Plymothian

The term ‘cup’ in 1st Corinthians 11 is evocative of the cup of God’s wrath.  This is quite significant because it sets the tone for just how seriously a person should approach communion.  If someone comes with a self-focused attitude and is still at odds with a fellow member of the congregation, they come in danger of God’s discipline.  If the judgement in the passage means discipline, those who have died are not damned.  Those who die are removed from the church for the good of the body as a whole.

1 Corinthians 11: 27-34

 ²⁷Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. ²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. ³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. ³²When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

 ³³So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
      And when I come I will give further directions.

Questions

1. What is the person guilty of who drinks in an unworthy manner?
2. Who should a man examine?
3. How many times is judgement mentioned in this text?
4. Do you examine yourself when you take communion?
5. How do you proceed if you find you are not in a ‘good place’?

Today’s paragraph below shows how few rules there are for communion, eucharist, The Lord’s Supper or whatever else someone might call it.  It is obvious from the Bible that the communion service was highly regarded in the early church.   Paul talks with the language of an oral tradition about how he has passed on to the churches the tradition that was passed on to him.  It seems obvious to me that when Jesus broke bread and said “This is my body,” he could not have meant it literally.  He was still alive when he set up this ritual.  He set up a way for people to regularly remember what he had done on the cross.

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Questions

• What did the Lord Jesus do on the night he was betrayed?
• What is the cup in Jesus’ blood?
• What happens whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup?
• How does your church use bread and a ‘cup’?
• How do you feel about the things added around communion?

Corinthians followed the customs of the day.  There was no day of rest in Greek or Roman culture so slaves and the poor worked long hours, sometimes for seven days in a week.  The rich could take things more easily.  In an early church setting, it seems, patricians and other rich people would arrive at the church service early.  They would fill the main room and begin eating and drinking all the best food and drink.  When the plebeians arrived there would be little of the quality food left and some of the early church attenders would already be drunk.  The problem here is that this flies in the face of the equality that believers have in Christ.  The Lord’s supper shows how all people are equal and receive God’s grace equally.  This is not how the Corinthians were celebrating it.

1 Corinthians 11: 17-22

 ¹⁷In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ²⁰When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

Questions

1. In what area does Paul have no praise for the Corinthians?
2. What has Paul heard occurs when the Corinthians come together?
3. What happens to another while one remains hungry?
4. How are rich and poor today separated in their church experience?
5. How is communion best served in a way that shows that Christ’s death was for all people equally?

Going Deeper

How does your church do communion?  Look at other churches and see what they do for communion.  Do they have any ideas that you could adopt?

In the 60’s and 70’s the fashionuable way for men to wear their hair became really long.  In the 60’s and 70’s A.D. in Corinth, men wearing their hair long could be a sign of sexual deviancy.  So, I guess there were no hippies in the Corinthian church!  Women wearing their hair short was also a sign of either sexual deviancy or disrespect for their spouse.  To appeal to the culture and to restore proper respect in relationships in Corinth, Paul dictates how hair should be worn.  This meant that worship would be able to continue in an orderly fashion.  An equivalent today would be if Christian women decided that since men have the freedom not to wear shirts, they could come to church without a shirt on.  Although this is common practice on French beaches, it would be a scandal in the church. 

1 Corinthians 11: 11-15

¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

Questions

1. Who is not independent from woman?
2. What does the ‘nature of things’ tell you about a man with long hair?
3. Why is this ironic coming from Paul when he knows that the Nazarite vow includes a man growing long hair?
4. What fashions have become a natural part of North American culture?
5. What things might a person do to show their freedom in Christ that would bring disorder to worship services?

Going Deeper

http://simplegathering.com/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=3012 is a link to a discussion in the Plymouth Brethren Church about head covering.  After reading yesterday’s and today’s passages how would you respond to their perspective?

In the Corinthian church it seems that the distinction between men and women was becoming blurred.  Women had been liberated from a position where they could do nothing, but it seems that they had taken things too far.  There is debate whether the passage below applies to all women or just wives, but whether we are talking about wives or women as a whole, it is clear that their fashions and attitudes would have been regarded as sexually inappropriate in Corinth. 

