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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Why did Paul write to the Corinthian Christians and what application is there to the church today?
We find those answers in today’s message as Paul gets past his standard opening and into the meat of his reason for writing, beginning in verse 10 of chapter 1. Look again at his words here:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. vv. 10-17
Here we find the apostle Paul trying to get ahead of an issue before it moved any further, possibly leading to the dismantling of the Christian church in Corinth as people warred with one another from the inside out. It’s obvious there was disunity within the church and it was grounded in opposing allegiances that has developed among the believers.
Some aligned with Paul. Others followed another apostle named Apollos. Still others associated with Cephas, another name that Peter was known by. And of course, there was a faction that had allegiance to Christ. The latter were the only ones who were in the right place.
So we find Paul speaking into these divisions and even taking it personal. He didn’t want anyone to place him ahead the Christ he served for the cause of the Gospel, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords, the One who was crucified and paid the penalty for all sinners to bring salvation to anyone who believed in Him. There was only one Savior and that was Jesus. And anyone baptized was done so in His name, not in the name of Paul or Apollos or Peter.
Paul implored the Corinthian Christians, and all Christians who have read this passage over the ages, to make Jesus the focal point of the church. There was to be no schisms due to differing allegiances to leaders in the church. Rather, all Christians were to place Christ first at all times. He was to be lifted up, worshiped and honored through the Gospel work He called the church to carry out. Placing the emphasis on anyone else would essentially serve to empty the cross of its power.
Do you see cracks developing in the unity of your church today?
If so, it’s most probably because the focus has moved away from Jesus, the One who gives all Christian their common, shared identity. Exposing this problem, which first happens when we objectively admit we have a church division problem to start with, also unveils the solution, the way to move from disagreement and dissension toward unity.
This happens when we collectively choose to turn our eyes back upon Jesus and keep Him front and center. We are Christians because of our shared belief in Jesus as the source of salvation. Christ Jesus puts the Christ in Christian. He is the head of the church, period, and He expects to be worshiped and honored as such.
The church in Corinth was beginning to lose their way because they stopped making Jesus the sole recipient of their mind’s attention and heart’s affection. They came together in the first place because of Jesus and He was the One who would reunite them, His body with one Spirit dedicated to place Him first in all things.
Friends, this is the formula for our division problems in the Christian church today. Healing and restoration will happen if all Christians within any one church choose to come to Jesus in unity, celebrating the One who makes it possible for them to be called the Christian church.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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