What does 1 Corinthians 11:19 mean by "factions" among believers? Text “For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be made evident among you.” — 1 Corinthians 11:19 Immediate Context: Disorders at the Lord’s Supper Verses 17-34 address abuses in Corinth’s communal meal. Some believers were eating ahead of others, even getting drunk (v. 21), fragmenting the body Christ intended to be one. Verse 19 sits inside this rebuke, identifying the deeper spiritual issue beneath the visible chaos. The Greek Term “Factions” (αἱρέσεις, haireseis) • Root meaning: “choice,” “party,” “sect.” • Neutral in classical Greek (philosophical “schools”), but in the New Testament increasingly negative: Acts 5:17; 15:5; 26:5; 28:22; Galatians 5:20; 2 Peter 2:1. • Later English word “heresy” derives from it. Divine Necessity: “There must (δεῖ, dei) be factions” δεῖ indicates moral or providential necessity—not God’s desire for division but His sovereign use of it. Similar logic: Luke 17:1 “It is impossible but that offences will come” (cf. Genesis 50:20). Purpose Clause: “So that those who are approved (δοκίμοι, dokimoi) may become evident” • dokimoi: metals tested and proved genuine (1 Peter 1:7). • Factions expose who clings to apostolic doctrine and Christ-like character (2 Timothy 2:15). Earlier Corinthian Factionalism Paul already confronted party spirit—“I follow Paul… Apollos… Cephas” (1 Corinthians 1:12-13; 3:3-4). Chapter 11 shows the same root now poisoning worship. Old Testament Parallels: Tests That Reveal the Faithful • Deuteronomy 13:1-4—false prophets test Israel’s love for Yahweh. • Judges 7:4—Gideon’s army sifted to find the faithful. • 1 Kings 22:20-23—lying spirit permitted to expose Ahab’s rebellion. New Testament Parallels • 1 John 2:18-19—“They went out from us… that it might be made manifest that none of them were of us.” • Jude 19—“These are the ones who cause divisions.” • Revelation 2:2—Ephesus tested those claiming to be apostles. Factions vs. God-Honoring Diversity Scripture celebrates diversity of gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and cultures (Acts 13:1). The sin Paul rebukes is divisiveness that fractures fellowship and truth, not legitimate variety under Christ’s lordship. Ecclesiological Implications: Unity and Purity The church must: 1. Guard doctrinal purity (Titus 1:9). 2. Preserve relational unity (Ephesians 4:1-3). 3. Exercise loving discipline when factions arise (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5). Early Church Commentary • Chrysostom (Hom. 27 on 1 Cor): factions “display the approved as torchlight in darkness.” • Tertullian (De Praescriptione, 3): heresies sift the faithful, compelling them to cling tighter to the rule of faith. Practical Applications • Teach whole-counsel doctrine to minimize ignorance-based factions (Acts 20:27). • Cultivate humility; factions thrive on pride (Proverbs 13:10). • Quickly reconcile offenses (Matthew 5:23-24). • Test teachers against Scripture (Acts 17:11). • Celebrate approved examples of faithfulness, encouraging imitation (1 Corinthians 11:1; Hebrews 13:7). Summary “Factions” in 1 Corinthians 11:19 are divisive, party-spirited groups within the church. God permits them, not to endorse schism, but to expose and vindicate genuine, tested believers. The verse calls the church to doctrinal vigilance, relational humility, and Christ-centered unity, trusting that even conflict will ultimately magnify God’s glory by revealing His true people. |
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