Divisions and Quarrels

Today we will be studying 1 Corinthians 1:10-31.

Last week, we looked at the first 9 verses of this letter. Paul began with a greeting and thanksgiving, reminding the Corinthians of his calling as a apostle, by the will of God, and then reminding them of the grace they received in Christ. He praised them for not lacking any spiritual gift, and for eagerly awaiting Jesus’ return.

He encouraged them to remember that God, the one who called them into Christ, is faithful.

He wished them to know the faithfulness of God, who alone gives Grace and Peace.

As we read through the whole letter, we find that there were some concerns that he had upon hearing from members of the church.

Then, there were concerns about which the church wrote to Paul.

Paul is going to first address his concerns, then he will address their concerns.

Let’s read the first paragraph to see where Paul is going to go first.

1 Corinthians 1:10–12 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.”

Divisions

Paul’s first, and primary concern was that there were divisions. This was evident from the topics of their letter, and it was also reported to him from those who presumably brought the letter, members of Chloe’s household.

Paul wished them to know the Grace and Peace of God, but instead there were divisions. They were not experiencing the peace of God.

Why not?

What is a division? A split. Breaking into factions.

There can be a number of causes for division and lacking the peace of God. In Corinth there certainly were a number of reasons for the division. As we work through the letter, we are going to find one reason after another.

We already read the the first reason for division. What was it? What was the first reason they did not know the peace of God?

What do we see in verse 12?

1 Corinthians 1:12 NIV

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.”

The first cause of division was people aligning themselves with a specific teacher. They found their identity from the teacher with whom they aligned.

What is wrong with having an affinity for one teacher over another? I have some preachers I like hearing more than others. Do you?

I remember Tony Gabello talking about listening to Dr. David Jeremiah. He read his books, and even went to Hershey to hear him preach at a special event. He really liked Dr. Jeremiah’s teaching, as do I.

Is it wrong to like a certain teacher or preacher? No.

However, I don’t think that what was going on in Corinth was just a matter of liking the teaching of a specific preacher. I believe this was something a little more than that.

Identification

A part of the local culture in Corinth was to align oneself with a patron. They would find someone respected, a teacher or authority figure, and then identify themselves with that person, or organization.

The point of taking on this identity was to make themselves look better than the next person by their association. And one way to make themselves look better was to make their patron out to be better than the next person’s patron.

Do we see this today? Well, yes.

People still attach themselves to persons, causes, schools etc. to be a part of something bigger; to make themselves bigger and better.

For example, what school did you go to? We try to make ourselves look better than the next person by our association with a school. And, we make that school out to be better than the others, otherwise we are not looking better than those around us.

Or, we align ourselves with some ideology. That is happening in our culture right now. People are aligning themselves with Black Lives Matter, or with Critical Race Theory to make themselves look good to others. Who is the most ‘woke’? I don’t want to get into those theories right now, but just consider how this concept of aligning ourselves with certain teachers, schools, political parties, ideologies, etc. is quite often about making ourselves look good, or better than others.

This is a real part of our culture, just as it was in Corinth. And this part of the culture worked its way into the church.

Instead of knowing the peace of God, there were divisions, schisms, fractures in the church because people were trying to look better than others by aligning themselves with Paul, Apollos, or Cephas. When we find our identity in preachers, organizations, ideologies, political candidates and parties, diet plans, fitness methods etc. we begin to fiercely promote and defend them more than anything else. If someone were to say anything which may be against those things in the slightest, we are offended. We divide. Anyone who does not feel as strongly as we do about these things is not worthy of us, and certainly not with us. They are a different faction.

When that happens, we do not have the peace of God. When that happens, there are factions, there are divisions in the church.

It still goes on today, as it was going on in Corinth so many centuries ago.

Keeping that in mind, now picture the scene in Corinth.

Can you hear them now?

I follow Paul. You know he was the founder of this church. He came here before anyone else did. Apollos and Cephas only came after the work was done.

I follow Apollos. Paul was not a very eloquent speaker. But Apollos, he is the best teacher ever. Paul may have started the church, but without Apollos we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Well, I follow Cephas. You know he was one of the Lord’s true disciples.

Yeah, well, I follow Christ. You may have your teachers, but I have Jesus!

It wasn’t just a matter of liking a preacher or teacher. It was about being better than the next guy, by association with a teacher or with Jesus.

When pride comes in, peace goes out. With pride came the divisions. People fighting and breaking apart into factions.

