Let the Division Cease - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Christians aren’t perfect. Even though we know about God’s love and grace, we are still human sinners that struggle with grace sometimes. I have seen countless times that a church splits because of issues that don’t involve salvation.  Division is the separation into two or more parts. These parts are broken and no longer work together. 

How productive are we as a church body or a group of Christians when we are divided? What message is that portraying to the unbeliever? How do we mend the division and become united again? 

__________________
1 Corinthians 1:10-17
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. 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.
__________________

After a word of encouragement, Paul addresses the area of concern that was brought to him. First off, he addresses the division that he heard about. Division still occurs today within the church. People may disagree on what it taught or emphasized. Someone may do or say something wrong to someone, or it may be received in a way that is perceived as offensive. What we see here is Paul addressing this by appealing, but the NKJV uses the word ‘plead.’ Paul is exhorting or beseeching the church of Corinth. Asking them for a pressing need for change. As with today’s churches, God is there urgently calling us to speak as one and become united in the same mind and same judgment. Our opinions and knowledge need to be aligned with each other in Christ. There is only one thing that matters, and that is our salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Even within our local church, everyone comes from different backgrounds in Biblical teaching. We all have differing opinions on certain topics and how we view things, but Paul tells us we must be unified in Christ. It does not matter where we grew up or went to church before. Now, we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and what matters is Jesus. Jesus is the cornerstone. It is not by baptism or good works, but it is through Jesus. Disagreement causes quarreling, and this hinders our mission of creating disciples. If we can’t be on one accord, how are we going to demonstrate Christ to those around us? 

Paul tells the Corinthians that he, Peter, and Apollos all taught the same Jesus and the same Gospel of truth. What matters is that you accept the truth of Christ and have faith that He rose from the grave. It doesn’t matter if it was at a denominational church or not, as long as the truth is what sets you free. Minor nuances of interpretation should not divide us when it is not a salvation issue. 

Mark 12:30-31
³⁰ “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Are our disagreements getting in the way of what is written here in Mark? First of all, we need to love the Lord our God with EVERYTHING and ALL of us, THEN we need to love our brothers and sisters more than we love ourselves. We need to be humble and put others above ourselves. 

Therefore, I encourage all of us to pour out love instead of quarreling. We must be unified in Christ as one body. As Christians, we are to be a witness of Christ to those outside the church, but we also need to be encouraging to others within the church. Communicate and love each other instead of being divisive. We are an assembly of believers in Christ, and I pray that we can put aside our differing opinions and become unified in Christ.