Contentions and Divisions - Study 6/9/11
Contentions and Divisions
One of the most difficult times in my life was during a period of Church split many years ago. You know the situation where literally, the church, the body of Christ is torn into two. One part of your body is on one side and the other was on the other side. I felt that way. In this situation, some of my dear friends and brothers and sisters sided with one pastor and took off while the rest of us remained within the initial congregation with the other one pastor. In fact I do not remember even the main issues that were at stake then. All I can remember is how I felt divided within me.
Contentions and divisions are real and do happen in the body of Christ, in families and other relationships. Apostle James takes it for granted in acknowledging this fact when in James the question is asked, 1 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet[a] you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and[b] adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”[c] (James 4: 1-6).
The Corinthian Church was as human as we are and therefore had divisions and contentions and taking sides. This is one of the first problems that Apostle Paul will address in this long letter. Do you have contentions in your local body of Christ or your immediate family right now? Be encouraged. There is hope for of all us. Let’s see what Paul says to the Corinthians and then apply that in our lives. What you and I need in every relationship can only be given by God and not the one you are relating to. God is our only source for joy and happiness in life and in every relationship.
Please read all of the 16 chapters of first Corinthians. Let’s dig in and study to experience fully the grace of God which is sufficient even in our contentions and misunderstanding of one another.
1 Corinthians 1
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of 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 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”[a]
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[c]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Paul has identified himself and friend Sosthenes (may be the one who was beaten up in Acts 18 who may now have become a believer in Christ) at the beginning of the Letter. Vs. 1. The purpose may seem obvious but it is to indicate who is writing and because he Paul is one of the apparent source of the division in the Church. It is important to note this because Paul was not going to take sides.
2. Notice that the two key persons that the Corinthian Church were taking sides with are Paul and Apollos. We met Apollos in Acts 18 when the Corinthian Church was formed. From Acts, it seems Apollos stayed to teach and preach in Corinth after Paul had left. 1 “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus” (Acts 19:1). Nothing in the text tells us that he was the Church leader but a key figure in Corinth.
3. Why are the Corinthians choosing Paul or Apollos? It may have been due to their teaching styles. Here is Apollos – 24” Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 18:24-28.
4. We see how Paul defends his teaching in vs.17. “17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” Apollos, contrasted with Paul was “eloquent” and “mighty in the Scriptures”. Not that Paul was not but Paul kept his message very simple – “Christ crucified”. For Paul, Apollos and us, the important thing is that Christ is being preached regardless of style. Apollos probably appealed to the ones who were steeped in Greek philosophy and he “vigorously refuted” them. Someone has to reach the intellectuals and the sophisticated of the world.
5. Now Paul appeals for unity. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”. The unity is in Christ and nothing else. United in the “same mind” of Christ and “judgment” discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit that Christ has given us. It does not mean we become all robots programmed to say the same things. Rather, we are united in mission and purpose in Christ. Apart from this there is no other basis of unity. We have one Lord, one baptism, one Spirit and one Father of all.
6. Notice the key role of Chleo’s household vs.11. They are the ones who sent word to Paul about the divisions in Corinth. Were they gossiping? No. They saw something that was not right and decided to do something about it. They went to Paul because they knew Paul through the Holy Spirit could address the issue. Let’s sometimes intervene for our brothers and sister who may be quarreling with each other. Someone sometimes have to step in to talk sense into us.
7. The wisdom of God is compared to the wisdom of man or the world vs. 20-25. The Harvards and all the Ivy leagues is no match to the wisdom of God which seems to them like foolishness. Are you willing to play a fool for Christ among the intellectuals and well educated? Let’s always keep it simple – Christ crucified, rose from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father and soon will return to judge the world of sin. If you a wise, then this our boast that we are in Christ: 30 “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[
Are you in the midst of contentions in your relations – marriage, family, work, school, body of Christ? Lets’ be reminded that the “grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge”. We quarrel because we feel we want something the other is holding. God is our source and not anybody else. God’s grace is sufficient for us always and we are enriched in all things. Can you and I start a peace process today in our marriage, family and any other relationships? Please pray for the other person you may not understand right now.
Lord, help me to be of the same mind and judgment in all my relationships. Forgive me for the times I have insisted on having only my way. Help me to be centered and anchored only in you and to be a peace maker. Help me to fully understand that by your grace, I lack nothing and have everything I need. Amen.
