Her nose is bloody! Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. He chooses various channels through which to work. Offshoots had disturbed the church. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. 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. It seems like this isnt a problem and doesnt affect the church much in its present state. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. All that mattered to Paul was Jesus! There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. In Jesus' name, Amen. Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Orators have to be so careful not to let teaching become a pride thing rather than a gift they share to better the other. Ridiculous? The basic meaning is to put back together and make one again something that was broken or separated. 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 minister is waiting, Bible in hand. The bibles need to match the pews which need to match the carpet which need to match the wall color. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. Now, Paul says this is all basically, fundamentally wrong. Paul is putting his finger right on the problem when he asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" The Corinthian Church. Offshoots had disturbed the 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). 4-The churchs failure to discipline. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for our sins because only He is the Son of God. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. Now, it cannot. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. 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. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. 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." If Paul could see the divisions between the various denominations of today, what would he say? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. 3- The presence of an immoral member. Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. 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? Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. 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. Webdivided. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. It is extremely important. We go back to the Lord alone. The Corinthian Church. Let's go back to Jerusalem. We must allow him the privilege of doing that. Instead of directly saying that we follow Paul, or Apollos, we say that we are Baptist, Reformed, or even Catholic. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. 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. 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. This applies also to the leadership in the church. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. The countless denominations and different beliefs of Christianity are often not appealing to non-believers. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. 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." Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Other divisions were to follow. Other divisions were to follow. I hang on every word you say. 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. The other reason is the division among churches of the same denomination. The members started to develop division following different leaders. One day in Africa, a small boy was lost. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Paul, however, was a good leader. We had some great meetings and great times together. I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. 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. His Word does not disagree with itself. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? If we sacrifice quality for numbers I dont think we are being good stewards of our gift of leadership. 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. Phillip J. 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). WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. That, of course, is as it should be. 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. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. Just looking at America, there are political divisions that have destroyed relationships, there are social divisions that have sparked riots around the nation, and there are even religious divisions that have pitted millions against each other. He does not say we should stop baptizing because of this problem. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. 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. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. Its pastors, bishops and others who fear the loss of their livlihoods as their former sheep move on in God towards the new wine skins of revival that want to maintain the old wine skins which brought them an income. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). 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. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Paul always expresses great concern about the possibility of a split in the church. 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. 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. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. 10 I appeal to you, brothers,[ a] 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. Christ belongs fully to every believer in His spiritual body, the Church. That is the mind Paul is talking about. The words made complete in verse 10 are translated from a Greek word that was used to speak of mending such things as nets, bones, dislocated joints, broken utensils, and torn garments. Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? They are his family in Christ. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. This Bible was pushed by the Navigators, and everybody had to have one. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. In my church it seems like they are all about numbers. 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. 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. Austin Hellier Brisbane Queensland Australia. The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. 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. We are of Peter." 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). The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? (Phil Long). He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. 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. The ground, of course, is the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. The real problem behind the divisions is that the church continues to act like Christianity is just another philosophy, and teachers are in competition with each other just as the Greek orators competed. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. 2- The Churchs division. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. He was introduced in a rather extended and flowery way, but he came on and in his great, booming voice said, "I'm not Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the great preacher of the Lutheran Hour. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. There were, first of all, the loyalists who said, "We are of Paul. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. 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. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. Was Paul crucified for you? I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. Now, how could that be? Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else). It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. And there were some who said, "Well, when Peter came through, he baptized me. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. In verses 10-17 of Chapter 1, Paul establishes the fact that there are divisions and begins to deal with them. (Philippians 2:6-8 RSV). Offshoots had disturbed the church. They did not try to hide the problems. The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. This introduces one of the greatest passages in the Bible, setting forth the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. They were also not afraid to be mentioned in Pauls letter to the church. With all the differences among us, it is impossible to get people to think alike. But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Webdivided. Paul enters this world of wretched Sophists and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many of us are familiar with this common phenomenon in human psychology of thinking that some symbolic thing that is of use to us is so important that we finally make it a badge of the group to which we belong. (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). 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.