Being of the Same Mind with God's People (1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

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. [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? [14] I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, [15] so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. [16] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) [17] For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Corinthians 1:10–17)

I. In Light of Our Wealth

Let's return this morning to Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church, remembering what we learned last time: that we are, in fact, a spiritually wealthy church because of Christ. Let's con-tinue to explore those riches together, and together think about how we can best use that wealth.

II. The Passage: “United in the Same Mind” (1:10-17)

As you heard only moments ago, our study passage this morning is 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. You may or may not remember that I taught on a few of these verses back in May, in a message entitled, “That There Be No Divisions Among You”. I'd like to review some of what I shared in that message, and then further build on that foundation this morning.

For example, in May we talked about the fact that, in this passage, Paul is calling for unity, not uniformity. What's the difference? Uniformity is about a oneness through the elimination of any diversity. But unity is about a oneness even with continued diversity (but not divisiveness).

As we see in verses 11-13, while in Ephesus, Paul had received reports that the disciples in Corinth were quarreling with one another, and they were doing so, not 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. They were quarreling with one another because their Christian loyalties were divided. What does that mean? It means they were struggling to see unity in the ministries of various Christian leaders like Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (i.e., Peter). It's important to point out that 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.

As Paul continues in verses 14-17, he touches on the baptisms he administered in Corinth. He raises the subject because, in light of their divided loyalties, Paul is glad that the number of Corinthians he personally baptized is actually quite small. Whether it was based on who baptized them, or whose preaching they liked better, Paul doesn't want anyone using things like this to inform their loyalties, and as a result, splinter the Corinthian church.

Through Paul, God is indeed calling them to unity. But the unity or 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... specifically who... defines the church's ministry. It isn't Paul. It isn't Apollos. It isn't even Peter. 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 obvious answer is “no”. The obvious answer is Jesus.

As I pointed out last time, in fact, even more frequently than I mentioned last time, please notice that every verse, ten verses into this letter, every verse mentions... Jesus. It's crystal clear that Paul wants them to understand that 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 experience his sanctifying work (v. 2), as those who are recipients of his grace (v. 4), as those who have been enriched in him (v. 5), as those who wait for him (v. 7), as those who together enjoy fellowship with one another because... we were first called into fellowship with him. (v. 9)

Therefore, as Paul asks in v. 13, if we are united in Christ, can the Lord Jesus somehow be splin-tered? Divided? Chopped up into little pieces? The answer is clearly no. Therefore, I believe the agreement he calls for in verse 10 (literally in Greek, all of them 'saying the same thing'), is Paul's appeal that they return in their hearts to their common confession: “Jesus is Lord”.

And so, 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.

You may remember this from the message in May: “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 anything else... before I see a fellow saint, “sanctified in Christ Jesus,” then I am entering the dangerous terrain of sinful division.”

So with all that in mind, how can we build on that foundation? One way is by exploring that phrase from verse 10, “that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment”. Since the same judgment mentioned here is just the application of that “same mind”, let's focus on the latter phrase. What does it really mean to be “united in the same mind” as God's people? To be clear, this kind of unity is expressed in many ways throughout the New Testament. Acts 4:32 calls it being “of one heart and soul”. Romans 12:16 describes it as living “in harmony with one another”. In Ephesians 4:3 Paul calls it “the unity of the Spirit”. But Peter uses the same phrase Paul uses here in 1:10... “have unity of mind” (1 Peter 3:8). But again, what does that mean?

Given the emphasis we looked at in the first ten verses of this letter, it shouldn't be surprising that this mind in which we should be united is, in fact, the mind of Christ. Look over at the end of chapter 2. Paul writes in 2:16,“'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ.” Therefore, I think we can say that...

First, having the same mind begins with having the mind of Christ. What is the mind of Christ? Well, one of Paul's best descriptions of this mind comes from another one of his letters. Listen to how Paul instructs and inspires other Greek disciples, this time in the city of Philippi...

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than your-selves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

If you and I are to have “the same mind”, then we must reject a mind full of selfish ambition. We must reject a mind full of conceit. We must reject a mind set only on our own interests. As Paul expressed this in yet another letter, “...I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment...” (Romans 12:3). How is this is the mind of Christ? Because even “though he was in the form of God”, he took on “the form of a servant”... even “humbl[ing] himself... to the point of death”.. for us! Brothers and sisters, this mind is ours in Christ Jesus. To be clear, this mind is not simply one devoid of pride. It is a mind full of love, one that “counts others more significant than [our]selves”. We cannot be of the same mind if we are self-promoting or self-absorbed, for the mind of Christ is radically self-giving.

Second, having the same mind ends with striving together for the gospel. If we stay in the book of Philippians, and move back just a few verses from where we began in chapter 2, this is what we would read in chapter 1, verse 27...

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel...

A life worthy of the gospel is a life that strives for the gospel. A mind full of Christ leads to a mouth full of Christ. The humility and servanthood that imitates Jesus, leads us to care most about the eternal soul of our unsaved friend or family member or coworker, just as Jesus did and does. And when each one of us is kneeling in humility, wonderfully, we will soon find our-selves “striving side by side for the faith of the gospel”.

And yet, some might say, “Okay. But what about 1 Corinthians? What does “same mind” mean in that letter?” It means just what we looked at. When Paul talks about God's people having “the same mind”, the idea is the same in all his letters. This comes through most clear later in the letter we call first Corinthians. Listen to 10:32–33. To the glory of God, Paul instructs them to...

Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, [33][listen to this] just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, [to what end?] that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Having the same mind begins with having the mind of Christ, and ends with striving together for the gospel. This is the maturity to which Paul calls them. This is the love to which God calls them.

III. Gospel Humility, Gospel Partnership

In the same way, this is the maturity and love to which we are called. Brothers and sisters, please take a moment to think about our oneness. This thing called Way of Grace doesn't unite us. Our oneness is not grounded in the identity of this local church. If it were, our submission to these things, our passion for these things, our commitment to these things, might just rise and fall with the highs and lows, with the successes and failures of this church. But if our oneness is in Jesus, then we are always called, by our ever-present Master, to humbly serve and to faithfully strive, side by side. Does this describe your “mind” for Christ and for his church? If you could have everyone share your personal mindset for our life together, is this what it would look like? Or, if your being honest with yourself, is that mindset more about your personal preferences, or your needs, rather than gospel-inspired humility and gospel-inspired partnership?

Friends, if our desire is to apply these things, then we should always begin small. What I mean is that our pursuit, as a group, to this 'same-mindedness' begins one relationship at a time. And so choose one brother or sister and take these simple steps: 1) consider their interests as more significant than yours, and 2) consider how to strive side by side with them for the faith of the gospel. What will that look like? It will certainly mean reaching out to them and talking with them. But it may result in any number of things: praying for them, listening to them, encouraging them, sharing Scripture with them, praying with them for an unsaved friend. Or it may mean sorting out an obstacle in your relationship. Wherever it leads, let us pray for this church; that as we each look to Jesus in faith, as we are comforted and convicted and inspired by the One who took the form of a servant for our salvation, that such love would drive all of us in practical ways toward that “same mind” of gospel humility and gospel partnership. Let ask God to help us in this way.