Last week, we started this new series on I Corinthians, a rather
lengthy letter to the church at Corinth.
I was surprised to find it’s actually a few words longer than the book
of Romans. It’s just shy of 9500 words. That’s about twice as many words as I’m likely
to say in this message. If we read
straight through it out loud, it’d take us about an hour and a half to do it.
The basis of this letter is Paul’s heart-felt and deeply personal concern for the Corinth church as a pastor. When I say concern for the church, I mean concern for the people of the church because that is what a church is. A church is the people, not the building. It is the ones whom God has chosen, His ekklesia.
The basis of this letter is Paul’s heart-felt and deeply personal concern for the Corinth church as a pastor. When I say concern for the church, I mean concern for the people of the church because that is what a church is. A church is the people, not the building. It is the ones whom God has chosen, His ekklesia.
When I say Paul’s concern was that of a pastor, it’s the concern of
someone who is a caretaker, one who feels a responsibility for the lives of
those in the church. The word pastor comes
from the Latin where it literally means shepherd. A shepherd takes care of the needs of the
flock. In the case of shepherding a
church, the pastor is strangely one of the sheep, too. He also provides a living example to the
church or flock. You can find this
description in I Peter 5:1-4.
Jesus is ultimately the Chief Shepherd, and He will appear and all the sheep who hear his voice will respond and go with Him for all eternity (John 10:11-18) where there will ultimately be one flock and one Shepherd.
In the meantime, Jesus has instituted the church, His body, to be supported and taken care of by elders or overseers or pastors. All these words are used interchangeably in Scripture. There is a universal church and there are individual churches. Paul is interfacing with the church at Corinth as pastor or shepherd who cares for the lives of the people.
He has several purposes in writing. But more or less, Paul will spend the bulk of this letter instructing and restoring the church in areas of weakness. He will offer correction of wrong practices and outright sin among the people of the church. He will explain other areas of day-to-day life and church life where the Corinthians are exhibiting unhealthy behaviors. There is much within these pages which we can learn from and apply in our own lives. In some cases, we will hear things that correct our thinking and at other times, we will hear things which will deepen our understanding and help us avoid problems in the future.
There were substantial problems in the believers’ conduct to one another in Corinth. Paul addresses these problems with truth and gives actions or reactions needed to correct them. He makes it clear that the Corinthians and all believers need progressive sanctification. We need continuing development of our character. We need to grow in holiness. That’s a major theme of I Corinthians.
Carl intentionally refrained from discussing what the Corinth church itself was like because it would be revealed as we studied through this letter over the coming weeks. And so today, we’re going to get our first hints about them and what was going on there when Paul sent this letter. As you can guess from today’s title, the situation is not all flowers and happiness.
Before we begin with the passage, let’s pray:
Lord God, speak to us from Your Word. Help us to understand it. More importantly, help us to apply it. Please lead us. I pray that the message today would accomplish Your intended purpose. Encourage and strengthen these Your saints, I pray. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
We’ve a relatively brief passage today, so let’s begin by reading all the verses:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” I Corinthians 1:10-12
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:13-17
So what is the issue which Paul wants to tackle first? Division. People are dividing up, taking sides. At this point, Paul’s not even dealing with any particular error associated with the division. He’s not dealing with the why question at all. He’s not saying you’re on the wrong side because. He’s just saying stop picking sides. We’re all on the same side. We’re on the side of Christ. We’re on the same team. Paul is saying when you start picking sides you’ve missed the whole point of what it means to be in Christ!
What is it with us with picking sides? (By “us,” I mean people in general.)
If I happen to be watching a sport on TV (which is fairly rare anymore), and Joseph walks into the room, his immediate question is, “Which team are we pulling for?” If there is not a specifically obvious choice, we’ll sometimes ramble around for a while just to find a “side” to pull for. We might like one team because we happen to pull for another team in the same division. In the pro sports, we might pull for a team because there’s a player on one of the teams who comes from our area. There is some unspoken rule that you must have a side when watching sports.
I’ve told you this before, but I’ve been a lifelong Clemson fan. I also happen to be a Clemson alumnus, so I feel like it’s reasonable to pull for Clemson. Now, I’m legit.
I spent my early childhood and elementary school years in South Carolina, but not directly in Clemson. I kid you not, the world as far as I was concerned was divided in two halves. You were either a Clemson fan or a South Carolina fan. That’s just how it was.
I heard Dabo Swinney one time talking about growing up in Alabama. A reporter asked him why he went to Alabama. Dabo answered that in Alabama they stamp your birth certificate either Alabama or Auburn, and that’s just it. I happen to have been born in North Carolina, so I’m pretty sure they don’t have Clemson or South Carolina stamps up there. But, it sure did seem like I had that Clemson stamp growing up. I mean I used to draw pictures of tigers cooking chickens in pots when I was in elementary school.
We moved back to North Carolina in the mid-eighties. In North Carolina, basketball is king. Football in those days, not so much. I willingly suffered through dismal Clemson basketball season after dismal basketball season. There was never any question in my mind about “changing sides.” I had been a Clemson fan, was a Clemson fan, and would be a Clemson fan always.
It goes even deeper. Not only was I a Clemson fan, as such I was raised to be an enemy of South Carolina and University of Georgia fans. There are stories which got retold over the years which created a disdain for fans of those particular schools. You don’t repeat the stories about the friendly or Christ-like fans from opposing schools. Instead, you repeat the stories of the particularly obnoxious ones. You wait and watch for those teams’ failures and then you taunt those fans or you watch the failures of other fans so that you can classify them to be worthy of scorn as a group.
Now, having gone to school at Clemson and working my whole career in the upstate, I’ve had the luxury of being among a majority Clemson culture. As a result, I don’t feel like my Clemson stripes have really been tested. One of my best friends at work is a South Carolina fan. We’ve worked together at least weekly for the last 17 years. He and I have never talked about our sports allegiance. I’m quite sure we never will.
On the other hand, I have an acquaintance at work. This is a guy I greet every time I see him. We rarely say more than a couple of words to each other. We don’t work together directly. We don’t have any relationship beyond this mutual respect of friendliness. At the same time, I know this guy is a true South Carolina fan by the clothes he wears and the fact that he will have various sports schedules up at his desk.
Because of this knowledge, I have an irrational fear. I’m afraid that if the subject ever comes up, I will be forced to resort to my base level programming. I will have to reject this guy because at the core of my being I’m a Clemson fan (have been, am now, always will be).
This is going to sound really dumb, but one of my personal measures for my own spiritual maturity is how I feel about South Carolina and Georgia fans. Once I reach full maturity in Christ, I will be able to love a South Carolina fan or a Georgia fan the same way I would love a Clemson fan without distinction, even the obnoxious ones.
I’m not there yet, not fully mature. If you really snuck up on me with a derogatory surprise attack as a South Carolina or Georgia fan, I’m pretty sure I’d respond in kind. It’s just too comfortable because a part of my identity is wrapped up in being a Clemson fan. It is a part of who I am. It should be possible for me to like Clemson and not despise South Carolina or Georgia. I’m a whole lot better that I was 20 years ago, but that unnecessary and unhealthy attitude is still somewhere deep down there. I’m okay with you thinking it’s dumb because you’re right. It is dumb. At the same time, whether or not it is silly doesn’t negate the fact that it is also real, and though trivial, it is a part of my life.
There are necessary divisions. Jesus talked about that. There is division between good and evil. These two things are mutually exclusive. Later in I Corinthians, we will talk about problems in the church and church discipline. Sadly, these things are necessary, but always with a view toward reconciliation. Unnecessary divisions, though, are bad. If you have unfounded division, then you’re going to have all kind of weird problems. There is violence at some sporting events because of which teams people like. That’s a weird problem. An unnecessary division ended up leading directly to a real and tragic problem.
An unnecessary division is one which is founded in pride and twisted truth at best. A necessary division is one founded in truth with a spirit of humility. An unnecessary division seeks to further the gap and isolate the sides. Necessary division seeks to reconcile and restore. There are going to be cases where reconciliation is not possible. For example, the Bible is quite clear that reconciliation with Satan is not possible. However, among people, there is always hope this side of death.
Earlier I mentioned that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. We are a part of one flock with all other believers. Therefore, there should not be division among us. We are one body in Christ. He is the head of the church. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, one family. We should function as a body that works together. We should not set ourselves up with allegiances that would cause us to look down on one another in any way. If one of us stumbles, we should diligently seek to restore one another. If we hurt one another, we should quickly seek reconciliation, reparation, and forgiveness.
Let’s look at a few verses together about unity. Unity is a common thread throughout the New Testament and a crucial characteristic of the body of Christ.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:16
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you. Romans 15:7
Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. II Corinthians 13:11
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:1-5
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. I Peter 3:8-9
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. I Corinthians 1:10
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
And that is our prayer as pastors for the whole body.
Unnecessary division=bad. Unity=good.
Let’s return to our original passage now, looking at verses 11-12.
My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” I Corinthians 1:11-12
We see that Paul received his information from Chloe’s household. This is the single mention of Chloe in the Bible, so we don’t know her story. We do see several cases in Scripture where household salvations occur. John 4:53 (royal official’s household after the Jesus healed his son from a distance), Acts 11:14 (Cornelius), Acts 16:15 (Lydia), Acts 16:31-34 (Philippian jailer), Acts 18:8 (Crispus), I Corinthians 1:16 (Stephanas), and other households are mentioned without clear explanation of how they came to believe. We’ve talked about this in the past, but as the parents of a household go, so goes the family. moms and dads are vitally important to the faith of the home.
We’ve already talked about division in some detail. What is a natural outcome of division? Quarrels. Galatians 5 discusses discord, dissension, and factions (v. 19-21) as acts of the sinful nature before going on to describe the fruits of the Spirit including love and peace, patience and kindness, gentleness and self-control (v. 22-23). And James 4:12 says we should not sit in judgment of our neighbor. I Corinthians 13 speaks of how love believes all things and hopes all things, the antidote of division and quarrel.
Verse 12 shows the specific sides that the Corinthians were lining up on. Apollos was one of the leaders whom they claimed allegiance to. Apollos first appears at the end of Acts 18 when he arrives in Ephesus. This is same chapter where Paul started the church in Corinth. In Ephesus, Apollos learns the full gospel from Priscilla and Aquila (at that time Paul had returned to Antioch). Before Paul gets back to Ephesus, Apollos goes to Corinth with the blessing of the believers in Ephesus who wrote letters of introduction for him. Once in Corinth, “he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 18:27-28) Apollos clearly endeared himself to the Corinthian church.
In a couple of weeks, we will see Paul and Apollos pitted against each other again in chapter 3. Paul writes there, “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?” (I Corinthians 3:4-5)
Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I Corinthians 3:5
Cephas is Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Cephas means rock in Aramaic; Peter means rock in Greek. Jesus first called Peter Cephas as shown in John 1:42. These three are significant leaders and men whose examples are worthy of following. However, they are not to be worshipped, and the Corinthians do not belong to one of them or the other.
Ultimately, we should have a mindset of following Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 10:38, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” He repeats that thought in Matthew 16:24. Similar statements appear in Mark (8:34), twice in Luke (9:23, 14:27), and twice in John (10:27 and 12:26). John records Jesus saying, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)
Last week, in the 9:45 am study of Mark, we read about the rich young ruler in Mark 10. In that passage, Jesus asked the young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him. Many people get concerned about that passage, wondering whether or not it means you’re supposed to sell everything. We would say that this command of Jesus is specific to the young man and not general in nature. Jesus is not asking everyone to sell all they have.
What Jesus is asking us, though, is even more serious than selling all our stuff. Jesus doesn’t tell us to sell all our possessions. Instead, He tells everyone who would be His disciple that we must take up our cross. What does that mean? It means to be willing to give up everything, including our very life.
Sometimes we sell Jesus short … we should not just add a little Jesus to our life … Jesus should be our life.
… whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. I Corinthians 3:22-23
Let’s look at the last of our verses now …
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:13-17
When I see that first question, I think of Deuteronomy 6:4 which we sometimes sing. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
No one can die for the sin of someone else. Only Jesus can do that. It only makes sense to be baptized in Jesus’ name. It would mean nothing to be baptized into Paul. Unfortunately, the Corinthians seemed to place some prestige on who had baptized them.
I Corinthians 12:13 is quite clear. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.”
The person who baptizes you is not the person you are baptized into. You are baptized into Christ. Of course, the Great Commission in Matthew 28 gives it as a directive: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Paul was glad that he hadn’t baptized anyone because it was becoming a point of contention. If we allow it, just about anything can become a point of contention. Paul is not saying that baptism is unimportant, he’s saying he’s glad that in this case it is not able to be corrupted into a foolish argument.
Crispus was the synagogue ruler’s name, so this is likely the same guy. It would make sense that if Paul led Crispus to the Lord as told in Acts 18:8 that he would baptize him. Gaius was mentioned as a host at the end of Romans. The letter to the Romans was likely written from Corinth. So Gaius may have been an early support of Paul in Corinth. However, Gaius was a common Roman name, and two other Gaius’s are mentioned in Scripture (one who was from Derbe, another from Macedonia, Acts 19:29).
The household of Stephanas is mentioned at the end of I Corinthians as being the first converts and having devoted themselves to the service of the saints. It seems likely that Paul was baptizing only the first believers. Subsequent believers were probably baptized by Corinthians who had believed before them.
Paul’s primary task was to preach. This does not minimize baptism. Both Jesus and Peter had others who baptized rather than doing it themselves. The expression translated “words of human wisdom” is literally “wisdom of speech.” Paul apparently was careful not to express the gospel in the language of a trained orator. He wasn’t attempting techniques of influencing people by persuasive arguments.
I find that refreshing. We don’t need to be concerned about eloquence. We can take Paul as our example and make it a goal to state things plainly. (Of course, we shouldn’t make it our goal to state things carelessly. We should try to be effective communicators.) We should share the good news of Jesus Christ and leave the results up to God. Whether or not someone chooses to believe in Jesus does not come down to whether or not you were using the best debate technique.
Over in I Corinthians 2, Paul goes on to say,
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. … My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power … This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. I Corinthians 2:1, 4, 13
God gave me a little treat yesterday while I was working on the message. Who has seen the Pixar short called Boundin’? It’s a classic tale of human wisdom. In it you can find some Biblical themes. The jack-a-lope character is kind of like one of the cloud of witnesses. The Bible talks about overcoming and Boundin’ is a story about overcoming. There’s also the theme of not being afraid of what others think, what can “man” do to me? There’s a theme about persevering in trial, that’s Biblical right? The main character is a sheep. Aren’t we sheep? Let’s listen and watch. Think about the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_-k_1WQ5As
What’s the power source of our little sheep friend? Just believe in yourself. Just slap it on down and you’ll find that you’re up in a bound. Try harder, and you can rebound.
But, what happens when you can’t dance anymore? What then?
This is truly the great American ideology. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. This is the message of our culture. It wants you to believe you can do it on your own. And in certain circumstances, this can work. But, it cannot work to address our eternal need. We need a power source far greater than what is in ourselves to fix our brokenness, to remove our shame, to make us fit for eternity with God.
I said that God had given me a treat. Well, Boundin’ wasn’t the treat. The treat was an old southern gospel song titled, “Won’t It Be Worth It My Child”. Let’s listen to it. Think about the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfM47y2P-N4
There’s a new day a coming.
Jesus is ultimately the Chief Shepherd, and He will appear and all the sheep who hear his voice will respond and go with Him for all eternity (John 10:11-18) where there will ultimately be one flock and one Shepherd.
In the meantime, Jesus has instituted the church, His body, to be supported and taken care of by elders or overseers or pastors. All these words are used interchangeably in Scripture. There is a universal church and there are individual churches. Paul is interfacing with the church at Corinth as pastor or shepherd who cares for the lives of the people.
He has several purposes in writing. But more or less, Paul will spend the bulk of this letter instructing and restoring the church in areas of weakness. He will offer correction of wrong practices and outright sin among the people of the church. He will explain other areas of day-to-day life and church life where the Corinthians are exhibiting unhealthy behaviors. There is much within these pages which we can learn from and apply in our own lives. In some cases, we will hear things that correct our thinking and at other times, we will hear things which will deepen our understanding and help us avoid problems in the future.
There were substantial problems in the believers’ conduct to one another in Corinth. Paul addresses these problems with truth and gives actions or reactions needed to correct them. He makes it clear that the Corinthians and all believers need progressive sanctification. We need continuing development of our character. We need to grow in holiness. That’s a major theme of I Corinthians.
Carl intentionally refrained from discussing what the Corinth church itself was like because it would be revealed as we studied through this letter over the coming weeks. And so today, we’re going to get our first hints about them and what was going on there when Paul sent this letter. As you can guess from today’s title, the situation is not all flowers and happiness.
Before we begin with the passage, let’s pray:
Lord God, speak to us from Your Word. Help us to understand it. More importantly, help us to apply it. Please lead us. I pray that the message today would accomplish Your intended purpose. Encourage and strengthen these Your saints, I pray. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
We’ve a relatively brief passage today, so let’s begin by reading all the verses:
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” I Corinthians 1:10-12
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:13-17
So what is the issue which Paul wants to tackle first? Division. People are dividing up, taking sides. At this point, Paul’s not even dealing with any particular error associated with the division. He’s not dealing with the why question at all. He’s not saying you’re on the wrong side because. He’s just saying stop picking sides. We’re all on the same side. We’re on the side of Christ. We’re on the same team. Paul is saying when you start picking sides you’ve missed the whole point of what it means to be in Christ!
What is it with us with picking sides? (By “us,” I mean people in general.)
If I happen to be watching a sport on TV (which is fairly rare anymore), and Joseph walks into the room, his immediate question is, “Which team are we pulling for?” If there is not a specifically obvious choice, we’ll sometimes ramble around for a while just to find a “side” to pull for. We might like one team because we happen to pull for another team in the same division. In the pro sports, we might pull for a team because there’s a player on one of the teams who comes from our area. There is some unspoken rule that you must have a side when watching sports.
I’ve told you this before, but I’ve been a lifelong Clemson fan. I also happen to be a Clemson alumnus, so I feel like it’s reasonable to pull for Clemson. Now, I’m legit.
I spent my early childhood and elementary school years in South Carolina, but not directly in Clemson. I kid you not, the world as far as I was concerned was divided in two halves. You were either a Clemson fan or a South Carolina fan. That’s just how it was.
I heard Dabo Swinney one time talking about growing up in Alabama. A reporter asked him why he went to Alabama. Dabo answered that in Alabama they stamp your birth certificate either Alabama or Auburn, and that’s just it. I happen to have been born in North Carolina, so I’m pretty sure they don’t have Clemson or South Carolina stamps up there. But, it sure did seem like I had that Clemson stamp growing up. I mean I used to draw pictures of tigers cooking chickens in pots when I was in elementary school.
We moved back to North Carolina in the mid-eighties. In North Carolina, basketball is king. Football in those days, not so much. I willingly suffered through dismal Clemson basketball season after dismal basketball season. There was never any question in my mind about “changing sides.” I had been a Clemson fan, was a Clemson fan, and would be a Clemson fan always.
It goes even deeper. Not only was I a Clemson fan, as such I was raised to be an enemy of South Carolina and University of Georgia fans. There are stories which got retold over the years which created a disdain for fans of those particular schools. You don’t repeat the stories about the friendly or Christ-like fans from opposing schools. Instead, you repeat the stories of the particularly obnoxious ones. You wait and watch for those teams’ failures and then you taunt those fans or you watch the failures of other fans so that you can classify them to be worthy of scorn as a group.
Now, having gone to school at Clemson and working my whole career in the upstate, I’ve had the luxury of being among a majority Clemson culture. As a result, I don’t feel like my Clemson stripes have really been tested. One of my best friends at work is a South Carolina fan. We’ve worked together at least weekly for the last 17 years. He and I have never talked about our sports allegiance. I’m quite sure we never will.
On the other hand, I have an acquaintance at work. This is a guy I greet every time I see him. We rarely say more than a couple of words to each other. We don’t work together directly. We don’t have any relationship beyond this mutual respect of friendliness. At the same time, I know this guy is a true South Carolina fan by the clothes he wears and the fact that he will have various sports schedules up at his desk.
Because of this knowledge, I have an irrational fear. I’m afraid that if the subject ever comes up, I will be forced to resort to my base level programming. I will have to reject this guy because at the core of my being I’m a Clemson fan (have been, am now, always will be).
