1 Corinthians 1:10-17
10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brothers and sisters, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.
12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am with Paul,” or “I am with Apollos,” or “I am with Cephas,” or “I am with Christ.”
13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name!
16 But I did baptize the household of Stephanas also; beyond that, I do not know if I baptized anyone else.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made of no effect.
The Issue of Division within the Church
A church divided into four factions
The first problem in the Corinthian church was factions and divisions. In order to correct this problem, Paul writes the following: (1) He speaks “by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, he is commanding the following things by the authority of Christ. (2) He says that he learned about the divisions from “Chloe’s people.” By identifying his source of information, he makes it clear that he is not making judgments based on mere rumors. (3) The church had divided into four factions. The nature of these four groups will be explained later. (4) Paul urges the Corinthian Christians to “be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.” This means sharing the mind of Christ.
The four leaders
The factions in the Corinthian church were centered on which of the following four leaders a person chose to follow. (1) Some said, “I am of Paul.” Paul was an apostle called to the ministry of evangelizing the Gentiles. Those in Paul’s group were probably people who felt a burden for Gentile missions and identified with Paul’s ministry. (2) Some said, “I am of Apollos.” Apollos was known for his eloquence. Those in Apollos’s group may have said things like, “After hearing Apollos preach, the messages of other teachers are too dull to listen to.” (3) There were also those who claimed, “I am of Cephas.” “Cephas” is Peter. Peter had been called to the ministry of evangelizing the Jews. Those who felt a burden for reaching the Jewish people probably considered Peter’s ministry to be the greatest. (4) There were also those who boasted, “I am of Christ.” They likely thought that they were more closely connected to Christ than those in the other three groups. Paul states that his mission is to preach the gospel of Christ, not to gather people around himself. Factions like those found in the Corinthian church are by no means uncommon in churches today. While recognizing differences in emphasis, let us learn to be united in Christ.
Today's prayer
Heavenly Father, please forgive the foolishness that, because of our immaturity, creates factions within the church of Christ. Make me a person who seeks unity in Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.