The elitist Corinthians had turned communion into a status gathering; the rich enjoying their hors d'oeuvres in the dining room, while the poor ate leftovers on the back porch. Paul responds by canceling their love-feast, and calling the entire group to self-examination before they dare to eat again.

Similar to the modern American church, the church of Corinth had begun to blur and obfuscate genders, including the heart with which male and females arrived for worship. In this passage, Paul clarifies the proper church order for men and women, based on God's created design, and in the Godhead itself.