This is going to sound really dumb, but one of my personal measures for my own spiritual maturity is how I feel about South Carolina and Georgia fans. Once I reach full maturity in Christ, I will be able to love a South Carolina fan or a Georgia fan the same way I would love a Clemson fan without distinction, even the obnoxious ones.
I’m not there yet, not fully mature. If you really snuck up on me with a derogatory surprise attack as a South Carolina or Georgia fan, I’m pretty sure I’d respond in kind. It’s just too comfortable because a part of my identity is wrapped up in being a Clemson fan. It is a part of who I am. It should be possible for me to like Clemson and not despise South Carolina or Georgia. I’m a whole lot better that I was 20 years ago, but that unnecessary and unhealthy attitude is still somewhere deep down there. I’m okay with you thinking it’s dumb because you’re right. It is dumb. At the same time, whether or not it is silly doesn’t negate the fact that it is also real, and though trivial, it is a part of my life.
There are necessary divisions. Jesus talked about that. There is division between good and evil. These two things are mutually exclusive. Later in I Corinthians, we will talk about problems in the church and church discipline. Sadly, these things are necessary, but always with a view toward reconciliation. Unnecessary divisions, though, are bad. If you have unfounded division, then you’re going to have all kind of weird problems. There is violence at some sporting events because of which teams people like. That’s a weird problem. An unnecessary division ended up leading directly to a real and tragic problem.
An unnecessary division is one which is founded in pride and twisted truth at best. A necessary division is one founded in truth with a spirit of humility. An unnecessary division seeks to further the gap and isolate the sides. Necessary division seeks to reconcile and restore. There are going to be cases where reconciliation is not possible. For example, the Bible is quite clear that reconciliation with Satan is not possible. However, among people, there is always hope this side of death.
Earlier I mentioned that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. We are a part of one flock with all other believers. Therefore, there should not be division among us. We are one body in Christ. He is the head of the church. We are brothers and sisters in Christ, one family. We should function as a body that works together. We should not set ourselves up with allegiances that would cause us to look down on one another in any way. If one of us stumbles, we should diligently seek to restore one another. If we hurt one another, we should quickly seek reconciliation, reparation, and forgiveness.
Let’s look at a few verses together about unity. Unity is a common thread throughout the New Testament and a crucial characteristic of the body of Christ.
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:16
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you. Romans 15:7
Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. II Corinthians 13:11
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Philippians 2:1-5
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. I Peter 3:8-9
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. I Corinthians 1:10
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
And that is our prayer as pastors for the whole body.
Unnecessary division=bad. Unity=good.
Let’s return to our original passage now, looking at verses 11-12.
My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” I Corinthians 1:11-12
We see that Paul received his information from Chloe’s household. This is the single mention of Chloe in the Bible, so we don’t know her story. We do see several cases in Scripture where household salvations occur. John 4:53 (royal official’s household after the Jesus healed his son from a distance), Acts 11:14 (Cornelius), Acts 16:15 (Lydia), Acts 16:31-34 (Philippian jailer), Acts 18:8 (Crispus), I Corinthians 1:16 (Stephanas), and other households are mentioned without clear explanation of how they came to believe. We’ve talked about this in the past, but as the parents of a household go, so goes the family. moms and dads are vitally important to the faith of the home.
We’ve already talked about division in some detail. What is a natural outcome of division? Quarrels. Galatians 5 discusses discord, dissension, and factions (v. 19-21) as acts of the sinful nature before going on to describe the fruits of the Spirit including love and peace, patience and kindness, gentleness and self-control (v. 22-23). And James 4:12 says we should not sit in judgment of our neighbor. I Corinthians 13 speaks of how love believes all things and hopes all things, the antidote of division and quarrel.
Verse 12 shows the specific sides that the Corinthians were lining up on. Apollos was one of the leaders whom they claimed allegiance to. Apollos first appears at the end of Acts 18 when he arrives in Ephesus. This is same chapter where Paul started the church in Corinth. In Ephesus, Apollos learns the full gospel from Priscilla and Aquila (at that time Paul had returned to Antioch). Before Paul gets back to Ephesus, Apollos goes to Corinth with the blessing of the believers in Ephesus who wrote letters of introduction for him. Once in Corinth, “he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 18:27-28) Apollos clearly endeared himself to the Corinthian church.
