1 Corinthians 1:10 – I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 11 For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. 12 Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.”

13 Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. 16 (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) 17 For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power. (NLT) 

Today we take a look at the beginning of Paul’s letter to the Church in Corinth.  Paul had a close relationship to the Christians in Corinth, having spent eighteen months there establishing the church.  Corinth was one of the largest cities of its time, and became very instrumental in the spread of Christianity.  The Church in Corinth may very well have been one of the largest congregations of the first century.  It was not, however, without its problems.  The biggest problem that this church had was with members seeking to divide themselves.  Unfortunately, this problem plagues Christianity still today.

Christians, like all people, will use just about any reason to divide themselves.  In this passage, Paul is addressing just one of the reasons that the Corinthian Christians were using to divide – baptism.  It appears that some who had been baptized by certain individuals were claiming a loyalty to that individual.  They may have even been picking some minute details in that individuals’ preaching to further divide themselves.  While this may seem strange to some of us, still today many Christians follow a preacher as if that preacher were the second coming of Christ!  Paul makes it clear that no matter how much we may admire a Church leader, only Jesus died for our sins (verse 13), and therefore only Jesus deserves our ultimate loyalty.  This is why Paul asks in verse thirteen: “Was I, Paul, crucified for you?” 

I’ve often joked that the original Greek says, “Wherever two or more are gathered there will be division!”  Sadly, in some churches this seems to be the case.  We should strive to live up to the calling of verse ten: “Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”  Our purpose is to glorify God in all things, and dividing ourselves does little to glorify God.  In fact, divisions and fights within churches have often chased people away from Church – and away from Christ.  This is a tragedy of huge proportions.

In our relationships we will always have differences.  We must look beyond our differences.  Paul tells us in Colossians: “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace.” (3:12-15, NLT). 

Today, let us look beyond our differences, cling to our common hope in Christ Jesus, and seek to glorify God in all our relationships.

Posted by Ramón Torres