That There Be No Divisions Among You (1 Corinthians 1:10-13)

Children's Lesson (click here)

I. Agreement at All Times, on Every Topic?

As we begin our time in God's word this morning, let me ask you this: is there anyone in your life, past or present, with whom you agree 100%? That is, at all times, on every topic? Someone with whom there is no divergence of viewpoints or of opinions? Someone with whom it feels like you share the exact same mind, and even arrive at the same judgment on every issue? I would be really surprised if someone answered “yes” to that question. Wouldn't you? If they did, we might guess they were simply thinking superficially about my question, or... maybe it's that the person they have in mind is simply a consistent people pleaser.

We would be skeptical about such a claim simply because we understand human nature in light of our human experience. It just isn't the way the world is. It simply isn't what people are like. But maybe... this should be true of our relationships... in Christ. Why would I suggest that? Because maybe it's exactly the kind of harmony to which the Apostle Paul called believers.

II. The Passage: “That All of You Agree... That You Be United” (1:10-13)

The passage I have in mind is our main study passage for this morning, 1 Corinthians 1, verses 10-13. Let's begin with just that first verse of the passage, verse 10. In light of my opening question, think about how Paul instructs the disciples of Jesus in Corinth. He writes...

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.

Okay. On the surface, it's very easy to see how someone could hear Paul calling Christians to 100% agreement, at all times, on every topic; to reject any divisions, and instead, to consistently cultivate the same mind and the same judgment... across the board. But is that the kind of unity Paul has I mind here? I don't think so. That sounds more like uniformity than unity. What's the difference? Uniformity is about a oneness through the elimination of diversity. But unity is about a oneness in spite of ongoing diversity. And the latter is exactly what seems to be described in the pages of the New Testament.

To better understand why Paul appeals to them like he does in verse 10, let's try to understand what motivates his teaching here. Why was he calling them to this kind of harmony and unity? Well, we discover the answer to that question in the next few verses. Look at verses 11-13...

[11] For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. [12] What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” [13] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

So a group known as “Chloe's people” (maybe her family members?), had arrived in Ephesus (where Paul was staying) and passed along the sad news of this ugly splintering within the Corinthian church. People were not simply quarreling with one another because they couldn't see eye to eye on things like sports or politics or raising children or the best playwrights or some other social or cultural issue. No. Verse 12 tells us that their Christian loyalties were divided.

For some reason, the Corinthian believers were struggling to see unity in the ministries of various Christian leaders. Whether the issue was about differences in personality, or style of preaching, or theological emphasis, we just don't know. In light of verses 14 and 15, these divisions may also have been connected to who baptized them. Whatever the basis, different factions were lining up behind different leaders and, it seems, they were arguing for the different approaches to ministry to which these men's names were affixed. “We should do it like Paul would do it.” “No. No. The teaching that Apollos gave us is better than Paul's.” “But what about Cephas? Isn't he “Peter”, “the rock”? He walked with Jesus. We should listen to him above these others.”

To be clear, there's no indication that any of these men were presently present in Corinth. Paul certainly wasn't. The quarreling was not between these leaders, as Paul makes clear in chapter 3. This was a purely an internal issue, and the church needed to be admonished.

Now, maybe you've been in a situation like this, where different cliques within a church line up behind different leaders. Sadly, this situation is not just a first century problem. Divisions like this today can be based on preferences in terms of teaching or shepherding styles. They can be based on ministries that become insular (i.e., closed off to other ministries in the church). They can be based on differences of opinion within the leadership on a particularly difficult topic.

But, even though we could spend more time thinking about the ways in which Christians can be divided, I think our time would be better spent by focusing on what it really means for Christians to be united. Notice that in our passage Paul doesn't start with a description of their unhealthi-ness. He starts with a prescription for their healthiness. He begins by talking about what they ought to do, not what they are doing. Look again at his appeal in the opening verse, verse 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.

