Scripture
1And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Instructions for Public Worship
2I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you. 3But there is one thing I want you to know: The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.[1] 4A man dishonors his head[2] if he covers his head while praying or prophesying. 5But a woman dishonors her head[3] if she prays or prophesies without a covering on her head, for this is the same as shaving her head. 6Yes, if she refuses to wear a head covering, she should cut off all her hair! But since it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or her head shaved, she should wear a covering.[4]
7A man should not wear anything on his head when worshiping, for man is made in God’s image and reflects God’s glory. And woman reflects man’s glory. 8For the first man didn’t come from woman, but the first woman came from man. 9And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man. 10For this reason, and because the angels are watching, a woman should wear a covering on her head to show she is under authority.[5]
11But among the Lord’s people, women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12For although the first woman came from man, every other man was born from a woman, and everything comes from God.
13Judge for yourselves. Is it right for a woman to pray to God in public without covering her head? 14Isn’t it obvious that it’s disgraceful for a man to have long hair? 15And isn’t long hair a woman’s pride and joy? For it has been given to her as a covering. 16But if anyone wants to argue about this, I simply say that we have no other custom than this, and neither do God’s other churches.
Order at the Lord’s Supper
17But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
23For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you.[6] Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” 26For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against[7] the body and blood of the Lord. 28That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ,[8] you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33So, my dear brothers and sisters,[9] when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.
Translation notes (9)
- 11:3 Or to know: The source of every man is Christ, the source of woman is man, and the source of Christ is God. Or to know: Every man is responsible to Christ, a woman is responsible to her husband, and Christ is responsible to God.
- 11:4 Or dishonors Christ.
- 11:5 Or dishonors her husband.
- 11:6 Or should have long hair.
- 11:10 Greek should have an authority on her head.
- 11:24 Greek which is for you; other manuscripts read which is broken for you.
- 11:27 Or is responsible for.
- 11:29 Greek the body; other manuscripts read the Lord’s body.
- 11:33 Greek brothers.
And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1
When I was a teenager, my driving instructor taught me a valuable lesson that went beyond driving. He told me, "Your car will go in the direction where you are looking." He even demonstrated it for me. First, he asked me to look to the right, and the car changed its direction and moved towards the right. Then, he asked me to look to the left, and the car, once again, changed its direction and moved to the left. This is true when driving, but it is also true in life. We move toward the direction we are looking. Not only this, but we also take the people with us who are driving alongside us. As Christ-followers, there is no better direction for us to turn towards and point our friends and family towards than Christ.
The apostle Paul emphasized the importance of moving in the direction of Christ and pointing others toward Him as well. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 11, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (verse 11). At a glance, it may seem like Paul is trying to brag on himself. That would have been the case if he had only said, "Follow my example." Instead, he continued, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." Paul didn't mind telling people to follow him because he was following Christ. Ultimately, Paul was encouraging believers in this verse to follow the example of Jesus. This is what makes us stand out in a crowd. When we look and act like Jesus, others notice.
When I think about Jesus, I think about His sacrificial love. He gave up His life because of His Love for humanity. He gave up His life so that we could have eternal life. We are called to follow this example of love and kindness and teach others to model. This includes our kids, friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, and more. When we lead people toward Christ, everyone is impacted.
Can you imagine what would happen if each one of us decided to follow Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 11:1. What if we decided to model our lives after Jesus and the way He lived? Then, the world would see a picture of the Love of Jesus, who gave His life for us and the whole world.
Moving toward action
Think for a moment about the people in your sphere of influence. How are you pointing them toward Christ? How can you intentionally point these people in the direction of Christ? Maybe it means sharing your story of how Christ has changed your life or bringing them to church with you. Whatever you decide, choose to intentionally point the people in your life, especially the children in your life, toward Christ.
Going Deeper
1 Corinthians 11:1-34 (NLT)
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