1 Corinthians 11
1 Corinthians 11 addresses order, respect, and reverence in the church gathering. Paul first speaks about headship, gender distinction, and proper conduct in worship, especially concerning head coverings in that cultural setting. He teaches that worship should reflect God’s order, humility, and respect, not pride or confusion. He then corrects the Corinthians for their wrong practice of the Lord’s Supper, because their gatherings had become selfish and divided instead of reverent and united. Paul reminds them that the bread and cup point to Christ’s body and blood, and that believers must examine themselves and treat the Lord’s Supper with seriousness. The whole chapter teaches that worship must glorify God through humility, unity, reverence, and love for one another.
1 Corinthians 11:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
Paul begins by telling the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ. He is not asking them to follow him as a man apart from Christ, but only as his life and teaching reflect Jesus. Paul then praises them because they remembered him and kept the traditions he had delivered to them. These traditions were not empty human customs, but apostolic instructions about faith, worship, and church order. Paul’s point is that the church should not follow personal preference or disorder, but should hold to the teaching given through Christ’s apostles.
1 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)
3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Paul introduces the principle of headship and divine order. He says the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. This does not mean that one person has more value than another, because all are precious before God. Rather, Paul is speaking about order, relationship, responsibility, and honor. Christ is under the headship of God, yet He is not dishonored by this; He willingly honors His Father. In the same way, God’s order in the family and church is meant to bring harmony, not pride or abuse. True headship must reflect Christ’s humility, love, and submission to God.
1 Corinthians 11:4-6 (NKJV)
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.
6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.
Paul speaks about how men and women should present themselves when praying or prophesying in worship. In that setting, a man covering his head while praying or prophesying would dishonor his head, Christ. A woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered would dishonor her head, because in that culture an uncovered or shaved head could communicate shame, rebellion, or rejection of proper order. Paul’s concern is not merely cloth on the head, but what it represented in that church setting: respect, modesty, reverence, and recognition of God’s order. Worship should not bring dishonor, confusion, or pride, but should reflect humility before God.
1 Corinthians 11:7-10 (NKJV)
7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man.
9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
Paul gives his reason from the order of creation. Man was created first, and woman was made from man and for man as a helper suitable for him. Because of this, Paul says the man is the image and glory of God, while the woman is the glory of man. This does not mean woman is inferior, but that she has a special relationship to man in God’s created order. The head covering, in that context, served as a symbol of authority, modesty, and respect in worship. Paul also says this is “because of the angels,” reminding believers that worship is sacred and witnessed by heavenly beings. Therefore, worship should be conducted with reverence, order, and respect before God and His angels.
1 Corinthians 11:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord.
12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.
Paul balances his teaching by showing that man and woman are not independent of each other in the Lord. Woman came from man in creation, but every man after Adam comes through woman by birth. This shows mutual dependence. Paul does not allow headship to become pride or superiority. Men and women need one another, and both are dependent on God. The final point is that “all things are from God.” Therefore, both male and female roles must be understood under God’s authority, with humility, respect, and gratitude.
1 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?
15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.
Paul asks the Corinthians to judge for themselves what is proper in worship. He appeals to nature and common understanding of gender distinction, saying that long hair is a glory to a woman, while long hair on a man was considered dishonorable in that setting. Paul is pointing to the importance of maintaining proper distinction between male and female, as well as modesty and honor in worship. The woman’s long hair is given to her as a covering and glory, showing that God’s design includes beauty, distinction, and order. The main point is that believers should not use worship to blur God-given distinctions or act in a way that brings shame or confusion.
1 Corinthians 11:16 (NKJV)
16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
Paul closes this section by warning against a contentious spirit. If anyone wants to argue stubbornly against this order, Paul says that neither he nor the churches of God have such a custom of disorder or rebellion. His concern is not to encourage endless debate, but to maintain unity, reverence, and proper conduct among the churches. Worship should not be marked by pride, argument, or self-will, but by humility and respect for the order God has established.
1 Corinthians 11:17-19 (NKJV)
17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
Paul now turns to problems in their church gatherings, and this time he does not praise them. Their meetings were supposed to build them up, but instead they were coming together “not for the better but for the worse.” There were divisions among them, and Paul partly believed the reports. These divisions revealed deeper problems in the church, but they also showed who was truly approved, faithful, and humble before God. Sometimes conflict exposes the real condition of people’s hearts. Paul’s concern is that the church gathering should bring unity and spiritual growth, not pride, division, and harm.
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 (NKJV)
20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.
21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.
22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Paul rebukes the Corinthians because their practice of the Lord’s Supper had become selfish and disorderly. Instead of eating together in reverence and unity, some took their own food ahead of others, leaving some hungry while others became drunk. This showed a serious lack of love and respect, especially toward the poor who had little or nothing. Paul says they were despising the church of God and shaming those who had nothing. The Lord’s Supper was meant to proclaim Christ’s sacrifice and unite believers, but their selfish behavior contradicted its meaning. Paul makes clear that he cannot praise them for this.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NKJV)
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Paul reminds them of the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper, which he received from the Lord and delivered to them. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” The bread points to Christ’s body given for us, and the cup points to His blood of the New Covenant, given for the remission of sins and the establishing of a new relationship with God. The Lord’s Supper is therefore not an ordinary meal or a place for selfishness. It is a sacred remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice. Each time believers eat the bread and drink the cup, they proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. This means the Lord’s Supper looks back to the cross and forward to Christ’s return.
1 Corinthians 11:27-29 (NKJV)
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Paul warns that whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup in an unworthy manner is guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. This does not mean a person must be perfect before taking the Lord’s Supper, but they must not treat it carelessly, selfishly, or without reverence. Paul tells each person to examine himself, meaning to search the heart, confess sin, and come with humility, faith, and love. The Corinthians were failing to discern the Lord’s body, both in the sacred meaning of Christ’s body given for them and in the church as Christ’s body, where believers should care for one another. To partake without reverence and love brings judgment instead of blessing.
1 Corinthians 11:30-32 (NKJV)
30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
Paul explains that because of their irreverent and selfish conduct, many among them were weak, sick, and some had died. This shows that God took their abuse of the Lord’s Supper seriously. Paul says that if believers would judge themselves, they would not be judged. This means they should honestly examine their own hearts, repent, and correct their wrong behavior. When the Lord judges or disciplines His people, it is not to destroy them, but to chasten them so they will not be condemned with the world. God’s correction is serious, but it is also merciful, because He wants His people to repent and be saved.
1 Corinthians 11:33-34 (NKJV)
33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.
34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
Paul gives practical instruction to correct the problem. When the believers come together to eat, they should wait for one another and show care, patience, and unity. If someone is hungry, he should eat at home so the church gathering does not become selfish or disorderly. The Lord’s Supper should not be treated like a common meal for satisfying hunger, but as a holy remembrance of Christ. Paul’s instruction teaches that worship must be marked by reverence for God and love for the brethren. When believers gather, they should build one another up, not shame, exclude, or harm one another.