The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. WebThe Christians at Corinth were dividing the church by pledging their loyalties to different celebrities. 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. WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. Aside from this acceptable division within the modern church, there are also two other reasons for division which should not exist. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. 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. These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. We tend to deify men, and people look at them as if they can do no wrong, can made no errors, that they know everything and can settle all questions. WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, 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." The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. Some considering Paul their authority, other Apollos, others Peter, and still others accepted only Jesus as their authority. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Even though the churches within a certain denomination agree to the same biblical teachings, some churches within those denominations may begin to disagree with the biblical teachings and break away from the denomination to become affiliated with another denomination that aligns with their beliefs. Paul wants the Corinthian church to mend the broken relationships that have been caused by the divisions among its members. Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). 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. 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. The human condition is, unfortunately, one of comparison that seeks to place oneself or their beliefs over another. 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). Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. He had received a report from the household of Cloe that there were quarrels among the members of the Corinthian church. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. Yes, we have the core beliefs that most Christians will agree upon, but the rest is still very confusing to non-believers. He says, in effect, "You don't cure divisions in a church by identification badges. Todays church is a lot like the church of Corinthians. The members started to develop division following different leaders. We all know what a clique is. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. 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? If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. 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. The same viewpoints are still dividing people. 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. His bride, the Church, has been fighting again!. 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. I remember a few years ago being at a family congress in St. Louis, Missouri, when one of the evening speakers was Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the very capable and powerful preacher on the Lutheran Hour radio program. The bride is limping! 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. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 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. 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. God only sees one fold, (John 10) and there is only one faith, one Lord, one baptism etc. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? The news went out but no one had seen the little fellow. That is why Paul calls us back to it. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. 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.. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. It is extremely important. The divisions of Christendom are the scandal of Christianity. But when doctrinal beliefs keep churches from working together to further the gospel. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. This issue was so important that Paul devotes the first four chapters of I Corinthians to divisions in the church. He come to Corinth to create a community of disciples from which he might receive patronage and prestige. 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. The members started to develop division following different leaders. Paul, however, was a good leader. There was still a fourth group, and in some ways I think they were probably the worst. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church. Having listened to Pauls words and the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, how important is unity to each of us today? Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. The minister is waiting, Bible in hand. Anyone who claims that he or she has an exclusive part in Christ is wrong. What should our evaluation of a ministry look like I wonder if its not by numbers? Thank you, Father, for this time here contemplating the cross. The church is never called to having everybody think exactly alike. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. 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. It is possible, though, that the divisions among 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. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. 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 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 rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. One of them being the reason to follow a specific pastor. If someone comes on preaching the doctrines that were emphasized during the Reformation, he will get a great following of people who think that the Reformation was the whole sum and substance of all great Christian truth. 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? This introduces one of the greatest passages in the Bible, setting forth the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. Paul, however, was a good leader. I told them that it is a concern of mine as well. 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. A. God, therefore, has designed that there be many teachers, many preachers, many viewpoints, in a church. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. Was Paul crucified for you? Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any one else). Apollos was an intellectual. Why? 13Is Christ divided? 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.
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