WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). His Word does not disagree with itself. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. When you follow one man you are getting a view of Christ, but there is no teacher in the church who has ever come along -- including the Apostle Paul himself -- who has ever had a totally complete view of Christ. If we sacrifice quality for numbers I dont think we are being good stewards of our gift of leadership. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. And he speaks in the name of or by the authority of, our Lord Jesus Christ. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? We must allow him the privilege of doing that. Now, we are similar to the ancient world in that some people do see their pastors/teachers as a source of pride. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. 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. In 2019 he published a commentary. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. We worry about how the power points are going to look, if we should have one or two singers, drums or no drums, electric guitars or none at all (I feel like you get my point) its almost as if we worship these things! There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. That, of course, is as it should be. Offshoots had disturbed the church. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. I will jump on the bandwagon here and say that division is definitely an issue today. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. In Matthew 12:25 the Lord Jesus says, Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand.. 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.. In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together with the pieces turned upside down so that they are all blank? Paul is going to go on to describe this radical force that is so different than anything else there is nothing like it in the world. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. In this parable, the groom is Christ. I would like to close this service by reading what one man wrote about the cross: It is well that we should think sometimes of the Upper Room and the Last Supper, and of his soul, "exceeding sorrowful unto death"; of Gethsemane and the deep shadow of the olive trees; his loneliness, prayers, and disappointment with his disciples; his bloody sweat; the traitor's kiss; the binding, the blow in the face, the spitting, the buffeting, the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the smiting; the sorrowful way and the burdensome cross; the exhaustion and collapse; the stripping, the impaling, and the jeers of his foes, and the flight of his friends; the hours on the cross; the darkness, his being forsaken of God; his thirst, and the end. I appreciate the perspective given by the author and agree 100% that the body of Christ is divided. Other divisions were to follow. 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. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles. Im not saying its wrong to stick to what you believe. Bruises show on her arm! These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. 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. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. He does not say we should stop baptizing because of this problem. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. It is extremely important. The followers of Jesus may have believed in Jesus words only, and did not believe that the writings of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were really Scripture. 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. 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? We all know what a clique is. The third danger of groups is given in the latter part of Verse13, and on through the next few verses: Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? So we have the possibility for this very thing right here. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Paul, however, was a good leader. The basic meaning is to put back together and make one again something that was broken or separated. Paul is putting his finger right on the problem when he asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" This introduces one of the greatest passages in the Bible, setting forth the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Paul then goes on to give us three very carefully stated clues in Verse13 as to what is wrong with this kind of thing. Phillip J. God is all about people, not money, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to take over the current move of God, put it in a box, stick a label on it, and own it they will be swept away. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). In verse 17, Paul says that his calling of God was to preach the Gospel, and the focus of the Gospel is the cross of Christ. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). Perhaps, in their individual efforts, they had missed some spots; so the suggestion was made, Lets all join hands and go through the long grass again. Finally, the child was found, but it was too late. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. 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. (Even non-denominationals do this, just without claiming a denominational title). It seems like this isnt a problem and doesnt affect the church much in its present state. 2- The Churchs division. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. For a local church to be spiritually healthy and effective, and for there to be harmony in the local church, there must be doctrinal unity. 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. In fact, Paul never claims disciples. Christ belongs fully to every believer in His spiritual body, the Church. And I say that because some people focus on PREACHER instead of THE SAVIOR. When it comes to seeking the spiritually lost for Christ, we can be much more effective if we are perfectly joined together in an unfailing zeal for Gods glory, not our own. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? WebDivisions in the Church. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. Lewis.". It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). 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. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. And there are others who are drawn to some speaking style that has attracted them. I think today if church leaders focus on Jesus and only Jesus we would be so much healthier. 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. There were: the followers of Paul, the followers of Apollos, the followers of Cephas or Peter, and the followers of Christ. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who Unlike most of his other epistles, Paul plunges right into the heart of the practical problems that were affecting this church, and the first of these, the problem of divisions within the church, he begins to deal with in Chapter1, Verse10. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. Just as there was competiveness for honor and prestige among the orators of the first century, it also seems like there is competition between the pastors and churches of today. Apollos was an intellectual. In my church it seems like they are all about numbers. Now, it cannot. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. I told them GBC and they said something along the lines of, Oh a Bible college? I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). He started this church. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. (I suppose that if Dio were commenting on the modern world, he would describe the wretched bloggers shouting abuse at the temple of WordPress!). There has been no other cure that I know of through the years. It is interesting how quickly we forget where our gifts come from and think we are the cause of success. Therefore our boasting should only be in the Lord (1 Corinthains 1:26-31). Austin Hellier Brisbane Queensland Australia. That was a mark of status with them. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. We are of Peter." I agree with P. Longs last statement in that things have not improved much since the first century. Do we need to be looking for results? If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Weve seen how important unity was to the apostle Paul. Therefore, the only basis upon which you can get Christians to agree is by setting before them the Person of the Lord Jesus, and calling them back to that fundamental base. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. There was nothing wrong with them, they were very helpful, but it was not very long before they became status symbols, and they were used to put down, not always intentionally, those who did not have them. 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. 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. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons our churches are so split and why we act more like the world rather than more like Christ. The anxiety of the childs mother continued to grow, for she knew that her boy was somewhere out in the darkness where wild animals were constantly on the prowl. It is possible, though, that the divisions among A second issue that seems to keep the church divided (the whole church and individual churches) is the little things such as the structure of the service, the type of music played for worship, whether a pastor should always wear a tie, and what color should be used in the bathroom. If I am not out of line I seem to remember that Constantine played a large role in allowing Pagan influences back into the Christian Life. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. 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. That is what Paul speaks about. A number of churches in this postmodern era have begun to resemble the Corinthian church in alarming ways. I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. 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. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. Even though the churches within a certain denomination agree to the same biblical teachings, some churches within those denominations may begin to disagree with the biblical teachings and break away from the denomination to become affiliated with another denomination that aligns with their beliefs. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? 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). In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? 10I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. How important was unity to our Lord Jesus Christ? Although the modern church has improved in many ways compared to the ancient churches, there is still the issue of division that exists among differing churches as was in the ancient churches. 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. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. Not even a three-fourths vote should carry a motion. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). Some say, "I am of Gothard," and others say, "No, I am of Bright." When you get men's eyes off all these status symbols, and call them back away from following men to the Person of Christ and his cross, all the divisions will disappear. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ.". The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. There are several things that split the church today. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. Offshoots had disturbed the church. (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. 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." WebDivisions in the Church. That is why Paul calls us back to it. The ground, of course, is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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.. He begins the process of developing them into leaders who will also preach the gospel and found more churches. 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. 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. They were boasting over who had baptized them. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. 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 knew this and said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony about God. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) I lead a small group so I sometimes have to sit in meetings where the pastor shares things about the vision of our church. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. Their conflicts undoubtedly had its theological and philosophical dimensions, but it was social as well, human and petty, high on pride and low on love (Polhill 233). And there were some who said, "Well, when Peter came through, he baptized me. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. Other divisions were to follow. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. That is always the unifying factor in a church, and that is the mind that is to be among us, the mind that does not consider itself the most important thing. A. This is what Paul does here. If someone comes on preaching the doctrines that were emphasized during the Reformation, he will get a great following of people who think that the Reformation was the whole sum and substance of all great Christian truth. This is not what the Church was meant to be like, and I fully believe that Paul would be appalled by our actions today as a Church of believers in Jesus Christ. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. The better the orator, the higher the fee, and the more disciples he will attract. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. Remember, a believer who is at war with his brother or sister in Christ cannot be at peace with our heavenly Father. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! That is why the apostle appeals to it. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 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. 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! And more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. The cross strips away our illusions and brings the pride of men tumbling down from that high place where it exalts itself against the knowledge of God. 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. Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. That is the problem, and it is still going on today. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. I Corinthians 12:12,13 says, For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that, MANS WISDOM VERSUS GODS WISDOM I Corinthians 1:18-25, WHY DONT PEOPLE BELIEVE? Its not just the denominations per se any more theres also a proliferation of house churches too. Paul does not want to be considered a philosopher who is gathering disciples, nor does he want that for Apollos or Peter or any man. Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. I think the letter to the Philippians helps us here, because in that passage I just quoted from, Paul goes on to say, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. 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. What he says we'll listen to, not Paul or Peter or anyone else -- it makes no difference to us." 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." He gathers disciples and establishes a church, a meeting place for educating his disciples. This consumerism that we face today in the end doesnt seem all that much different from the way the Christian faith was treated like just another philosophy back in the days of Paul. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Her hair is messed up! I'm nobody, just like you!" 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. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. Paul, however, was a good leader. Conclusion. 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. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. Webdivided. Unless its mended, the tear gets bigger and bigger, doesnt it? Paul, however, was a good leader. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. Whatever you say, I believe." When the lifeless body of the little one was carried back to the anxious mother, she cried aloud, Oh why didnt you join hands before?. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Now to this, there should be a division that exists considering that there are some denominations that do teach correct biblical doctrine, while other churches deviate from correct biblical doctrine in order to teach their own false doctrines. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Its a lot harder! There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. (1Corinthians 1:13 RSV). We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. Everybody has their denomination and they cling relentless to their doctrinal beliefs. 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. It was expected. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. 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. 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. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. 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). Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. How important is it that there be unity within the Church? 4-The churchs failure to discipline. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. 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. For permission to use this content, please review Now, how could that be? There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. The cross of Christ cuts across all human value systems. How important was unity to the apostle Paul, and to the Holy Spirit who moved Him to write this letter to the Church in Corinth? There are the Calvinists and the Arminians and the Dispensationalists -- these are some of the things that are held up as the "summum bonum," the highest good, in theology. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. I hang on every word you say. I've not forgotten that incident because it seems to me to capture the very attitude Paul is describing here. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem.