Following a recent debate, my attention was drawn to an intriguing interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:18-19.
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,[e] 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.”
Now, I’ve always taken the verse to be intended ironically but I have noticed that some people are using it to justify division from other believers and churches. I did a quick check and whilst some commentaries, along with me and Bible translations such as the NIV assume irony, the highly respected New Testament scholar, Gordon Fee seems to follow this more positive interpretation.
I want to be careful before disagreeing with Fee, he is the recognised expert on 1 Corithians. Even so, I’m not sure that on his view, Paul is calling for intentional divisiveness. Rather, he is arguing that the divisions themselves naturally point to where approval does and doesn’t lie.
However, the whole context of 1 Corinthians is that divisions are not good. In chapter 1, Paul has criticised their need to divide and form factions around notable names in the church. He has also noted that there is a form of spiritual pride that has crept in relating to their need to divide into factions. Finally, here in 1 Corinthians 11, the point is that they are dividing at the supper, in other words, there is competition who gets to turn up first and benefit most from the sacrament which is all about signifying God’s approval and grace. So, it is the division that they are creating to indicate God’s approval which he is specifically condemning.
For those reasons, I’m not convinced by Fee’s argument here and even less by those who are overtly using the passage as justification for their second or even third order divisiveness from other believers.
My concern here is exactly that. We are seeing an increasing tendency for individuals and groups to seek to justify themselves not merely by putting forward an argument for their own decisions based on Scripture. Indeed, at times, there doesn’t seem to be a positive Biblical case offered. Rather the focus is on attacking others and not simply acknowledging a secondary disagreement but rather to do two things
- To elevate the seriousness of the matter, so that they treat the matter as though it is of primary importance so that if the person or organisation is wrong on the matter, then this is treated as evidence of compromise, idolatry and in effect apostacy.
- To constantly attack the motives and intentions of those disagreed with.
There is a time for separating from others when there is serious sin. However, when division is not justified, then it is just about being quarrelsome and divisiveness. In fact, Scripture tells us that it is those who are by nature divisive that we are to separate out from!
Faithroots 