Let me ask you a question: “Have you ever found a Christian group that doesn’t have any problems?” If so, don’t join it—you’ll ruin everything. Every person has their own weaknesses and faults; and since a church is made up of imperfect people, every church will have problems. The church at Corinth whom the Apostle Paul addresses in his First Epistle to the Corinthians had several problems.
However, before we look at this letter to the Corinthians, I would like you to turn to Proverbs 6.
These verses contain a list of the seven sins God most detests.
“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren" (Proverbs 6:16-19).
As we now turn to 1 Corinthians 1, I want you to think of these sins which God hates most; and, as we read verses 10-13, I want you to notice which of these sins were being committed by the Corinthian believers.
1 Corinthians 1:10-13
1 Now I beseech you [I exhort you (NASB); I appeal to you (NIV); I do beg of you (PH); I urge . . . you (AMP); I plead with you (NKJV)], brethren [Notice the significant way Paul addresses them as brethren. He is about to exhort them to unity, which is characteristic of brethren in Christ. The very title “brethren” is an argument for unity.], by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ [by all that our Lord Jesus Christ means to you (PH)], that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you [The word for divisions is schisma. It means there should be no open break, no fracturing of the church, which is done by fighting, by gossip, criticism, hatred, or bitterness.] but that ye be perfectly joined together [The words “perfectly joined together” are translated from only one Greek word. The word is katartizo. This word could also be translated “united” (NIV) or “made complete” (NASB). This word is used in three other important New Testament passages: (1) “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God . . .” (Heb. 11:3). Here the word katartizo is translated “framed.” (2) “Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me” (Heb. 10:5). Here the word is translated “prepared.” (3) “And going on from thence, he saw . . . James . . . and John his brother in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets” (Matt. 4:21). In this final passage the word is translated “mending.” God desires that church believers be joined together as perfectly as the sun, moon, and stars fit together, as perfectly as God formed the body for Jesus to use, and as perfectly as a mended net is. Souls are not saved in a church plagued with problems simply because the net is broken and they get away.] in the same mind and in the same judgement [The “mind,” within, refers to things to be believed; the “judgment” is displayed outwardly in things to be done. So in all that a church believes and does, there is to be unity].
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions [quarrels (NIV); factions (AMP)] among you.
We do not know who the people were who belonged to the “house of Chloe,” but we commend them for their courage and devotion. They did not try to hide the problems. They were burdened about them; they went to the right person with them; and they were not afraid to be mentioned by Paul.
J. Vernon McGee tells of an incident that happened in one of his pastorates. A man came to him and said, “I want to tell you about a certain situation.” He told him about a certain man who was involve in a particular sin. The man wanted to do something about it. He said, “You ought to bring this up before the board, and if they can’t handle it, then it should be brought before the church.” McGee answered, “Fine, that is the way it should be done. What night can you come?” “Oh!” the man said, “I don’t intend to come. You’re the pastor, you are the one to handle it.” McGee answered, “You are right, I am the one to handle it. I am the pastor. However, you will need to be present to make the charge.” “Oh,” he said, “I won’t do that.” So McGee told him. “If you are not willing to sign you name to the charge, we will forget it.” And they forgot it, because the man refused to back up the charge with his name.
All too often unsigned critical letters are received by Christian leaders, finding fault with either the pastor or some other member in the church. How many times has vicious gossip from the mouths of nameless (and spineless) church members led to the destruction of their own church!
12 Now this I say [What I mean is this (NIV)], that every one of you saith, I am [follow (NIV)] of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
Divisions were caused by believers following different leaders of the church. They formed cliques around certain men. In one group were the proud pupils of Paul; in another the adoring admirers of Apollos, and then there were some who like Peter, or Cephas, and they formed the chummy cult of Cephas.
We know quite a lot about Paul. He was intellectual, he was brilliant, and he was courageous—but apparently not attractive physically. Peter was fiery. He had been week at first, but he became a rugged preacher of the gospel. Apollos was one of the great preachers of the apostolic church. He was not an apostle and has not been given much recognition, but he was a great preacher. All three of these men had strong personalities, but they did not cause the divisions. They all contended together for the faith. They maintained the unity of the Spirit, and they all exalted Jesus Christ. It was the members of the church in Corinth who were guilty of making the divisions.
The “claim to fame” of the first group was this: “We are of Paul and therefore better than you! Anyone knows Paul is a great doctrinal preacher, and that’s the only kind to have.”
The second group would probably retort, “We are of Apollos, and anyone with any sense at all will agree that Apollos is an eloquent preacher and can preach circles around Paul any day.”
The third group might then answer, “We are of Cephas, and you can brag about doctrine and eloquence all you want to, but there’s just nobody as down-to-earth and practical as Peter.”
The fourth group could thereupon be pictured as looking down their long spiritual noses at the other three and piously saying, “We are of Christ, and therefore look to no human preacher to lead us and feed us.”
Now let’s think back to the seven sins God hates most of all. Here are the verses in the New Living Translation.
“There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord among brothers."
