All of Life for God: Is Christ Divided?

Our sermon text today is 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 10 through 17. We heard last week that there were many problems in the Corinthian church which Paul talks about in this letter. And here we come to the first one, the problem of divisions, quarreling, quarreling in the church. Paul will instruct the Corinthians about this issue from this point on talking about divisions really until chapter 4. So please give your attention now to the holy and infallible words of God beginning at 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. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says I follow Paul or I follow Apollo's or I follow Seifas or I follow Christ. This Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Christmas and Gaius so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of stuffiness. Beyond that I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. 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. This is the word of the Lord. About a hundred years ago there was a great war that was fought internationally involving many different nations especially in Europe. It was such a bloody war. Incredibly gruesome taking the lives of millions and millions of people. The new technologies introduced by the Industrial Revolution were transformed by this war into brutal machines of massacre. But some people were hopeful that after this great release of political tension with human progress and proper diplomacy the global peace was right around the corner. So they called it the war to end all wars. The war to end all wars. But just 20 years later as many of you know a deadlier international war broke out which claimed more human lives than any other war in history. And then what was called the war to end all wars simply became known as World War One. What is the answer to this endless fighting and quarreling that humanity always engages in? Whether between nations or within families or even in the church. How can we possibly arrive at peace? Our passage today points the way by speaking into the situation of the Corinthians. Paul says to the Corinthians, "There is quarreling among you, my brothers. There is quarreling." The kind of quarreling that was found in the Corinthian church was based on people's preferences for different Christian ministers. As we see in verse 12, one person preferred this preacher, another person preferred that preacher. And this resulted in arguing and divisions. The names of four preachers are listed here. The first one obviously is Paul himself being the spiritual father, the planter of the Corinthian church. Clearly he had a place in that church recognized as the founder. So there were some who said, "I follow Paul." At the same time, however, there were some in that congregation who pledged their loyalty to Apollo's, a man named Apollo's, over against Paul, feeling that Apollo's is better than Paul. Now Apollo's was indeed a great preacher. We learn about him from Acts chapter 18, the book of Acts chapter 18, which tells us that Apollo's was an eloquent man, competent in the scriptures, a fervent in spirit. It says that he powerfully refuted the Jews in public. So Apollo's was rhetorically impressive. He was a very good public speaker and preacher. And perhaps of this, there were some in the Corinthian congregation who looked up to him. They looked up to Apollo's to the point of putting down Paul. Apollo's also had a time of serving the Corinthian church. We know that he traveled to Achaia, which is the Roman province where the city of Corinth was located. And Paul will say later in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, that he planted and Apollo's watered, which likely means that Apollo's was preaching for the Corinthians on nourishing and feeding them for a season, watering them. However, as a result, these disagreements about Apollo's versus Paul, Paul versus Apollo's started to emerge in that church. There were also some who were loyal to Cephas. Cephas is Peter. There's another name for Peter, also known as the prince of the Apostles. He was the leading man among the 12 disciples. So some of the Corinthians preferred Cephas, the preferred Peter, likely for his prominent position and for his closeness to Jesus when he walked on the earth. And of course, Paul, by contrast, as someone whose apostleship was granted much later and was also repeatedly challenged, was not seen by some as measuring up to the prince of the apostles, Cephas. So there was this Paul group, this Apollo's group, this and this Cephas group. And then there is also this fourth group listed here who say, "I follow Christ, I follow Christ." Now, in theory, in theory, to say, "I follow Christ is good," right? That's what we really want to say. In fact, this is where Paul wants to lead us ultimately. If you skip ahead and look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3, at the end of the chapter, Paul says, "So let no one boast in men, for all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollo's or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours. And you are Christ's. You are Christ's and Christ is God's. To be ultimately loyal to Christ is really the right way to go as Paul will show later. So what's wrong with this group of people who say, "I follow Christ," because it does seem like they are part of the problem also. Not because there's anything wrong with the idea of belonging to Christ and following Christ, but because of the attitude, the spirit of pride and hostility, in which this was expressed, the ancient preacher, Krasostom, understands it this way. He says, "Even those who said they were of Christ were at fault because they were implicitly denying this to others and making Christ the head of a faction rather than the head of a whole." So that's a situation that Corinth, which Paul wants to speak into, the situation of division. And here Paul begins to answer this problem. Like I mentioned, Paul's answer to this problem of division spans four chapters, so we're not going to cover it all today. This is only the beginning. Paul starts to instruct this quarreling church in 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. Paul addresses this issue of divisions directly. And simply, he basically says, agree, have no divisions have the same mind. He calls the Corinthians to unity, reminding them of the name of Christ, which is dishonored when his people quarrel in this way. Paul also reminds the Corinthians about the