In this daily Bible reading Paul chastises the Corinthian church for being disorderly and irreverent when they drink wine and eat bread in remembrance of Jesus Christ. Partaking of the wine, as Jesus commanded his Disciples at the last supper, was to remind Jesus’ followers that the wine represented His blood that was shed for them. The bread represented His body that was given up for them.
Eating the bread and drinking the wine was to be done orderly and reverently. However, the Corinthian church was not doing it reverently. They were treating it like a party. Paul told them that God had punished them for this behavior: Some of them were sick and some had died. He pointed out that God disciplines His people so that they will change their ways.
Paul said, “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.” When we commit our lives to live in obedience to God, God will discipline us when we do wrong. This discipline is for our good and will keep us on the pathway that leads to Heaven.
I don’t think that unbelievers are so disciplined. They are given over to their sinful pursuits and don’t perceive any advantage to believing in God. However, these individuals are on a ‘slippery slope’ to destruction.
