Corinthians I have been in many places where they were having church fights and almost invariably the thing that gives away that a church is in trouble is when people start talking about "my church," not in the sense that is perfectly proper as meaning, "The church where I go," but leaders of the church actually saying, "This is our church," and telling other people they have no rights to do something because the church belongs to them. Try it some time. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. There was nothing wrong with them, they were very helpful, but it was not very long before they became status symbols, and they were used to put down, not always intentionally, those who did not have them. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ.". He described the activities of the disciples of the Sophists the professional orators who were able to command large audiences, high fees for educating youth, and often a great deal of power within the city. I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. He said so himself. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. But that is a very dangerous attitude, and yet we tend to think of people as being the channel by which deliverance can come to our heart. There are the Calvinists and the Arminians and the Dispensationalists -- these are some of the things that are held up as the "summum bonum," the highest good, in theology. (Philippians 2:6-8 RSV). That is the mind Paul is talking about. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. For a local church to be spiritually healthy and effective, and for there to be harmony in the local church, there must be doctrinal unity. Everybody has their denomination and they cling relentless to their doctrinal beliefs. 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. I was taking my break and a person I work with asked where I went to college. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. I always have, and always will believe that this overly exaggerated concept of denominations is a problem. The Gentiles coming into this new Church do not seem to be able to see the differences between it and a Greco-Roman philosopher gathering disciples and educating them in a particular philosophy. I think that if you put the teachings of a man over the teachings of Scripture then you have a problem. WebDivisions in the Church. To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. His most recent book is The Book of Enoch for Beginners: A Guide to Expand Your Understanding of the Biblical World (Rockridge, 2022). He come to Corinth to create a community of disciples from which he might receive patronage and prestige. They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. Yet, in reality as long as correct biblical doctrine is being taught no pastor should be viewed in comparison to one another. Paul, however, was a good leader. The church was divided into factions, and one group was urging him to take half the congregation and go to another part of the city and start a new church. Like the world, Christians are too concerned with being right and having our way. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). In verses 10-12, Paul begins by giving an appeal for unity. The third danger of groups is given in the latter part of Verse13, and on through the next few verses: Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? When daylight again appeared, they looked for him with renewed energy but still without success. 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. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Furthermore, would the apostle not also be concerned with other divisions within the individual church body? In 2019 he published a commentary. I personally experienced this at work about a year and a half ago. When I say it gets ignored like an infomercial you probably infer what that means. The members started to develop division following different leaders. 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? There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. If Paul were to visit one of these churches, he would see a good-looking man in a custom suit standing over everybody else, and his mind would go straight to the orators of his day. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. What is a clique? Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. And just as the Corinthian church was not above the petty rivalries of its time, neither is the modern church above becoming involved in such shouting matches. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. 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. So he says, "I didn't baptize many of you. There should be unanimous agreement. Polhill says, every Corinthian had their own favorite preacher (237). It seems so bland compared to all the other choices out there when really it presents and encourages people to live out a very different and exciting life in the opposite direction of the world. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! Although the modern church has improved in many ways compared to the ancient churches, there is still the issue of division that exists among differing churches as was in the ancient churches. 2 Corinthians But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? I thank God that only a few of you can say that about me." 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. 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. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. Paul says that he does not preach in cleverness of speech because the power of the gospel lies in the facts of the gospel, and not in any mans presentation of them. They became symbols of prestige and standing that became divisive factors among the men. 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. As a result, this led to the division among Christian converts and to the Christian community as a whole. 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. In her book, The Key to a Loving Heart, Karen Mains includes a parable about the church entitled The Brawling Bride. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. This is what Paul uses as the basis for unity in this church -- not only the attitude of selflessness, which is the mind of Christ, but the responsibility to submit to his Lordship, the common responsibility that we have together. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. Paul is putting his finger right on the problem when he asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else). Paul, however, was a good leader. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). 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. 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. People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. You may recall also that in writing to the church at Ephesus, he exhorted the elders there to be careful to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Ephesians 4:3 RSV). As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. Causes WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. Corinthians Paul did not want to present the Gospel as an orator, competing for students as they did. 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. Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. That is why the apostle appeals to it. Divisions The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. Dio Chrysostom visited Corinth about A.D. 89-96. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. 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. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. At that time it was under the leadership of its founder, Dawson Trotman, and it was my privilege and delight to be a close friend of his, to have spent a good deal of time with him and to come under the influence of his teaching and his methods. You only have to listen around you today and you find outstanding leaders being held up by their congregations as almost the equal of the Lord himself in their value to the church. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. Some people will pick other matters of doctrine to affirm. Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. Even as Christians, there seems to be the desire of wanting to uphold one pastor over another by comparison and ultimately glorifying certain pastors. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for our sins because only He is the Son of God.