At least two of these sins listed in these verses were prevalent among the Corinthian believers. One of them is very obvious—“sowing discord among the brethren.” Paul wrote that he had been told by some of the house of Chloe that there were contentions among them. As I said before, the original Greek word for “contentions” could also be translated “quarrels” or “factions.” There was great discord among the Corinthian Christians.
The way Proverbs 6:16 is written places the greatest emphasis on the last sin—“sowing discord among the brethren.” If you are guilty of sowing discord among the brethren, you better confess it now because God says it’s the sin that He hates most of all.
I. GOD HATES DISCORD AMONG THE BRETHREN.
To live above, with saints we love,
Will certainly be glory!
To live below, with saints we know,
Well, that’s another story!
A news story from Wales told of a feud in a church looking for a new pastor. It read: “Yesterday the two opposition groups both sent ministers to the pulpit. Both spoke simultaneously, each trying to shout above the others. Both called for hymns, and the congregation sang two—each trying to drown out the other. Then the groups started shouting at each other. Bibles were raised in anger. The Sunday morning service turned into a bedlam. Through it all, the two preachers continued trying to out shout each other with their sermons. Eventually a deacon called a policeman. Two came in and began shouting for the congregation to be quiet. They advised the forty persons in the church to return home. The rivals filed out, still arguing. Last night one of the groups called a let’s-be-friends meeting. It broke up in argument.” The story could have been headlined, “Two Factions in One Fellowship.” This story may be amusing, but it is also tragic. God hates this kind of discord among Christians.
The psalmist exclaimed, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). The Psalmist would agree with the words, “How detestable to God it is for brethren to dwell together in discord.”
How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity, but how detestable to God it is for brethren to dwell together in discord.
Paul urged the Roman believers, “Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19, NIV).
George Whitefield, the great preacher of many years ago, was a great example of this. Although Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. When someone 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 do all we can to avoid discord among Christians.
Now let’s read verse 13 of 1 Corinthians chapter one.
13 Is Christ divided? [Has Christ been divided and different parts handed out to different people? No! John Gill answers this question by writing, “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.”] was Paul crucified for you? [No, he had taught them another doctrine: that Christ was crucified for them, that he died for their sins, and had bought them with the price of His own blood.] or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? [No, but in the name of the Father, or the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.]
The answer to all of these questions is “No!” Paul did not preach one Christ, Apollos another, and Peter another. There is but one Savior and one gospel. How, then, did the Corinthians create this four-way division? Why were there contentions among them?
“Only by pride cometh contention . . . ” (Proverbs 13:10).
“Pride leads to arguments . . .” (NLT)
The arguments among the Corinthians over which group was superior was caused by pride.
C. S. Lewis once said, “Pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature—while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.”
There was one clever salesman who used the competitiveness of pride to his advantage. He closed hundreds of sales with this line: “Let me show you something several of your neighbors said you couldn’t afford.” The salesman’s customers bought his product, not because they needed it, but because of their pride.
Certainly we see how pride was competitive among the Corinthians. Matthew Henry writes, “How far will pride carry Christians in opposition to one another! Even so far as to set Christ and His own apostles at variance, and make them rivals and competitors.
II. PRIDE IS THE CAUSE OF DISCORD.
Let’s go back to Proverbs 6 where the seven sins that God hates are listed. Do we find pride in this list? Yes, we do. Verse 17 says God hates “a proud look.”
Someone once said, “Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it.”
C. S. Lewis also said of pride, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it in ourselves the more we dislike it in others.”
Two ducks and a rather egotistical frog developed a friendship. When their pond dried up, the ducks knew they could easily fly to another location, but what of their friend the frog? Finally they decided to fly with a stick between their two bills, and with the frog hanging onto the stick by his mouth. All went well until a man looked up and saw them in the sky. “What a clever idea,” said the man. “I wonder who thought of that?”
“I did,” said the frog.
Because Christians are followers of Christ, we should allow no room for pride:
• We take pride in birth and rank, but it’s said of Jesus, He was a carpenter’s son.
• We take pride in possessions, but it’s said of Jesus, “The Son of man hath no place to lay his head.”
• We take pride in respectability, but it’s said of Jesus, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
• We take pride in our personal appearance, but it’s said of Jesus, “He hath no form nor comeliness.”
• We take pride in our reputation, but it’s said of Jesus, “Behold a man gluttonous and a winebibber.”
• We take pride in our friendships, but it’s said of Jesus, “He was a friend of publicans and sinners.”
• We take pride in our independence, but Jesus gave Himself to people and had the woman at the well draw water for Him.
• We take pride in our position, but Jesus said, “I am among you as one who serves.”
• We take pride in our degrees and learning, but Jesus never went to college and it’s said of Him, “How knows this man letters having never learned to read?”
• We take pride in our success, but it’s said of Jesus, “His own did not receive Him or believe on Him. He was despised and rejected.”
Jesus Christ is the greatest example ever of humility. We who take the name of Christ need to live as Christ did—with humility, not pride.
CONCLUSION
What sin does God hate the most? God hates the sin of sowing discord among the brethren above any other sin. What causes God’s most hated sin? It is caused by pride—another of the sins listed among Gods’ most hated sins.
jonathanrmcleod@yahoo.com
