1 Corinthians 11:17-22

Problems In Coming Together

Paul thought the very act of Christians coming together should encourage unity and spiritual development. Paul said the Corinthians were failing in that and reprimanded them. Reports of their conduct in the assemblies of the saints had already come to Paul before he wrote. Some of the reports may have been exaggerated, but Paul believed it when it was said they were dividing into factions when the congregation came together (1 Corinthians 11:17-18; Isaiah 10:13).

Divisions caused by carnal thinking tend to separate those who are striving to meet God's standards (2 Timothy 2:15) from those who are not. The "approved" Paul mentioned would be those who, like metal, pass the test and prove to be genuine. The divisions in the Corinthian church and misuse of the supper made it no longer proper to call it the Lord's. The Lord would have no part in their divison (1 Corinthians 11:19-20).

Perhaps because the Lord ate the passover feast with his disciples before instituting the Lord's supper, the church at Corinth ate a feast, often called a love feast, before partaking of the Lord's Supper. The Corinthians were each bringing their own meals and partaking of it in party groups. They did not wait on each other and while the poor went hungry, the rich drank to excess. Thus, the love feast was not a true communion at a common table where each could receive alike. The poor were shamed instead of being fed. Paul praised them (1 Corinthians 11:2) when they deserved it and rebuked them when they deserved it (1 Corinthians 11:21-22).