Now, in one verse he introduces to us the cure for these divisions (Verse17): For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom [literally, "wisdom of words"], lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. This is a very propitious time for us to consider the cross for this is Palm Sunday, commemorating the day when our Lord entered Jerusalem for his last week. Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful He said so himself. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. 2- The Churchs division. I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. The congregation then is to submit to the elders because it has confidence that their decisions were made under the Holy Spirits direction and power. We reveal our immaturity when we insist that only those with certain characteristics are the ones we will listen to, or we feel can bless or strengthen our lives. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. Whatever you say, I believe." So Paul is insisting that the Corinthians, and all believers, have doctrinal unity that is clearly based on Gods Word. Then not only did they have the Bible, but every Navigator who was anybody at all had to have an index drawn in on the pages of the Bible, a kind of a ladder that gave you a clue to where the books were so that with your thumb you could turn up any book in the Bible almost instantly. I am sure there were many in Corinth who were saying, "Oh, I love to hear Apollos! Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. You may recall also that in writing to the church at Ephesus, he exhorted the elders there to be careful to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Ephesians 4:3 RSV). Im not saying its wrong to stick to what you believe. The Lord Jesus is praying to the Father, and this is part of His prayer for us: I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that You sent Me. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Now, the Apostle Paul is very concerned about this matter of incipient division in the church at Corinth, and he begins dealing with it in this powerful appeal for unity in Verse10: I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. He is the ground, always, of unity. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). In my church it seems like they are all about numbers. Believers who are joined in heart should not find it difficult to be joined in hand, working together for the common good and for the glory of Christ. In 2019 he published a commentary. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. Are we willing and ready to pray for unity in His Church, and work at building a stronger unity among fellow members of the congregations where we fellowship and serve? In 1 Corinthians, Paul consciously avoids disciple-teacher language. His followers in the Corinthian church may have viewed Christianity as a philosophy rather than a relationship with a Person Jesus Christ. No man would ever have planned the cross. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. They may have carried Pauls teachings of justification by faith and freedom from the Law to an extreme and felt free to do whatever they wanted. 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. Paul here introduces that which can cure divisions, both negatively and positively. The church was divided into factions, and one group was urging him to take half the congregation and go to another part of the city and start a new church. As a young Christian in my early twenties during World WarII, I was stationed in Hawaii, and I became acquainted with the work of the Navigators. We tend to deify men, and people look at them as if they can do no wrong, can made no errors, that they know everything and can settle all questions. Do we need to be looking for results? As we do, I hope every one of us will understand more and more fully the character of this radical principle that God has turned loose among us, this revolutionary idea represented in the cross of Christ that wipes out all these distinctions among men. The bride is limping! 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. When daylight again appeared, they looked for him with renewed energy but still without success. RayStedman.org/permissions. 2- The Churchs division. I was unaware of this connection before now but it really makes sense. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (NKJV). The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. It is possible, though, that the divisions among The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. Paul goes right on, in Verse12, 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." In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. I think today if church leaders focus on Jesus and only Jesus we would be so much healthier. There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. In the same way, thats not the way the Church was meant to be fitted together. I have been in many places where they were having church fights and almost invariably the thing that gives away that a church is in trouble is when people start talking about "my church," not in the sense that is perfectly proper as meaning, "The church where I go," but leaders of the church actually saying, "This is our church," and telling other people they have no rights to do something because the church belongs to them. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Her nose is bloody! But if it is to escape pressures and difficulties and problems in the congregation, then it is absolutely wrong and the worst thing he could do, because it sets before the watching world a false testimony concerning the church of Jesus Christ. (1Corinthians 1:17 RSV). 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. When you call them back to an understanding of the meaning of the cross, you will find all the divisions disappearing; they fade away like the morning mist. It is extremely important. Acts 18:24 says that Apollos was an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man. You only have to listen around you today and you find outstanding leaders being held up by their congregations as almost the equal of the Lord himself in their value to the church. What is a clique? In Jesus' name, Amen. Offshoots had disturbed the church. I will jump on the bandwagon here and say that division is definitely an issue today. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. At that time it was under the leadership of its founder, Dawson Trotman, and it was my privilege and delight to be a close friend of his, to have spent a good deal of time with him and to come under the influence of his teaching and his methods. (I suppose that if Dio were commenting on the modern world, he would describe the wretched bloggers shouting abuse at the temple of WordPress!). And some of them are really gross. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. How important is it that there be unity in the Church where you fellowship? It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. They take an innocent teaching medium, in this case baptism, and make it into an identification badge. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. They love to listen to someone because he turns them on emotionally. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. I agree with P. Longs last statement in that things have not improved much since the first century. So we have the possibility for this very thing right here. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? It seems like it would be better to ask in what ways have we been re-paganized. John 12:37-50, THE PARADOX OF LIFE FROM DEATH John 12:20-26, THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM JOHN 12:9-19, SPIRITUAL LIGHT AND DARKNESS John 9:35-41. With Pauls harsh criticism of said divisions, you would think that we might have learned how to move beyond that in the 21st Century, however, that is not the case. So rather that detailing their accomplishments as orators, Paul describes their functions (Paul planted, Apollos watered, etc.) 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. If Paul were to visit one of these churches, he would see a good-looking man in a custom suit standing over everybody else, and his mind would go straight to the orators of his day. Then youre a Christian right? Even though our conversation could only continue for about 10 more minutes, this issue of divisions within the church arose. The human condition is, unfortunately, one of comparison that seeks to place oneself or their beliefs over another. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. You may be reminded by his words in Verse10 of the similar passage in his letter to the Philippians where, in Chapter2, he says to that church, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind," (Philippians 2:1-2 RSV). Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. 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. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). Paul is putting his finger right on the problem when he asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This applies also to the leadership in the church. 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.. But even if there are multiple house churches founded by different leaders, Paul passionately argues that the body of Christ cannot be divided in this way. His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. This unintentional mindset causes people to treat the Bible and its words like it is a product that can wear out, and ignored like an infomercial. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? How important was unity to our Lord Jesus Christ? In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 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.. I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. On opening it you found a loose-leaf notebook with many of the small, half-page materials that the Navigators printed their Bible helps on. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. Instead of tearing themselves apart, he urges them to be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. I hang on every word you say. Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). Help us to judge these in the light of the cross, and, by its light, to walk before thee. He started this church. A. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. Paul, however, was a good leader. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. In Philippians 2:9 Paul said of Christ, Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. No Christian, no Christian minister, is to put himself in Christs place, or allow himself to be put in Christs place, and take the authority and honor that is due to Christ alone. Its a lot harder! When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. The ground, of course, is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their relationship to Christ was the unifying factor of the church. It would destroy the unity of the congregation and split them up and provide an inaccurate testimony to the Person of Christ before the watching world. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. That is why we have four gospels, because not even one of the disciples who was with the Lord was capable of giving us a complete enough view of Christ. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! Webdivided. Why? Maybe if they are getting rid of core doctrine it is a justifiable anger but I can definitely see how the church is very much the same as 2000 years ago. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. It seems unbelievable at first to think that this kind of division exists within the modern church, but more often than not it is actually one of the most common reasons for division. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Paul always expresses great concern about the possibility of a split in the church. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, and whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. You and I cant have more of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can give Him more of ourselves, and experience more fully what is already ours as children of God. You could spot the Navigators going up and down the streets of Honolulu. My impression is that the same sorts of problems evident in Corinth are clearly evident in the contemporary church, whether that is West Michigan or Brisbane. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. We get so off track of what Christianity is all aboutMark 12:30-31 and begin focusing on worldly things like Rob Bell debated are actually being held to see if this Pastor is even Christian! This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. Dio Chrysostom visited Corinth about A.D. 89-96. It seems like this isnt a problem and doesnt affect the church much in its present state. The Corinthian Church. There is not a single Christian teacher who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. We have Jesus only groups even today. In the body of Christ at large there are many who can make a contribution to the understanding of Christ. I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. 3- The presence of an immoral member. Why are these thing SO important? I do not identify my self as being a follower of anybody but Jesus (although there are certain theologians that I do hold in higher regard than others). Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). No, he says that is not why he was sent: "I was not sent to emphasize symbols, but, positively, I was sent to preach a whole gospel, not one emphasizing style, not in wisdom of words, but that which emphasizes content." Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. This Bible was pushed by the Navigators, and everybody had to have one. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. That, of course, is as it should be. Webdivided. Ones honor and reputation were valued highly and if someone attacked your reputation it was expected that you would defend yourself and retaliate by publicly bashing your attacker. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. On a large jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces or more, its almost impossible to put it together upside down! Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. Conclusion. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. If I was not raised in a Christian home, I think that I would have the same concerns. Polhill says, every Corinthian had their own favorite preacher (237). If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. He recognizes that we share a common life if we have come to Christ; we are brothers and sisters because we have his life in us. Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. 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). God wants the local church congregation and the local community to see the beauty of a church that is unified and fitted together in love. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). There were, first of all, the loyalists who said, "We are of Paul. Not when some people in the congregation wont look at, speak to, or even acknowledge the existence of certain other people in the congregation. Now, how could that be? It builds him up too much; it makes him a rival, to some degree, of the Lord himself. And some of them are really gross. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). For instance, in the Greco-Roman culture the practice of teacher-disciple relationships was often common and so many Christian converts in Corinth would associate themselves with a particular teacher and be under their discipleship. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). With that spirit of self-righteous smugness, they were separating from the rest, dividing up the congregation and quarreling with one another over these things. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Was Paul crucified for you? Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that there be no divisions among you. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. I remember a few years ago being at a family congress in St. Louis, Missouri, when one of the evening speakers was Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the very capable and powerful preacher on the Lutheran Hour radio program. They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. There is not a teacher among us today, or at any other time, who is able to open the mind and open the eyes of the heart and reveal to us the glory and majesty of God, not one. These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. We go back to the Lord alone. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. This is what Paul uses as the basis for unity in this church -- not only the attitude of selflessness, which is the mind of Christ, but the responsibility to submit to his Lordship, the common responsibility that we have together. They would have the Scofield Reference Bible and a notebook under one arm, and you knew that if you examined their Bibles you would find the ladder index on the pages. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. 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. 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. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). As a result, this led to the division among Christian converts and to the Christian community as a whole. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord.