Chapter Text
Follow My Example
Head Coverings in Worship
The Lord's Supper
Summary
Paul addresses issues of worship order. He teaches about head coverings, affirming that man is the head of woman as Christ is the head of man and God is the head of Christ. He instructs that women should have their heads covered when praying or prophesying. Paul then rebukes the Corinthians' abuse of the Lord's Supper, where divisions, drunkenness, and neglect of the poor have corrupted the meal. He recounts Christ's institution of the supper and warns that eating and drinking unworthily brings judgment.
Meaning
Paul's teaching on head coverings establishes the principle that corporate worship should reflect the created order and honor cultural expressions of modesty and propriety. The specific application may be culturally situated, but the underlying principle of honoring God-ordained distinctions remains universal.
The Lord's Supper correction is more severe, as the Corinthians had transformed a sacred meal into an occasion for social division and excess. The wealthy ate abundantly while the poor went hungry — a mockery of the meal that proclaims Christ's self-giving death. Paul's solemn warning about eating and drinking unworthily calls every believer to self-examination before approaching this holy ordinance.
Background
Head coverings carried strong cultural significance in Corinth; an uncovered woman could be associated with disreputable behavior. The Lord's Supper in the early church was a full communal meal, not merely the symbolic elements of bread and wine. The social divisions at the meal reflected the broader Roman patronage system, where hosts served better food to higher-status guests. Paul's account of the institution of the Lord's Supper is the earliest written record, predating even the Gospels.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-2Call to follow apostolic tradition
- vv. 3-10Headship and head coverings
- vv. 11-16Mutual interdependence in the Lord
- vv. 17-22Divisions at the common meal
- vv. 23-26Institution of the Lord's Supper
- vv. 27-32Self-examination and discipline
- vv. 33-34Practical instructions for gathering
Key Verses
“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.”— 11:3
A foundational text on headship and order, often cited in discussions of gender, authority, and the relationship within the Trinity. Its careful structure links human relationships to the very life of God.
“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”— 11:24
Paul's account is the earliest written record of the institution of the Lord's Supper, predating the Gospels. These words are recited in nearly every Christian communion service across history.
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”— 11:26
Defines the Lord's Supper as both proclamation and anticipation—a backward look to the cross and a forward look to Christ's return. It frames communion as the church's enduring witness.
“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”— 11:28
The classic call to self-examination before communion, shaping centuries of liturgy and personal preparation for the sacrament.
People & Places
People
- Paul — The apostle writing to correct disorder in the Corinthian assembly.
- Jesus Christ — The Lord whose betrayal night and institution of the Supper Paul recounts as received tradition.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
The Lord's Supper itself is a prophetic ordinance: verse 26 declares that eating and drinking 'shew the Lord's death till he come,' binding the church's worship to the future return of Christ. The cup is called 'the new testament in my blood' (v. 25), fulfilling Jeremiah 31:31-34's promise of a new covenant ratified not with animal blood but with the Messiah's own. Each celebration thus stands between the cross already accomplished and the parousia still awaited.
Devotional
This chapter invites us to take worship seriously. Paul is not impressed by gatherings that divide rich from poor or treat the Lord's table casually—he wants the church to come together as one body, mindful of the cost of grace.
Self-examination is not morbid introspection but honest love. Before we eat the bread, we ask: Am I at peace with my brother? Am I receiving Christ with reverence? The discipline Paul commends is gentle, aimed not at condemnation but at restoration. Sacred things deserve a slower heart.
Literary Style
Apostolic epistle blending pastoral correction, theological argument, and liturgical tradition. Paul moves from rhetorical questions and appeals to nature, into a carefully received creedal formula (vv. 23-26) that preserves one of the earliest eucharistic texts in Christianity.