1 Corinthians 1:10-17

                                                         1 Corinthians 1:10-17

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. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 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.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

 

Division is one of the primary and most effective means that Satan uses to attack the church.  We have been called to be a part of a body that works together to advance the Gospel and worship the Lord.  We don’t do either of those well when we are fighting with one another.  Paul understands the importance of this priority and so he begins this very important letter with an exhortation to unity.

 

STRIVE FOR PEACE: Paul makes a strong appeal to the believers in Corinth that they strive to have unity with one another.  He urges them to agree with one another and have the same mind and judgment.  Divisions within the body of Christ make it far less effective.  Our testimonies are impacted and our ability to grown in Christ is diminished.  Peace is one of the marks of a true believer.  Grace and peace are the desires expressed in salutation of almost every epistle of Scripture.  Because of God’s grace, we can experience peace with God and the peace of God in our lives.  This should naturally translate into having peace with one another.  In a sinful world filled with sinful people, conflict is unavoidable.  However, as believers we have hope and the means to live at peace with one another for the glory of God.

 

STOP CHURCH POLITICS: It seems that one of the greatest sources of division in the church at Corinth was over preference for certain leaders.  Peter, Paul, and Apollos were all prominent leaders who had factions in the church in Corinth.  Acts records both Paul’s and Apollos’s presence in Corinth.  We do not know if Peter visited at some point, but it seems likely since there was a faction there, though Peter’s prominence in the church in Jerusalem could also explain why Jews in Corinth would claim him as their representative leader.  Paul mentions that others would claim Christ.  Clearly Christ is the only person worthy of our worship and allegiance.  However, this faction may have had an unhealthy attitude of pride.  The point is that we tend to have power struggles within groups of people.  Church politics can be divisive and confusing.  Paul makes it clear that this type of power struggle and division over leaders is not pleasing to the Lord.

 

SPEAK OF CHRIST’S POWER: Paul wants to make sure that all the church knows that he has no interest in being the leader of any faction of the church or having any group of people claiming him as their leader.  Apparently, baptism was one of the determining factors behind the different groups.  Paul was thankful that he had baptized very few of the believers in Corinth.  This argument demonstrates that salvation cannot be dependent upon baptism.  Paul’s main focus in ministry was to preach Christ and His power to save man from sin through faith in His death and resurrection.  There is no power in any man to save from sin other than the Man Christ Jesus.  He must be the focus of our worship, loyalty and the only object of our faith.  We must be careful to not get distracted by the division between men.

 

APPLICATION: Strive to build unity within the body of Christ.  Consider the value of others and seeks to unite around the Word of God and Jesus.  Don’t get involved in or be distracted by power struggles within the church.  Focus on the power of the Gospel as our message in ministry.

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