In a couple of weeks, we will see Paul and Apollos pitted against each other again in chapter 3. Paul writes there, “For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?” (I Corinthians 3:4-5)
Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I Corinthians 3:5
Cephas is Peter, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Cephas means rock in Aramaic; Peter means rock in Greek. Jesus first called Peter Cephas as shown in John 1:42. These three are significant leaders and men whose examples are worthy of following. However, they are not to be worshipped, and the Corinthians do not belong to one of them or the other.
Ultimately, we should have a mindset of following Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 10:38, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” He repeats that thought in Matthew 16:24. Similar statements appear in Mark (8:34), twice in Luke (9:23, 14:27), and twice in John (10:27 and 12:26). John records Jesus saying, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)
Last week, in the 9:45 am study of Mark, we read about the rich young ruler in Mark 10. In that passage, Jesus asked the young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him. Many people get concerned about that passage, wondering whether or not it means you’re supposed to sell everything. We would say that this command of Jesus is specific to the young man and not general in nature. Jesus is not asking everyone to sell all they have.
What Jesus is asking us, though, is even more serious than selling all our stuff. Jesus doesn’t tell us to sell all our possessions. Instead, He tells everyone who would be His disciple that we must take up our cross. What does that mean? It means to be willing to give up everything, including our very life.
Sometimes we sell Jesus short … we should not just add a little Jesus to our life … Jesus should be our life.
… whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. I Corinthians 3:22-23
Let’s look at the last of our verses now …
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:13-17
When I see that first question, I think of Deuteronomy 6:4 which we sometimes sing. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”
No one can die for the sin of someone else. Only Jesus can do that. It only makes sense to be baptized in Jesus’ name. It would mean nothing to be baptized into Paul. Unfortunately, the Corinthians seemed to place some prestige on who had baptized them.
I Corinthians 12:13 is quite clear. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body.”
The person who baptizes you is not the person you are baptized into. You are baptized into Christ. Of course, the Great Commission in Matthew 28 gives it as a directive: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
Paul was glad that he hadn’t baptized anyone because it was becoming a point of contention. If we allow it, just about anything can become a point of contention. Paul is not saying that baptism is unimportant, he’s saying he’s glad that in this case it is not able to be corrupted into a foolish argument.
Crispus was the synagogue ruler’s name, so this is likely the same guy. It would make sense that if Paul led Crispus to the Lord as told in Acts 18:8 that he would baptize him. Gaius was mentioned as a host at the end of Romans. The letter to the Romans was likely written from Corinth. So Gaius may have been an early support of Paul in Corinth. However, Gaius was a common Roman name, and two other Gaius’s are mentioned in Scripture (one who was from Derbe, another from Macedonia, Acts 19:29).
The household of Stephanas is mentioned at the end of I Corinthians as being the first converts and having devoted themselves to the service of the saints. It seems likely that Paul was baptizing only the first believers. Subsequent believers were probably baptized by Corinthians who had believed before them.
Paul’s primary task was to preach. This does not minimize baptism. Both Jesus and Peter had others who baptized rather than doing it themselves. The expression translated “words of human wisdom” is literally “wisdom of speech.” Paul apparently was careful not to express the gospel in the language of a trained orator. He wasn’t attempting techniques of influencing people by persuasive arguments.
I find that refreshing. We don’t need to be concerned about eloquence. We can take Paul as our example and make it a goal to state things plainly. (Of course, we shouldn’t make it our goal to state things carelessly. We should try to be effective communicators.) We should share the good news of Jesus Christ and leave the results up to God. Whether or not someone chooses to believe in Jesus does not come down to whether or not you were using the best debate technique.
Over in I Corinthians 2, Paul goes on to say,
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. … My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power … This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. I Corinthians 2:1, 4, 13
God gave me a little treat yesterday while I was working on the message. Who has seen the Pixar short called Boundin’? It’s a classic tale of human wisdom. In it you can find some Biblical themes. The jack-a-lope character is kind of like one of the cloud of witnesses. The Bible talks about overcoming and Boundin’ is a story about overcoming. There’s also the theme of not being afraid of what others think, what can “man” do to me? There’s a theme about persevering in trial, that’s Biblical right? The main character is a sheep. Aren’t we sheep? Let’s listen and watch. Think about the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_-k_1WQ5As
What’s the power source of our little sheep friend? Just believe in yourself. Just slap it on down and you’ll find that you’re up in a bound. Try harder, and you can rebound.