I witnessed a similar clash of cultures when some liberated Christian girls from Texas visited their parents in Pakistan.  They were horrified that local men had groped them in the market place.  They were disgusted that a local woman had grabbed the girls’ head coverings and pulled them up from their shoulders over their heads.  The girls wanted to show their independence to a culture that could only interpret their lack of headcovering as loose living.  The way women wore their hair or covered it in Corinth showed what they thought about the accepted order of their society.  The order of society in Corinth was reflective of God’s design.  How do women today show that they respected their husband’s leadership  (of course, that begs a further question)?

1 Corinthians 11:1-10

¹Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

 ²I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings,^[a] just as I passed them on to you.

 ³Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. ⁶If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

Questions

1. What part of the body is mentioned most frequently?
2. How is each head related to the other?
3. If God the Father is not superior to God the Son, but God the Son submits to the Father, how is this meant to encourage women?
4. What is a modern American view of submission?
5. How should a woman submit and a man lead in their own household and in the church?

Going Deeper

This is a difficult passage.  I suggest you find a commentary and read what it has to say about 1 Corinthians 11:2-16.

There are some rules that are true for all cultures at all times.  Even though different periods of history bring different challenges idolatry, sexual immorality, gossip, greed, murder, and slander are never okay.  However, choosing the right things to eat, wear, listen to, or appreciate may change with culture and time.  Rather than a hard and fast set of rules to abide by, a person should look to their relationship with God to see how it is affected by their actions and choices.  A foundational question would be, “Can I do this to the glory of God?”  Another question would be, “Can I give thanks for this?”  I like to picture a couple on their wedding night saying, “For what I am about to receive may the Lord make me truly thankful!”

1 Corinthians 10 (Review)

 ¹For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ²They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.

 ⁶Now these things occurred as examples^[a] to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.”^{[b] 8}We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

 ¹¹These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. ¹²So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 ¹⁴Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

 ¹⁸Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²²Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

 ²³“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

 ²⁵Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[c]

 ²⁷If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake^[d]— ²⁹the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

 ³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³²Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Questions

1. Who was God displeased with?
2. Why was God displeased with people?
3. How should a Corinthian choose what they are going to eat, drink or partake in?
4. How do you make decisions on what to eat, drink, or do for kicks?
5. How would you raise a family that is more concerned with a relationship with God rather than the rules?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. Who were ancient people baptized into?
2. What rules did those who were scattered in the desert break?
3. No temptation has seized the Corinthians except what?
4. What should Corinthians flee?
5. Whose good should a person seek?

Interpretation

1. How does Paul’s example dispute the claim that there is no metanarrative?
2. What culture’s examples does Paul use?  To what culture does he then apply them?
3. How does the passage prevent a selfish perspective?
4. What balance is Paul trying to achieve between freedom and actions?
5. How would the Corinthians have gone shopping after reading this?

Application

The first question is heady, but explains a lot about our postmodern thinking.

1. How does a Christian mind contradict the mind of Jean Francois Lyotard (http://www.egs.edu/faculty/jean-francois-lyotard/biography/) ?  Note:  Thinkers like Lyotard are the source of thinking that results in kids today saying, “That’s true for you, but not for me, ” when you tell them that there room is a mess.
2. How has society changed in your life time?  How have attitudes changed?
3. How should a Christian approach the ‘green’ morality of saving the planet?  Does it reflect a principle that is true for everyone in all ages, or is it true for now?  Is it not true at all?
4. How do you shop for the glory of God or with thanksgiving?
5. How do you care for your house and family for the glory of God or with thanksgiving?

At the conservative Christian college where I teach, I frequently get challenged on my movie watching habits.  I point out that many ‘G’ rated movies preach a self-focused existentialism that is at odds with Christianity.  So some of my more legalistic charges start to think that there are no movies that they can watch.  The question I leave my students with is, “By watching a certain movie are you corrupted or transformed?”  In other words, it is permissablefor you to watch any movie.  No movie will take away you salvation.  The question is whether you see a rape scene in a movie, become repulsed and start a Christian haven for abused women.  If a rape scene would excite you, you need to not only refrain from seeing the movie, but you probably need to engage in some serious therapy.  Even though it is permissable for a Christian to watch any movie, not all movies that a Christian should watch are beneficial.  This, unfortunately, becomes highly subjective and complex.  Many Christians want simple answers.  So, they will go unthinkingly to the movies and become brainwashed by the messages of ‘G’ movies.  Or, they may never go to a movie and walk away from the culture into a desert of self-righteousness.  When would you watch an ‘R’ rated movie?

