1 Corinthians Chapter 11

CORINTH: RICH GREEK CITY/STATE

(Acts 18:1 [KJV])
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

(Acts 18:8 [KJV])
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

(Acts 19:1 [KJV])
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,

(1 Corinthians 1:2 [KJV])
Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called [to be] saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

(2 Corinthians 1:1 [KJV])
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

(2 Corinthians 1:23 [KJV])
Moreover I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth.

(2 Corinthians 6:11 [KJV])
O [ye] Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

(2 Timothy 4:20 [KJV])
Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

Lots of good, fresh water
Lots of good, arable soil
Lots of good clay for ceramics, pottery, etc., hence "Corinthian Pottery"
Shops, fountains, carved stone temples to the Greek gods, porticos, metal workshops abounded
As a part of a major shipping lane, Corinth has four ports, on the Gulf of Corinth, between two seas
A temple to Apollo was there
Another temple was one to Aphrodite, an acropolis known as Acrocorinth, which was associated with prostitutes for the seafaring men, which made it a rich city
Perusing the two letters Paul wrote to them, it is obvious that they were apostate and backslidden.

1 CORINTHIANS 11: GOD'S MODEL FOR MARRIAGE

(1 Corinthians 11:1 [KJV])
Be ye followers of me, even as I also [am] of Christ.

"I follow Joel Osteen!". "I follow John Macarthur!". "I follow Andy Stanley!". "I follow my pastor!". "I follow Franklin Graham!". "I follow Harold Camping!". "I follow Jerry Falwell!"....and 1,000 other flaming hereticks
Nice, but do THEY follow JESUS CHRIST?" Follow NO MAN blindly!
Follow NO MAN UNLESS, UNTIL and ONLY WHILE THEY ARE following Jesus Christ!
Paul is not saying to follow Paul. He is saying to follow Christ, as he does, are far as he does, as long as he does, when he does, only if he does, because he does
This same Paul told us to discern, study to show ourselves approved unto God, have nothing to do with the unfruitful works of darkness, to expose those works, avoid dividers, shun evil, like Peter, to not be deceived, taken in, who also said to not allow people to make merchandise of you

(1 Corinthians 11:2 [KJV])
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered [them] to you.

Paul encouraged freely, cautioned often, knowing man's frailty
Paul asked for prayer, wanted them to lray always, here "in all things", knowing his own frailty, his own needs, in all circumstances
It must be said here and always that Paul delivered the Gospel and all he received of the LORD as he received them, without adding or taking away anything (Deuteronomy 4:2)

(1 Corinthians 11:3 [KJV])
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.

Christ is above man, being God, man being flesh
If a man thinks he can be above Jesus, then this would be why his own wife is now above him himself
Husbands are above the wives as a role, in a position, not in quality, not in importance, to keep order
Think of a company.....is the president a more important person on this earth as a worker? Than a servant?
The way to keep order is all that this is. A proper role, proper set of tasks-all biological, since they (men and women) are different
The corporate "church" in America has fallen for the "gender fluidity" lie, started with the "ERA" movement, an attempt to abolish marriage as slavery
God invented marriage; mankind with the help of the enemy has been trying to destroy it ever since

(1 Corinthians 11:4 [KJV])
Every man praying or prophesying, having [his] head covered, dishonoureth his head.

Simply take your hat off to pray is all. As a witness./testimony for Jesus
It is dishonoring, and shows both are in the same role in the marriage if the wife has her hat on, shows a person does not understand the biblical roles for marriage
"Prophesying" means preaching, not foretelling the future. This sort of error is why we have both contexts and plain old dictionaries

PROPH'ESY, v.t. To foretell future events; to predict. I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. 1 Ki 22. 1. To foreshow. [Little used.] PROPH'ESY, v.i. To utter predictions; to make declaration of events to come. Jer 11. 1. In Scripture, to preach; to instruct in religious doctrines; to interpret or explain Scripture or religious subjects; to exhort. 1 Cor 13. Ezek 37. (1 Corinthians 11:5 [KJV])
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.

While it may seem legalism, it is very simply an ordinance to keep order, and shows we are not of this world which is passing away
This is absolutely hated and mocked by most American Christian women
The reason? Worldliness. The 60s "revolution" by NOW to abolish marriage as "slavery" infiltrated the churches and pulpits, making Christian marriage unScriptural, mocked as "old fashioned", with divorce rates way up
Women in the 50s and before wore bonnets, hats, etc. to go to prayer, worship. Now? They cut their hair and wear nothing, teach general congregations of men, women from the pulpits

(1 Corinthians 11:6 [KJV])
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.

Shame and disobedience is shame and disobedience, no matter how you slice it or say it
Women with very shortly cropped hair got popularized in the anti-family, anti-woman "feminist" fad of the sixties and seventies
If you pay attention, many lesbian women have cropped hair like a man

(1 Corinthians 11:7 [KJV])
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.

