Paul, however, was a good leader. We are so proud of them when they look right, but when things start to fall apart, the church begins to fall apart as well. A gasp bursts from the guests! Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. They became symbols of prestige and standing that became divisive factors among the men. When daylight again appeared, they looked for him with renewed energy but still without success. They may have carried Pauls teachings of justification by faith and freedom from the Law to an extreme and felt free to do whatever they wanted. It was expected. Paul here introduces that which can cure divisions, both negatively and positively. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful God wants the local church congregation and the local community to see the beauty of a church that is unified and fitted together in love. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. Dio Chrysostom complained that Corinth was filled with wretched sophists, many of whom were debating one another with shouting and abuse near the temple to Poseidon. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" Now, how could that be? Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. They are still acting just like the world. This is the challenge of the divisions in 1 Corinthians how does the modern church act just like the world? It was a glorious work. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. We are all equally undeserving of salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ. In the body of Christ at large there are many who can make a contribution to the understanding of Christ. the Problems in the Corinthian Church So Paul is insisting that the Corinthians, and all believers, have doctrinal unity that is clearly based on Gods Word. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. As bad as it is, it makes sense for the people of Pauls day to be concerned with whatever home church has the best orator, and then argue for them to other potential followers. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Unlike most of his other epistles, Paul plunges right into the heart of the practical problems that were affecting this church, and the first of these, the problem of divisions within the church, he begins to deal with in Chapter1, Verse10. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles. Acts 18:24 says that Apollos was an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man. When you call them back to an understanding of the meaning of the cross, you will find all the divisions disappearing; they fade away like the morning mist. And he speaks in the name of or by the authority of, our Lord Jesus Christ. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. Paul does not want to be considered a philosopher who is gathering disciples, nor does he want that for Apollos or Peter or any man. Paul goes right on, in Verse12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church Now, the Apostle Paul is very concerned about this matter of incipient division in the church at Corinth, and he begins dealing with it in this powerful appeal for unity in Verse10: I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. You may be reminded by his words in Verse10 of the similar passage in his letter to the Philippians where, in Chapter2, he says to that church, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind," (Philippians 2:1-2 RSV). It would destroy the unity of the congregation and split them up and provide an inaccurate testimony to the Person of Christ before the watching world. When everybody decides to put the things of Christ first, and is willing to suffer loss that the honor and glory of Christ might be advanced, that is what brings harmony in a congregation. Some had no problem with consuming meat that had been sacrificed to idols; for others, it was a real offense. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. I Corinthians 12:12,13 says, For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. The Corinthian Church. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. Corinthians Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that, MANS WISDOM VERSUS GODS WISDOM I Corinthians 1:18-25, WHY DONT PEOPLE BELIEVE? (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) My impression is that the same sorts of problems evident in Corinth are clearly evident in the contemporary church, whether that is West Michigan or Brisbane. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. Apollos was an intellectual. Just looking at America, there are political divisions that have destroyed relationships, there are social divisions that have sparked riots around the nation, and there are even religious divisions that have pitted millions against each other. This is really what is behind his disclaimer on baptism in 1 Cor 1:14-16. Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? These preachers draw in masses of people every week who are eager to hear them speak. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). When you divide up among men you lose something, that is what he is saying. If I am not out of line I seem to remember that Constantine played a large role in allowing Pagan influences back into the Christian Life. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. So rather that detailing their accomplishments as orators, Paul describes their functions (Paul planted, Apollos watered, etc.) (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). Public arguments were commonplace in the Greco-Roman world at the time that Paul was writing to the Corinthian church. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Phillip J. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. Now these things were good. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons our churches are so split and why we act more like the world rather than more like Christ. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. God is all about people, not money, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to take over the current move of God, put it in a box, stick a label on it, and own it they will be swept away. And I say that because some people focus on PREACHER instead of THE SAVIOR. A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. In this parable, the groom is Christ. They read only his books or listen only to his tapes. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. When I say worn out I mean people say that it is not usable in the modern world so its words become little more than foot rests in the pew. Not when one part of the congregation meets in one part of the building, and the other part of the congregation meets in another spot. With Pauls harsh criticism of said divisions, you would think that we might have learned how to move beyond that in the 21st Century, however, that is not the case. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. Her hair is messed up! Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. What is a clique? There is no other name big enough, great enough, glorious enough, and powerful enough to gather everybody together, despite the diversity of viewpoint and the differences of background or status in life, than the name of Jesus. WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. 10 I appeal to you, brothers,[ a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. We must allow him the privilege of doing that. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. The Factions At Corinth 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. There is not a single Christian teacher who ever lived who can help us be forgiven one single sin, not one. There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. He finds that there is a great deal of parallels between the disciple-teacher relationship in the culture of Corinth and the problem of divisions in the church over the authority of teachers. In verse 10 we see both Pauls affection for the Corinthian church, and his authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. We all know what a clique is. Why are these thing SO important? I thank God that only a few of you can say that about me." Offshoots had disturbed the church. I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. The Corinthian Church. In fact, these divisions are a sign of worldliness. Let's get back to the beginnings. All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord.
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