Division and Unity

made with Proclaim

Chuck Evans

Dishman Baptist Church

Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago • Presented 4 years ago • 34:25

1 Corinthians 1:10–17

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Introduction

Good evening! Please open your bibles with me to the first chapter of 1st Corinthians

What a world we are living in, huh? I’ve been watching some of the confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney-Barret (or ACB as she’s commonly being referred as) to the Supreme Court and it is interesting to see just how vastly different the issues surrounding her appointment are seen from the left side of the isle to the right side.

In a lot of ways, it is almost like watching children bicker and squabble. That’s not to say they aren’t dealing with very serious issues, but I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if everyone in that room could agree on anything. In my life, I have never seen politicians seek after unity, but imagine how effective the government would be if they were united. Imagine how much could get done if they could agree and work.

What is their job anyways?

In the US, the government is divided into three separate branches, the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches. All three of these branches are supposed to work together to make sure that the laws of our land are inline with the American Constitution. When these three branches can’t seem to agree on anything (mainly the executive and the legislative branches), our entire system seems to grind to a screeching halt. People have joked that the only job where someone doesn’t work, where nothing gets done and they still get a raise is in government.

But imagine how effective the government could be if instead of the toxic vitriol we see everywhere, we saw a genuine desire from both sides to stand united to work for the American people. The second stimulus wave that many of us have had our eyes on because of COVID-19, seems to be held up by just two people who can’t agree, and there are many other laws that seem the same way.

Guess what, though: That same division we see in the government, the same division of an isle that separates left-wing from right-wing is active and moving in our churches today. It really is the same as it was in the days Paul wrote his letters to the Corinthians. Christians are not immune from looking out for their own interests and ideals.

Imagine for a moment how effective the church could be if we all stood united. That is what Paul is talking to the Corinthians about in tonight’s passage. What we’re going to see is that this letter has a few really big themes that we will explore deeply as the weeks and months go on. Our passage today introduces a theme of disunity within the Corinthian church that goes from 1:10 through the end of Chapter 4, then goes on in chapters 5 and 6 to talk about disorder. Our passage tonight starts us out with Paul’s exhortation, his passionate desire that the church be united. But unity in the church can be a difficult subject, not so much because unity is so difficult, but rather that we can be so difficult. But what does it mean for the church to be united in respect to Paul’s argument?

For any notetakers, our passage has three pretty clear points:

Outline:

The Church Needs to be United in Our Message

The Church Needs to be United in Our Understanding

The Church Needs to be United in Our Conviction

Please read with me in

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 CSB

10 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. 11 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. 12 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.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 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.

The thrust of our text is in the very first verse

1 Corinthians 1:10 CSB

This is the heart of what Paul wants to communicate to them. The rest of the passage is explaining why he thinks they need this advice. You see, the church in Corinth had the blessing of having had some amazing pastors: Paul and Apollos. However, the influence Peter (who was also called Cephas) had as an apostle was huge! Theologians and historians aren’t even sure if Peter actually ever physically went to Corinth or if his fame as the Apostle to the Jews merely preceded him. Then, of course, the foundation of the church Jesus Christ himself.

What happened is that factions began to develop within the church over who to be loyal to. Paul founded the church so there were no doubt people who felt a special sense of loyalty to him. Apollos was a pastor their for a time and some people preferred him over Paul. Some, I would imagine Jewish believers in Corinth felt a special loyalty to Peter. Then there were those who said their only pastor was Jesus himself, out of what seems to be a sense of piety or self-righteousness.

1 Corinthians 1:11–12 CSB

11 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. 12 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.”

What’s one of the most interesting things about these teachers though? They all had the same message! They were united in what they said! There are no perceptible differences in the doctrines of any of these teachers. Any loyalty they felt towards these men were merely their own preference. I can understand having a favorite teacher because of his ability to communicate the truth, but what Paul is saying is that these teachers had the same message and they were dividing themselves over their own preferences - and that is sinful. The word Paul uses here in verse 10 is σχίσματα, which is where we get our English word “Schism” from. There was a sinful proclivity in their church that is still alive and well in churches today that elevate the need for opinion to be both heard and appreciated over the proclamation of gospel truth. Paul is emphasizing the need for unity in the church for two really important reasons:

Unity within the church is honoring and glorifying to Christ - people see Christ at work in a group of people and should hopefully see something unique and strange about them.

Unity within the church is necessary to be effective workers for Christ - a lack of unity means that the different parts of the body aren’t working together towards it common goal.

Unity in the church is important. It requires sacrifice, humility and a desire to be effective for Christ, no matter what it takes. We are supposed to stand on a united front: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Church Needs to be United in Our Message

Read with me again in verse 10

1 Corinthians 1:10 CSB

To “be united” means that we need to have the same message as one another. The Greek phrase that Paul uses here literally says, “…say the same things.”

Has anyone ever had a job where you’re getting trained by one guy who says “this” is the right way to do this, then someone else says, “no, that guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about! ‘That’ is the right way to do this,” so on and so forth? It is confusing!

Right now, we have people in the medical community on both sides of the mask-wearing issue. Some say wear masks to save lives, others say don’t wear them - they have consequences that aren’t worth it and they don’t work anyway. Their disagreements are only causing confusion on the issue in societies around the world.

Now imagine a single local church where people say different things about a specific doctrine or even the gospel itself. It’s, unfortunately easier to imagine than it should be?! Imagine an unbeliever walking in to that church to try and find out more about the gospel only to hear people give them different “views” on what the gospel really is.

Here’s an example:

The “Woke” church movement is all about introducing elements of supposed social-justice for only certain groups into the gospel. It says that we need to use Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory to really connect people with the scripture so that we can take into account the oppression they feel because of the color of their skin - that somehow white Christianity is different than black Christianity. But what does the real gospel say?

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 CSB

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:18 CSB

18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

What does the real gospel say? All Need to Repent and Believe. All men are sinners and are therefore stand rightfully damned before a Holy God. However, for his own good pleasure, He sent His Son to restore us to Him.

Galatians 3:28 CSB

28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In terms of gender, ethnicity or social status, we are all the same before Christ and we all need His saving grace. So lets dispense with all the nonsensical additions to the Word of God! Teachers and preachers: Preach the Word of God and nothing more! Congregations: hold your pastors accountable to preaching the word! Congregations, listen to your pastor’s teaching and heed their instruction - He will have to give an account to God for how he lead you.

Hebrews 13:7 CSB

7 Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:17 CSB

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, since they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

We are to gather under the instruction of the Word given to us by our pastor, being like the Bereans who searched the scriptures and compared them to was being taught. As we unite in these things, we stand united with the same message, saying the same things.

If you struggle to agree with something said behind the pulpit, if someone preaches something as truth that is not true, we want to / we NEED to hear about it. As teachers of the Word, we have devoted our lives to rightly dividing the Word so we can better minister to you. But the flip side is that pastors need to be able to hold the people in the church accountable for what comes out of the pulpit as well. Are we to follow blindly? By no means! Are pastors to teach for merely their own benefit and edification? No! Preaching is intended to solidify the Word of God and the application of His Gospel in our lives.

The Church needs to be united in what we believe and in what we teach. Our doctrine needs to be agreed upon. However, it can’t Just be a lip-service kind of unity where we say we agree to avoid conflict, but rather, everyone in the church needs to heed Paul’s words and be united, saying the same things and come to the same understanding.

The Church Needs to be United in Understanding

Paul is trying to encourage the kind of unity that Jesus prayed we’d have in John 17.

John 17:20–21 CSB

20 “I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. 21 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.

Here, Jesus is praying that we would be one just as He and the Father were one. According to Him, the purpose of this kind of unity is so that people would believe Jesus was sent by God!

There is a vital and important reason for the church to seek after unity. Our witness as Christians depends on it. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul says that he desires the church to not only be of one message or say the same things, but also to be of the same understanding, or how Paul words it in Greek: to be complete/or prepared with the same mind. What does this mean, to be of the same mind? It means that we are in agreement with the message being proclaimed within the church. Being in agreement is not agreeing to disagree, but rather having a heart to earnestly seeking to understand the message.

There are sometimes when something is preached that go way over our heads or when we disagree with what is being taught or other people’s views within the church. What Paul is saying here is that we need to have an attitude of Christian love towards one another and seek to understand the different view. If what they say is in line with what the Bible teaches, then you know what they are saying is right. However, if what they say is not in line with God’s word and you can show them their error from His Word in a gracious and loving way, you have loved your brother or sister well.

Today when someone says something we disagree with, we either tune them out or get angry, or offended. There is no Christian grace in ignoring a brother or sister you disagree with. What Paul is telling the Corinthians, what God’s Word is telling us is that we need to seek after being of the same mind as those in our church.

Seeking after understanding gives us the opportunity to practice love. None of us love anyone or anything perfectly. But real, honest and whole-hearted striving to see where someone is coming from and how that aligns with scripture is right in line with what Paul says in

Philippians 2:1–4 CSB

1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

In unity, there is a sense of humility that has to be present. Without it, we start looking down on others, and this isn’t how the body of Christ operates. Seeking to understand someone with might disagree with is evidence that our heart truly values and loves them. Another way to say this is that if we are to love one another, then understanding someone we disagree with is one of our Christian duties. Loving one another isn’t optional. However, accepting faulty doctrine is not acceptable either. Paul makes it clear that there are people who pervert doctrine and need to be put out of fellowship.

Romans 16:17 CSB

17 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them,

2 John 10 CSB

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and do not greet him;

2 Peter 2:1–3 CSB

1 There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. 3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

Our doctrine is something we need to take care not to let become polluted. Paul, John and Peter wrote about for good reason.

John Piper said this, “Bad theology dishonors God and hurts people. Churches that sever the root of truth may flourish for a season, but they will eventually turn into something besides a Christian church.” Doctrine is important! Agreement on doctrine is important! We are to seek unity, remove heresies and grow together in our knowledge of God.

It is not loving to harbor disagreement or resentment in our hearts to anyone - and it inhibits the church church from being able to be as effective as we can be.

Look at the Corinthian church as an example. Read with me in

1 Corinthians 1:11–13 CSB

Paul tears right into their divisiveness in three simple words: “Is Christ divided?”

Brothers and sisters, as the church, we are the body of Christ. Each person has a responsibility to do everything they can to be at peace with one another.

Romans 12:18 CSB

18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

So from our text, we can see that the unity Paul is exhorting churches to have comes from both having the same message, or being of the same mind, and to be of the same understanding or of the same heart. It’s then up to the being united with the same will.

The Church Needs to be United in Conviction

The Greek word used for “conviction” in verse 10 is a word that literally means to be of the same purpose. I think the word “conviction” is a good one because what motivates our purpose? Our convictions! We have the conviction that Jesus is the Son of God, killed on our behalf, risen so that we might rise with Him on that glorious day. That alone should motivate us to yearn for people to be saved! That alone should make us yearn to see Christ worshipped.

When we are working at being united as a church, this idea of being of the same purpose means that we are owning the message, the truth taught in our church four ourselves and putting it to use, practicing it actively in our lives.

The oneness that Jesus prayed for is very different than what we see Paul responding to in the Corinthian church. They had a division based on Paul himself, and Paul wasn’t going to have any of it. He pronounces himself as nothing special in the matter of the kingdom, that we should all be focused on Christ, but not out of a sense of hollow self-righteousness, but rather one that follows Christ out of a desire to be obedient and submitted to Him!

1 Corinthians 1:14–17 CSB

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 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.

Paul’s purpose was clear: he came to preach, not to be the head of some kind of loosely-based Christian cult where he was the favored leader. The message he came to proclaim was the same as Apollos’, the same as Cephas’ and the same as Christ’s. That message is that we are all sinners, deserving of hell and damnation. But in God’s love and for His own good pleasure, He saw it fit to rescue us through the blood of His Son so that even the worst of us could be reconciled to God and presented to Him as blameless. There’s nothing we can do to pay for it. He calls us to repent of our sin, acknowledging we are sinful and believe that Christ died to take the penalty for our sin.

Conclusion

Paul is encouraging unity in a very powerful way. If we are united in our message, in our understanding and our conviction, we better reflect Christ to a hurting and broken world. We can’t be perfect in our unity now, we are imperfect at it, but that shouldn’t keep us from trying. It shouldn’t keep us from allowing the Word of the Lord to penetrate our hearts and minds and continue conforming us into the image and likeness of Christ. That is our goal, right? Christlikeness?! It’s both our goal as individuals but also as a church, to collectively shine as a light for Jesus.

When we are united, our minds, hearts and wills align and we shine for Jesus. We show the world that we are His disciples by our love for one another and glorify Him to an unbelieving world.

Brothers and sisters: We are nearing the election and live in the year 2020 - tensions are high. Disagreements, schisms and denominations are forming even within our own church as we continue moving forward. Debates over masks or how to best handle the Covid 19 Crisis or policy can not and should not be allowed to stand in the way of our unity as a local church. The gospel is bigger than all of that. God is bigger than all of that. Let’s stand united behind our leaders and work together to be effective witnesses for Christ in our world.