Category: Devotions

The Apostle Paul rehearsed the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper for the Corinthian Church so that it may strengthen their spiritual life when it is observed with understanding. He has counselled them to refrain from their wanton feasting in the church of God that brings dishonour to God’s Name. He recounted the solemn occasion when our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper. It was on the night of the Passover in which Judas Iscariot would betray Him.

Some of the Corinthian Christians were coming together for a time of feasting in the church bringing food and drinking and there was also drunkenness. The food they brought were not shared with others and neglecting the needs of others in the church, thus despising the church of God, these ones selfishly enjoyed their wanton feasting. And in the midst of all the revelry, the Lord’s Supper was served.

The Apostle Paul believes that the divisions in the church came a result of heresies, departures from the fundamentals of the Christian faith. He also observed how there were those who were not the cause of divisions within the body. These are “they which are approved”, those whose behaviour were exemplary during the time of heresy. These were not entangled in the web of heretical departures but were steadfast in their faith, refusing the persuasion of the gainsayers. These proved themselves spiritual mature and true.

The Apostle Paul has been informed by brethren from the house of Chloe of the division in the church of Corinth where rival cliques are formed threatening the unity and peace of the body. These cliques claim to have the Apostle Paul, Apollos, Cephas or Peter and Christ as their leaders. As far as the Apostle Paul is concerned, he has not supported the formation of such a clique in his name. He expressed surprise! He spent one and half year in Corinth to establish the new believers in the faith and teach the Word of God to them. He did not recall teaching them to do any of such contentious behaviour. He urges them to stop devouring one another by such imaginary factions that divide the believers. It genders confusion and robs the peace in the church. Such behaviour is not of God. Such prideful misuse of their leaders’ name and Christ’s Name is most deplorable, transgressing the first three commandments.

William MacDonald said well, “As in the preceding discussion on womanly excesses in worship, Paul had no commendation (but cf. v. 2) for the Corinthians when it came to their practice of the Lord’s Supper. In fact, an experience meant to build up the church was actually having the opposite effect: your meetings do more harm than good.”

When the Apostle Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to honour and adhere to the biblical principles of headship and subordination in the church between the men and the women.

MacArthur observed well, “Men and women have distinctive physiologies in many ways. One of them is in the process of hair growth on the head. Hair develops in three stages—formation and growth, resting, and fallout. The male hormone testosterone speeds up the cycle so that men reach the third stage earlier than women. The female hormone estrogen causes the cycle to remain in stage one for a longer time, causing women’s hair to grow longer than men’s. Women are rarely bald because few even reach stage three. This physiology is reflected in most cultures of the world in the custom of women wearing longer hair than men.”¹

Clarke also observes interestingly, “The Nazarites let their hair grow, but it was as a token of humiliation; and it is possible that St. Paul had this in view. There were consequently two reasons why the apostle should condemn this practice: – 1. Because it was a sign of humiliation; 2. Because it was womanish.”

He urged the Corinthian Christians to be willing to objectively judge for themselves by a rhetorical question that begs a negative answer. It is not proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered. It was a custom at that time for woman entering into God’s presence veiled. It was a mark of propriety and modesty for the woman to be veiled.

The Apostle Paul exhorts the man to see the mutual dependence between the man and the woman and warns him not to be puffed up because of the prominence that God places upon him because he was created first. The man is in need of the woman’s help as much as the woman is in need of the man’s help. They are the useful one to the other. This is God’s creative order too.