said, “Take, eat. T…
1 Corinthians 11:28 2 references
1 Corinthians 11:33 1 reference
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