1 Corinthians 10–11

A History Lesson from Israel

10For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all went through the sea, ²and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³and all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. ⁵But God was not pleased with the majority of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

⁶Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we should not be desirers of evil things, just as those also desired them, ⁷and not become idolaters, as some of them did, just as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play,”^{a 8}nor commit sexual immorality, as some of them committed sexual immorality, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day, ⁹nor put Christ to the test, as some of them tested him, and were destroyed by snakes, ¹⁰nor grumble, just as some of them grumbled, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹Now these things happened to those people as an example, but are written for our instruction, on whom the ends of the ages have come. ¹²Therefore, the one who thinks that he stands must watch out lest he fall. ¹³Temptation has not come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful, who will not permit you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but will also make a way out together with the temptation, so that you may be able to endure it.

Warning Against Idolatry

¹⁴Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I am speaking as to sensible people; you judge what I am saying. ¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share from the one bread. ¹⁸Consider Israel according to the flesh: are not the ones who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? ¹⁹Therefore, what am I saying? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰No, but that the things which they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers with demons. ²¹You are not able to drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You are not able to share the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²²Or are we attempting to provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he is, are we?^*

Freedom in Christ

²³All things are permitted, but not all things are profitable. All things are permitted, but not all things build up. ²⁴Let no one seek his own good^b but the good of the other. ²⁵Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, asking no questions^c for the sake of the conscience, ²⁶for “the earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness.”^{d 27}If any of the unbelievers invites you, and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, asking no questions^e for the sake of the conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This is offered to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and the conscience. ²⁹Now I am not speaking about your own conscience, but the conscience of the other person. For why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?

³¹Therefore, whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God. ³²Give no offense^f both to Jews and to Greeks and to the church of God, ³³just as I also please all people in all things, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of the many, in order that they may be saved.

Concerning Head Coverings in Worship

11Become imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

²Now I praise you that you remember me in all things, and just as I handed over to you the traditions, you hold fast to them. ³But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies while^* having something^* on his head dishonors his head, ⁵but every woman who prays or prophesies with uncovered head dishonors her head, for she is one and the same with the one whose head is shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover herself, let her hair be shorn off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her head^a shorn or shaved, let her cover her head.^{b 7}For indeed a man ought not to cover his head, because he^* is the image and glory of God, but the woman is the glory of the man. ⁸For man is not from woman, but woman from man. ⁹For indeed man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man. ¹⁰Because of this, the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, on account of the angels. ¹¹Nevertheless, neither is woman anything apart from man, nor is man anything apart from woman in the Lord. ¹²For just as the woman is from the man, thus also the man is through the woman. But all things are from God. ¹³You judge for yourselves^c: is it fitting for a woman to pray to God with her head^* uncovered? ¹⁴And does not nature itself teach you that a man, if he wears long hair, it is a dishonor to him? ¹⁵But a woman, if she wears long hair, it is her glory, because her hair is given^d for a covering. ¹⁶But if anyone is disposed to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.

Improper Conduct at the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷But in giving this instruction I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. ¹⁸For in the first place, when you^* come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. ¹⁹For indeed it is necessary that there be factions among you, in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. ²⁰Therefore, when^* you come together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper. ²¹For when you^* eat it, each one of you goes ahead to take his own supper, and one is hungry and another is drunk. ²²For do you not have houses for eating and drinking? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who do not have anything? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!

²³For 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, ²⁴and after he^* had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵Likewise 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.” ²⁶For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ²⁷So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. ²⁸But let a person examine himself, and in this way let him eat from the bread and let him drink from the cup. ²⁹For the one who eats and drinks, if he^* does not recognize the body, eats and drinks judgment against himself. ³⁰Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and quite a few have died^e. ³¹But if we were evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged. ³²But if we^* are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined, in order that we will not be condemned with the world.

³³So then, my brothers, when you^* come together in order to eat the Lord’s supper,^* wait for one another. ³⁴If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And I will give directions about the remaining matters whenever I come.