1 Corinthians 11 Devotional: Study Paul’s instructions on worship, order in the church, and the profound significance of the Lord’s Supper. Explore how we remember Christ’s sacrifice and honor Him in our fellowship.
Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to 1 Corinthians 11. Today, we look at the life of the church gathered. Paul writes to correct some confusion about how we approach God and one another. At the heart of this chapter is the most sacred meal in the life of the believer: the Lord’s Supper. Let us prepare our hearts to remember the price of our salvation and to walk in unity with the body of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul addresses the importance of honor, order, and remembrance. He discusses the appropriate attitude for worship, emphasizing that everything done in the assembly should reflect honor toward God. He then turns to a severe correction regarding the Lord’s Supper. The early Corinthian church had turned this holy ordinance into a time of division and gluttony, forgetting the very purpose of the meal: to proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
What can we learn from this today? As your Statement of Faith affirms, the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance given by Jesus Christ as an outward expression of faith and a remembrance of His grace and salvation. Paul reminds us that this meal is not a common snack, but a solemn proclamation of the Gospel. It is a time for self-examination—to ensure that we are coming with hearts aligned with the Gospel, in unity with our brothers and sisters, and in deep gratitude for the body and blood of Christ. When we partake, we are looking back at the Cross and looking forward to His return. Let us approach the table not with apathy, but with the reverence due to the One who bought us with His own life.
11 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, 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 power 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.
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 divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies 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 in 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 damnation 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. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
The Apostle Paul wrote, "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread..." As we enter into prayer, let us fix our minds on the sacrifice that makes our communion with God possible.
Dear Heavenly Father, We praise You for the gift of the Lord’s Supper. Thank You that You have given us these ordinances as visible reminders of Your invisible grace. We come before You today, humbled by the memory that Jesus, the Son of God, was betrayed and crucified for our sake. We acknowledge that it is through His shed blood that we have been brought near to You and reconciled as Your children.
Lord, I ask that You would help me to approach the table of the Lord—and every act of worship—with a heart of true reverence. Search me and reveal any hidden pride, bitterness, or division in my life that keeps me from walking in unity with Your people. May my life be a worthy reflection of the grace I have received. I pray that You would unify our church family, binding us together in the bond of the Spirit so that our fellowship may truly demonstrate Your love to a watching world.
We lift up the mission of Your Church to proclaim the Gospel through every word, deed, and ordinance. May the world see the beauty of Your salvation in the way we love one another and the way we remember Your sacrifice. We ask that as we continue to celebrate this ordinance, our faith would be strengthened, our love for You would grow, and we would keep our eyes fixed on the day when Christ returns in glory to reign forever. Amen.
The Lord’s Supper is a time of self-examination. Is there any bitterness or unforgiveness toward a brother or sister in Christ that you need to release today so that you can approach God with a clear and unified heart?
What is the Lord’s Supper? According to your Statement of Faith, it is an ordinance given by Jesus as an outward expression of faith and a remembrance of His grace. It is a time to commemorate His death and signify our participation in His body, the Church.
What does it mean to eat and drink "unworthily"? Paul is warning against partaking in the Supper with a flippant, disrespectful, or divisive attitude. It is not about our own personal perfection, but about approaching the ordinance with the gravity and sincerity that Christ's sacrifice deserves.
Why does Paul talk about head coverings? This passage deals with specific cultural customs of the 1st-century church. While the specific custom of head coverings may vary by culture, the underlying principle—that we should worship with an attitude of order, humility, and honor toward God—remains a permanent and vital truth for all believers.
Thank you for studying 1 Corinthians 11 with us. May the reality of Christ’s sacrifice anchor your heart in gratitude today. Join us tomorrow as we look at the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12.
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