17 Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Commentary
Vs. 17 "Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse."
Though the Apostle Paul praised the Corinthians for keeping the traditions which he delivered to them (11:2). Now he must address another area where the carnal and their carnality was being manifested. And that was by the divisions amongst them (vs. 18-19), as well in their keeping the Lord's Supper (or Communion), there was a lot of self-serving taking place, when they should have been serving and sharing with each other in love. Therefore the Apostle Paul cannot praise them for their coming together, because it was not honoring to God when they did so, nor was it enriching the lives of the people there, for it was serving and propagating the selfishness, and the selfish interests of the carnal there.
Vs. 18-19 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
The Apostle Paul having heard a report of divisions amongst them, and knowing the Corinthians inclinations towards worldliness and worldly values, says in part he believes it! Now in chapter one the Apostle Paul rebuke and corrected their divisions over their aligning themselves into various groups and such under the men through whom they believed the Gospel, and or were being discipled by. Here their divisions may have been more socio-economic then theological, (otherwise Paul could not have praised them at the beginning of this chapter for keeping the "traditions", i.e. ordinances and decrees as he delivered them to them. Thus these divisions may have been social divisions, "cliques" and such which carnal men and woman often start and propagate to establish or maintain their own social standings and order, and or cultural distinctiveness. Or sometimes even to propagate their own standing (or agendas) in the church by their excluding, or speaking ill of others (consider 3 John 9-11). Therefore since the church is not immune to such misguided values and or evil occurrences, these things must always be readily addressed. And that is what the Apostle Paul is doing here, exposing all such things as sin against God and disobedience towards Christ, when he says, "For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you." vs. 19 Thus the very factions which the carnal propagate to distinguish themselves, or serve their own interests and agendas, these are the very means by which they themselves are exposed as such. As Jesus said of them, "by their fruits you will know them" (see Matt. 7:15-19). Though in quoting that passage one must exercise careful discernment so as to make right a distinction between those who are only ignorant and misguided in their doing so, (as the Corinthians were here), and those who can and will cause real harm to a church fellowship by their doing so as Jesus warns us in Matthew.
Vs. 20-22 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Therefore in light of the Corinthians selfishness, recklessness, and indifference towards the poor amongst them when they were partaking of the Lord's Supper, the Apostle Paul cannot call their gathering together in one place as their partaking of the Lord's Supper, since the Lord's disposition of reverence, humility, and seeking the well being of others was absent from their communal meal. Now in regards to our being reverent when we assemble to partake of it, consider Lev. 10:3; in regards to humility, Micah 6:8; and our considering the poor amongst us, Deut. 26:12-15 as principals.
For that's what Jesus did when He instituted and partook of it with the twelve on the night He was to be betrayed. He took the bread (which symbolized His body) and the cup (which symbolized His blood) and He gave them to the disciples saying, "do this in remembrance of Me." Thus He wasn't thinking about Himself on that night, He was thinking about you and me, and what it would cost Him to redeem you and me from sin and death; His own death on a cross! And so when we partake of it, we must be reverent in it. Otherwise we are not honoring Christ, nor serving God when we do.
Vs. 18-19 18 For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you.
The Apostle Paul having heard a report of divisions amongst them, and knowing the Corinthians inclinations towards worldliness and worldly values, says in part he believes it! Now in chapter one the Apostle Paul rebuke and corrected their divisions over their aligning themselves into various groups and such under the men through whom they believed the Gospel, and or were being discipled by. Here their divisions may have been more socio-economic then theological, (otherwise Paul could not have praised them at the beginning of this chapter for keeping the "traditions", i.e. ordinances and decrees as he delivered them to them. Thus these divisions may have been social divisions, "cliques" and such which carnal men and woman often start and propagate to establish or maintain their own social standings and order, and or cultural distinctiveness. Or sometimes even to propagate their own standing (or agendas) in the church by their excluding, or speaking ill of others (consider 3 John 9-11). Therefore since the church is not immune to such misguided values and or evil occurrences, these things must always be readily addressed. And that is what the Apostle Paul is doing here, exposing all such things as sin against God and disobedience towards Christ, when he says, "For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you." vs. 19 Thus the very factions which the carnal propagate to distinguish themselves, or serve their own interests and agendas, these are the very means by which they themselves are exposed as such. As Jesus said of them, "by their fruits you will know them" (see Matt. 7:15-19). Though in quoting that passage one must exercise careful discernment so as to make right a distinction between those who are only ignorant and misguided in their doing so, (as the Corinthians were here), and those who can and will cause real harm to a church fellowship by their doing so as Jesus warns us in Matthew.
Vs. 20-22 20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.
Therefore in light of the Corinthians selfishness, recklessness, and indifference towards the poor amongst them when they were partaking of the Lord's Supper, the Apostle Paul cannot call their gathering together in one place as their partaking of the Lord's Supper, since the Lord's disposition of reverence, humility, and seeking the well being of others was absent from their communal meal. Now in regards to our being reverent when we assemble to partake of it, consider Lev. 10:3; in regards to humility, Micah 6:8; and our considering the poor amongst us, Deut. 26:12-15 as principals.
For that's what Jesus did when He instituted and partook of it with the twelve on the night He was to be betrayed. He took the bread (which symbolized His body) and the cup (which symbolized His blood) and He gave them to the disciples saying, "do this in remembrance of Me." Thus He wasn't thinking about Himself on that night, He was thinking about you and me, and what it would cost Him to redeem you and me from sin and death; His own death on a cross! And so when we partake of it, we must be reverent in it. Otherwise we are not honoring Christ, nor serving God when we do.
Scripture Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Additional Resources Consulted
Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
Word Studies
Vs. 17 divisions, Str 4978; GK 5388; TDNT 7.963; TDNTA 1130; LN 19.28; 39:13 (John 7:43; 9:16; 10:16; Rom 6:17; 1 Cor 1:10; 11:18; 12:25 "schism"; Gal 5:20) 8x
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