He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. 1 Corinthians 1:10: I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. RayStedman.org/permissions. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. This is really what is behind his disclaimer on baptism in 1 Cor 1:14-16. Chapter Summary Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. In 1 Corinthians, Paul consciously avoids disciple-teacher language. Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. God is not confused, and He does not contradict Himself. It seems so bland compared to all the other choices out there when really it presents and encourages people to live out a very different and exciting life in the opposite direction of the world. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. This also brings up another Pagan influence which is naming the days of the week after the planets. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Now, he describes the nature of unity this way, "that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. the background of the Corinthian Church There are some people who minister to us better than others, and it is only natural that we should listen to them and follow them. His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. Lewis.". But it is the exclusiveness that Paul is concerned about here -- people who do not even want to come to a service if someone other than their favorite is preaching. This applies also to the leadership in the church. Now, almost every group does this. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. Its a lot harder! in the Corinthian Church He chooses various channels through which to work. WebAnd you know, that gives me some idea of how important this is to God, because from 1:10 to the ninth verse of the sixteenth Chapter, he just talks about the errors in the church. These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. Behind Divisions Splits and Quarrels in the Church We feel some sense of connectedness to the teachers (pastors/leaders) whose teachings we sit under while they count us as proof of their effectiveness (numbers). Now, we are similar to the ancient world in that some people do see their pastors/teachers as a source of pride. Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. Teaching to be effective first needs to effect/transform the life of the teacher and then connect with those who hear. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. What is a clique? They failed to take seriously the power of evil; their behavior caused divisions in the church and led to a lack of concern for other members. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. No man would ever have planned the cross. How important is it that there be unity in the Church where you fellowship? Christ did not send me to take scalps or to cut notches on my gun handle as to how many converts I've won." Thank you, Father, for this time here contemplating the cross. We all know what a clique is. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. But that is a very dangerous attitude, and yet we tend to think of people as being the channel by which deliverance can come to our heart. All rights reserved. They were drawing themselves up and saying, "Well, you may be of Paul or of Peter or of Apollos, but we are of Christ! Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. Divisions in the Church The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. Not when one part of the congregation meets in one part of the building, and the other part of the congregation meets in another spot. WebDivisions in the Church. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. He is the ground, always, of unity. WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." The Factions At Corinth Divisions Was Paul crucified for you? They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. Other divisions were to follow. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. It would be great if all of you would think like me, but unfortunately there are stubborn ones among you, there are depraved ones among you, there are those who have different backgrounds than I have, and some of you just do not think like I do! Luke says in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. The ground is level at the cross. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) Other divisions were to follow. Obviously sin is at the heart of these divisions, but I am encouraged to hear that at least in your corner of the world there is some unification and revival. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Paul exhorts them to agree. The church is never called to having everybody think exactly alike. Now, church unity is a very important matter, and, because of its significance, Paul puts it first in the list of problems he has to deal with here at Corinth. He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? The Greek word used here literally means to say the same thing. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Whenever this attitude of gathering around a man is allowed to perpetuate itself, it is the source of much trouble and difficulty. It is possible, though, that the divisions among Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. Polhill says, every Corinthian had their own favorite preacher (237). They are still acting just like the world. This is the challenge of the divisions in 1 Corinthians how does the modern church act just like the world? If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. There he indicates that the problem with cliquishness is that it tends to overemphasize the significance of the human leader. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. But you could always tell a Navigator because there were three things that he always had: First, he had a Scofield Reference Bible tucked under his arm. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. Bruises show on her arm! What happens when you get a tear in a piece of clothing and you keep washing and wearing that piece of clothing with the tear in it? The Gentiles coming into this new Church do not seem to be able to see the differences between it and a Greco-Roman philosopher gathering disciples and educating them in a particular philosophy. Throughout this 2000 year process of normalizing divisions among believers, we have consistently neglected the fact we Jesus should unite us, and unless we choose to make a change, we will continue to forget this fact. Furthermore, would the apostle not also be concerned with other divisions within the individual church body? Webdivided. 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. To all of this Paul would say to us, as he says to Corinth, Is Christ divided? Weve seen how important unity was to the apostle Paul. I think that some of the ways we have failed to de-paganize is because we are still so focused on the little things that make up the church. The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that, MANS WISDOM VERSUS GODS WISDOM I Corinthians 1:18-25, WHY DONT PEOPLE BELIEVE? There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. in the Corinthian Church Splits and Quarrels in the Church They love to listen to someone because he turns them on emotionally. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else). Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. Paul wants the Corinthian church to mend the broken relationships that have been caused by the divisions among its members. We go back to the Lord alone. Corinthians I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. I've not forgotten that incident because it seems to me to capture the very attitude Paul is describing here. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. Every Navigator had to have a Scofield Reference Bible; that was the only "Authorized Version." The other reason is the division among churches of the same denomination. is the history and significance of the church In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). If it had been left up to us to plan the program by which God would change the world we would never have included a cross. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. When everybody decides to put the things of Christ first, and is willing to suffer loss that the honor and glory of Christ might be advanced, that is what brings harmony in a congregation. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. As bad as it is, it makes sense for the people of Pauls day to be concerned with whatever home church has the best orator, and then argue for them to other potential followers. Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? The bridesmaids have come down the aisle. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. They did not try to hide the problems. DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1
