What does 1 Corinthians 11:2 mean?

Paul has spent much of this letter to the church in Corinth correcting some practices and warning against others. He pauses now, though, to commend or praise his readers. For all their flaws, this group apparently took Paul's teachings quite seriously.

That is especially true of how they "maintain the traditions" Paul taught them. Comments such as this remind us that the Corinthian believers were sincere and dedicated, but fallible, just as we are today. The specific traditions Paul had in mind likely had to do with how Christians should conduct themselves in their meetings. That is the next topics he covers. Though he has praised them, he will also correct them on key areas where they are not uniformly continuing to follow his teaching.

The Greek term used here is paradoseis, which carries a strong sense of something which is "handed down," or "passed along." As used in the Bible, it often comes with context about whose teaching or tradition is being mentioned (Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:3; Galatians 1:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:15). The English word traditions can be misunderstood as something always invalid or unreliable. The word, as used, simply means a teaching, which can be either good or bad, depending on its own merits. Paul's praise here is not that the Corinthians are following "tradition" in a general sense; rather, it's that they are faithful to his specific teachings.

Paul is not speaking about cornerstone truths in this case. What he's referring to are the specific teachings he has given to the believers in Corinth. These are the instructions passed down from Paul—the "traditions"—of how they are to apply their knowledge of the Word and the gospel.