1 Corinthians 10:23-33

²³“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

 ²⁵Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[c]

 ²⁷If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake^[d]— ²⁹the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

 ³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³²Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved

Questions

1. What two things does Paul say that permissable things are not?
2. Whose good should be a person’s concern?
3. How should I react when I hear that someone has a problem with my actions?
4. What is the point of seeking others’ good?
5. When you are told that someone has a problem with the movies you watch, the alcohol you drink, the music you listen to, or the places you go, how do you react?  Is that in line with Q. 3?

Going Deeper

Observation

1. What should nobody seek?
2. What should not be raised when a person is in the meat market?
3. What should you eat at an unbeliever’s meal table?
4. With what attitude does a person eat a meal with an unbeliever?
5. What should be the attitude as Corinthians do all things?

Interpretation

1. What is the role of self  in the service of others?
2. To what verses in previous chapters is Paul referring when talking about meat?
3. Is the person who points out that the meat has been offered to idols a believer?
4. What principles from this passage are guidelines for all of life?
5. To what extent is Paul a people pleaser?  Not everyone is pleased with Paul.

Application

1. How do you refrain from beating your self up (cutting, thoughts of suicide), or taking care of your own needs at the expense of others?
2. Do you err towards filtering everything out as non-beneficial?  Do you err towards filtering nothing because it is all permissable?
3. How do you decide whether to go to an event?
4. Could you watch an ‘R’ rated movie for the glory of God?  How would that be?
5. Is it ever beneficial to watch a horror movie?

For further reflection:

http://www.godawa.com/ and click on Cruel Logic from the menu.

An idol is literally a piece of stone or wood.  However, it gives demonic forces an opportunity.  If someone is seeking to communicate with the spiritual world in a forbidden way, a demon can take advantage of that.  Paul points out below that demons do this.  In western society idols are less common.  Catholics use icons, but that is quite a different thing.  Of course some minority religions use idols, but many but many people idolize material things.  Although idolizing a car, a friend, or a house may seem harmless it provides demons with opportunities.  Another area of demonic opportunity is the occult.  Ouija boards are sold in game stores, and we see fortune tellers working from their houses in suburban Chicago. Do you have the courage to oppose such things?

1 Corinthians 10: 18-22

¹⁸Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²²Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Question

1. What does Paul want the Corinthians to consider about the people of Israel?
2. Who accepts the sacrifices offered by pagans?
3. How do you think pagans would feel about Paul’s words?  Why is he so offensive?
4. How do modern Christians approach the reality of demons using other religions?
5. How can a Christian show respect to participants in other religions and also refrain from being drawn into syncretism (defined yesterday)?

Going Deeper

Watch The Princess and the Frog by Disney.  How is the occult represented?  Is it healthy or helpful for children to see such an horrific representation of the reality behind the occult?  However, the same movie shows a positive representation of the occult.  What do we do with that?

There is a difference between eating meat, sold in a marketplace, that has been offered to an idol and activively participating in pagan religious festivals.  A Christian can not engage in what is called religious syncretism.  This is a term for when one religion is accepted and weaves elements of the religion it supplants into its fabric.  In Mexico, Catholics participate in rituals to celebrate the dead that do not come from Catholic thinking.  In Pakistan there are superstitions about the jin that exist within folk Islam.  In England people who attend church will still put money in a new purse or never open an umbrella indoors.  All of these deviations change religion into magic.  Magic is when a person manipulates or placates forces to their own ends.  There is a deeper spiritual significance to participating in religious rituals.  I attended a Buddhist ceremony in Japan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a friend’s dad’s death.  I attended as an observer.  I was respectful but I declined to engage.  I believe that Paul is moving us towards the same stance.

1 Corinthians 10:14-17

¹⁴Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

Questions

1. What should Paul’s friends flee?
2. What do the cup of thanksgiving and the bread cause the Corinthians to do?
3. How does the communion service create a deeper sense of unity?
4. What deeper significance does it have when you attend communion?
5. What deeper significance does it have if a person participates in a Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, New Age, or other religious ceremony?

Going Deeper

Near to where I live are a Sikh and a Hindu Temple.  What religious communities meet close to you.  Look up their beliefs on-line.  Why might it be harmless to eat the food they eat?  Why might it be harmful to adopt their religious practices?