Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
I don't really understand what you are asking.
My point has been that the use of Paul's address to "the church in Corinth" could have been a catch all, the Christians in Corinth could have been meeting in multiple homes and meeting halls. Or they could have been meeting together as one large meeting while dividing up into factions and parties. But no one can deny that there were parties in Corinth to the extent that they were denominating themselves as "of Paul" or "of Peter".
I don't think the situation has changed. Today there are many different meetings of Christians, many different denominations, but all of them feel that the book of Corinthians was written to them.
All of the serious Bible expositors agree that there were parties and that this was so serious that it was the primary reason for the letter.
My second point was that Corinth is put forth as a typical church, not a healthy church. Therefore it is reasonable that this situation occurred in other churches, like the 7 churches in the book of Revelation.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah
"those who were meeting in groups claiming to be "of Peter" or "of Paul" or "of Apollos" or "of Christ"."
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The idea of these sects meeting independently in their own groups is wrong because verse 18 says:
1 Cor 11:18 In the first place, I hear that
when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.
1 Cor 11:20 So then,
when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat,
Clearly this is speaking of divisions within the one meeting or assembly, so your idea is unbiblical.
This is speaking of factions, parties within the one church in the city, which may mean within the one assembly (see Gill commentary below) or within multiple meetings of the one church in the city. In any case, clearly this speaks of divisions when coming together, which is a situation completely different to today's denominations.
The next logical step would be for these factions, parties to stop meeting with each other, and form the situation we know today of multiple "churches" within the one city.
Paul no where proposes meeting independently as a solution to the problem. . Paul no where entertains a notion of "let us agree to disagree and go our separate ways" as is the practice in denominationalism today.
These verses should be plain enough. But let's confirm with some bible commentaries that the situation of multiple denominational meetings within the city is not well supported:
Barnes —
When ye come together in the church - When you come together in a religious assembly; when you convene for public worship. The word "church" here does not mean, as it frequently does with us, a "building." No instance of such a use of the word occurs in the New Testament;
but it means when they came together as a Christian assembly; when they convened for the worship of God.
These divisions took place then; and from some cause which it seems then operated to produce alienations and strifes.
Gill —
For first of all, when ye come together in the church,....
The place where the church met together to perform divine service, called "
one place". 1 Corinthians 11:20 and is distinguished from their own "houses", 1 Corinthians 11:22 and the first thing he took notice of as worthy of dispraise and reproof, in their religious assemblies, were their animosities and factions:
The bible nor the commentators support your idea of the early church being multiple meetings per city, a city divided into "denominations" like the situation today. Clearly this is speaking of factions/divisions within the
one church assembly (or assemblies) within the city. Furthermore, the apostle nowhere proposes separate meetings as a solution to this problem. Nowhere does Paul sanction the idea that those "of Peter" should meet independently from those "of Paul".