1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Preserving the Union
If you ever find a perfect church, join it, and it will no longer be perfect! And if you ever feel bad about the state of your church or the state of the church in America today, just read the Bible book of 1 Corinthians! These folks had lots of problems, and Paul wrote them a letter to be able to work through their problems and grow healthy again. And the very first problem Paul addressed with them was conflict.
As I thought about conflict, I thought of Abraham Lincoln’s goal in the Civil War: to “preserve the Union.” As horrible as that war was—brother fighting against brother—the outcome was determined to be vital, to keep these states united. The Apostle Paul likewise considered the unity of the church in Corinth as vital. As I read through his advice to First Church, Corinth, I came up with two or three points for us today. First, Paul might say to us,
1. Work quickly through conflict
Verse 10 starts off with Paul saying, “I appeal to you.” Other translations use the words, “I beseech you,” or “I exhort you,” “I beg of you,” “I urge you,” “I plead with you.” He means serious business here!
So what is his appeal? It’s later in the verse: “That all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you.” The original Greek word for “divisions” is “schisma,” from which we get our English word “schism.” When Paul says no division or no schism, he means there should be no verbal fighting among these believers, no gossip, no back-biting, no hatred, or unforgiveness, or bitterness.
Then look at verse 11. Paul tells them why he’s addressing this…
“My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.”
Ha! We have some inside informants, some whistle blowers! Now we don’t know exactly who they were, but what’s commendable is, that they didn’t try to cover up their problems. They didn’t try to sweep the conflict under the rug. They were bothered enough to go to the right person for help. Paul was their spiritual father, the one who introduced them all to Jesus. And Paul urges them to resolve these squabbles quickly. One way we can do that is to...
2. Learn to appreciate diversity
This past Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We remember Dr. King as one who urged for a greater appreciation of diversity in our country, that people with different skin colors could be treated equally. What a wonderful, biblical principle! God made them all, thus all people carry the image of God within. If God loves them, then maybe we should, too.
However, in First Church Corinth, the diversity of leaders was causing problems in the ranks. Paul says in verse 12, “What I mean is this: One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos;’ another, ‘I follow Cephas’ [that’s Peter]; still another, ‘I follow Christ.’”
So this church had some personality cults going, some cliques forming around different leaders. We know a lot about Paul from the Bible. He was well schooled, a brilliant and courageous writer and leader, but apparently—from his own description—he wasn’t much to look at, and not a very eloquent speaker. Then there was Peter, a fiery leader from the working class. He started off weak—you know, denying Christ three times to save his own hide. But later, when the Holy Spirit filled him, he became a radical on-fire preacher of the gospel, plain speaking and full of boldness. And then there was Apollos, a very eloquent speaker, a very popular, polished orator.
All three of these guys had strong personalities, but they didn’t cause the divisions. They were all about unity in Christ. It was the people following them that got off track and started caring more for their favorite earthly leader than for the unity they had in Christ.
Someone once wrote:
To live above, with saints we love, will certainly be glory!
To live below, with saints we know; well, that’s a different story!
David exclaimed, in Psalm 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
Paul urged the church in Rome, in Romans 14:19: “Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” [building up one another]. And…
Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
A great example of this is George Whitefield, a famous revival preacher in the last century. Although Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley, another great preacher, on some theological matters, he was careful not to speak about it in public where it could hinder the spread of the gospel. One time someone who was aware of this asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven. Whitefield replied, “I fear not ... for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him!”
That’s the kind of attitude we need as Christians! We need to appreciate the differences among us as a breath of fresh air. How boring it would be if everyone were exactly like you!
Now let’s read verse 13 of 1 Corinthians 1: “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
The obvious answer to these three questions is, “No, no, and no!!! Christ isn’t divided! And Paul certainly wasn’t crucified for these people’s sins; he had taught them that only Jesus could and did do that for them. And Christian believers were only baptized in the name of Jesus, or in the name of the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
John Gill writes about Jesus, “His human body was not to be divided; a bone of him was not to be broken; the seamless garment he wore was not to be rent asunder; nor is his mystical body, the church, to be torn in pieces by schisms and divisions.”
There is but one Savior and one gospel. And that leads us to our last point:
3. Remember what unites us
Notice that Paul starts off his appeal in v. 10 by calling them “brothers and sisters.” He actually does that twice! It is a subtle reminder that these folks are supposed to be family, and I’m talking functional, NOT dysfunctional, family! Paul says we’re all a part of the family of God, so we should all work to get along!
In v. 10 he gives the goal of unity, “that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” The words “perfectly united” come from one Greek word, “katartizo.” It’s the same word used in three other important New Testament scriptures: In Hebrews 11:3 it’s translated “formed,” as in “God formed the world.” In Hebrews 10:5 it’s translated “prepared,” as in “God prepared a perfect human body for Jesus.” And in Matthew 4:21 it’s translated “mending,” as in the disciples James and John mending their nets. So get this: God wants his believers to be united as perfectly as the sun, moon, and stars fit together in the universe; and as perfectly as God formed the human body for Jesus to use; and as perfectly formed as a mended net. That’s unity! That’s harmony! “Perfectly united in mind and thought!”
Paul ends his advice on factions by urging his listeners to focus on Jesus and the cross. Look at verse 18: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
People who are not believers might find the story of the cross foolish. Why would we worship someone who went to the equivalent of the electric chair? Yet it is in the cross that comes all of our power. It is in the cross that we see sin and death defeated once and for all. It is in the cross that all of our sins are forgiven. It is in the empty cross and the empty grave that we find true unity.
There is an old saying that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. Once you come to Jesus, you are a brother or sister with every other believer who follows Jesus. You are no better than them, and they are no better than you.
I’ll close with Jesus’ own words. He told his disciples, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:35
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus, thank you for the truth that we are one in you as you and the Father are one. Help us to practice our oneness a little better this week. Help us to work at getting along better with our fellow Christian brothers and sisters, because you said we should, and because our unity will be a strong witness to a watching world. Help us to find our forgiveness and our love for others at your cross. Amen.
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For welcome time:
A Christian has been stranded on a desert island by himself for many years. He is rescued one day, and the rescuers are confused to see that he has built three huts, so they ask him why. He replies, “That one is my house. And that one is my church.” They count again, and say, “What’s the third hut for?” He replies, “That’s the church I used to go to.”
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1 Corinthians 1:10-18
10 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. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 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.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 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.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
