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. It was expected. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. Some sued their fellow Christians in the secular courts. 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. Let it do its great work of cutting down and eliminating from our lives those things over which we take pride and which separate us from others; these distinctions that make us dislike our brother or sister, and turn our backs on them. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. How important was unity to the apostle Paul, and to the Holy Spirit who moved Him to write this letter to the Church in Corinth? Paul, however, was a good leader. His Word does not disagree with itself. Try it some time. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. He then goes on to explain that it was the Corinthian wisdom that created so much disunity. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. What is a clique? One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. 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. It is possible, though, that the divisions among They are his family in Christ. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. Now, in one verse he introduces to us the cure for these divisions (Verse17): For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom [literally, "wisdom of words"], lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. The Lord Jesus is praying to the Father, and this is part of His prayer for us: I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that You sent Me. I think the letter to the Philippians helps us here, because in that passage I just quoted from, Paul goes on to say, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. 2 Corinthians That, of course, is as it should be. I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. But when doctrinal beliefs keep churches from working together to further the gospel. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. 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 popularized in the movie Mean Girls. Her hair is messed up! I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). 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. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. I would like to start off with a quote (forgive me for the length) from Polhill that I found to be all to strikingly familiar of todays churches. 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 pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. Are we willing and ready to pray for unity in His Church, and work at building a stronger unity among fellow members of the congregations where we fellowship and serve? All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. Therefore, the only basis upon which you can get Christians to agree is by setting before them the Person of the Lord Jesus, and calling them back to that fundamental base. We see similar situations today, with political debates often devolving into a shouting match in which the person who yells their opinion the loudest and the longest is the winner. I am sure there were many in Corinth who were saying, "Oh, I love to hear Apollos! This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. When you follow one man you are getting a view of Christ, but there is no teacher in the church who has ever come along -- including the Apostle Paul himself -- who has ever had a totally complete view of Christ. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Offshoots had disturbed the church. You could spot the Navigators going up and down the streets of Honolulu. For permission to use this content, please review The third thing that every Navigator had was a little black notebook covered in rough-grained leather. Even as Christians, there seems to be the desire of wanting to uphold one pastor over another by comparison and ultimately glorifying certain pastors. The Lords Supper was affected by the divisions between rich and poor and an overall general misunderstanding. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? It seems like it would be better to ask in what ways have we been re-paganized. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Paul then goes on to give us three very carefully stated clues in Verse13 as to what is wrong with this kind of thing. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. 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. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. 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. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. In the same way, thats not the way the Church was meant to be fitted together. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. The congregation then is to submit to the elders because it has confidence that their decisions were made under the Holy Spirits direction and power. Anyone who claims that he or she has an exclusive part in Christ is wrong. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? 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 church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. This consumerism that we face today in the end doesnt seem all that much different from the way the Christian faith was treated like just another philosophy back in the days of Paul. 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. 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? Webdivided. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. 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). Just as there was competiveness for honor and prestige among the orators of the first century, it also seems like there is competition between the pastors and churches of today. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. Still others say, "We are of Schaeffer," and others, "We are of Graham," or, "We are of C.S. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that, MANS WISDOM VERSUS GODS WISDOM I Corinthians 1:18-25, WHY DONT PEOPLE BELIEVE? WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. I understand the fact that people have different beliefs and would like to stick to those (it is good to sick to what you believe) but when you get so segregated that you cannot work together anymore, it becomes a serious problem. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. Thats not the way a jigsaw puzzle was meant to be put together. 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. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). 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. I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. 2- The Churchs division. Paul here introduces that which can cure divisions, both negatively and positively. 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). 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. This is not what the Church was meant to be like, and I fully believe that Paul would be appalled by our actions today as a Church of believers in Jesus Christ. Then comes that great Christological passage where he describes how Christ, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. As we read through First Corinthians, I think we will see how very much like modern day churches this ancient church of Corinth was. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). 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. In verses 14 to 16, Paul uses himself as an example. 2- The Churchs division. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. Its a lot harder! They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Gods people who are moving in revival (like we have been to experiencing right here in Brisbane these last few months) have no qualms about getting together to see the nation of Australia come to Christ. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. But yet the apostle says they are to be of the same mind. Paul was the apostle to the gentiles. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. 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. We reveal our immaturity when we insist that only those with certain characteristics are the ones we will listen to, or we feel can bless or strengthen our lives. The cross strips away our illusions and brings the pride of men tumbling down from that high place where it exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Now, almost every group does this. Like the orators wanted more money from the fees they charged, many pastors just want more people to look better and have a bigger budget. He said so himself. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. He come to Corinth to create a community of disciples from which he might receive patronage and prestige. 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. They were drawing themselves up and saying, "Well, you may be of Paul or of Peter or of Apollos, but we are of Christ! In Philippians 2:9 Paul said of Christ, Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. No Christian, no Christian minister, is to put himself in Christs place, or allow himself to be put in Christs place, and take the authority and honor that is due to Christ alone.