Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. 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. Her hair is messed up! 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. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. 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. 3- The presence of an immoral member. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. 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. I'm nobody, just like you!" I do not think things have improved much since the first century. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. The organ begins the bridal march, and everyone stands. I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. 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. Todays church is a lot like the church of Corinthians. I appreciate the perspective given by the author and agree 100% that the body of Christ is divided. And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. What is a clique? I agree with P. Longs last statement in that things have not improved much since the first century. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. 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? Was Paul crucified for you? In verses 14 to 16, Paul uses himself as an example. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Paul, however, was a good leader. 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. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Now, Paul says this is all basically, fundamentally wrong. 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. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. If I was not raised in a Christian home, I think that I would have the same concerns. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. Paul exhorts them to agree. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. They were boasting over who had baptized them. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Not when one part of the congregation meets in one part of the building, and the other part of the congregation meets in another spot. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. When I say it gets ignored like an infomercial you probably infer what that means. 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.. The members started to develop division following different leaders. They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. Thank you, Father, for this time here contemplating the cross. 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. We need to be perfectly joined together in the love of Christ. Other divisions were to follow. 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. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. It builds him up too much; it makes him a rival, to some degree, of the Lord himself. 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). 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). In verse 10 we see both Pauls affection for the Corinthian church, and his authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. How important was unity to our Lord Jesus Christ? In the same way, thats not the way the Church was meant to be fitted together. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. It tells about the most climactic moment in a wedding ceremony. How important is it that there be unity within the Church? We all know what a clique is. Conclusion. A. These preachers draw in masses of people every week who are eager to hear them speak. 1 Corinthians 1-4 Division in the Church, division in the church of Corinth was over leadership, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Lawsuits Among Brothers, Corinthiaka in New Testament Blogs | Corinthian Matters, The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. You could spot the Navigators going up and down the streets of Honolulu. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. 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! God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who 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? On opening it you found a loose-leaf notebook with many of the small, half-page materials that the Navigators printed their Bible helps on. If it is to expand the congregation and further the work of the Lord in that area, and he had the whole agreement of the leadership of the church behind him, then it is fine to take part of the congregation and go away and begin another work. 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. The search went on until nightfall, but no answer came to their urgent calls. 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. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). 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. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. 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. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. We go back to the Lord alone. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. Teaching to be effective first needs to effect/transform the life of the teacher and then connect with those who hear. The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. 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. 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. He recognizes that we share a common life if we have come to Christ; we are brothers and sisters because we have his life in us. We are so proud of them when they look right, but when things start to fall apart, the church begins to fall apart as well. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Why are these thing SO important? The Corinthian Church. 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. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. If so, what results are we shooting for? If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. One day in Africa, a small boy was lost. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. I have been in many places where they were having church fights and almost invariably the thing that gives away that a church is in trouble is when people start talking about "my church," not in the sense that is perfectly proper as meaning, "The church where I go," but leaders of the church actually saying, "This is our church," and telling other people they have no rights to do something because the church belongs to them. 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. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. So he says, "I didn't baptize many of you. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. 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. He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. When daylight again appeared, they looked for him with renewed energy but still without success. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who 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. So rather that detailing their accomplishments as orators, Paul describes their functions (Paul planted, Apollos watered, etc.) Webdivided. I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). 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. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. 13Is Christ divided? Paul wants the Corinthian church to mend the broken relationships that have been caused by the divisions among its members. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. 2 Corinthians I agree with Greg, I see a lot of times where Pastors begin to care more about the number of the congregation rather on the connectedness of it. All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. 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? There he indicates that the problem with cliquishness is that it tends to overemphasize the significance of the human leader. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who Whenever this attitude of gathering around a man is allowed to perpetuate itself, it is the source of much trouble and difficulty. 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. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. 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. Christ did not send me to take scalps or to cut notches on my gun handle as to how many converts I've won." 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. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Lewis.". And I say that because some people focus on PREACHER instead of THE SAVIOR. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. 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. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. 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. Now, we are similar to the ancient world in that some people do see their pastors/teachers as a source of pride. He does not say we should stop baptizing because of this problem. There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. 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? And some of them are really gross. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. 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. Now, how could that be? This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. I am sure there were many in Corinth who were saying, "Oh, I love to hear Apollos! A gasp bursts from the guests! In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. The bride is limping! This Bible was pushed by the Navigators, and everybody had to have one. 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. With Pauls harsh criticism of said divisions, you would think that we might have learned how to move beyond that in the 21st Century, however, that is not the case. Bruises show on her arm! Webdivided. 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). To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. A. 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. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. Other divisions were to follow. We all know what a clique is. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Here in Verse10 he briefly shows us the ground of unity, and the nature of unity in a church. 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. That is not the work of men; that is the work of God himself. Christ belongs fully to every believer in His spiritual body, the Church. Offshoots had disturbed the church. This also brings up another Pagan influence which is naming the days of the week after the planets. 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. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted.