“1 Corinthians 1:10-17”

Monday, March 19, 2018

Now I exhort you, brethren, 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. For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.”

---End of Scripture verses---

Paul “exhorted” his brethren to stay united “by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 10). He appealed to the “authority” of Christ when he appealed to His “name,” that they focus their attention on unity of mind and judgment. This is only what Jesus Himself demands of His disciples and that He prayed for in “The High Priestly Prayer” recorded in John chapter 17. “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

Paul’s exhortation was that they “agree” or “speak the same things.” This is a political expression that means to “be at peace,” like a nation united in its efforts to promote the best interests of its citizens (wow would that be nice?!). As fellow citizens of the kingdom of heaven, Christians should expend great energy and effort to maintain peace in the body of Christ.

Paul also encouraged them to have “no divisions among” them. The word for division is the Greek word “schisma” and it was originally used to describe a torn garment. The members of Christ’s body should understand that they have all been “cut from the same cloth,” spiritually speaking. We should all share in Christ’s love, care and compassion, and emulate His obedience, righteousness and holiness in our efforts to maintain unity in His spiritual family.

Paul completed this plea by urging them to be “made complete” or “perfectly joined together.” This expression extends the metaphor of the torn garment to making reparation, and means to mend a piece of ripped material or fabric. The idea of Christ’s physical body being chopped up into pieces is a ridiculous prospect (verse 13). In just the same way, it is of the utmost absurdity for the members of His spiritual body to be splintered or fractured into pieces (verse 11).

Some people were claiming to follow the teaching of Paul, while others were claiming to be adherents to Cephas’ (Peter) or Apollos’ doctrine (verse 12). These immature “Christians” still hadn’t come to the proper understanding that these men were not rival philosophers, but fellow servants of Jesus their Master. They were all teaching the same things and only interested in promoting the cause and the truth of Christ, and not their own, personal interests.

The idea of “unity in diversity” is not only a foreign concept to inspired Scripture, it stands in opposition to it. That’s not to say that there is not a large diversity of personalities and temperaments and abilities and skillsets residing within a local congregation. But there can be no room for diversities of doctrines. All churches of Christ should teach and believe the same thing—“The doctrine of Christ” (2 John 1:9). To not teach this doctrine is to not have the Father or the Son, according to the Apostle John’s second epistle.

Brethren in Christ are to be so focused on having New Testament authority for everything they do in their work, worship and service to Christ, that they actually share an agreement of both “mind” and “judgment” (verse 10). They must strive to arrive at the same way of “thinking” and “discerning” in consideration of divine revelation. That’s not to say that there is no room for “judgment” in the areas where God has granted us “freedom” or “liberty” for differences of viewpoint in the Bible. But we must make certain to not let these matters of judgment lead to rifts or divisions in the body of Christ. And we must strive to keep unauthorized innovations out of the Lord’s authorized work and worship that will inevitably cause divisions in the church that Christ died for.

I’ll add as well that the Bible nowhere authorizes the idea of “denominations” or “denominationalism”, but actually condemns it. This passage, along with multiple others, condemns the idea that there are several different “types” of churches that practice and teach a variety of different doctrines, all under the “umbrella” of Christ’s church. God only recognizes and approves of “one body” and “one faith” according to Ephesians 4:4-5.

Paul said in verse 14, “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius;” and again in verse 16, “Christ did not send me to baptize". Whatever he meant to imply by these statements, he was certainly not intending to undermine “The Great Commission” of Christ. Jesus told His apostles to go and make disciples of peoples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16). God has not changed His method of making disciples of Christ, and Paul, in no way, was speaking against the commands of Jesus.

Paul is not emphasizing or downplaying the purpose or significance of baptism here. But baptism must be a critical issue or there wouldn’t have been such a problem in this situation. Some people were obviously claiming to have been baptized into Paul instead of Christ (verse 13), and Paul is certainly denouncing such an absurd assertion, and the division that such a declaration would produce. Paul’s point is simply this: Christ was crucified for them, it was into Christ that they were baptized, and it is to Christ that they owe their complete allegiance (verse 13).

Please read 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 for tomorrow.

Have a great Monday!

- Louie Taylor

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