10
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 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." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:10-17 NIV)
One of the keys to success in almost any endeavor in life is unity. In business, unity is essential. There it is called teamwork. A business that has a vision, keeps its eye on the prize, and motivates its people to pull together, enormously increases its chance of success. So does a family. So does a church.
It has always been fascinating to me why the many cults and other misguided fringe groups have so much success. Some of these groups proclaim a message that is much harder to believe than biblical Christianity. If one has to take a leap of faith to believe Christianity then one needs a launching pad and a booster rocket to believe many of these messages. Yet they are growing and finding considerable success. Why?
Well, certainly one factor is that they believe in hard work. Evangelism is not optional with them. It is central to their purpose for existing. While the same should be true for us, many Christians simply do not take personal evangelism seriously.
Another reason, however, and I believe the main reason why these cults are so successful, is that they are uncompromisingly united. They have a shared vision, a common goal, a singular purpose. And they go after their goal with unadulterated zeal. I believe that this is why they are so successful. This kind of unity is very attractive to many people — people who are tired of the religious confusion and uncertainty they have experienced in many main-line churches.
Unfortunately, what many people experience in so many churches is not a singleness of purpose and a unity of the Spirit. What many people experience is an uncertainty of purpose, an ambiguity of basic faith, and a disunity that comes from conflicting desires.
Many of us have either been in churches or have known of churches where there was a split or some serious quarrel. This problem is nothing new — it has existed from New Testament times. It is a serious problem however. The work of Christ is always hindered where there is disunity. This is why Paul, when writing to a church beset by many problems, chooses to address the issue of unity first. I believe it is because unity is the foundation from which all other problems can be addressed and the environment in which the church can effectively minister and move forward in penetrating the world.
11
My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 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." (1 Corinthians 1:11-12 NIV)We see here that there was growing dissention in the church. This was the problem, the aberration of true Christianity that had emerged. In verses 11 and 12 we read of the quarrels that had emerged because the people were dividing into factions. People were aligning themselves with various personalities. Four camps were emerging. There was the camp of Paul, the camp of Apollos, the camp of Cephas, and the camp of Christ.
Both Paul and then Apollos had ministered in Corinth. Undoubtedly a group of Jews in the church had been saved under Cephas (Peter). Apparently people were attached to these gifted leaders and had a strong loyalty to them. Perhaps it was the content of their teaching or their style of ministry, but in any case these three groups identified themselves by their teacher. A fourth group had also arisen which seemed to think that they had a special claim on Christ. Perhaps they did not think they needed any human teacher. Even though they used the name of Christ, they were nonetheless just as guilty of a party spirit as the other groups. This was the problem, the aberration at Corinth.
The source of their problem then is the source of most church conflict today. It is really a problem of selfishness. It is a problem of "what I like," of "my opinion." Listen to what it says in James 4:1: "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?" James identifies our own sinful selfish desires as the source of quarrels and conflicts. And when you think of it, selfishness is really at the root of every sin. Selfishness never brings people together; it only drives them apart.
Let me share with you three causes of disunity in the church. The first is personal opinions. "I think –– I know –– I believe!" Everyone has an opinion. But when we think that our opinion is the only right opinion, we are soon in for a problem. Do we hold our opinions above the opinions of others?
The second cause of conflict is personal preferences. "I like –– I don’t like!" Whether it is over music style, worship style, or some other element of church life, we must not let our genuine preferences become the only way.
The third area that causes disunity is personal pride. This is the selfishness we have been discussing. We think we are important, more important than we really are. And we don’t want anyone else suggesting to us that we may be wrong. "Who are you to tell me that!" We need a reality check –– a check-up from the neck up!
10
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV)Although they had lost their unity, Christ’s desire for them and for us is that we become one. John 17:21 records these words of Jesus in His high priestly prayer: "…that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."
In light of the desire of Jesus, Paul issues this appeal for unity. Paul pleads with them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that they come together and agree. He asks them to eliminate divisions, and to be perfectly united in mind and thought. This is a very powerful plea indeed.
The phrase from the Greek, "that all of you agree" translated literally is, "that you all speak the same thing." This is quite an amazing statement! Is it really possible for us to all speak the same thing?
It becomes even more of a challenging command when we read it from the Amplified Bible which makes an attempt to give us the sense of the original language. "But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony, and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you; but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments."
Is it possible that we can be in "full agreement" in what we say, and that we can be "perfectly united" in our "opinions" and "judgments?" Surely it would be un-American for us all to have the same opinions. But this is precisely what Paul is pleading for.
He calls for no divisions. The Greek word for divisions is schismata, from which we get schism. The figurative meaning is "to tear or rip." As it would be applied in this passage, it means to have a difference of opinion, or a division of judgment. This was the kind of thing that Paul was arguing against. As Christians, our opinions ought to be subservient to Christ’s opinion, and so we ought to be seeking to find out what is God’s opinion and conform our opinions to His.
Without this kind of unity, the cause of Christ suffers. Many young Christians have been confused and seriously hindered in their walk with God by supposedly mature believers who are propagating conflicting views about the Gospel, the Bible, or the central truths of the faith. This does not mean that we should uncritically accept one narrow body of doctrine. It does mean, however, that we must give a clear and certain sound when we speak concerning the truth of God. We must, for the sake of the Gospel, seek to speak the same thing. We must take the time to find out what the central truths are and agree on them together.
13
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) (1 Corinthians 1:13-16 NIV)Paul argues for our unity on the principle that all believers are one in Christ. As believers we should never do anything that would disrupt that unity. Paul’s rhetorical question, Is Christ divided?, is answered with a resounding NO! Since Christ has not been divided, neither should we be divided.
Paul emphasizes that he did not baptize any of those in Corinth except Crispus and Gaius and also the household of Stephanas. In other words, Paul was not trying to start some cult of those baptized in his name or by him personally. This was not his purpose. Paul goes on to disavow any faction named for him. He declares that he was not crucified for any of them. He asked whether any were baptized in his name. Obviously none had been. Paul wanted their loyalty to be to Christ and Christ alone. Christ is not divided.
Additionally we are not only one with Christ, we are also one with one another. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 says, "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink." In Romans 12:5 we read, "so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." The principle for unity in the local church is that we are one with Christ and one with each other. To violate that unity is to violate the nature of the body of Christ and the will of God.
Our lack of unity will also severely hinder us in our mission to the world. People will not be drawn to any church where there is disunity reflected in many agendas. If there are people all going in different directions with no common mission that they share together, people will be put off. Conversely, people are attracted to a place where there is a common vision, where people sacrifice for the shared goals.
This kind of unity must be worked for, chosen, purposefully undertaken. I do not believe that this kind of unity simply happens. This kind of unity must be a decision of the will. This is precisely why it is a command.
17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV)Paul had a much higher purpose and priority. His priority was not to baptize. Rather, his priority was to preach the gospel. His calling was to be one who proclaimed the cross of Christ as the central solution to the sin problem of the human race. His priority was preaching the Gospel.
It occurs to me that if more of our churches were centered in that priority, we would probably not so easily get caught up in the petty dissensions that ultimately take our eyes off of Jesus.
Let me give you three essentials for unity. The first is personal humility. This is key. The longer I serve the Lord, the more I see humility as indicative of a person filled with the Spirit. I am not talking about timidity, where someone is always hesitant and fearful, but true humility, where we esteem others as more important than ourselves. True humility does not think more or less highly of ourselves than we ought. It recognizes the truth about us, that we are all imperfect and sinful people who have been granted mercy by God. We have no room for a superior attitude of pride.
The second essential for unity is personal obedience. We must recognize Christ as supreme. And our attitude must be a desire to obey the Lord in all things –– to be a fully obedient follower of Jesus Christ in every way. We pull together because we are all pulling in the direction He desires. We are united because we allow Him to set the agenda.
The third essential for unity is personal devotion. Our heart should be tuned to the heart of God. His desires should become our desires. His will must become our passion. His mission must become our priority, not just in the outward things we do, but also in the heartbeat of our soul.
Our mission in the church is not to make ourselves comfortable. The church is not here to meet every little need that we think we have. We are not here to massage the saints. God has called us to a higher calling. He has given us a task that is big enough to pull any church together if they would take it seriously. We are here to proclaim the Gospel and reach others for Jesus Christ. That was Paul’s priority. It should be ours as well. This is the major reason why we need to maintain our unity. Because people need the Lord, we must be one.
Remember that Jesus said that if we were one the world would believe that the Father sent His Son (John 17:21). Unity among Christians testifies to the world that Jesus came because of the Father’s love for them. Unity is essential in preaching the Gospel. Unity is essential in carrying out the priority of the church. This is why it is so important that we work at, pray for, and come together as one body in Christ.
We must yield together to the Spirit of God. Acts 4:31-32a reads, "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. All the believers were one in heart and mind." Let’s pray until this place and we are shaken. Let’s seek Him until we are filled with His Spirit. Let’s center on Jesus until we speak the word of God with boldness. Then we will be of one heart and soul. May God give us a fresh filling of His Spirit that we may exhibit the true unity of the Spirit!
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