unity of Christ's body using a rhetorical question. He asks them in verse 13, is Christ divided? Is Christ divided? And the obvious answer to that, of course, is no. It should be known that Christ isn't divided and therefore his body, the church, is also undivided in its very essence. Paul wanted the Corinthians to consider that the way they were quarreling does not reflect the spiritual unity that they essentially have, the oneness and fellowship, that they really do have with each other because of Christ. The way they were quarreling made it seem like human teachers and human preachers were the basis of their unity, which is why Paul goes on to ask, was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? Reminding them that Christ, who was crucified for them and into whose name they were baptized, is the only true basis for unity in the church. And Paul goes on to talk about baptism, thanking God that he really didn't baptize many people in the Corinthian church because that would have added more fuel to the fire, solidifying a faction of people who could boast about being baptized by Paul or even worse, who would think that they were baptized into Paul's name. It's likely that Paul talks about baptism here in response to some who were making a big deal about who baptized them, right, who they were baptized by and whose baptism was better because they were baptized by a greater apostle. That very well may have been part of the conversation. This kind of thing certainly was an issue later in church history. Because there were some big controversies and debates a few centuries later in the church related to baptism. There were some people in the ancient church called the donatists, the donatists who argued that if you were baptized by a certain bishop or minister and then that person later commits a serious sin or even falls away, denies the faith, then your baptism doesn't count. Your baptism is canceled because the pastor who baptized you fell away from the faith. You have to get rebaptized. That's what the donatists believed. But the theologian Augustine used a scripture to refute and disprove this idea. So baptism may have been treated at Corinth in not in the same way but in a similar way, where the status or stature of the man administering the baptism became all too important. But Paul situates baptism in its proper place, showing that baptism itself is not the main point, but supports the preaching of the gospel, which is the main point. So he says in verse 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." Not with words of eloquent wisdom. Now, with this phrase in verse 17, about preaching the gospel, not with words of eloquent wisdom. Paul is suggesting furthermore that these divisions in Corinth partly had to do with peoples what you would call their rhetorical tastes. We had talked about the kind of city that Corinth was, right? Fairly sophisticated, culturally influential. So in Corinth, Paul's eloquence, or rather his lack of eloquence in the eyes of the Corinthians, was often an issue. In other words, Paul did not come across to many people as a great speaker or orator. In second Corinthians chapter 10, verse 10, "We learned that there were people who attacked Paul, saying that his bodily presence is weak and his speech of no account." That was their attack on Paul. He's not a great speaker. This was part of the context of Corinth, and it seems to be one of the factors behind their divisions. But Paul does not apologize for the way that he is, how he preaches and delivers the word of God. Instead, he wanted the people of Corinth to understand that the power and profundity of the gospel, the message of the cross of Jesus Christ, is not dependent at all on what people usually think of as eloquence or sophisticated or attractive or interesting. And Paul will explain that more later in the next few passages. But the one main idea that our text today teaches us about God is this, that Jesus Christ alone is the true source of unity. Jesus Christ alone is the true source of unity. Most everyone aspires to unity. I'm sure that even if you ask the Corinthians, "Do you all want to be equal?" "Do you want to be united?" They would say, "Yes, of course, we want to be united." But please tell those guys over there to get with the program. Everybody says that they want peace. And yet we somehow rarely attain that ideal, despite our noble feelings and good principles, we always end up in conflict. We don't know how to bring peace to be united. But part of the problem, what often lies at the root of our failures to be at peace with each other, is that we insist on asking the wrong question to begin with. We are usually asking how to achieve peace. How can we achieve peace? But before we get to the how, the more important and crucial question is who can bring peace. Who is the one that can unite us? And the only ultimate absolute answer to that question is Jesus Christ. It is remarkable that as Paul deals with this mess, this problem of division in the Corinthian church, he doesn't really give practical tips on conflict resolution. He doesn't go into detail about how these different groups can work out and agreement. He simply tells them to be united and then points them to Christ. Because the true solution to this unity is not so much a strategy, but a savior. What we need more than principles is a person. A person. And who is that person? Paul says, not me. Not me. The planter, the founder of that church, basically he says to them, listen, I wasn't crucified for you. You are not baptized in my name. I am not the one who can pull you all together. And by saying this, Paul points them to Jesus. who was crucified for them and who made them one through his cross. One of the amazing things about God's plan of redemption is that unity and peace is brought into the world through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. That violent death accomplished reconciliation at multiple levels. It brought peace between God and man. And as we read just now in Ephesians chapter 2 it broke down the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles. The cross of Christ is really the great rallying point for humanity, for all sorts of people. And so that's why Paul when addressing the Corinthian divisions goes straight to talking about the cross. The cross brings unity. It breaks down our differences. It is the great equalizer from the newest believer to the most mature godly saint. All Christians are brought together at this rallying point. Because all of us have to cling to the cross of Christ desperately. Don't we? No matter whether you're rich or poor, no matter whether you're a man or a woman, you're an adult or a child, educated or simple, everyone has to cling to the cross of Christ. The professor of theology in the seminary does not need the blood of Christ any less than you do. We all need the blood of Christ the same, desperately. At the foot of the cross we are all simply unholy sinners, beggars, the need of mercy and forgiveness. At the foot of the cross we all receive immeasurable love and grace and can only bow down in humble worship. There and there only. At the foot of the cross do we find real fellowship. And at the end of time when the new creation has come in its fullness in its perfect peace and serenity and there is no war and conflict and the wolf dwells together with the lamb and the leopard lies down with the goat. When that day comes it will not be because we finally figured out the secret to world peace. It will not be because we cracked the code to societal harmony to how to live together. It will simply be because as it says in Colossians chapter 1 verse 20 Jesus has reconciled all things to himself whether on earth or in heaven making peace by the blood of his cross. Jesus Christ alone is the true source of unity through his cross. How then should we live? Well as mentioned our how must be built upon the who. Right? And when it comes to the issue of peace and unity we must go to the only one who could bring us together not in the boastful and self elevating way that the I follow Jesus group seem to be doing but rallying especially to the cross of Jesus Christ remembering him in his humble state in his suffering and his love. That itself will be an antidote for many evils that poison and divide the body of Christ. And so when Paul tells the Corinthians in verse 10 to be united in the same mind have the same mind he's not just calling them to find a consensus you know he's not just telling them to meet in the middle to figure out a win-win for the Corinthians or for any group of people to truly be of one mind they have to keep in mind who was crucified for them not Paul not a Paulus not Seifas but Jesus Christ that's the way to have the same mind and that's why Paul in Philippians chapter 2 after telling that church to be of one mind after saying that a few verses later he says this have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on across that is the one mind so what kind of mind do we need for us all to be united in the same mind it's the mind of Christ who humbled himself unto death on across that is the mind we strive for unity we strive for oneness of mind by rallying to the cross there we learn humility and humility helps us to relate to each other in the most winsome and wise and peaceable way possible thus promoting unity and I think Paul himself models this humility well even in our sermon text today strikingly out of all these factions all these groups who were quarreling he speaks most strongly against his own faction did you notice that against the people who say I follow Paul now Paul could have said was a Paulos crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Seaphos he could have said that but he doesn't instead he says was Paul crucified for you or you baptized in the name of Paul some might think that this is not so smart politically speaking if you found it this church and your support base was shrinking would you risk offending your remaining supporters would you scold them for praising you too much a proud person would not dream of saying anything like that it wouldn't even cross his mind but the Holy Spirit had worked a Christ like humility in Paul's heart demonstrated here and notice this it's not even that he is indifferent about his supporters it's not that he doesn't care either way right if he yes supporters or not we see here that Paul actually feels uncomfortable with his fan base at corn that they had exalted him to a position that is too high he's not okay with that he dislikes it he thinks God that he didn't baptize more people there because a life lived near to the cross of Jesus Christ means that Paul knows himself as we know from his other letters he knows himself as the chief of sinners unworthy to be an apostle mercifully called into service and he sincerely wants everyone to boast only in the cross of Jesus Christ Martin Luther had a similar attitude when he learned during the Reformation that his followers were being called Lutherans and he said what is Luther after all the teaching is not mine neither was I crucified for anyone how then should I force thinking maggot father that I am it's classic Luther come to have men call the children of Christ by my wretched name not so my dear friends let us abolish all party names and call ourselves Christians. After him, who's teaching we hold. Brothers and sisters, let us rally to the cross of Christ and live close to it. Fixing the eyes of our hearts on Jesus, always confessing who we are as sinners in need of forgiveness, in constant need of constant forgiveness and always learning from the humble example of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ who was crucified for us. There alone can we truly overcome our differences. There we can find the peace that eludes all of humanity. There only will be fulfilled the words of Psalm 133. Behold how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. Amen. Father, we thank you for this encouragement and we confess our sin that so often we have been ripping and tearing as the body of Christ by our pride, our anger, our bitterness, our gossiping, our hard thoughts about each other, our failure to love each other as Christ has loved us. I have mercy on this Lord. Please forgive us and teach us. Our Lord Jesus, you are the only foundation of your church. We depend on you to unite your people. And we ask that you would do that by keeping each of us near your cross. Remind us of who we are and the who you are. And enable us to count others more important, more significant than ourselves, imitating you. We thank you, Father, for the hope that we will one day come into a place of everlasting peace, where our fellowship with each other, which is now sultainted by our sin, where our fellowship will finally become unhindered and perfectly sweet in the presence of Christ, in the communion of your spirit and to your glory forevermore. We praise you for this, through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.