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. 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? This unintentional mindset causes people to treat the Bible and its words like it is a product that can wear out, and ignored like an infomercial. What he says we'll listen to, not Paul or Peter or anyone else -- it makes no difference to us." They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). That was the mark, that was the identification badge. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. A number of churches in this postmodern era have begun to resemble the Corinthian church in alarming ways. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. Paul, however, was a good leader. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. Now, he describes the nature of unity this way, "that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment." These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. Paul knew this and said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony about God. Conclusion. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. Lewis.". There should be oneness of mind, no matter how long it takes. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. This applies also to the leadership in the church. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. This doesnt mean that they have to agree on the minutest points in areas where there is no clear teaching in Scripture. 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. Now these things were good. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? If Paul could see the divisions between the various denominations of today, what would he say? This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. 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. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. It is extremely important. There he indicates that the problem with cliquishness is that it tends to overemphasize the significance of the human leader. Thank you, Father, for this time here contemplating the cross. 1 Corinthians 1:10: I appeal to you, brothers, 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.. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. Paul is going to go on to describe this radical force that is so different than anything else there is nothing like it in the world. It builds him up too much; it makes him a rival, to some degree, of the Lord himself. There is not a single teacher who ever lived who can heal the hurt of a broken heart, or supply energy and adequacy to someone who feels worthless and unable to function in society, not one. Bruises show on her arm! But even if there are multiple house churches founded by different leaders, Paul passionately argues that the body of Christ cannot be divided in this way. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. I lead a small group so I sometimes have to sit in meetings where the pastor shares things about the vision of our church. 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. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) I do not think things have improved much since the first century. We have Jesus only groups even today. Furthermore, would the apostle not also be concerned with other divisions within the individual church body? It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. 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 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). By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. We do not know who the people were who belonged to the house of Cloe, but we must commend them for their courage and devotion. We go back to the Lord alone. I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). Remember, a believer who is at war with his brother or sister in Christ cannot be at peace with our heavenly Father. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. I have to admit though that sometimes I think about numbers and recognition and want that. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). It tells about the most climactic moment in a wedding ceremony. The members started to develop division following different leaders. 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. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. 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? They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. This also brings up another Pagan influence which is naming the days of the week after the planets. (Even non-denominationals do this, just without claiming a denominational title). Paul doesnt want these divisions to continue, so he offers them an alternative. 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. 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. 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." In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Then youre a Christian right? Even though our conversation could only continue for about 10 more minutes, this issue of divisions within the church arose. 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.". They forget, of course, that the church never belongs to anybody but the Lord. God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. 2- The Churchs division. Ridiculous? Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. 2 Corinthians Instead of directly saying that we follow Paul, or Apollos, we say that we are Baptist, Reformed, or even Catholic. 1 Corinthians 1:10: I appeal to you, brothers, 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.. And, after all, Peter even walked on water!" The members started to develop division following different leaders. These preachers draw in masses of people every week who are eager to hear them speak. Todays church is a lot like the church of Corinthians. The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. There are several important terms in this passage. In my experience though, I find that it is carnal and unspiritual leaders that put up walls and fences between members of the body. Paul here introduces that which can cure divisions, both negatively and positively. 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? The bibles need to match the pews which need to match the carpet which need to match the wall color. Let's get back to the beginnings. Paul exhorts them to agree. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. Offshoots had disturbed the church. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Ones honor and reputation were valued highly and if someone attacked your reputation it was expected that you would defend yourself and retaliate by publicly bashing your attacker. There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. Going off of what Cody is saying, in todays church everything needs to be just right. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? So undoubtedly there was a big group that followed Paul. They were caused by Cliques (1:12; 3:4). I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. The cross of Christ cuts across all human value systems. 2 Corinthians He begins the process of developing them into leaders who will also preach the gospel and found more churches. But first, it is very clear that he is deeply troubled by this. I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. He addresses them as brethren. They are his family in Christ. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. All that mattered to Paul was Jesus! Let's go back to Jerusalem. Take the various mega-churches for example, whose charismatic pastors live in mansions. These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). 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. If we sacrifice quality for numbers I dont think we are being good stewards of our gift of leadership. 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. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. The bridesmaids have come down the aisle. So Paul is insisting that the Corinthians, and all believers, have doctrinal unity that is clearly based on Gods Word. Paul wants the Corinthian church to mend the broken relationships that have been caused by the divisions among its members. One of his biggest goals is to double our congregation so we have 5,000 members. WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. 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. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. (1Corinthians 1:12 RSV), Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. 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. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. 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. On Friday of this week we will gather again to consider the cross of Christ. We worry about how the power points are going to look, if we should have one or two singers, drums or no drums, electric guitars or none at all (I feel like you get my point) its almost as if we worship these things! 3- The presence of an immoral member. In fact, these divisions are a sign of worldliness. 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. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Do we need to be looking for results? Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that there be no divisions among you. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. 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.
Anchorage, Alaska Mugshots,
Huff Funeral Home Columbus, Ga Obituaries,
Missing Persons In Louisville Ky 2020,
How To Record Section 179 Depreciation In Quickbooks,
Articles W
what caused divisions in the corinthian church