A healthy debate among believers to ensure we are striving to fully understand God’s word can be healthy. However, foolish and unnecessary division is not God’s intent. God intends us to be one body of Christ, not factions fighting against one another. We should conduct ourselves with proper respect as we participate in things like the Lord’s Supper. We should focus on Jesus Christ first, rather than each of our needs and desires.
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 that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. 19For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 20Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22What! Do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? 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 will not praise you.
Let none of us grow complacent and self focused in our relation to one another in the body of Christ. Let us remain focused on Christ and hold consideration toward one another. In this case, people were putting their own desires first, seeking to eat or drink the Lord’s Supper. There were divisions in the body of Christ. They were not putting God first.
So, too, we should recognize that there is an appropriate time and place to rebuke our brothers as Paul does in this scripture. He is gentle but direct. He first sought something to compliment them earlier in the chapter before then turning to a rebuke. Even in his rebuke he is kind in that he simply says “In this I will not praise you.”. Even after we determine to follow Christ there is still right and wrong behavior and wrong behavior should be properly confronted and addressed lest it fester and undermines the body of Christ more broadly over time.
Spend a few minutes praying and asking God to show you any areas where you need to make a change in your behavior or attitude or where He wants you to provide correction, respectfully, to another for their behavior. Do not rush this time. Let Him speak to you. Think about each area of your life (e.g. work, spouse, children, church, ministry, etc.)
Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ
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