Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. I thank God that only a few of you can say that about me." WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. Now these things were good. Paul, however, was a good leader. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? 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). There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. He then goes on to describe for us the mind of Christ, which is a willingness to give up rights and personal privileges and give in and take a lower place. He didnt focus on himself being superior to all the rest of the church leaders. A gasp bursts from the guests! They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. 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. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. Christ did not send me to take scalps or to cut notches on my gun handle as to how many converts I've won." This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. Now, he describes the nature of unity this way, "that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." 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). Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. 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. Offshoots had disturbed the church. 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. He chooses various channels through which to work. Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together with the pieces turned upside down so that they are all blank? Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." 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). If so, what results are we shooting for? Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. I was unaware of this connection before now but it really makes sense. That is why the apostle appeals to it. Paul, however, was a good leader. 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?. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. The first thing Paul says is that it tends to chop up Christ and parcel him out as though his person and his work came in various packages, thus you lose perspective of the whole of Christian theology. 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. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) 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. Todays church is a lot like the church of Corinthians. Let it do its great work of cutting down and eliminating from our lives those things over which we take pride and which separate us from others; these distinctions that make us dislike our brother or sister, and turn our backs on them. 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? 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. 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. And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). This is really what is behind his disclaimer on baptism in 1 Cor 1:14-16. He started this church. 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! 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. One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). And some of them are really gross. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. 3- The presence of an immoral member. 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.. Having listened to Pauls words and the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, how important is unity to each of us today? 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. It is possible, though, that the divisions among The bridesmaids have come down the aisle. I understand the fact that people have different beliefs and would like to stick to those (it is good to sick to what you believe) but when you get so segregated that you cannot work together anymore, it becomes a serious problem. There are several important terms in this passage. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. 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. I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). How important is it that there be unity in the Church where you fellowship? The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. This is a radical principle that we need to understand, because, when you understand the cross, there will be no room left for the divisions of men. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. 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. 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. Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. 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. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. I am sure there were many in Corinth who were saying, "Oh, I love to hear Apollos! 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. 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. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. 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. 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. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. He come to Corinth to create a community of disciples from which he might receive patronage and prestige. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. 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. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. 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. In 1 Corinthians, Paul consciously avoids disciple-teacher language. 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. One eye is purple and swollen! 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. Peter was an uneducated, common man and may have appealed to that group of people in Corinth. There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). 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? The Greek word used here literally means to say the same thing. It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. There should be unanimous agreement. The families have been seated. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. 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. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Apollos was an intellectual. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. In fact, Paul never claims disciples. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division 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. Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. The bibles need to match the pews which need to match the carpet which need to match the wall color. 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. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? 3- The presence of an immoral member. Paul enters this world of wretched Sophists and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). 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. 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. The cross of Christ cuts across all human value systems. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. 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. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. If you limit yourself to one speaker or one teacher and feed only on him, you are getting a distorted view of Jesus Christ; you are chopping Christ up, dividing him and taking one little portion as one man reports it and ignoring the rest, thus your view of Christ is deficient and unable to satisfy you as it was intended to do. We must allow him the privilege of doing that. Now, you do not have to be very old to recognize that that is still a problem in the church. Now, how could that be? 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.. Austin Hellier Brisbane Queensland Australia. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. 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. There he indicates that the problem with cliquishness is that it tends to overemphasize the significance of the human leader. 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. I will jump on the bandwagon here and say that division is definitely an issue today. What is a clique? I believe that if people would take their eyes off man and stop putting man up up so high and put THE MASTER BACK FIRST in their lives it wont be so much division in our churches. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) In comparison to modern churches, its easy to say that there are hardly any divisions among Christians and differing churchesbut could these divisions still exist today? Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. 2 Corinthians 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). The Corinthian Church. To all of this Paul would say to us, as he says to Corinth, Is Christ divided? Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. 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. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. 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. Anyone who claims that he or she has an exclusive part in Christ is wrong. It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. In verses 10-12, Paul begins by giving an appeal for 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. There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. It took four viewpoints to report his earthly life and ministry accurately enough to us. I would like to approach it from an evangelistic standpoint. There is no other name big enough, great enough, glorious enough, and powerful enough to gather everybody together, despite the diversity of viewpoint and the differences of background or status in life, than the name of Jesus. We have our theological view points, and even our philosophical ones (even though we could have less of that in our churches today in my opinion) but we also have our social dimensions as well. 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. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. Webdivided. Public arguments were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world at the time that Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. 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. We all know what a clique is. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. The Navigators in those days did a great work in the Navy throughout the whole of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and hundreds of young men were led to Christ through their efforts during the war years. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). These preachers draw in masses of people every week who are eager to hear them speak. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. Now, almost every group does this. Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. When I say it gets ignored like an infomercial you probably infer what that means. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. God only sees one fold, (John 10) and there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism etc. I'm nobody, just like you!" I have to admit though that sometimes I think about numbers and recognition and want that. Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? 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. The basic meaning is to put back together and make one again something that was broken or separated. 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.

Flexible Rubber Curbing, The Watering Hole Book Jeff Burton, City Of Harrisburg Bureau Of Police Parking Ticket, Articles W