Paul tells the believers in 1 Corinthians 10:23 “All things are permitted, but not all things are profitable”, then points them to Jesus Christ our example in 1 Corinthians 11:1 Become imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. Then Paul reminds them of the Lord’s supper, communion, the time when we all come together to remember the covenant that we have through the body and blood of Christ as Jesus said in 1 Corinthians 11:25 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me”. But it is more than remembrance as Paul now says in 1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Communion is also a declaration of what Jesus Christ did on the earth.
Not All Things Are Profitable
Become Imitators of Me, Just as I am of Christ
1 Corinthians 11:1–8
Paul admonishes them to follow him, and as Paul always does, he turns to Jesus Christ as the example he follows in
1 Corinthians 11:1 Become imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
He then commends them in 1 Corinthians 11:2 for remembering and holding onto the traditions. Now, we know that Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes for their traditions in
Mark 7:13 “thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down, and you do many similar things such as this.”
We know that Paul’s tradition is Jesus Christ and him crucified in
1 Corinthians 2:2, 5 For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 5 in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Paul’s traditions I take to mean; the gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, water baptism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and communion that he just mentioned. Then again Paul points to Jesus Christ and makes this strong point, in
1 Corinthians 11:3 “that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and the head of Christ is God.”
We all come under the authority of God through Jesus Christ.
Does Not Nature Itself Teach You
I Received From the Lord What I Also Passed On
1 Corinthians 11:17–24
Paul established a tradition with them, “the Lord’s Supper”, also called ““eucharist” or “thanksgiving” and “communion” or “fellowship” … reminding Christians that they share the loaf and cup at His table, not their own.1 Paul said in
1 Corinthians 11:23–24 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night in which he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Here, “Paul stressed the memorial aspect of the Supper. “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Christians were to remember that the body of Christ was broken and His blood shed for them.”1
And this time of remembering Christ was not an individual time, but a communal one. They were all to be together remembering the new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31–34). But the occasion is not one of unity but of strife and division. Paul rebukes them for the factions that exist in what is the body of Christ, the Church.
Proclaim the Lord’s Death Until He Comes
1 Corinthians 11:25–34
Paul continues telling them about the Lord’s supper but this is not just a ritual, at this moment, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death in
1 Corinthians 11:25–26 Likewise also the cup, after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This new covenant is not just about healing, his body broken for us, but also about complete forgiveness of sin, his blood given for us.
Joining together for communion is also joining together before the Lord and we before we do, Paul tells them to take time for introspection. Do they have their life in order? Are they being the Christian people God wants them to be and that the world needs to see? Paul says in
1 Corinthians 11:28 (LEB) But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup.
Then he adds in
1 Corinthians 11:31 (LEB) But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged.
and if we truly understand the communal nature of this moment, that we are all one as members of the body of Christ we would then be willing to wait as he says in
1 Corinthians 11:33 So then, my brothers, when you come together in order to eat the Lord’s supper, wait for one another.
Concerning Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:1–11
Study Verses
- 1 Corinthians 11:1–8 Become Imitators of Me, Just as I am of Christ
- 1 Corinthians 11:17–24 I Received From the Lord What I Also Passed On
- 1 Corinthians 11:25–34 Proclaim the Lord’s Death Until He Comes
Today’s Reading
- 1 Corinthians 10:23-33
- 1 Corinthians 11:1-34
- 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
References
- 1. Howe, C. L., Jr. (2003). Ordinances. In C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler (Eds.), Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (p. 1229). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.