Anti-Christian Divisions
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Introduction
I’d like you to go with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 this morning.
The church, is no stranger to divisions. Whether it is for doctrinal reasons, such as what took place with John Wesley and George Whitefield in the 1700’s, and with Martin Luther and Zwingli in the 1500’s; or it was based on personalities, as is true in many cases throughout the centuries of the church, the church is no stranger to factionalism and division.
In fact, it can be found as early as the first century. It was in the very beginning decades of the church, as we are seeing here in Corinth. As we’ve noted in our study already, sometimes division is necessary, as Galatians, Jude, and 1 John clearly teach us (as well as other places in the NT). But the Corinthians’ factionalism, was not due to doctrine per se....but ministry personalities, or ministry styles.
Paul mentioned this problem in chapter 1, and at first glance seemingly left the topic, only to return to it here in our passage before us. But what we’ll see, is that he has been laying the groundwork to be able to call the Corinthians to live in accordance with their true standing before God.
Paul reveals, that divisions, are not from the Spirit....divisions of this type are ANTI-CHRISTIAN.....
Let’s read this passage....
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
Here, Paul is teaching the Corinthians, WHY this is a problem. He had reminded the Corinthians in the first part of chapter 2, of the time when he came there to preach originally. We can tell from his language here, he still has that time in mind.
He tells them:
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
He could not address them as spiritual people. WHY is this significant? Well, because of what Paul has just laid out, in the text we considered last week.
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.
Who are the “mature?” We pointed out last week, that these are not mature Christians, as opposed to immature Christians. Meaning, there’s not a group of Christians that have risen in maturity to the degree that they can receive God’s wisdom, but there’s a group who hasn’t been initiated into this level, therefore God’s wisdom is kept back from them.
As we said last week, there ARE mature and immature Christians…but that’s not what Paul is dealing with here. He is pointing out what he has been pointing out consistently up to this point. That the division worth noting, is between the church and the world.
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.
Notice the consistent fleshing out of this division.....and notice also, that....
Repeatedly, Paul has pointed out, that he preaches ONE message....
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
But that one message is received by some as God’s wisdom, and it is rejected by others as foolishness.
Some receive, as we said last week, a CONVINCING COMPREHENSION, of the validity and power of the message of the cross....others, without this comprehension, reject it as foolish.
In the passage we looked at last week, Paul not only called them mature, but as we just read, he called them “spiritual.” Those who receive the message of the cross as the wisdom of God it is, do so because they are spiritual.
What does it mean to be spiritual in Paul’s teaching?
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
Paul showed that the Holy Spirit searches everything, including the deep things of God, so that, if we are going to comprehend in a manner that is convincing, causing us to trust and embrace this message of the cross, we need the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for it to be a reality.
So when says, “....I couldn’t address you as spiritual....” we immediately feel the stinging rebuke from his words....
The basic message of what Paul is saying in this passage is that the Corinthians were unable to comprehend the full message of the cross, because they were still acting and thinking like unregenerate people.
Which of course, is a warning to you and I as well. We should realize this truth, if nothing else....and it’s a shocking, rebuking truth: being divided over leaders, is to align with the Christ-hating world.
Divisions from true Christians, based solely upon the people we follow, is evidence of our wicked flesh, and not the leading of the Holy Spirit.
To see this clearly from the text, I think we can divide this text up into three points....each point building off the previous point.
1)Paul’s inability; 2)Corinthians’ inability; 3)Corinthians’ evidence of the flesh
1. Paul’s inability
1. Paul’s inability
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
Paul....COULD NOT....address them as spiritual people.
We understand immediately what he is meaning, based on what he’s just said.
Spiritual people are those, he has just said, who have received the Holy Spirit (2:12). They are those who love God (2:10). They are those who Paul refers to as the “mature,” who are supposed to be able, by the work of the Holy Spirit, to understand the “wisdom of God,” which Paul said was concealed in a mystery but now revealed by the Spirit.
The wisdom of God being that which Paul has repeatedly called the wisdom of God…the message of the cross of Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
So, Paul said he was not able to feed them with solid food, but only milk. Paul was unable to feed them with what he desired to feed them.
Of course, Paul is not saying that he had one diet, one message, for one group of Christians and another message for another group of Christians.
It is the “wisdom of God,” he gives to the mature, and it is the “wisdom of God,” he offers to the non-Christian (; ).
It is not as if Paul gives the “milk” of message of the cross to the unconverted and young....but then when they mature, he discloses God’s wisdom. No, in one sense, both the solid food and the milk....is Christ.