But, what happens when you can’t dance anymore? What then?
This is truly the great American ideology. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps. This is the message of our culture. It wants you to believe you can do it on your own. And in certain circumstances, this can work. But, it cannot work to address our eternal need. We need a power source far greater than what is in ourselves to fix our brokenness, to remove our shame, to make us fit for eternity with God.
I said that God had given me a treat. Well, Boundin’ wasn’t the treat. The treat was an old southern gospel song titled, “Won’t It Be Worth It My Child”. Let’s listen to it. Think about the message.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfM47y2P-N4
There’s a new day a coming.
God has a big supper for those who are ready to go.
And ready and able and looking for that table
My friend it’s no fable, I know.
Now before Jesus found me
Now before Jesus found me
The world all around me was filled with turmoil and strife.
Now it may just get tougher but I’m heading for that supper
My name’s in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Oh, won’t it be worth it my child;
Oh, won’t it be worth it my child;
Won’t it be worth it my child
For Jesus to feed us , the angels to greet us.
Oh, won’t it be worth it my child.
Now if you are not ready,
Now if you are not ready,
Just take a look around you.
For your friends and your loved ones may be gone,
And before this song’s ended you better surrender,
Or you might just be left here alone.
Won’t it be worth it my child;
Won’t it be worth it my child;
Won’t it be worth it my child
For Jesus to feed us , the angels to greet us.
Oh, won’t it be worth it my child.
(3x)
I won’t break down the theology of the whole song, but they’re singing about the wedding supper of the Lamb which is described in Revelation 19:9 and also Isaiah 25:6. The part about your friends and loved ones gone is a reference to what is usually called the Rapture. You can find a description of that in I Thessalonians 4:16-18.
I would like to focus on the power source in this song. It is the power of the cross. Here, Jesus finds the singer. The singer has placed his hope in Jesus to save him because he sings that his name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27) The song acknowledges that we will face turmoil and strife, something which Jesus also affirmed in John 16:33. But, “Oh, won’t it be worth it.”
For those whose hope is in Jesus, there is an eternity of tomorrows without tears or fears, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” (I Peter 1:4)
And that is what Paul came to share.
Christ … [sent me] to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:17
He came to share the power of the cross. It is that power that unites us into one body with Jesus at the head. Let us not allow division to diminish what Jesus died to create, a pure spotless bride.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, I ask that we would know You as our source of life. May we come to you with our trials and struggles. May we come to you when we are empty or thirsty and be refilled and refreshed. Guard our hearts from division and quarrel. When we need to ask forgiveness, give us courage to ask. When we need to extend forgiveness, give us strength and compassion to do that. Help us to support and encourage one another as we follow You. Thank You for Your goodness and Your grace. Amen.
I won’t break down the theology of the whole song, but they’re singing about the wedding supper of the Lamb which is described in Revelation 19:9 and also Isaiah 25:6. The part about your friends and loved ones gone is a reference to what is usually called the Rapture. You can find a description of that in I Thessalonians 4:16-18.
I would like to focus on the power source in this song. It is the power of the cross. Here, Jesus finds the singer. The singer has placed his hope in Jesus to save him because he sings that his name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27) The song acknowledges that we will face turmoil and strife, something which Jesus also affirmed in John 16:33. But, “Oh, won’t it be worth it.”
For those whose hope is in Jesus, there is an eternity of tomorrows without tears or fears, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” (I Peter 1:4)
And that is what Paul came to share.
Christ … [sent me] to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. I Corinthians 1:17
He came to share the power of the cross. It is that power that unites us into one body with Jesus at the head. Let us not allow division to diminish what Jesus died to create, a pure spotless bride.
Let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, I ask that we would know You as our source of life. May we come to you with our trials and struggles. May we come to you when we are empty or thirsty and be refilled and refreshed. Guard our hearts from division and quarrel. When we need to ask forgiveness, give us courage to ask. When we need to extend forgiveness, give us strength and compassion to do that. Help us to support and encourage one another as we follow You. Thank You for Your goodness and Your grace. Amen.
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