1Cor 11:17-19 - Right and Wrong Fights

17-19 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.


Here is more evidence of the utter unspirituality of the Corinthian church. They may think themselves spiritual, and others in this present age may hold them out as models of powerful spiritual life, but they are, in fact, carnal. That is to say, their behaviour is carnal and fleshly. Their motives are wrong. And, despite all outward appearances, it is motives that truly matter in the long run. Yes, we will know a child of God by his fruits - but there will also be many in that Day who will claim to have done many mighty works, prophesied, cast out demons in the Name of Christ who will nevertheless hear the chilling words, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity, for I never knew you." {Mt 7:22-23}

This context here is still about public worship. At a time when the focus ought to be upon God and His Christ the Corinthians come together to argue and to self-indulge and to disregard their brethren. The service and the Lord’s supper have become a twisted vestige of what they were intended to be. They have become self-indulgent instead of God indulgent.

And right here is found a verse that became a favourite of many of the Puritans. It is a verse about divisions. The New Testament has much to say about divisions and divisiveness. Party spirit is condemned. Petty disagreements over things indifferent are condemned. Heresies are condemned. But are all things the same? Is there a universal, blanket magic rule that applies and by which all mouths are forever enjoined from ever disagreeing or disputing over anything at all? Is the old rubric about not judging a brother lurking in here somewhere?

No. The Puritans themselves vigorously defended the faith - a faith that was under the most intense attack from within and without the church. But the greatest danger to the church has always been from within. The abuses of Roman Catholicism arose from within the church catholic. Arianism, Pelagianism, Arminianism, Oneness Theology, Open Theism - all these arose not from secular society at large, but from within the body of so-called believers in the church. And it is still the same today. Just as then, so now, false teaching must be openly and vigorously rebuked and resisted. We must earnestly contend (that is to say "fight") for the truth once for all delivered to the saints. In the Greek, this is the superlative form of the word for "strive" or "fight" - "epagonizomai". It is the emphatic form of "agonizomai" found in such passages as "strive to enter in at the strait gate..." and is founded in the ancient Spartan wrestling ritual called the "agon," and from which we derive the word "agony" today.



So Paul partly believes that there are divisions and he even allows that these things must be. It is the way that truth is tested. What is genuine will stand the test and what is false will be exposed by the light. It is not desirable that there be factions but, because of the fallen nature of men, it is unavoidable. And God has given the Truth partly for this reason - that error may be exposed.

All that said, this is actually only an aside from Paul. The main theme is still public worship and public fellowship. So there is a time and a place for defending the faith with passion and vigour. Note that I say for defending the faith. But there are disputes and wrangles that have nothing to do with defending the faith, and more to do with the carnal influences of the residual flesh in the saints. That sort of wrangling needs firm rebuke for its attitude rather than its content.

Paul’s point is, I suppose, that we come together to worship in spirit and in truth. If the truth is threatened, then that needs to be addressed. But we cannot ignore the "spirit" part. The prevailing inclination of the heart when coming together with the other saints expressly for the purpose of worship (and all that entails) is to be spiritual. It is a spiritual event. Unless it is spiritual it is useless. So whenever the flesh displays itself, wherever it is unchecked, or where it slithers in and erodes and occludes our view of God and of those for whom Christ died - we are not abiding in Christ and are found unspiritual. The aid of the Holy Spirit is needed for all spiritual activity and He must not be grieved.