In Jesus' name, Amen. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). The followers of Jesus may have believed in Jesus words only, and did not believe that the writings of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were really Scripture. If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. There has been no other cure that I know of through the years. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. But it is the exclusiveness that Paul is concerned about here -- people who do not even want to come to a service if someone other than their favorite is preaching. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. Its pastors, bishops and others who fear the loss of their livlihoods as their former sheep move on in God towards the new wine skins of revival that want to maintain the old wine skins which brought them an income. Luke says in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. The ground is level at the cross. It is extremely important. Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. Paul always expresses great concern about the possibility of a split in the church. Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. Apollos was an intellectual. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. Instead of tearing themselves apart, he urges them to be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. In verse 17, Paul says that his calling of God was to preach the Gospel, and the focus of the Gospel is the cross of Christ. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. He was introduced in a rather extended and flowery way, but he came on and in his great, booming voice said, "I'm not Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the great preacher of the Lutheran Hour. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." There are several things that split the church today. He is the ground, always, of unity. There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. What happens when you get a tear in a piece of clothing and you keep washing and wearing that piece of clothing with the tear in it? I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. Even as Christians, there seems to be the desire of wanting to uphold one pastor over another by comparison and ultimately glorifying certain pastors. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. Will we do so by the strength which God alone can and will supply? Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. 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. There was nothing wrong with Paul baptizing people, but Paul didnt want people to boast about the fact that he baptized them. Then not only did they have the Bible, but every Navigator who was anybody at all had to have an index drawn in on the pages of the Bible, a kind of a ladder that gave you a clue to where the books were so that with your thumb you could turn up any book in the Bible almost instantly. They failed to take seriously the power of evil; their behavior caused divisions in the church and led to a lack of concern for other members. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). 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). "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). Many of us are familiar with this common phenomenon in human psychology of thinking that some symbolic thing that is of use to us is so important that we finally make it a badge of the group to which we belong. The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. If it had been left up to us to plan the program by which God would change the world we would never have included a cross. If it is to expand the congregation and further the work of the Lord in that area, and he had the whole agreement of the leadership of the church behind him, then it is fine to take part of the congregation and go away and begin another work. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? We go back to the Lord alone. The first thing Paul says is that it tends to chop up Christ and parcel him out as though his person and his work came in various packages, thus you lose perspective of the whole of Christian theology. It is interesting how quickly we forget where our gifts come from and think we are the cause of success. Therefore our boasting should only be in the Lord (1 Corinthains 1:26-31). And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (NKJV). In 2019 he published a commentary. 1 Corinthians 1-4 Division in the Church, division in the church of Corinth was over leadership, 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Lawsuits Among Brothers, Corinthiaka in New Testament Blogs | Corinthian Matters, The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World. We may not all agree on the way to do church but there is definitely more than one effective way. It seems unbelievable at first to think that this kind of division exists within the modern church, but more often than not it is actually one of the most common reasons for division. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. The other reason is the division among churches of the same denomination. There was extreme competition among the orators for honor and power. Conclusion. 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. Now, church unity is a very important matter, and, because of its significance, Paul puts it first in the list of problems he has to deal with here at Corinth. On opening it you found a loose-leaf notebook with many of the small, half-page materials that the Navigators printed their Bible helps on. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. He started this church. We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Because I am a little defensive it seems like they are almost my enemy. Paul then goes on to give us three very carefully stated clues in Verse13 as to what is wrong with this kind of thing. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. We all know what a clique is. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). Orators have to be so careful not to let teaching become a pride thing rather than a gift they share to better the other. Other divisions were to follow. Now, he is not saying that it is wrong to baptize; he himself did it, and acknowledges that he did. What is a clique? Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, and whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. You and I cant have more of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can give Him more of ourselves, and experience more fully what is already ours as children of God. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Do we need to be looking for results? Webdivided. (1Corinthians 1:17 RSV). The words made complete in verse 10 are translated from a Greek word that was used to speak of mending such things as nets, bones, dislocated joints, broken utensils, and torn garments. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. For instance, in the Greco-Roman culture the practice of teacher-disciple relationships was often common and so many Christian converts in Corinth would associate themselves with a particular teacher and be under their discipleship. That is what Paul speaks about. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. Believers who are joined in heart should not find it difficult to be joined in hand, working together for the common good and for the glory of Christ. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. Have you ever tried to put a jigsaw puzzle together with the pieces turned upside down so that they are all blank? There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. Her nose is bloody! We are of Peter." 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. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. Paul enters this world of wretched Sophists and preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The families have been seated. The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Why are these thing SO important? We must allow him the privilege of doing that. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. 3- The presence of an immoral member. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. So undoubtedly there was a big group that followed Paul. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). WebAnd you know, that gives me some idea of how important this is to God, because from 1:10 to the ninth verse of the sixteenth Chapter, he just talks about the errors in the church. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. WebAnd you know, that gives me some idea of how important this is to God, because from 1:10 to the ninth verse of the sixteenth Chapter, he just talks about the errors in the church. It is possible, though, that the divisions among This is what Paul does here. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. How important is it that there be unity within the Church? Some people will pick other matters of doctrine to affirm. 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. But when it comes to the clear teachings of Gods Word, there cannot be two conflicting views that are both right. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Todays church is a lot like the church of Corinthians. I do not think things have improved much since the first century. And some of them are really gross. I think we have failed to de-paganize the art of preaching/teaching if pastors/leaders are looking for patronage, prestige, and numbers over relationships, service, and transformation. What is a clique? We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. 2 Corinthians In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. Near the cross, O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. In comparison to modern churches, its easy to say that there are hardly any divisions among Christians and differing churchesbut could these divisions still exist today? The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. We have Jesus only groups even today. There is not a teacher among us today, or at any other time, who is able to open the mind and open the eyes of the heart and reveal to us the glory and majesty of God, not one. In verse 10 we see both Pauls affection for the Corinthian church, and his authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, would the apostle not also be concerned with other divisions within the individual church body? Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. Whatever you say, I believe." The members started to develop division following different leaders. John 12:37-50, THE PARADOX OF LIFE FROM DEATH John 12:20-26, THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM JOHN 12:9-19, SPIRITUAL LIGHT AND DARKNESS John 9:35-41. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. You could spot the Navigators going up and down the streets of Honolulu. Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. Its a lot harder! In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? On Friday of this week we will gather again to consider the cross of Christ. A. Ridiculous? It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. Now, how could that be? In this parable, the groom is Christ. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. RayStedman.org/permissions. The real problem behind the divisions is that the church continues to act like Christianity is just another philosophy, and teachers are in competition with each other just as the Greek orators competed. 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. Not when some people in the congregation wont look at, speak to, or even acknowledge the existence of certain other people in the congregation. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. I am sure there were many in Corinth who were saying, "Oh, I love to hear Apollos! Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). Maybe if they are getting rid of core doctrine it is a justifiable anger but I can definitely see how the church is very much the same as 2000 years ago. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. They were also not afraid to be mentioned in Pauls letter to the church. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. Doesnt He deserve better than this? the author asks. Paul, however, was a good leader. While there can be problems with some (no recognised leadership, disorganised, isolated, cultishness, lack of cohesion etc) they can also produce some of the strongest disciples Ive seen for many years, and yet, they could easily claim to be that fourth division like the one at Corinth the I am of Christ division, where they have no name (no favoured preacher/teacher) but are still divided off. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. It is possible, though, that the divisions among He begins the process of developing them into leaders who will also preach the gospel and found more churches. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. 14I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. One day in Africa, a small boy was lost. We feel some sense of connectedness to the teachers (pastors/leaders) whose teachings we sit under while they count us as proof of their effectiveness (numbers). As a result, this led to the division among Christian converts and to the Christian community as a whole. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? So rather that detailing their accomplishments as orators, Paul describes their functions (Paul planted, Apollos watered, etc.) The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. Im not saying its wrong to stick to what you believe. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. When you get men's eyes off all these status symbols, and call them back away from following men to the Person of Christ and his cross, all the divisions will disappear. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for our sins because only He is the Son of God. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. Others were saying, "Well, Apollos himself baptized me." In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius; lest any one should say that you were baptized in my name. He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. We have our theological view points, and even our philosophical ones (even though we could have less of that in our churches today in my opinion) but we also have our social dimensions as well.
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