United in Christ

1 Corinthians 1:10–25 NIV

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. 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. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

CHRYSOSTOM remarks that the name of Christ is oftener mentioned in this than in any other Epistle, the apostle designing thereby to draw them away from their party admiration of particular teachers to Christ alone.

1 Cor 1:10-25

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 (Nous)and thought (Gnome). = view, judgement.

The mind, refers to things to be believed: the judgment is displayed outwardly in things to be done

The mind, refers to things to be believed: the judgment is displayed outwardly in things to be done

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May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony [to auto phronein] with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The aim here is that God gets more glory out of harmonious voices than disparate ones.

The aim here is that God gets more glory out of harmonious voices than disparate ones.

UNITED

perfectly joined together—the opposite word to “divisions.” It is applied to healing a wound like a broken bone, or making whole a rent.

Divisions= GK Schisma - Tear

divisions—literally, “splits,” “breaches.”

Matthew 9:16 "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.

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.)

Christ Crucified Is God`s Power and Wisdom

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.

You can attract so much attention to yourself and your abilities that the offense of the cross is lost.

“The cross is not where people come to Shine—it is where they come to Die!”

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.

19 For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.

20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

The way Paul attacked this problem was to teach Christian doctrine—Christian truths—and to apply them to the Corinthian situation.

John 17:17 NIV

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Namely,

Christ is not divided; he is one. (See Ephesians Below)

Believers possess all things in him, not just the little distinctives of their favorite teacher.

No teacher was crucified for you; Christ was.

You were not baptized into a preacher's name; you were baptized into Christ's name.

True teachers of the gospel don't try to win converts or party members by preaching with self-enhancing flourishes of eloquence; they die to themselves in preaching Christ crucified.

God is the one who produces all spiritual fruit and should get the glory for the results, not man.

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I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all . . . for the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

Note that the heart unity is grounded in the doctrinal unity of what views we have of God, and unified knowledge of the Son of God is the goal.

Essentials versus Nonessentials

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