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). The church is never called to having everybody think exactly alike. Help us to judge these in the light of the cross, and, by its light, to walk before thee. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. And he speaks in the name of or by the authority of, our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? That is always the unifying factor in a church, and that is the mind that is to be among us, the mind that does not consider itself the most important thing. Unfortunately, this has effected our outreach. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. Only the Lord Jesus Christ could pay the penalty for our sins because only He is the Son of God. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. 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. 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. By focusing on Jesus we can see how important the parts of church really are. 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. One of these influencing factors is consumerism which finds its way into even the way Christians think. Paul is putting his finger right on the problem when he asks, "Was Paul crucified for you?" Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. I lead a small group so I sometimes have to sit in meetings where the pastor shares things about the vision of our church. When everybody decides to put the things of Christ first, and is willing to suffer loss that the honor and glory of Christ might be advanced, that is what brings harmony in a congregation. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. (1Corinthians 1:10 RSV). When daylight again appeared, they looked for him with renewed energy but still without success. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? WebThe Corinthians were basically making a mockery of Communion. This is a radical principle that we need to understand, because, when you understand the cross, there will be no room left for the divisions of men. Divisions 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). 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. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. I would like to close this service by reading what one man wrote about the cross: It is well that we should think sometimes of the Upper Room and the Last Supper, and of his soul, "exceeding sorrowful unto death"; of Gethsemane and the deep shadow of the olive trees; his loneliness, prayers, and disappointment with his disciples; his bloody sweat; the traitor's kiss; the binding, the blow in the face, the spitting, the buffeting, the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the smiting; the sorrowful way and the burdensome cross; the exhaustion and collapse; the stripping, the impaling, and the jeers of his foes, and the flight of his friends; the hours on the cross; the darkness, his being forsaken of God; his thirst, and the end. Corinthians It is those who have a financial interest in their own wellbeing, that divide the sheep up into different folds. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. There are three different causes of divisions in churches that Paul mentions in I Corinthians. 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. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. No, he says that is not why he was sent: "I was not sent to emphasize symbols, but, positively, I was sent to preach a whole gospel, not one emphasizing style, not in wisdom of words, but that which emphasizes content." Within our churches, and even in our own denominations (sophisticated name for divisions), we argue about church funds, whos on the worship team, and whether the youth should have long hair. In verse 10 we see both Pauls affection for the Corinthian church, and his authority as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I told them that I do not foresee and end to these divisions anytime soon (sadly). In Matthew 12:25 the Lord Jesus says, Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand.. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church What Was Dividing the Corinthian Church Now, in Verse13 you understand why. 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. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. So he says, "I didn't baptize many of you. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Others bragged that they were followers of Peter (1 Corinthians 1:12). It seems unbelievable at first to think that this kind of division exists within the modern church, but more often than not it is actually one of the most common reasons for division. Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? I still have at home the Scofield Reference Bible with the index ladder drawn by him. Even as Christians, there seems to be the desire of wanting to uphold one pastor over another by comparison and ultimately glorifying certain pastors. Webdivided. The bride is limping! It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. If I am not out of line I seem to remember that Constantine played a large role in allowing Pagan influences back into the Christian Life. Try it some time. Corinthians They take an innocent teaching medium, in this case baptism, and make it into an identification badge. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 All rights reserved. Divisions I have had to do some degree of battle with this myself. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. The Navigators in those days did a great work in the Navy throughout the whole of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and hundreds of young men were led to Christ through their efforts during the war years. Divisions People begin to think things about him that are not true, and expect things from him that he is unable to deliver. 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. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And some of them are really gross. Like I talked about in the first posting, the emerging church makes me question a lot of things they are doing. Thanks for the thoughtful comment Austin. The Corinthian Church. 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. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. The words made complete mean to be perfectly joined together, like a jigsaw puzzle. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. 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." This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. Paul here introduces that which can cure divisions, both negatively and positively. Her hair is messed up! the Problems in the Corinthian Church So, just a few texts and there are so many more. Do we need to be looking for results? Divisions We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Causes The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). When I say worn out I mean people say that it is not usable in the modern world so its words become little more than foot rests in the pew. Now to this, there should be a division that exists considering that there are some denominations that do teach correct biblical doctrine, while other churches deviate from correct biblical doctrine in order to teach their own false doctrines. Corinthians 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. There were, first of all, the loyalists who said, "We are of Paul. A. Now, we all have our favorite preacher, and up to a point that is not wrong. A second issue that seems to keep the church divided (the whole church and individual churches) is the little things such as the structure of the service, the type of music played for worship, whether a pastor should always wear a tie, and what color should be used in the bathroom. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? The better the orator, the higher the fee, and the more disciples he will attract. Weve seen how important unity was to the apostle Paul. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. 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. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. 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. I. PAULS APPEAL FOR UNITY (verses 10-12). I told them GBC and they said something along the lines of, Oh a Bible college? WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. in the Corinthian Church One eye is purple and swollen! 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. Paul does not want to be considered a philosopher who is gathering disciples, nor does he want that for Apollos or Peter or any man. These were not schisms yet; they had not split off into other congregations, but there were four cliques, or factions within the congregation. In this parable, the groom is Christ. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. In desperation, they returned and held a meeting. He then goes on to describe for us the mind of Christ, which is a willingness to give up rights and personal privileges and give in and take a lower place. The content of their messages was in agreement, but the followers of these men probably focused on personality differences and distorted their teachings. Causes One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on 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. 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. He chooses various channels through which to work. God is not confused, and He does not contradict Himself. Phillip J. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. It is the popular thing today to cry, "Back to the Reformation!" They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. WebDivisions in the Church. The members started to develop division following different leaders. When you divide up among men you lose something, that is what he is saying. We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. There are many other things that do cause serious problems stemming from the outside world. It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. The followers of Jesus may have believed in Jesus words only, and did not believe that the writings of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were really Scripture. Will we do so by the strength which God alone can and will supply? It is not merely that the Church is everywhere split up into sections, but that this has led to party strife and jealousy. "One is your master; all of you are brothers," (Matthew 23:8 KJV). Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). Whatever you say, I believe." 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. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). No man is the Savior; no man can deliver us except Jesus. This Western Church soon became known as the Roman Catholic Church. It would be great if all of you would think like me, but unfortunately there are stubborn ones among you, there are depraved ones among you, there are those who have different backgrounds than I have, and some of you just do not think like I do! Causes Its not just the denominations per se any more theres also a proliferation of house churches too. We are all equally undeserving of salvation and a relationship with Jesus Christ. I believe that if people would take their eyes off man and stop putting man up up so high and put THE MASTER BACK FIRST in their lives it wont be so much division in our churches. Corinthians 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 more than that, we have a responsibility to obey him, to follow his Lordship. Behind Divisions In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ).