Verses 1-2: Imitation, Tradition, and Faithful Reception

¹ Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ. ² Now I praise you, brothers, that you remember me in all things, and hold firm the traditions, even as I delivered them to you.

• Christian imitation is ultimately imitation of Christ:

  Paul’s call to imitate him is explicitly grounded in his own imitation of Christ, establishing a theological pattern of discipleship where human examples are helpful insofar as they faithfully reflect the Lord. This both honors the role of mature spiritual leadership and protects the church from personality-driven allegiance, because the final reference point is always Christ.

• Apostolic tradition is a gift to be held firmly and practiced faithfully:

  The praise for remembering and holding firm “the traditions” highlights that the faith is not self-invented but received and handed on. Across historic Christian traditions, this supports the principle that the church’s worship and doctrine are accountable to the apostolic deposit as it was “delivered,” calling believers to continuity, reverence, and obedience rather than constant novelty.

Verses 3-16: Headship, Honor in Worship, and Mutuality “in the Lord”

³ But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered dishonors her head. For it is one and the same thing as if she were shaved. ⁶ For if a woman is not covered, let her hair also be cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or be shaved, let her be covered. ⁷ For a man indeed ought not to have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. ⁸ For man is not from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man. ¹⁰ For this cause the woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, neither is the woman independent of the man, nor the man independent of the woman, in the Lord. ¹² For as woman came from man, so a man also comes through a woman; but all things are from God. ¹³ Judge for yourselves. Is it appropriate that a woman pray to God unveiled? ¹⁴ Doesn’t even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? ¹⁵ But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her, for her hair is given to her for a covering. ¹⁶ But if any man seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither do God’s assemblies.

• “Headship” teaches ordered relationships under God without diminishing Christ’s glory:

  The text presents an order—“the head of every man is Christ,” “the head of the woman is man,” and “the head of Christ is God”—that frames Christian life as accountable and relational. Because Christ himself stands in relation to God without loss of dignity, this order is meant to uphold honor, unity, and fitting conduct rather than to imply inferiority, urging the church to reflect divine order with humility.

• Worship involves visible honor that avoids bringing shame:

  The instructions about head covering in prayer and prophecy treat embodied, visible signals as morally and spiritually meaningful in gathered worship. The repeated concern about “dishonors his head” and “dishonors her head” shows that worship is not only inward sincerity but also outward reverence, where believers avoid practices that publicly communicate disrespect or impropriety.

• Creation themes shape worship practice, yet God remains the ultimate source of all:

  Paul appeals to origins (“woman from man”) and purpose (“wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man”) to ground why certain signs of honor matter. Yet he immediately guards against distortion by affirming mutual dependence “in the Lord,” noting that men come through women, and concluding, “but all things are from God,” which centers creation order within a greater theology of shared dependence and divine sovereignty.

• Women’s participation in prayer and prophecy is assumed within an ordered, accountable life:

  The passage does not silence women in these acts; it directly addresses how “every woman praying or prophesying” should do so. The theological point is that spiritual gifts and worship participation operate within an ethic of honor and order, calling both men and women to conduct that edifies the assembly and reflects faithful discipleship.

• Heavenly witness matters in earthly worship:

  The reference to “because of the angels” indicates that gathered worship is not merely a human event but takes place before heavenly realities. This teaches reverence: Christians order their worship with awareness that God’s assemblies are observed in a larger spiritual arena, encouraging sobriety, holiness, and respect.

• Discerning judgments and church-wide peace restrain contention:

  “Judge for yourselves” invites thoughtful moral discernment rather than blind reaction, while “we have no such custom, neither do God’s assemblies” limits factional disputes by appealing to the shared practice of the churches. The theological principle is that the church should avoid contentiousness and pursue unity through sound judgment and common ecclesial peace.

Verses 17-22: When Gathering Becomes Harmful—Divisions, Factions, and Shame

¹⁷ But in giving you this command, I don’t praise you, that you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸ For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it. ¹⁹ For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you. ²⁰ When therefore you assemble yourselves together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. ²¹ For in your eating each one takes his own supper first. One is hungry, and another is drunken. ²² What, don’t you have houses to eat and to drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly and put them to shame who don’t have enough? What shall I tell you? Shall I praise you? In this I don’t praise you.

• Church gatherings can be spiritually damaging when love and order collapse:

  Paul’s rebuke that they come together “not for the better but for the worse” warns that mere attendance is not the same as faithful worship. Theological maturity requires recognizing that unrepented selfishness, disorder, and contempt for others can turn a sacred gathering into a setting that harms souls and dishonors God.

• Division contradicts the meaning of the assembly and exposes what is truly approved:

  Divisions and factions are treated as serious disorders within “the assembly,” yet the text also states that factions serve to “reveal” those who are approved. This teaches that God can use even painful conflicts to bring clarity about faithfulness, while still condemning the underlying sin of schism, partiality, and pride.

• The Lord’s supper is not compatible with selfish indulgence and social humiliation:

  Paul’s statement that “it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat” underscores that the sacrament’s meaning is destroyed when the rich rush ahead, some remain hungry, and others become drunken. The theological point is that communion is inherently ecclesial—an act of shared participation that demands love, mutual regard, and practical concern for those who “don’t have enough.”

Verses 23-26: The Received Tradition of the Supper—Remembrance, Covenant, Proclamation, Hope

²³ For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. ²⁴ When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” ²⁵ In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

• The Lord’s supper rests on revelation received and faithfully handed on:

  Paul anchors this practice in what he “received from the Lord” and “delivered” to the church, presenting the supper as instituted by Christ and entrusted to the church. Theologically, this roots Christian worship in the Lord’s own action and words, not in human invention, and calls the church to careful fidelity in celebrating it.

• Communion is a thankful remembrance centered on Christ’s self-giving:

  Jesus gives thanks, breaks bread, and commands, “Do this in memory of me,” tying the practice to grateful remembrance of his saving work. “This is my body, which is broken for you” directs faith toward Christ’s sacrificial gift on behalf of his people, nourishing worship with gratitude, humility, and dependence.

• The cup declares the new covenant and invites repeated participation:

  The words “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” teach that communion is covenantal—linked to God’s saving promise and the costly means by which it is established. “As often as you drink” indicates a repeatable, ongoing practice in the life of the church, sustaining believers in a rhythm of covenant remembrance and renewed devotion.

• The supper is proclamation with an eschatological horizon:

  By eating and drinking, the church “proclaim[s] the Lord’s death until he comes,” making the sacrament both a present testimony and a future-oriented act. The theological point is that communion unites past redemption, present witness, and future hope: Christ has died, his death is proclaimed now, and his coming is awaited.

• The supper is a holy gift through which Christ’s saving work is truly set forth to the faithful:

  Because the bread and cup are given by the Lord and received in the gathered church, the supper is not treated as a casual symbol but as a sacred act in which God strengthens his people. In remembering and proclaiming Christ, believers are called to receive with faith and reverence, expecting real spiritual benefit as God ministers his grace to those who come rightly.

Verses 27-32: Worthy Reception, Self-Examination, Discipline, and Mercy

²⁷ Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body. ³⁰ For this cause many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. ³¹ For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are punished by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

• Communion is holy—unworthy participation incurs real guilt:

  To eat or drink “in a way unworthy of the Lord” makes one “guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord,” indicating that the supper is not a casual ritual. Theologically, this affirms the sanctity of the sacrament and warns that irreverence, hypocrisy, or disregard for what God is doing in the church’s worship can make a person answerable to God in a serious way.

• Self-examination is commanded, and faithful participation is still invited:

  Paul does not say, “Stay away,” but rather, “let a man examine himself, and so let him eat… and drink…” This holds together moral seriousness and gracious invitation: believers are called to honest repentance and discernment, yet also to receive the Lord’s provision through obedient participation.

• Discerning the Lord’s body is essential to true participation:

  Judgment comes “if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body,” teaching that communion requires spiritual recognition and reverent awareness. This discernment may be understood as recognizing Christ’s body given in sacrifice and the meaning of his blood shed, and it also calls the church to recognize what it is doing together in holy fellowship rather than treating the meal as private consumption or social advantage.

• The Lord’s discipline is real and can be severe, yet aims at salvation:

  Weakness, sickness, and even “sleep” are presented as possible consequences “for this cause,” underscoring that God actively disciplines his people. Yet the purpose is explicitly merciful: “that we may not be condemned with the world,” teaching that divine correction within the church is ordered toward repentance, preservation, and final rescue rather than ultimate condemnation.

• The warning calls the whole church to soberness, and faithful interpreters differ on its primary recipients:

  Some understand these judgments chiefly as the Lord’s corrective chastening among true believers who partake unworthily, while others emphasize the danger faced by those whose participation is empty or false. In either case, the passage presses the same pastoral conclusion: the supper must be approached with humility, repentance, and discernment rather than carelessness.

• Ongoing self-judgment is the means through which God spares deeper judgment:

  “For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged” presents self-examination and self-correction as a grace-filled path. Theologically, this teaches that genuine repentance and accountability operate within God’s sovereign work of discipline: believers are called to examine themselves, and as they do so, God’s gracious purpose in chastening accomplishes its end—not condemnation, but preservation and restoration.

Verses 33-34: Practical Love and Order in the Assembly

³³ Therefore, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. ³⁴ But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.

• Love expresses itself in practical deference and shared pacing:

  “Wait for one another” makes mutual consideration a concrete requirement of faithful worship. Theologically, it teaches that the gathered church is not a collection of private consumers but a communion where love shapes even the timing and manner of participation.

• Church order protects the congregation from judgment and preserves the sacrament’s meaning:

  The instruction to eat at home if hungry distinguishes ordinary eating from sacramental communion so that the gathering remains reverent and unified. “Lest your coming together be for judgment” shows that right order is not mere bureaucracy but pastoral protection, helping the church receive God’s gifts without turning worship into an occasion for spiritual harm.

• Apostolic oversight includes ongoing pastoral ordering of church life:

  “The rest I will set in order whenever I come” indicates that some matters require continued shepherding and practical guidance. Theologically, this supports the principle that church life includes legitimate pastoral governance aimed at clarity, peace, and faithful practice across time and circumstances.

Conclusion: 1 Corinthians 11 calls the church to worship that visibly honors Christ, respects God-given order with humility and mutual dependence, and protects unity through love. It anchors the Lord’s supper in Christ’s own institution, presenting it as covenant remembrance and public proclamation until his return, while warning that irreverence and division invite discipline. The chapter therefore forms believers into a reverent, discerning, and compassionate communion where gathered worship becomes “for the better” and not “for the worse.”