Divisions were an issue then, and they are still today.

How did Paul deal with this?

Look how Paul begins as he addresses this problem of divisions in the church.

1 Corinthians 1:10 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.

Appeal

I appeal - parakaleo, to come alongside, urge, not pushing or whipping, or commanding

Brothers

brothers (brothers and sisters) - he appeals to them as brothers, not as subjects or pupils. He uses this term, brothers, more in this letter (39x) more than any of his other letters! (Romans and 1 Thessalonians each have 19x)

He reminds them that they are related. They are family. There is a love and unity that comes from this kind of relationship.

He challenges their identity as followers of different men, to promote their identity as brothers in Christ! Brothers of Paul, and brothers of one another.

We see this in the next phrase,

In the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ

Notice that Paul uses both Jesus’ name and titles! He appeals to them to find their real identity in Jesus, that is, In the name of Jesus, who is our Lord, our God and Master. He is the Christ, the anointed one, the promised savior and redeemer! Jesus is the cornerstone, Jesus is our peace, our savior, our wisdom, our all. Jesus is in charge. Jesus is over all. Paul appeals in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He wanted them to find their identity in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Say the Same Thing

The action to which Paul is calling them is this: "Say the same thing!”

They were dividing over different messages. They were dividing over different causes. They were dividing over worldly concerns. Paul says they need to say the same thing. Get talking about the same message. Be talking the same talk.

What is the same talk? The One who gives them Grace and Peace! They need to focus on the Gospel and words of Christ!

And he wants them to be perfectly united in mind and thought. The word for united means everything in its proper place.

If they are speaking the same thing, centering on the gospel and teaching of Jesus Christ, they will be able to be united in their mind and thought. Things will be in the right place.

As they talk the same thing, the gospel and Jesus’ teachings, they will have the same framework for their understanding. They will begin thinking the same way.

They need to have the same frame of mind, and then the same opinion, the Lord’s opinion. As we work through the letter, we are going to see that they were fitting the gospel and the teachings of Christ into their framework, instead of fitting their world into the framework of the gospel and teaching of Christ!

So, Paul begins addressing the divisions by making an appeal to them as brothers in the name of the Lord, that they would begin by speaking the same thing, focusing on the gospel and Christ, which would adjust their minds and thoughts to be unified as they fit their world into that framework of the gospel and Jesus’ teachings.

Then after making this appeal, Paul asks questions to get them thinking along these lines of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 1:13–17 NIV

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.

Questions

After Paul makes his appeal, he then uses questions to get them thinking the same thing.

Let’s look at his line of questioning.

First, Paul asks,

Is Christ divided?

The word here for divided means to be split up and dealt out. In other words, is Christ split up and apportioned out? Do some have more of Christ than others?

Do certain teachers have more of Christ than others?

Do some of you have more of Christ than others?

What is the gospel? What does the truth of Jesus say?

No. No one has more of Christ. All believers, have Christ, dwelling in them. We have all received Christ and his salvation. Not a portion of Christ, or a portion of His salvation. We all have all of Christ, and all of His salvation. None of us is better than another.

Was Paul crucified for you?

The next question is meant to show them the follow of choosing lesser men with whom to identify.

Why would you want to identify with me, Paul? Did I die for you? Was I crucified for you?

Who was crucified for us? Jesus! Jesus is the savior. Jesus is the One with whom we need to identify. Why settle for anyone, or anything less?

Is there anyone, or anything else who can save you from your sin? Is there anyone or anything else who can save those around us from sin and suffering?

Jesus is the only savior of the world. We need to be talking the same thing. We need to have our focus on the One and Only Savior, the One and Only Hope, the One and Only Peacemaker - Jesus!

Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

This third question also points to a source of division, and the remedy.

They were dividing over who had baptized them. They turned baptism into something which could elevate them over others.

Again, what is the solution? Get back to the gospel. What is baptism? The outward showing of the gospel. The message is what is most important. We are saved by grace through faith.

Baptism is the outward showing of that faith. It is identifying ourselves with Christ!

Once again, they need to identify with Christ, not with the one who baptized them.

Paul is not making light of baptism. However, like Christ who had His disciples do the baptizing, so too, Paul focused on the message and had others do the baptizing.

However, the point is that they need, once again, to be speaking the same thing. They need to get back to the gospel, and identify with the Savior, Jesus.

What about you and me? Back to the gospel...