United by the Cross: Following Jesus Together – 1 Corinthians 1:10
Introduction: A Divided Age and a United Call
We live in an age of fragmentation. Social media algorithms thrive on outrage. Politics fractures families. Even churches can become places where preferences, personalities, and secondary issues divide what Christ died to unite. Denominations multiply, factions form, and loyalty to leaders can quietly replace loyalty to Jesus.
Yet into this divided world, the Holy Spirit speaks with clarity through the apostle Paul. Not a suggestion. Not a preference. But a passionate appeal from the heart of Christ Himself.
If we are truly disciples—followers of Jesus—then unity is not optional. It is gospel-shaped. It flows from the cross. And it testifies powerfully to a watching world.
1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT): “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”
This is not Paul’s personal preference. Notice his language: “by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Unity is not organisational convenience; it is submission to Christ’s lordship.
Corinth was a city marked by division. Socially stratified. Spiritually confused. Culturally obsessed with status, rhetoric, and celebrity philosophers. The church had absorbed the culture’s obsession with personalities. Some said, “I follow Paul.” Others, “I follow Apollos.” Others, “I follow Peter.” And some, spiritualising their pride, said, “I follow Christ”—as though Christ were divided.
Paul writes not as a distant theologian but as a spiritual father whose heart is breaking. The church redeemed by one cross was tearing itself apart over lesser loyalties.
What Paul Is Really Saying
1. “I appeal to you”
The Greek word is parakalo—to urge, plead, come alongside. This is pastoral urgency, not apostolic arrogance.
2. “By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Unity is grounded in Christ’s lordship, not human agreement. If Jesus is Lord, His body cannot be fractured without dishonouring Him.
3. “Let there be no divisions”
The Greek word schismata literally means tears or rips. Paul pictures the church as a garment torn apart. Christ’s robe was torn at the cross—not His body.
4. “Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose”
This does not mean uniformity of personality or preference. The phrase implies spiritual alignment—centred on Christ’s mission, truth, and love.
Point 1: Unity Is a Gospel Issue, Not a Side Issue
Paul does not treat division as a minor inconvenience. He treats it as a contradiction of the gospel.
1: John 17:20–21 (NLT): “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one… so that the world will believe you sent me.”
This is Jesus’ high priestly prayer, prayed on the night before the cross. Unity is Christ’s final intercession before His death.
The word hen (“one”) speaks of relational oneness, not organisational sameness.
Division damages evangelism. Unity authenticates the gospel. A fractured church preaches a fractured Christ to the world.
Tim Keller: “The gospel creates a community more united than any other group on earth.”
Keller reminds us that unity is not manufactured by shared taste but by shared grace. When sinners are saved by the same cross, pride loses its oxygen.
The Orchestra Without a Conductor
Imagine an orchestra where every musician plays brilliantly—but independently. No conductor. No shared tempo. No agreed key. What should be music becomes noise.
The church without Christ-centred unity is the same. Gifted. Passionate. But discordant. Unity is not about silencing instruments—it is about submitting to the same conductor: Jesus.
Point 2: Disunity Reveals Misplaced Loyalties
The Corinthian believers were loyal to leaders instead of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 3:4–7 (NLT): “When one of you says, ‘I am a follower of Paul,’ and another says, ‘I follow Apollos,’ aren’t you acting just like people of the world? After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News… It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.”
Paul confronts spiritual immaturity masked as theological sophistication.
Celebrity Christianity is not new—it’s Corinthian. When loyalty to personalities eclipses loyalty to Jesus, division is inevitable.
John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
When Christ is our deepest satisfaction, human leaders return to their proper place—servants, not saviours.
Point 3: Unity Flows From the Cross
Paul does not argue unity philosophically. He grounds it theologically.
Ephesians 2:14–16 (NLT): “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility…”
The cross does not merely reconcile sinners to God—it reconciles sinners to one another.
If Christ died to tear down walls, how dare we rebuild them?
R.T. Kendall: “Unity is not something we create; it is something we keep.”
Unity is already accomplished at Calvary. Our calling is not invention but preservation—guarding what Christ purchased with His blood.
The Family Name
Children may argue, disagree, even fall out—but they never stop sharing the family name. The church may disagree on secondary matters, but the name of Jesus binds us together more deeply than opinions could ever divide us.
Point 4: Unity Requires Humility and Repentance
Philippians 2:1–5 (NLT): “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves… You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
Tapeinophrosyne (humility) means lowliness of mind. Unity begins internally before it is expressed externally.
Most church conflict is not theological—it’s relational pride.
Charles Stanley: “Obedience to God brings blessings; disobedience brings consequences.”
Division is not neutral. It carries spiritual consequences. Obedience to Christ includes guarding the unity of His body.
The Gospel at the Centre
Church, unity is impossible without the gospel—because unity requires changed hearts.
Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, lived the sinless life we could not live. He died the death we deserved to die. He was buried. And on the third day, He rose again—victorious over sin, death, and hell.
At the cross, our pride was crucified. At the empty tomb, new life was released. Discipleship begins not with agreement but with repentance and faith.
Call to Action: How Do We Respond?
Examine your heart – Are there grudges, preferences, or loyalties competing with Christ?
Repent quickly – Unity is preserved through humility.
Recommit to Christ’s body – Love the church Jesus died for.
Refocus on the mission – Make disciples, not divisions.
Invitation to Salvation
If you are listening today and you are not in Christ, unity will always feel unreachable—because peace begins with God.
Today, repent. Turn from sin. Trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. He will forgive you, restore you, and place you into His family—the church.
Call on Him now.
Conclusion and Benediction:
Church, let us follow Jesus together. United by grace. Anchored in truth. Empowered by love.
“May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.” (Romans 15:5, NLT)
Amen.
