One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. How important was unity to our Lord Jesus Christ? Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). This is what Paul does here. Now, it cannot. Now, you do not have to be very old to recognize that that is still a problem in the church. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. Webdivided. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. 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. WebDivisions in the Church. 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. There is not a single Christian teacher who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. He's a great preacher, a warm, capable, eloquent man, who can make the Old Testament come alive!". People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. That is what Paul speaks about. 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. We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Peter was an uneducated, common man and may have appealed to that group of people in Corinth. 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? Offshoots had disturbed the church. 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. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. Help us to judge these in the light of the cross, and, by its light, to walk before thee. 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). It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. He chooses various channels through which to work. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. 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. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Paul wants the Corinthian church to mend the broken relationships that have been caused by the divisions among its members. Her gown is ripped and covered with mud! But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. We are of Peter." There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. The human condition is, unfortunately, one of comparison that seeks to place oneself or their beliefs over another. I think today if church leaders focus on Jesus and only Jesus we would be so much healthier. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. They did not try to hide the problems. We go back to the Lord alone. 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). If we sacrifice quality for numbers I dont think we are being good stewards of our gift of leadership. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Try it some time. Paul exhorts them to agree. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. Then comes that great Christological passage where he describes how Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. They take an innocent teaching medium, in this case baptism, and make it into an identification badge. They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. 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. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. And some of them are really gross. If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. Every Navigator had to have a Scofield Reference Bible; that was the only "Authorized Version." The better the orator, the higher the fee, and the more disciples he will attract. It took four viewpoints to report his earthly life and ministry accurately enough to us. We are all equally undeserving of salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ. They love to listen to someone because he turns them on emotionally. 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. He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in New Testament from Andrews University. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. I think we have failed to de-paganize the art of preaching/teaching if pastors/leaders are looking for patronage, prestige, and numbers over relationships, service, and transformation. 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. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). Paul always expresses great concern about the possibility of a split in the church. In the same way, thats not the way the Church was meant to be fitted together. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? For permission to use this content, please review God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else). And there were some who said, "Well, when Peter came through, he baptized me. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. One eye is purple and swollen! 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. 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. Was Paul crucified for you? 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. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. 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! In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Not even a three-fourths vote should carry a motion. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). There is not a single teacher who ever lived who can heal the hurt of a broken heart, or supply energy and adequacy to someone who feels worthless and unable to function in society, not one. Phil Long is correct, we have not improved much since the first century. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Some are of Ritchie, and some are of Roper, and a few of Stedman! The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. There are several things that split the church today. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. 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. Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. 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. The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. 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. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. The members started to develop division following different leaders. 3- The presence of an immoral member. I would like to start off with a quote (forgive me for the length) from Polhill that I found to be all to strikingly familiar of todays churches. Some considered Paul their leader, others Apollos, still others Peter. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. 2- The Churchs division. 16(Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. 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. 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. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. 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. 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. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. Her nose is bloody! The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." Whatever you say, I believe." While there can be problems with some (no recognised leadership, disorganised, isolated, cultishness, lack of cohesion etc) they can also produce some of the strongest disciples Ive seen for many years, and yet, they could easily claim to be that fourth division like the one at Corinth the I am of Christ division, where they have no name (no favoured preacher/teacher) but are still divided off. A number of churches in this postmodern era have begun to resemble the Corinthian church in alarming ways. Paul says that he does not preach in cleverness of speech because the power of the gospel lies in the facts of the gospel, and not in any mans presentation of them. 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). The bride is limping! What is a clique? 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. WebDivisions in the Church. Ridiculous? 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. (Even non-denominationals do this, just without claiming a denominational title). The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) 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. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. 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. 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. 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. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. (1Corinthians 1:13 RSV). Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. There were: the followers of Paul, the followers of Apollos, the followers of Cephas or Peter, and the followers of Christ. 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. In Jesus' name, Amen. Gods people who are moving in revival (like we have been to experiencing right here in Brisbane these last few months) have no qualms about getting together to see the nation of Australia come to Christ. He is the ground, always, of unity. 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. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. It builds him up too much; it makes him a rival, to some degree, of the Lord himself. Orators have to be so careful not to let teaching become a pride thing rather than a gift they share to better the other. Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. 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. Conclusion. 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. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. 2- The Churchs division. 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. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! 13Is Christ divided? That is not the work of men; that is the work of God himself. Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. We, as the modern church, say that we hold to Pauls message that we shouldnt be conformed to this world, but when we look at the world, there seem to be just as many divisions. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. 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. The ground, of course, is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. That is why Paul calls us back to it. 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. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. They are his family in Christ. 3- The presence of an immoral member. No man is the Savior; no man can deliver us except Jesus. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. Apollos was an intellectual. 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."