Illustrate
Let me explain by using another passage....
In the book of Hebrews, the 5th chapter, the writer is describing the work of Christ Jesus as our Perfect High Priest. In verse 10, he says this
10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
The writer is pointing out that Christ is not a High Priest because he was born to the tribe of Levi. Under the Law, that’s who was to serve in the Temple…so if Jesus would have been born into that tribe, he could have been a priest after the order of Levi.
But instead, He was designated a High Priest BY GOD....in the same manner of the mysterious figure Melchizedek from the book of Genesis, who was serving as a priest, seemingly out of nowhere. That’s the type of High Priest Jesus is.
Then the writer says this:
11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,
13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.
14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Here we see what is often taught by spiritual maturity and immaturity....but we’ll see in a moment, it’s slightly different than what Paul is teaching Corinth.
But what is the same, and what I want you to notice, is that the content doesn’t change. Paul is not saying, “I’ve told you about Jesus and His role in the crucifixion, now I wish I could move on from that but you’re dull of hearing.”
No, it’s “I’ve told you of His role on the cross, and how that He is our High Priest, who is a Perfect High Priest offering THE perfect sacrifice…Himself. And I want to tell you MORE about HOW He is our High Priest, buy you are dull of hearing.”
In Corinth, it’s very similar. I preached this wisdom, and you received as the mature do, as the wisdom of God. But to expound further upon the implications of receiving the message of the cross, I could not, because of how you were acting and thinking.
Paul’s inability, was seen in the reality that he could not take the implications and application of the message of the cross to the full degree, in the lives of these Corinthians.
He was not hoping to move on from the the message of the cross, to the solid food of some other message......he was desirous to get them to see the depth of the message of the cross....to see that that simple message, IS solid food.
Apply
Of course, this tells us much doesn’t it. Paul went on his mission to preach the gospel, recognizing to some degree the condition of the people to whom he spoke.
Well, Jesus told His disciples, including you and I, to, “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…baptizing them....teaching them to observe.”
If you will look at Jesus’ approach with His disciples, and the Christians’ in the book of Acts approach in the different cities they took the gospel....we will learn a great deal about how to preach this ONE message…but patiently. Working with the people on their level.
The message doesn’t change. The method doesn’t necessarily change. But the level of implication and application will by necessity change, depending upon to whom one is speaking.
So when you’re evangelizing the lost, it might not be the best course of action to deal first off with supralapsarianism…which is the attempt to understand the ordering of God’s decrees.
Nor is it probably wise to start with the term, “hypostatic union,” when teaching them on the two nature of Christ.
But as they remain “mature,” in the sense that Paul deals with here.....and are therefore able to digest spiritual truths, the time will come when those terms are helpful.
So…for you that have been in the church for decades....a good question for you would be this, “Could you break down and explain Christ’s two natures to a new Christian without drifting into the heresy of Arianism or Gnosticism or any of the rest....or do you need that explained to you?”
Paul’s inability, was not because Paul COULDN’T give solid food…and it was not because he SHOULDN’T give solid food....but his inability was entirely because of the Corinthians’ inability.... (end of verse 2, “YOU were not ready for it”) which is our 2nd point.
2. Corinthians’ Inability
2. Corinthians’ Inability
Paul said, he couldn’t speak to them as spiritual people…but notice how he had to speak to them.
1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
As people of the flesh: sarkinos; meaning fleshly or merely human. This term stands in contrast to those who are “spiritual,” who Paul said had received the Spirit of God.
We must be careful not to miss Paul’s opening description however.... “brothers,”
Whatever position these people are in, they are Paul’s “brothers.” Meaning, they are a part of the family of God alongside of the apostle Paul.
In fact, he calls them here, “infants in Christ.”
It is also worthy to note the particular words Paul uses to describe them, and which he does not.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
That which is translated as, “natural person,” is the greek word: psychikos; and it refers to a person who is in their completely natural, completely human state. Meaning as they are born....devoid of the Spirit.
They do not have the Holy Spirit.
But Paul has already said that “we,” have received the Holy Spirit. He has already described the Corinthians as being part of those among whom the Holy Spirit demonstrated His transforming power, causing them to trust the message of the gospel.
Therefore, they cannot be the “natural person,” or the psychikos; since they ARE able to understand the things of the Spirit of God.
So in chapter 3, he doesn’t describe them as psychikos, or devoid of the Spirit. But he uses terms to deal with their way of thinking, and their way of acting.
