1 Corinthians 11:1-34
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
2 Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances,a as I delivered them to you.
3 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.
4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
7 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.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
10 For this cause ought the woman to have powerb on her head because of the angels.
11 Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.
12 For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.
13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?
14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.c
16 But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisionsd among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresiese among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said,Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do inf remembrance of me.
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying,This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
27 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.
28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnationg to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation.h And the rest will I set in order when I come.
Another Corinthian question concerned the position of woman and her true attitude in the exercise of divinely bestowed gifts. He declared that woman's true position is subservience to man. The nature of that subservience, however, the apostle was also very careful to indicate. God is equal with Christ. God co-operates with Christ. God is the Head of Christ.
Then follows a touch of purely local color. The women in Corinth itself, whose heads were shaven and went uncovered, were women of shame. The apostle therefore enjoined woman exercising gifts of ministry to do so with those outward manifestations of her true relationship to man which are proper and becoming. However, the great value to us of this teaching is its recognition of the right of women to pray and prophesy. The question of wearing a veil is of no permanent importance. Not wearing a covering for the head in this country has not the significance that it had in Corinth.
The last matter to be discussed was the Lord's Supper. Grave abuses had arisen, and in order to correct these abuses the apostle told the story of the institution of the Supper. In brief words, the apostle declared the value of the feast to the world. The arresting word is ''proclaim." The Supper of the Lord, observed by the saints from year to year, from century to century, is the one outward and visible sign and symbol of His death. It is to continue until He Himself shall return. Instituted in the concluding days of His First Advent, it must be maintained until He come.
And thus that dark betrayal night
With the last advent we unite,
By one long chain of loving rite,
Until He come.