"The Importance of Unity"

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 CSB

Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

Of all the problems that faced the Corinthian Church, the one Paul deals with FIRST is unity!

The MAIN POINT: (v.10) “…that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you”

NAS, NIV – “…that you all agree” NLT – “Let there be real harmony so there won’t be divisions in the church.”

NKJV translates “…all of you agree”best:“…that you all speak the same thing”

τό αυτύ λέγητε πάντε – ‘the same thing say all’ – A unity of SPEECH – that we are all speaking the same thing!

I. The BASIS of UNITY – (v.10)

“…by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

“by” – διά – ‘through, by, with, because of, for the sake of’

(Romans 15:9)– “ThereforeI will give praise…” (15:15) – “…because of the grace given me”

(1 Corinthians 1:1)– “…by God’s will” (4:15) – “…through the gospel”

When Paul says, “…by the name” he is saying that through the agency of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Colossians 1:15–17 CSB

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.

Colossians 2:9–10 CSB

For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

That theme runs all through the epistles…the place of unity is in the person of Jesus Christ—and notice, that here it’s not just the Church, but the UNIVERSE is all one in Jesus Christ!

The basis of our unity is JESUS, not our likes or dislikes—not our slants on doctrine, other than the doctrines that affect the person or deity of Jesus Christ!

Now, if a man comes up and says, “I do not believe Jesus is God, manifest in the flesh!”

I have a just cause to be divisive with that man. I will not have unity with that person.

When it comes to the basic doctrines concerning the person of Jesus Christ, Christians must all say the same thing!

IF they are NOT, then they are “antichrist”

1 John 2:18–23 CSB

Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I have not written to you because you don’t know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; he who confesses the Son has the Father as well.

1 John 4:1–3 CSB

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

2 John 7 CSB

Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Understanding this will help you in your relationship with other believers in this community.

You have the same problem I do…you run into a local Christian who attends the Second-Metho-baptierian-Christian-Full-life-church-of-God-in-Christ…and they have a different slant about what they think about a particular doctrine then you do. And it gets to be confusing sometimes (especially from the world’s perspective).

IF we are not careful, we begin to develop unity around the wrong things!

What are the wrong things? Anything OTHER than Jesus Christ!

Whether it’s a particular DOCTRINE; or a particular NAME; or a PASTOR (dead or alive)!

We are HURTING the cause of Christ and the IMPACT that we have in the world because we haven’t learned that on some things we may disagree—and that’s OK!

We can disagree over the details of the Return of Jesus, or when exactly a person is saved, or how the Holy Spirit operates in a believer’s life, and still be one in Jesus Christ!

Now I WILL BE DEVISIVE with a person who rejects the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, His substitutionary death, His resurrection, or His return…I will NOT be united with such a person.

(Romans 10:17) – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:17 CSB

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.

I begin to have serious doubts about the faith of a person who does not believe in the Word of God! I mean, how can they have faith apart from the Word?

II. The MEANING of UNITY – (v.10c)

A. Let’s look first at WHAT UNITY IS NOT: DIVISIONS!

(v.10c)– “that there be no divisions among you”

From σχίσματα– in classical Gr. Meant ‘to split or tear.’ In NT it came to mean a ‘division or dissension’ It is a difference of opinion that tends to separate people.

If your difference of opinion (NOT the basis of Jesus Christ) begins to separate you from other believers, you are wrong…I don’t care how big the issue is to you!

ILLUSTRATION: Someone comes along and says, “I believe that the ten toes in Daniel are ten nations in EUROPE!” Another guy says, “No, they are in the ORIENT. That’s very clear in scripture.”And another says, “No, it’s all figurative and it doesn’t matter!”

We now have a big fight…All the EUROPEAN folks no longer attend home-fellowship groups with the ORIENTAL folks. The ORIENTAL folks won’t sit next to the FIGURATIVE people…

I’m being facetious, but don’t put it past people to do this! People feel strongly about TOES!

KEY: The power of the Gospel is LACKING when we are fighting one another—not working together, because we disagree over a point of doctrine, a preference, or methodology. All the while IGNORING the very words and prayer of Jesus!

John 13:35 CSB

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 17:20–23 CSB

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

B. Now let’s look at WHAT UNITY IS: UNITED

(v.10d) – “…but that you be united (NKJV: perfectly joined together) in the same understanding and the same conviction.”

“…united” – κατηρτισμένοι – ‘being knit together, make complete, restore, repair, complete’

(Ephesians 4:11-15) – The way you keep from having divisions is to be made equipped!

TWO AREAS: Same mind–the way you think; Same judgment—the decisions you make!

How does a person get equipped? – (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

III. The NEED for UNITY – (vv.11-13)

“…rivalry/quarreling/contentions”– always a negative word, translated “strife”

1 Timothy 6:3–5 CSB

If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.

Titus 3:9–11 CSB

But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, quarrels, and disputes about the law, because they are unprofitable and worthless. Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned.

Show me a person who causes continual strife or contentions, and according to Scripture, this person may not even know the Lord!

Folks, it’s not a sin to have a difference of opinion, but it is a sin to cause strife and quarrels!

(v.12) – Notice the four groups.

Were they all teaching something different?– Knowing what the Bible says about these four men, I doubt very seriously they were teaching different gospels.

Could it have been the way they spoke? Possibly.

1 Corinthians 2:3–4 CSB

I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

Paul was rather timid and reasoned with them.

Acts 18:24–28 CSB

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.

Apollos – eloquent & mighty (Stuart Briscoe).

“Cephas” – Peter – Gave it to them straight (stomping on toes).

“I follow Christ” – In this context, do you think these guys were any more spiritual than the others? NO WAY…there is always a group that thinks they are so in line with God and His Word that no one else is even close!

2 things to draw your attention to:

It was a problem of AUTHORITY – Who are we supposed to be following? CHRIST! It was a problem of the BASIS of FELLOWSHIP! – (v.13)

Christ is NEVER a point of division unless you disagree on who Jesus is! Jesus is the ONLY ONE who died for you!

Your baptism is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus!

The Corinthians were drawing authority on who baptized them!

CONCLUSION: Paul’s MOTIVATIONS – (vv.14-17)

A. In terms of BAPTISM – (vv.14-16)

B. In terms of his PURPOSE – (v.17a) – Paul’s purpose was to preach the gospel!

C. In terms of his METHODS – (v.17b) – not with a ‘word of wisdom’

Paul did not use the wisdom of the world!

That is the TREND of the day—to mix the world’s wisdom with God’s—“If we can show people that the gospel will give them a healthy self-esteem…Problems in your life can now be solved by Christ, therefore accept Him”

(v.17c) – “no effect”– lit. – ‘void’ the cross of Christ!

At the CROSS, all the wrath of a Holy God was laid on His Son Jesus Christ!

The issue of the Gospel is HEAVEN & HELL, of the judgment of God forever, as surely as the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God through faith in His Son!

THAT is what SAVES US. And THAT IS WHAT UNITES US TO EVERY OTHER BELIEVER, AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS!

This is NOT the last time we will address this issue in this letter. When you make the Christianity about leaders instead of Jesus, you void the message of the cross (v.17); you elevate human wisdom (1:18-31); you negate the work of the Spirit (2:1-16); and finally, you take credit for the work of God in growing the Church (3:4-5, 21-23)!