Dealing with a Dysfunctional Church
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians

Discussion Question #1

 In 1 Cor 11:17–19, Paul mentions there being factions among the Corinthians when they worship. Do you think these are the factions mentioned earlier in the letter (1 Cor 1:10ff), or something different?

11:17 Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine.

Discussion Question #2

 Why does Paul say that the Corinthians do not really eat the Lord’s Supper in v. 20?

11:20 When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord's supper.

Discussion Question #3

 What seems to be the situation in vv. 21–22 when the Corinthians gather for the Lord’s Supper?

11: 21 For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk.

What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you!

Slide 8

Outline of a Greco-Roman Banquet

Since I am asked to dinner . . . why is not the same dinner served to me as to you? You take oysters fattened in the Lucrine lake, I suck a mussel through a hole in the shell; you get mushrooms, I take hog funguses; you tackle turbot, but I brill. Golden with fat, a turtle-dove gorges you with its bloated rump; yet there is set before me a magpie that has died in its cage! Why do I dine with you  [Ponticus? Come,] let us eat the same fare!

—Martial, Epigrams

Custom of the Eranos

Outline of the Corinthians Agape Meal

Discussion Question #4

 Paul recounts the tradition of the Lord’s Supper in vv. 23–24. For the Apostle, what is the significance of observing this weekly ritual (v. 26)? How does this view continue in Christian worship today?

11: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.“

In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.“

 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Discussion Question #5

 What does Paul believe regarding those who profane the Lord’s Supper (v. 27, 28–29)? Do you believe this is true for Christians today?

11:27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

Discussion Question #6

 What commands does Paul give the Corinthians regarding their gathering for the Lord’s Supper ( vv. 28–34)? How do these commands apply to Christian practices today?

11:28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.

For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
 
So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation.

Paul’s Solution to the Problem