Follow me as I follow Christ. This much quoted one liner is how Paul begins 1 Corinthians 11. As a one liner, this verse is dangerous. As a Spiritual leader, this one liner would seem to imply that Paul is calling for absolute allegiance to him in the way that he is following God. It would seem that Paul is establishing himself as a mediator between man and Christ in delivering that one line. The misinterpretation comes into play in thinking that Paul is delivering a one liner.
Paul's message is not to follow him. Paul had passed on that type of attention before. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-7 Paul shuns this type of attention, beckoning the Corinthians to understand that they are not divided by ministers but united in Christ. Why would Paul, later in this letter, advocate the division he spoke about earlier? If Paul is making the claim that the people should pledge themselves to him then it would be acceptable for Peter, Apollos and other individuals to claim the same. If that were the case then you would have no unified Body in Christ but individual bodies in line with their given minister.
Remember that Paul says that the Corinthians are carnal and is disappointed that he can not feed them with meat, but milk (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). Now look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:3. Paul says that the head of every man is Christ. Notice the oft missed point here. Paul doesn't say that the head of man is another man. Paul doesn't say the head of some men is Christ. Paul says the head of every man is Christ. What Paul is trying to show the Corinthians is how to walk in such a way to be in fellowship with Christ. He's saying, "Watch me and learn how to follow Christ." This is not a call to continuously follow Paul but a call to watch and to mimic so that they can achieve Spiritual growth. If I was going to diagram the emphasis on Paul's statement he is saying, "follow me AS I FOLLOW CHRIST".
Look at the word remember in the KJV version of 1 Corinthians 11:2. Notice the word remember. In the Greek this word is "mnoamai". This word means to recall. He's telling them to recall his actions in all things. He's telling them to watch how he conducts himself and recall that in their given situations. Compare that to Jesus' use of the word remember in Luke 22:19. That word, "anamnēsis", speaks more of a living memory. Paul is calling for the Corinthians to study him in an effort to grow while Jesus is calling them to constantly remember his sacrifice.
Today however, Paul's words have been distorted. A message of "FOLLOW ME as I follow christ" as replaced Paul's message. I purpose did not capitalize christ because those who are seeking a following are not following Christ the God ordained King but christ the self ordained king. That is what left my friend mentioned above disenfranchised. Her Pastor had considered himself the head of the church, each individual member's spiritual father. His call was to follow him and let him worry about the following Christ part. He had established himself as a mediator between his followers and Christ and consequently she was no longer plugged into Christ and no longer plugged into God. There was no room for the Holy Spirit to work in her life. The pastor taught her what he thought she needed to know, guided her to where he thought she needed to go, instructed her on what he thought she needed to give and charged her to bring more followers into "His House".
When Jesus died on the cross I doubt his design was to have thousands of local assemblies operating as individual bodies. If that wasn't his design why is it so? Why is it that when most people join a church, that person, their gifts, their fruit, their time and their money become the property of just that local assembly. I've heard pastors proclaim to congregations, "Why would you want to go to another church to get fed when I've prepared a good meal right here?" Is that scriptural? Is it scriptural that joining a body cuts you off from The Body? Is it God's will for you to feel disenfranchised and simply put on a happy face?
I don't think it is. What is scriptural is to connect with Christ as your head and let Him guide your actions from there.
Paul's message is not to follow him. Paul had passed on that type of attention before. In 1 Corinthians 3:1-7 Paul shuns this type of attention, beckoning the Corinthians to understand that they are not divided by ministers but united in Christ. Why would Paul, later in this letter, advocate the division he spoke about earlier? If Paul is making the claim that the people should pledge themselves to him then it would be acceptable for Peter, Apollos and other individuals to claim the same. If that were the case then you would have no unified Body in Christ but individual bodies in line with their given minister.
Remember that Paul says that the Corinthians are carnal and is disappointed that he can not feed them with meat, but milk (1 Corinthians 3:2-3). Now look at what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:3. Paul says that the head of every man is Christ. Notice the oft missed point here. Paul doesn't say that the head of man is another man. Paul doesn't say the head of some men is Christ. Paul says the head of every man is Christ. What Paul is trying to show the Corinthians is how to walk in such a way to be in fellowship with Christ. He's saying, "Watch me and learn how to follow Christ." This is not a call to continuously follow Paul but a call to watch and to mimic so that they can achieve Spiritual growth. If I was going to diagram the emphasis on Paul's statement he is saying, "follow me AS I FOLLOW CHRIST".
Look at the word remember in the KJV version of 1 Corinthians 11:2. Notice the word remember. In the Greek this word is "mnoamai". This word means to recall. He's telling them to recall his actions in all things. He's telling them to watch how he conducts himself and recall that in their given situations. Compare that to Jesus' use of the word remember in Luke 22:19. That word, "anamnēsis", speaks more of a living memory. Paul is calling for the Corinthians to study him in an effort to grow while Jesus is calling them to constantly remember his sacrifice.
Today however, Paul's words have been distorted. A message of "FOLLOW ME as I follow christ" as replaced Paul's message. I purpose did not capitalize christ because those who are seeking a following are not following Christ the God ordained King but christ the self ordained king. That is what left my friend mentioned above disenfranchised. Her Pastor had considered himself the head of the church, each individual member's spiritual father. His call was to follow him and let him worry about the following Christ part. He had established himself as a mediator between his followers and Christ and consequently she was no longer plugged into Christ and no longer plugged into God. There was no room for the Holy Spirit to work in her life. The pastor taught her what he thought she needed to know, guided her to where he thought she needed to go, instructed her on what he thought she needed to give and charged her to bring more followers into "His House".
When Jesus died on the cross I doubt his design was to have thousands of local assemblies operating as individual bodies. If that wasn't his design why is it so? Why is it that when most people join a church, that person, their gifts, their fruit, their time and their money become the property of just that local assembly. I've heard pastors proclaim to congregations, "Why would you want to go to another church to get fed when I've prepared a good meal right here?" Is that scriptural? Is it scriptural that joining a body cuts you off from The Body? Is it God's will for you to feel disenfranchised and simply put on a happy face?
I don't think it is. What is scriptural is to connect with Christ as your head and let Him guide your actions from there.