So as we've seen from the context, the agreement Paul has in mind here is not an agreement about every topic under the sun, or even every biblical or spiritual issue. The agreement Paul's talking about here is an agreement concerning WHO... who... defines the church's ministry. It isn't Paul. It isn't Apollos. It isn't even Peter (Cephas). Paul's answer is evident in verse 13, when he asks, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

The first question is decisive, “Is Christ divided?” But what exactly does Paul mean? Well, look with me at how Paul lays the groundwork for our passage in the opening verses of this letter..

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, [2] To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: [3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

[4] I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, [5] that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—[6] even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—[7] so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [8] who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

You simply cannot escape the fact, according to Paul, what truly unites every single true believer, no matter their background or standing or personal opinions about this or that other issue, what truly unites every single true believer is oneness in Jesus.

Not an agreement that we are one in Jesus. But actual, spiritual oneness...as those who together share in Christ. Those who together are recipients of his grace, those who together experience his sanctifying work, those who together enjoy fellowship with one another because... we were first called into fellowship with him. Therefore, if we are united in Christ, can the Lord Jesus Christ somehow be splintered? Divided? Chopped up into little pieces? The obvious answer is no.

Therefore, I believe their agreement (literally in Greek, their 'saying the same thing') in verse 10 is Paul's appeal for them to return to their common confession, “Jesus is Lord”. That is the “mind” they should share, which should then lead them to the “same judgment” about their life together.

III. Nourishing Our Everyday Unity

Brothers and sisters, think about why this is such an important reminder for us. Though we may not find ourselves in a church situation like the one in Corinth, each of us is just as as susceptible to the same spirit of division that gripped that community, and so many others down through the centuries. And though church tensions can arise over very significant issues, issues that should not be minimized or ignored, I pray all of us can agree with this truth: divisions within the church, no matter how big or small, always take root when we lose sight of our oneness in Jesus. If I look at you and the first thing I see is an issue or a problem instead of seeing a member of Christ's body, if I look at you and the first thing I see is some difference instead of seeing the same Savior, if I look at you and the first thing I see is a lifestyle choice or a political opinion or a demographic category or a gender or an age bracket or any assumption before I see a fellow saint, “sanctified in Christ Jesus,” then I am entering the dangerous terrain of sinful division. So... how can we guard against this kind of mindset, and truly walk in the “agreement” and “mind” and “judgment” Paul wrote about? Let me suggest a few ideas in light of this letter:

First, this is about more than the right answer. Did you notice in v. 12 that one of the splint-ering groups was saying, “I follow Christ.” They had the right answer, but Paul lumped them in with the others. Why? I think it's because even though they had the right answer, their hearts were in the wrong place. Like the others, this faction was all about who “I(!) follow” (2x). Sadly, it seems they were part of the problem, rather than helping the church work toward a solution.

Second, we should embrace the reality of our diversity. When the Apostle later illustrates their oneness in Christ (chp. 12), he compares the church to a human body made up of many, diverse parts; but... interdependent parts that work together for a common good. This is the beautiful reality of the body of Christ. Our unity is in Jesus and the gospel by which he saves us, not in any lesser issue or preference or opinion that seems threatened by such differences.

Third, our unity because of Jesus' love is fed through a unity marked by Jesus' love. How can we know if we are truly loving one another like Jesus? Well, this is what that love looks like: it's “patient and kind... it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. [It] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (chp. 13) That's not the kind of soil where division takes root. Its the kind of soil in which unity thrives!

Faith family, may God strengthen us in our agreement in the gospel. May the lesser things that can come between us... fade away in the light of the greater things that already unite us. Let's finish by confessing to God anything in us that resembles that divisive spirit, and more importantly, anything that's keeping us from seeing the reality of Jesus in our brothers and sisters. “God is faithful,” and he will continue to grow us in the love of Christ, so that that very love would be our food, as we seek to nourish our everyday unity. Let's each pray in light of that promise.