They are living.... “in the flesh.” They are being governed, by the fleshly mindset that is hostile to God.
So he calls them, not psychikos, but sarkinos, in verse 1. And then in verse 3
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
Here, the word is sarkikos. And it is very similar in meaning with sarkinos.
And notice how he ends the verse with the question, “Are you not of the flesh and behaving...only in a human way?”
So, the point I’m making....is that Paul never hints that they do not have the Spirit…he intentionally switches words from 2:14 to 3:1…so that his rebuke is not construed as saying they aren’t saved.
But don’t misunderstand the point....
His rebuke, IS a scathing rebuke, “You are behaving in a way that is merely human.”
He’s not downing being human....he is one.
He is saying that for those who have received the Spirit, they are more than MERE humans. They are able to comprehend the message of the cross, whereas “mere humans,” are not.
The Holy Spirit provides convincing comprehension of the message of the cross. These Corinthians have received that…but they are continuing to live as humans how had not.
What this reveals to us, is that it is entirely possible for a Christian to live in certain ways, for a prolonged period of time, that is fleshly, and yet still be a Christian.
This of course, is where the whole, “carnal Christian” controversy comes in.
If someone asked, “Do you think there is such a thing as a carnal Christian?” Depending upon the person would determine my answer either yes or no.
The common meaning behind the term “carnal Christian,” is that a person can accept Jesus as Savior, without accepting Him as Lord. Meaning…they can say, “Yes, I believe He’s my Savior,” and their lives never change.
To this, I emphatically say no! I agree with Sproul and others, that there’s no such thing as a carnal Christian.
But in the realm of what Paul is referring to…obviously we have to answer yes, it is possible. It is possible for a transformed person…to be stunted in their transformation…in a particular area.
These Corinthians were spiritual at a fundamental level…but acting un-spiritual. They had received the Holy Spirit at salvation, but were acting as if they had not. And this was over a pro-longed period of time.
“You were not able…you are still not able…you are still of the flesh.”
It is clear from Paul’s language thus far, and knowing where the letter is going, that the Corinthians were prideful over their spiritual status.
They had spiritual gifts, they were very mature, they were very spiritual Christians....Paul is saying you are infants in Christ and acting like unbelievers.
So in the context, Paul is not just saying, “you haven’t grown.”
Progress wasn’t the main problem.....they had not a progress problem, but a comprehension problem.
They were not able to go into the deeper implications and applications of the message of the cross, for they failed to understand its depth.
They could understand the need for the cross, and the fact that Christ was the Messiah, but it was as if the development of the mind of Christ (2:16), was stunted by their fleshly/human way of thinking and acting.
Instead of growing in the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.), they still had among them “jealousy and strife.”
They didn’t comprehend the message of the cross, and its application for daily life.
Apply
But before we point the finger and judge them too harshly....
How patient, loving, and caring are you with your spouse? Your siblings? Your friends?
What is your level of jealousy and strife among your co-workers or family members?
Kids, how much of your days and weeks are spent focused entirely upon your interests and desires only?
We have to wonder, in what way are we not able to handle the solid food of properly applying the message of the cross to our lives, because we’re still thinking and behaving like fallen sinners.
The Corinthians didn’t comprehend the FULNESS of the message of the cross....
They didn’t get the “selflessness” of the mind of Christ.
This is of course the problem of sin all along
Mankind lived harmoniously, until sin
Then: man blamed woman for the fall
Cain kills Abel out of jealousy
As Scripture progresses, Saul is jealous of David and seeks to kill him
But before we point the finger and judge them too harshly....
Judas causes strife in the midst of Jesus’ disciples
How patient are you with your spouse?
And Jews are at odds with Gentiles in the early church
What is your level of jealousy and strife among your co-workers or family members?
Of course, Scripture reveals to us the solution to this problem....Jesus.
Kids, how much of your days and weeks are spent focused entirely upon your interests and desires only?
Jesus comes to heal the factions, by united a people IN HIM. He breaks down walls of hostility and division.
We have to wonder, in what way are we not able to handle the solid food of properly applying the message of the cross to our lives, because we’re still thinking and behaving like fallen sinners.
The most important of those dividing walls, being the wall separating us from God
Gospel: In fact, if you are not a Christian…that is the wall you still need broken. You are at odds with God, and will face His wrath....unless you run to Christ today and trust that His perfect life was laid down on your behalf to suffer for your sins, and He rose from the dead in victory. Do so…and you WILL be saved!
Gospel: In fact, if you are not a Christian…that is the wall you still need broken. You are at odds with God, and will face His wrath....unless you run to Christ today and trust that His perfect life was laid down on your behalf to suffer for your sins, and He rose from the dead in victory. Do so…and you WILL be saved!
Let us move, to point 3....
Paul said, that the Corinthians had “jealousy and strife,” he then gives them the evidence for this....which is our 3rd point…the evidence of their flesh
Paul showed his inability…the Corinthians’ inability, which he said was due to their fleshiness. So, how does he know they’re behaving like mere humans?
3. Evidence of Flesh
3. Evidence of Flesh
4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
Are you not acting like mere humans, when you create factions and schisms based around your favorite ministers and ministry styles?
It is not because you are more mature than other Christians, that you make a religious party after your favorite guy.
It’s not because you are more spiritual....it is because you are still living and acting like the world around you.
They were behaving as if they were the people of Corinth....instead of behaving like Paul addressed them in the introduction.... the church at Corinth.
God’s people are consistently called to live distinct from the world around them. They are called to live as the salt of the earth, as the light of the world.
We are called to have our thinking and behavior transformed by God’s Word
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Yet, the Corinthians were not doing so. Paul said the evidence of this, was their ultimate loyalty being given to their human leaders.
Paul is not opposed to them showing loyalty to their leaders. In fact, he will call them later to do so....
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
The writer to the Hebrews tells his readers:
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Paul is not opposed to loyalty, or even honor being given to those leaders who had an impact on their lives.
He is certainly not saying “don’t get your teaching from men, but shut yourselves up somewhere and receive something from God.”
Does it strike you as odd, that those who tell you to do that, are also men…and that is their teaching they are giving to you. To truly abide by their teaching, I ought not be listening to them either.
Paul is opposed to them giving ULTIMATE loyalty to these leaders. Even to the point, that they are pridefully, and divisively, aligning themselves with them.
Because ultimate loyalty given to human leaders, means detracting from the loyalty given to Christ. It means, at least practically, seeking to replace the Lord Jesus as the Head of the church, with human leaders.
12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians
This is the evidence of their fleshiness…their merely human way of thinking and acting....their anti-spiritual, anti-Christian mode of operating.
The reason they cannot comprehend the depths of the message of the cross, is because their way of thinking is still carnal.
The reason they are divided among their particular leaders and styles, is because their way of thinking is still carnal.
Apply
The very reason we give ultimate loyalty to our favorite bible teachers, our pastors, even those who were our spiritual mentors…to the degree that we’re unwilling to believe that anything they believed was wrong....and when we gather with the saints on the Lord’s Day, internally we’re thinking, “I’ll worship with these folks, but they don’t belong to my camp....” the very reason we do so…is because we are still acting like mere humans.
What should we do?
At least 2 things:
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
We read the verse earlier, to be not conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind....give yourselves to the Word of God and prayer, attending worship, etc.
SO THAT you are fulfilling what Paul calls the Galatians to do
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
By living IN the Spirit, who lives within us…we will more and more leave behind our earthly way of thinking, and align with God’s ways.
We won’t MOVE ON from the message of the cross, but we will see, more and more what that message means…what was accomplished on our behalf…and how we are to apply it to our lives.
Secondly, it means this....we have a loving and patient God
God sends Paul to Corinth....he spends 18 months preaching God’s Word....they are some time after that now, and in some ways (not every way), they are still acting like they were prior to conversion.
God doesn’t immediately remove the candlestick....He patiently, lovingly, rebukes them
The presence of this scathing rebuke, didn’t prove a lack of love....but the presence of love
When the Word of God exposes your sins…and you must go to Him in confession, asking for Him to supply repentance…that is not to also be coupled with doubt
The chastening hand of God comes upon us out of His love for us…and His commitment to conform us into the image of Christ
He loves you…therefore He corrects you.
Conclusion
Paul tells the Corinthians, their inability to comprehend the fulness of the message of the cross, and its implications for their daily lives, is due entirely to their way of thinking and behaving like the unregenerate world around them.
This is what is leading to their anti-Christian division....and it’s what leads to ours as well.
Being divided, over human leaders, is to align with the Christ-hating world around us.
May God continue to send the powerful Holy Spirit, to illuminate His Word to our understanding.
May His Word then be a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path.
May our “mere humanness” be quickly spotted. May we strive for the purity of Christ’s church.
May we be a healthy church…and bring our Lord glory.
Prayer
Let us stand to reflect through song, upon the depth of the message of the cross of our Savior Jesus.