One of the most difficult times in my life was during a period of Church split many years ago. You know the situation where literally, the church, the body of Christ is torn into two. One part of your body is on one side and the other was on the other side. I felt that way. In this situation, some of my dear friends and brothers and sisters sided with one pastor and took off while the rest of us remained within the initial congregation with the other one pastor. In fact I do not remember even the main issues that were at stake then. All I can remember is how I felt divided within me.
Contentions and divisions are real and do happen in the body of Christ, in families and other relationships. Apostle James takes it for granted in acknowledging this fact when in James the question is asked, 1 “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet[a] you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and[b] adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”[c] (James 4: 1-6).
The Corinthian Church was as human as we are and therefore had divisions and contentions and taking sides. This is one of the first problems that Apostle Paul will address in this long letter. Do you have contentions in your local body of Christ or your immediate family right now? Be encouraged. There is hope for of all us. Let’s see what Paul says to the Corinthians and then apply that in our lives. What you and I need in every relationship can only be given by God and not the one you are relating to. God is our only source for joy and happiness in life and in every relationship.
Please read all of the 16 chapters of first Corinthians. Let’s dig in and study to experience fully the grace of God which is sufficient even in our contentions and misunderstanding of one another.
1 Corinthians 1
1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of 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 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”[a]
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[c]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Paul has identified himself and friend Sosthenes (may be the one who was beaten up in Acts 18 who may now have become a believer in Christ) at the beginning of the Letter. Vs. 1. The purpose may seem obvious but it is to indicate who is writing and because he Paul is one of the apparent source of the division in the Church. It is important to note this because Paul was not going to take sides.
2. Notice that the two key persons that the Corinthian Church were taking sides with are Paul and Apollos. We met Apollos in Acts 18 when the Corinthian Church was formed. From Acts, it seems Apollos stayed to teach and preach in Corinth after Paul had left. 1 “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus” (Acts 19:1). Nothing in the text tells us that he was the Church leader but a key figure in Corinth.
3. Why are the Corinthians choosing Paul or Apollos? It may have been due to their teaching styles. Here is Apollos – 24” Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 18:24-28.
4. We see how Paul defends his teaching in vs.17. “17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.” Apollos, contrasted with Paul was “eloquent” and “mighty in the Scriptures”. Not that Paul was not but Paul kept his message very simple – “Christ crucified”. For Paul, Apollos and us, the important thing is that Christ is being preached regardless of style. Apollos probably appealed to the ones who were steeped in Greek philosophy and he “vigorously refuted” them. Someone has to reach the intellectuals and the sophisticated of the world.
5. Now Paul appeals for unity. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”. The unity is in Christ and nothing else. United in the “same mind” of Christ and “judgment” discernment that comes from the Holy Spirit that Christ has given us. It does not mean we become all robots programmed to say the same things. Rather, we are united in mission and purpose in Christ. Apart from this there is no other basis of unity. We have one Lord, one baptism, one Spirit and one Father of all.
6. Notice the key role of Chleo’s household vs.11. They are the ones who sent word to Paul about the divisions in Corinth. Were they gossiping? No. They saw something that was not right and decided to do something about it. They went to Paul because they knew Paul through the Holy Spirit could address the issue. Let’s sometimes intervene for our brothers and sister who may be quarreling with each other. Someone sometimes have to step in to talk sense into us.
7. The wisdom of God is compared to the wisdom of man or the world vs. 20-25. The Harvards and all the Ivy leagues is no match to the wisdom of God which seems to them like foolishness. Are you willing to play a fool for Christ among the intellectuals and well educated? Let’s always keep it simple – Christ crucified, rose from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father and soon will return to judge the world of sin. If you a wise, then this our boast that we are in Christ: 30 “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”[
Are you in the midst of contentions in your relations – marriage, family, work, school, body of Christ? Lets’ be reminded that the “grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge”. We quarrel because we feel we want something the other is holding. God is our source and not anybody else. God’s grace is sufficient for us always and we are enriched in all things. Can you and I start a peace process today in our marriage, family and any other relationships? Please pray for the other person you may not understand right now.
Lord, help me to be of the same mind and judgment in all my relationships. Forgive me for the times I have insisted on having only my way. Help me to be centered and anchored only in you and to be a peace maker. Help me to fully understand that by your grace, I lack nothing and have everything I need. Amen.
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