Last week the Lectionary from the Book of Common Prayer had us look at the opening verses of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. We saw that though they were a large and flourishing church, blessed with many spiritual gifts, they still had some sinful behaviors that they needed to deal with. Today’s Scripture continues in the first chapter of I Corinthians, and we’ll take a look at one of those sins, that of lack of unity among these believers, and also the danger of elevating any human leader above the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul first came to the city of Corinth around 50-52 AD, and he remained there about eighteen months, establishing a church while there. However, after he left, factions or opposing groups arose among the believers, leading to division. One thing that caused some division was that various church members divided themselves into separate groups based on their loyalty to various teachers. When Paul heard about this, he wrote this letter. He knew that unity in doctrine and devotion to Christ is essential for a good and godly church.
Knowing how important unity is within a church, the apostle pleaded with them to listen to and heed his message (vs. 10). He reminded the church here that he spoke in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, with Christ’s authority. There are three important aspects of unity that Paul brings out here, which hold not only for the ancient Corinthian church, but also for the Christian church today. First, the church should speak the same thing, there should be doctrinal agreement among the members. There should be no divisions, no schisms, factions, or partisan spirit. And Paul stresses that church members should be perfectly joined together, with restored and aligned thinking.
What is very important to remember is that unity must be based upon truth, and not upon compromise. Too often today those in the church speak about wanting unity, and they are willing to compromise doctrine and Biblical truth in order to have that unity. That is not the type of unity Paul was speaking about, nor what the Lord wants. The Bible tells us to separate from those who do not hold to the truth. Biblical unity is doctrinal unity.
Another problem in the early Corinthian church was various members dividing themselves into groups, one following this leader and another following a different leader. Paul listed four different groups who were each following after a different church leader (vs. 12). There were some who said they followed Paul, who were loyal to the founder of the church. There were some who followed Apollos, who was an early pastor there after Paul left, and a very eloquent teacher. There were some who said they followed Cephas (Peter), loyal to the apostolic Jewish leader. Lastly Paul mentions that some said they followed Christ, which is what all believers should be doing. We should never become so attached to a pastor, a teacher, a televangelist, or Christian author that we raise them to an almost worshipful status. Even good leaders can become idols when they are elevated above Jesus. And if they start getting too full of themselves, then it is so easy for them to fall into other sins or false teachings.
Paul continued by asking the Corinthians three rhetorical questions that when thought about should show them that their divisions were wrong (vs. 13). First was “Is Christ divided?” That is impossible. Christ is One. His Body, the Church, must reflect that unity. Next “Was Paul crucified for you?” Only Jesus died for sinners, not Paul or any other favorite leader, past or present. Then “Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” Baptism identifies believers with Jesus, not any human leader.
The apostle then was thankful to God that he only baptized a few new Christians (vs. 14-16). This wasn’t because he felt that baptism was unimportant, but because it prevented anyone from claiming special status. It also would help in keeping the focus solely on Christ, and not on Paul. He had a mission from God, and that was not to be baptizing, but to preach the Gospel (vs. 17). And his preaching was not with fancy Greek rhetoric or philosophical flourishes, but strictly preaching the Gospel message that Jesus was crucified for our sins. The power is in the message of the cross, not in the skill of the messenger.
As we look back over these verses, we can see what still holds importance for today, and that is that Jesus Christ, alone, is the Head of the Church. Any elevation of human leaders undermines His rightful place. No matter how beloved your pastor or priest may be, or how great you find some particular Christian author, they are not to take Jesus’ place. Also, when seeking for unity among churches and denominations, we must never compromise on Biblical truth and doctrine.
Finally, we must always remember to keep the cross of Christ central in our church, in our ministry, our evangelism, and our teaching. Some may like to listen to very intellectual and sophisticated preaching, but human eloquence can obscure the Cross. The Gospel’s power is in its truth, not in rhetorical polish.
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