This is in marriage, as a role, to keep order, often disregarded, forgotten
This is why it is customary for men to remove their hats when entering buildings
This is to distinguish the male as a role, as leader of the home
Women are also in the image of God, but this world wants us to think our God is a she, because their god IS IN FACT a she, a goddess and not male. GOD is a HE and told us so clearly in His Word
We as the body of Christ, the church, His church, His purchased bride, are His glory
In the same manner, so is the woman the glory of the man, in her walk with God, her inner beauty, her heelp meeto for the LORD'S use, for the family, for the marriage-not the skin deep outer beauty of this world's system

(1 Corinthians 11:8 [KJV])
For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.

Since Creation is true, the account is true, the woman, Eve, the mother of all living, came from the side of the man, Adam's rib, on his side
She is from the side, not the front, not the back, to symbolize she too is the creation of God, not from dust, but from man
The world says we came from a single celled organism, through crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, unknown "ape-like creatures" to man andthat man came from "out of Africa", "early Man", "the Dawn of Man", "the first Eve" and "Mitochondrial Eve", "Lucy" (now outdated)

(1 Corinthians 11:9 [KJV])
Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

Let's go back to Genesis!
The account is in Genesis two, and explains this perfectly

THE CREATION OF THE WOMAN

(Genesis 2:18-25 [KJV])
And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought [them] unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that [was] the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

(1 Corinthians 11:10 [KJV])
For this cause ought the woman to have power on [her] head because of the angels.

Angels have no marriage, no full understanding of mankuind, because we are physical, they are spiritual (unless allowed to manifest at God's Command, dispatched to earth for a reason)

ANGELS: UNMARRIED

(Matthew 22:30 [KJV])
For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

(Mark 12:25 [KJV])
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

(1 Corinthians 11:11 [KJV])
Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

Do we need each other, men and women? OF COURSE!
We need each other to be fruitful and multiply
To multiply is to have more than two children (which is duplication)

(1 Corinthians 11:12 [KJV])
For as the woman [is] of the man, even so [is] the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

(1 Corinthians 11:13 [KJV])
Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

(1 Corinthians 11:14 [KJV])
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

Many homosexual men have long hair like a woman
God wants us to tell gender from any direction by clothing, hair, etc. without mystery, confusion
This is not legalism. It is not more spiritual/less spiritual, etc. Even Paul here says it is nature, natural, which teaches us.

HEAD HAIR: TO DISTINGUISH

GOD'S DESIGN

(1 Corinthians 14:40 [KJV])
Let all things be done decently and in order.

(1 Corinthians 14:33 [KJV])
For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

(2 Thessalonians 3:16 [KJV])
Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord [be] with you all.

(2 Corinthians 13:11 [KJV])
Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

(1 Corinthians 11:15 [KJV])
But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for [her] hair is given her for a covering.

One can clearly see that a woman with long hair is natural, beautiful
One can see that we are not Nazarene men, called like Samson for a purpose, becaue God put his mightin his long hair
We men look natural with our hair short, as designed by God

(1 Corinthians 11:16 [KJV])
But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.

This is a highly emotionally charged subject, contentious, divisive
It wasn't 100 years ago and is today only because the enemy has invaded and dwells in the churches in America.
They have the Word of God but do not read it and so get easily deceived, have no discvernment
If you go to Africa, for instance, to the bush, the small villages, they have no Bibles, no shepherds, and the women have cropped hair for lice, but they do not know the Word, but even many ofg them have long hair, dress like women and the men dress have cropped hair and look like men

(1 Corinthians 11:17 [KJV])
Now in this that I declare [unto you] I praise [you] not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.

UNITY! Here it is clearly shown that uynity forthe sake of unity is worse than disunity for pointing out flagrant heresies
Doctrine divides, heresy unites-with heresy; heresy happily unites with the weak minded, the feeble minded, the carnal Christian, the unbeliever

(1 Corinthians 11:18 [KJV])
For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

Paul is about to teach them that communion is not about the bread and wine, but rather the remembrance of what Jesus did on that Cross for us
I am certain somebody told Paul, "Some people arer coming not for fellowship, worship, study of the Word, but just to eat! THey are not eating at home so they can eat with us and save money and food!"
Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me", not "Do this to eat carnal, earthly food because you are hungry, make this a meal!"

NOTE: It must be remembered that, in the first century Roman Empire, gatherings involvong food were often with "love feasts", pagan feasts involving fornication and pagan sacrifices. This would naturally cause division as it would cast a stumblingblock in front of the weak in the church and unbelieving outside of it

(Luke 22:19 [KJV])
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.

(1 Corinthians 11:19 [KJV])
For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Because Paul gave them the right doctrine and raised up godly teachers to lead, it follows that the division comes from heresies
Heresies reveal two things: Who is following God and His Word and those who follow the flesh, the enemy, the traditions of men, the rudiments of this world
Everything goes from gray, muddy to black and white, sin and evil, right, wrong, who is following Christ and who is not. Simply obvious

(1 Corinthians 11:20 [KJV])
When ye come together therefore into one place, [this] is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before [other] his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.

They were not doing anything "in remembrance of Jesus Christ", but to have feasts, orgies
Mixed-in crowds, however few, pollute the waters of true fellowship and cause division

(1 Corinthians 11:22 [KJV])
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.

Apparently some well off also came in to mock the poor among them with their feasting, orgies, etc.
The Christians merely wanted to have communion to remember what Jesus did for them

(1 Corinthians 11:23 [KJV])
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: 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. 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.

This is the only true communion, not just unity, but unity of the faith, forthe reason, the purpose of remembering what Christ did for us
Flesh, blood sacrifice for our salvation, not for food and drink

(1 Corinthians 11:26 [KJV])
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

Nothing much can really be added here, simply because it is for just one reason, this communion, not two. To REMEMBER

(1 Corinthians 11:27 [KJV])
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.

This can mean one thing, as would apply-unsaved people
Guilty, as in that Cross did nothing, not because of its ineffectiveness, but because of their lack of acceptance at that moment with no relationship, out of fellowship, in sin, like feral children
As an unbeliever, the open rejection of the Gospel means permanent separation from God, declared guilty

(1 Corinthians 11:28 [KJV])
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.

To the unbeliever, examination means checking your spiritual pulse and believing on the LORD Jesus Christ for salvation

(1 Corinthians 11:29 [KJV])
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

This would definitely apply to the unbeliever
It can also be a mindset for a believer at that moment, carelessly ignoring the LORD's Body
We are declared righteous at salvation and re-birth; we can still have un-confessed sin and break fellowship with God

(1 Corinthians 11:30 [KJV])
For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

It can be said that believers can take communion, but not without un-confessed sin, and its concomitant consequences
God takes home the believers who no longer glorify Him, which is all of the purpose of all of mankind since the Creation
The death rate is one per person, saved or unsaved

(1 Corinthians 11:31 [KJV])
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

Self-examination is judging ourselves
If we do it, others cannot. If we do it, God does not-He judged our sin at the Cross

(1 Corinthians 11:32 [KJV])
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

God disciplines His children, this is our earthly judgment-sickness and, if unrepentant, physical death, on to Heaven, no longer glorifying God on earth
Without self-examination, we will surely get the "You call yourself a CHRISTIAN!?!?"

(1 Corinthians 11:33 [KJV])
Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

MATTHEW HENRY:

"Heathens used to drink plentifully at their feasts upon their sacrifices. Many of the wealthier Corinthians seem to have taken the same liberty at the Lord's table, or at least at their Agapai, or love-feasts, that were annexed to the supper. They would not stay for one another; the rich despised the poor, and ate and drank up the provisions they themselves brought, before the poor were allowed to partake; and thus some wanted, while others had more than enough. This was profaning a sacred institution, and corrupting a divine ordinance, to the last degree. What was appointed to feed the soul was employed to feed their lusts and passions. What should have been a bond of mutual amity and affection was made an instrument of discord and disunion. The poor were deprived of the food prepared for them, and the rich turned a feast of charity into a debauch. This was scandalous irregularity. III. The apostle lays the blame of this conduct closely on them, 1. By telling them that their conduct perfectly destroyed the purpose and use of such an institution: This is not to eat the Lord's supper, v. 20. It was coming to the Lord's table, and not coming. They might as well have staid away. Thus to eat the outward elements was not to eat Christ's body. Note, There is a careless and irregular eating of the Lord's supper which is as none at all; it will turn to no account, but to increase guilt. Such an eating was that of the Corinthians; their practices were a direct contradiction to the purposes of this sacred institution. 2. Their conduct carried in it a contempt of God's house, or of the church, v. 22. If they had a mind to feast, they might do it at home in their own houses; but to come to the Lord's table, and cabal and quarrel, and keep the poor from their share of the provision there made for them as well as rich, was such an abuse of the ordinance, and such a contempt of the poorer members of the church more especially, as merited a very sharp rebuke. Such a behaviour tended much to the shame and discouragement of the poor, whose souls were as dear to Christ, and cost him as much, as those of the rich. Note, Common meals may be managed after a common manner, but religious feasts should be attended religiously. Note, also, It is a heinous evil, and severely to be censured, for Christians to treat their fellow-Christians with contempt and insolence, but especially at the Lord's table. This is doing what they can to pour contempt on divine ordinances. And we should look carefully to it that nothing in our behaviour at the Lord's table have the appearance of contemning so sacred an institution."

(1 Corinthians 11:34 [KJV])
And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Imagine what he unbelievers said about the Christians in Corinth with means ignoring the brethren who were poor, hungry!
They did not come for communion at all, but to eat and eat a lot, forsaking all others but themselves
Paul was gracious to a point but, even he, being a wealthy Pharisee of a wealthy temple was now poor for the Gospel of Christ's sake, seeing many Christians persecuted, (Jew, Gentile) begging for crumbs and knew this was wrong-and did not hesitate to tell them so!

Links to studies by book or topic are on the right menu.

1 Corinthians 12