Unity in God’s Order

Introduction

We are continuing through the book of 1 Corinthians this morning with chapter 11 today.

Our focus is unity and it is a theme that runs all the way through the book.

They have divided over differing loyalties among men (ch. 1-4).

They tolerated sin that corrupted the whole body (ch. 5).

They took one another to human courts to settle petty disputes (ch. 6).

They were possibly using their circumstances to ignore God’s instructions (ch. 7).

They were more concerned with personal rights than with concern for each other’s souls (ch. 8-10)

In this chapter we find a chapter that actually has brought more division among our brethren than any of the other chapters in this book.

I won’t be able to settle all of that today.

But I would like to focus on Paul’s arguments as they applied to the Corinthians and from that, point to things we MUST agree on even as we continue to work toward unity on differing applications from this chapter.

Under the Head

“I want you to understand” headship (1 Cor. 11:3).

Paul lays out the flow of nested authority.

He starts with Christ and then man and then woman and then goes back to show that Christ is under the headship of God (the father).

Consider how fully Christ is under God the Father’s authority and yet consider the equality of the Son and the Father (Phil. 2:6).

But the emphasis is that this headship be understood and accepted in the church.

It is oh so easy to make this out into a mere question of semantics but the inclusion of Christ and then of His relationship to the Father smashes any attempts to reduce the headship of men down to nothing.

It is real authority and it is exercised underneath far greater authority.

Our assembly (I know I am making an assertion there without taking the time to prove it), should accept and reflect that order.

Don’t shame your head (1 Cor. 11:4-6).

The covering communicates something. It is not (it never is) about simply following a ritual.

A man’s covered head “while praying or prophesying” shames his head (who is Christ).

A woman’s uncovered head “while praying or prophesying” shames her head (who is man).

Shame and honor are not popular concerns in our culture. People revel in what is shameful but even pagans were concerned about shame here. So Paul can use this language in a way that makes it obvious that you don’t want to do this.

Even his example is generally understood but not universally in our modern context. But when Paul says “if it is disgraceful” he doesn’t mean maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. He means rhetorically that it so obviously is.

The covering (in that moment) was a battleground for whether or not they would accept God’s order of headship.

Paul makes the case (1 Cor. 11:7-10).

There are three “for”s in a row here. Showing that Paul is building a case.

The first case is glory:

that which brings honor, credit, reputation, and visible excellence to another.

Man is the glory of God and woman is the glory of man.

Consider Proverbs 31:23, 31. What is the result of all of her hard work? Her husband is known and respected “in the gates” and that is where her works find praise. So the glory of her work points toward the position of her husband. Why is HE so well regarded, because of all that his wife is doing.

Now consider Matt. 5:16. When we do good works and others see, the glory goes to the Father. Why do people regard God so well? Well, one reason ought to be because of the work we are doing.

So the ideal situation is that a woman works and people see the man her work points to and admire him all the more.

Then they ought to be able to look from his hand to the one HE points to which is God.

But we don’t like that. We want everyone to be independent of everyone else. We want everyone to have independently the same roles before God. We think if the roles are different then they are not equal.

But you didn’t get that from God. You got that from Rousseau, Karl Marx, and Disney movies which is where all too many people get their theology from.

The case here is don’t ruin the picture by getting things out of order.

The second and third cases are the creation order:

This is not the only place that Paul uses this language.

It is about the order of who came first and about the purpose indicated at creation.

Note, this is not about what happens in Genesis 3 it is about what happens in Genesis 2.

The order and headship of men and women is rooted in creation and not in the fall.

Sin is what causes women to chaff at that order and men to abuse the order but the order is part of the created good.

So because we want to acknowledge and reflect this order, women cover your heads.

Whatever you think about the covering today, we still want to acknowledge and reflect this created order.

Whether it be in our worship, our homes, or our podcasts.

One more thing to note here, because of the angels is much disputed concerning meaning but I would simply say that it reminds us that we participate in heavenly realities in our earthly conduct (as we discussed in Ephesians 3 last Sunday).

Paul guards against misunderstanding (1 Cor. 11:11-12).

This reminds me of Romans chapter 11 where Paul, after pointing to the inclusion of Gentiles so strongly, warns them against being puffed up.

Paul has been saying that this IS the structured order that God created but every one of you has a momma.

And you are all created by God.

So men, remember YOUR place in this whole picture. It isn’t at the top and even your position as head of women is tempered by obvious realities.

Judge for yourselves (1 Cor. 11:13-16).

Paul says look around and see the symbolism play out in culture.

I think that is often the case.

There are always arguments about whether there are differences between men and women and really you can say, just look around.

I believe that verse 16 is rendered well in the NASB and the LSB when it says we have no other practice.

In other words, this is what I teach and what is practiced in all the churches.

Within the Body

“It is not to eat the Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11:17-22).

“When you come together” is a phrase used again and again here at the beginning and I think it highlights the problem.

What is the point of coming together?

It ought to produce much good but in this case it produces factions.

He says it isn’t to eat the Lord’s Supper even though that might have been news to them.

He is saying, that’s not what that is. It is, in fact, something else entirely.

Then he describes the scene in which the Lord’s Supper is made into a common meal and a distorted one of those.

So not only have they made a common meal out of this sacred meal, but they have done so in the worst possible way.

ONE corrective to that abuse is eat your common meals at home. He repeats that corrective at the end of this section.

“I received from the Lord that which I delivered” (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

The second corrective is to remember what the Supper is about.

So Paul takes them back to the day the Supper was instituted.

Does that look like what you are doing?

Incidentally, this is the language that started the chapter out wherein he is praising them for following what was received.

“Therefore, whoever eats…or drinks” (1 Cor. 11:27-34).

The unworthy manner, in this context, has already been alluded to. It is taking it in a manner that fails to consider the point of the meal. Particularly taking it in a manner that is abusive to your brother.

It is a meal. Meals mean communion. This meal ESPECIALLY means communion.

So it is an abuse of the meal to only consider yourself. Whether that means considering yourself and not Christ or whether that means considering yourself and not your brother. To isolate and make this only about me violates in both directions.

I think it important to show that Paul indicates physical ailment as a sign of God’s chastisement here.

We are too quick to run away from the notion that God strikes people for their sin.

We go straight to material causes and never spiritual ones.

One thing I always want to be thinking when I am sick is do I need to learn something about my sin from this.

So, he says, “wait for one another.”

Look around you.

Pay attention to everyone else and don’t just take this supper in a way that says as long as I am taken care of, they can fend for themselves.

Conclusion

In this chapter we have two practices that are meant to communicate truths about who we are and how we relate to God in Christ.

Are you reflecting the truth about who you are and who God is in your life?

Or are you trying to hold to a façade of God’s order while smuggling in your own preferences that end up denying what He has said.

Are you willing to embrace not only the symbols but the substance of who God is and who He says we are?