Tuesday, August 13th, 2024

Scripture: 1 Cor. 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 judgement.

1 Cor. 1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.

1 Cor. 1:12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

1 Cor. 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1 Cor. 1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

1 Cor. 1:15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.

1 Cor. 1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

Teaching: Paul addresses the first issue of the Corinthian church: divisions based upon leadership. We all have love for our pastors, and often remember fondly the person who baptized us – after all, it is a momentous occasion! But it seems the Corinthians were identifying themselves by the leader they followed rather than with Christ. Even though Corinth was a generally Greek and Gentile city, this sort of identification seems very pharisaical – identifying with one’s teacher rather than the Lord. They were claiming to follow Paul, Apollos, or Cephas (Peter) rather than Christ. Paul was the founder of the church; Apollos was a gifted evangelizer of the Greek world; Peter was another apostle. Those who said they follow Christ were correct in their thinking, but because others were not, divisions resulted. This is what happens when sound doctrine and sound teaching cannot be agreed upon. In this particular case, Paul could see the resulting division, but understood the underlying problem was much more severe.

Paul rhetorically asks them in verse 13 several questions to draw their attention to the fact that Paul, as great as he is, is not Christ. Paul did not pay for their sins. What’s more, Christ cannot be divided. Just as the physical body of Christ cannot be divvyed up into pieces, so, too, can the Church, the body of Christ, not be divided. Paul prays that they would have one-mind in verse 10, bringing themselves together in Christ. He finishes in verses 14-16 remarking how thankful he is to have not caused even more of a division by baptizing more in Corinth. One can see Paul’s heart on display here – a man called and equipped to spread the Gospel, but wanting no earthly benefit, applause, or renown for it. This is a theme that comes back later in this letter, as Paul addresses other issues in the church.

Takeaway: There is a major distinction that needs to be grasped corporately in the Church today: we are in Christ, not of our pastor/church/upbringing/etc. Keeping this truth front and center in our worship, our lives, and our thoughts inherently stymies many of the divisions that exist within churches today. For pastors, this is an important truth to stress to congregations, and for congregations and elders, this is an important truth to stress to pastors because pride lurks in the divisions of the body. The moment we divide, the next natural step is to feel pride in our side of the division, and pride comes before the fall. For ministry leaders, pride is the root of all manner of sin and is easy to fall into when one begins to see themselves as a leader rather than a fellow follower of Christ. We all follow Christ, exhorting, teaching, discipling, and co-laboring for the glory of Christ. We find unity in Christ, bridging that which may divide us by clinging to Him.