This sermon was originally prepared for a gathering in North Carolina, but circumstances have brought it to you today. Procrastination doesn’t pay off—you can’t wait until the last second to prepare, or you won’t be ready. Fortunately, this lesson is ready, drawn from 1 Corinthians chapter 1, with a focus on the question, “Is Christ divided?” and the command, “Let there be no division among you.”
- 1 Corinthians 1:10–17
The topic that I was assigned was, Is Christ divided? And, Let there be no division among you. I thought I would be real cute and get up there and say, if you'll give me just the opportunity to speak very succinctly and to the point about these, you have one question in a statement, and I can answer both of them very quickly. Is Christ divided? No. Let there be no divisions among you. Amen. And then go sit down, because that's really the answer to both of these things.
The question, Is Christ divided? When we get to that particular verse, we get to that particular question. It's rhetorical. So we don't really have to give the answer. The answer is implied in the question and the statement, let there be no division among you, is a statement that we should all get behind as members of the church because God has never been the author of confusion or division.
- 1 Corinthians 1:13
That being said, all of those things being true, we can answer those questions a little bit more in depth. Through a study of this particular passage, one Corinthians chapter one, and the specific context is going to be verses 10 through 17. So let's read those and then we'll get into our lesson this morning.
Paul’s Plea for Unity in the Church
- 1 Corinthians 1:10–17
We'll stop there for a moment because we're going to have quite a bit to say about these verses and really the entire chapter.
The Corinthian Problem Causing Division
Paul sets this up at the very beginning in verse two, getting them ready for what he's about to talk to them about. He tells them in verse two that they are sanctified in Christ Jesus, who called them to be saints. Now this issue is not something that they had previously brought up before him. We know from one Corinthians chapter seven that Paul is answering questions from them, but he has some problems that he's got to work out before he can even get to the questions that the Corinthians wrote to him about.
- 1 Corinthians 7:1
You see, there are reports that made their way to Paul from a particular household that said, if you don't do something, the church is going to be divided in such a way. You're not even going to recognize it as the church because it's not even going to be the church.
Here's what's going on. The questions that the Corinthians wrote about, they left that out. They could have asked Paul about these things, could they not? Absolutely. They're going to ask him about marriage. They're going to ask him about whether they should be given in marriage for the present distress that they're in.
He is going to deal with that. But here's the problem there. There are things that are going to tear that church apart literally, and it won't be identified as the Church of Christ any longer if it goes unchecked. Paul won't have to worry about answering their questions about marriage, but they won't be in the church anymore.So Paul has to set some things in order before he can even get to the point of answering their questions that they've provided him.
- 1 Corinthians 1:10
In verse 10, it says, I beseech you, brethren. We normally define this word as beg or to plead, but I would argue that we've seen this word before and not so far in our distant past. This is the very same word, translated exhort in two Timothy chapter four.
- 2 Timothy 4:2
And in verse two, when Paul tells Timothy to preach the word be instant in season, out of season, reprove rebuke, exhort. It's the very same word in the Greek parakaleo to come near or beside, to call, to call near, to call beside.
He's talking about encouraging them. He's trying to comfort them. He's doing it in a very gentle and tender way. We commonly think of the book of First Corinthians as a punch in the face to the Corinthian brethren because of all the things that Paul has to correct in one Corinthians. While it may be a spiritual punch in the face, Paul's doing it with his arm around them through the written word. He would be there with his arm around them if he were there in person. He would speak boldly. He would speak plainly, and it might come out, maybe not necessarily the way we would think of bold and plain speech. Maybe not always be calm, but Paul is very loving in his approach to what he's going to tell them.
Three Points for Unity
He says, I beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord. In this particular verse in verse 10, he gives us his three points for the rest of the chapter. Notice what he says in verse 10, in point number one, that you all speak the same thing.
- 1 Corinthians 1:10 (lego, schisma, katartizo)
He's going to explain that they're not speaking the same thing. This is the Greek word lego. It means to bring forth, to put forth, to utter whatever they were saying. Whatever was coming out of their mouth did not match from one group to the other. They were literally not speaking the same thing. We're going to get to that and we're going to see exactly what they were saying.
Paul gets to point number two, and he says that there be no divisions among you. This word division is a very strong word. I would say it this way, this word division is the aggravated term of this particular word in the Greek. I
It's the Greek word schisma, which we get from our English word schism. A great cavern, a great divide. But it also carries with it those that dealt with fabrics knew what this word was because it meant to tear apart. Jesus used this word.
- Mark 2:21
You're going to find Jesus using this word, and he says, you cannot take a patch of a new material that's not been washed, that's not been treated, that's not been preshrunk. You cannot take a patch and put it on an old garment because if you do, you'll make the tear, the schisma, even worse, you'll make it worse. You can't do that. It's the same Greek word that Paul is using here that says, let there be no divisions. Let there be no schisms among you. The aggravated term, the aggravated sense of the word, is being used right there.
His third point is you need to be perfectly joined together. Perfectly joined together. The Greek word there, it's actually a Greek word translated into an English phrase, and it is from a couple of Greek words. Katartizo. Kata meaning near or together, artizo meaning fresh or perfect. This was a medical term about putting the body back together, fixing what was torn apart, fixing what was broken to be perfectly joined together. And you do this in two ways. To be in the same mind or intellect and to be of the same judgment, which is also purpose or will. Paul's lesson is right there in verse 10.
The Source of Division
You could sum it up just by that one verse alone, and he's going to take the rest of this chapter to explain what he means in verse 10, where he says, speak the same thing. Do not be divided, but be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. When we get to verse 11, those of the household of Chloe have written to Paul or gotten a message to Paul in some way that says, there's Christians in Corinth that are saying they're following you, that you are the one that they give their allegiance to. There's those that say they're following after Apollos. There's those that say they're following after Cephas, and there're those that say they're following after Christ, and here's the problem. They're verbalizing that and they're doing it to the destruction of the entire church.
We do that from time to time, do we not? When we talk about our favorite preachers, there's some that we like, there's some that we don't like. There's some that we would travel hundreds of miles to go listen to. There's another one that we won't go across town to go hear because they're not our favorite. These Corinthian brethren were literally saying, I exist of Paul, I exist of Apollos or Cephas or of Christ. Paul says, you are not in the right by doing that, what you're going to do is you're going to cause other problems.
- 1 Corinthians 1:11
Notice there's another word I want us to look at. At the end of verse 11, it says, there are contentions among you. This is a lesser degree word of division. This is how you get to division. If you allow contentions, or the Greek word is eris to be among you, then you're going to get to the point of division where there's a schism.
This is not the first time we've seen this particular word either. If you turn over to Titus chapter three.
- Titus 3:9
Titus chapter three, and in verse nine you have this word used and it says, but avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law for they are unprofitable and vain.
- 1 Timothy 6:3–4
You see this word can be translated as contention. It can be translated strife, it can be translated debate. There's nine times in the New Testament where we see this particular word used.
- 1 Corinthians 3:3
He calls him brethren in verse 10. Don't you understand that if you proceed this way, saying, I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, and I'm of Christ, you're causing strife, and it's the proof that you as New Testament Christians are carnally minded. You're minded after the ways of the world and not after the ways of Jesus. You're not spiritually focused. How do I know that? Because you're dividing yourself up by the names of men and not following after God.
Is Christ Divided?
How do you get to the part about being contentious with one another in these matters?
- 1 Corinthians 1:13
In verse 13, Paul asked the rhetorical question, “Is Christ divided?”
The rhetorical answer is no.
- Matthew 12:2
Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation in every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How shall then his kingdom stand? The same Greek word that Jesus used talking about Satan being against Satan, casting out Satan, a house divided against itself cannot stand, is the same word that Paul says, that he's asking rhetorically, is Christ divided? Is Christ's body against itself? The answer has to be no. Otherwise it's not Christ's body because then the kingdom of Jesus Christ would not be able to stand, would not be able to stand.
I gave the wrong Greek word for contentions. That's eris. It appears nine times in the New Testament. Merizo is for divided in this verse. When Paul asks the question, is Christ divided? That's the Greek word merizo, and the answer is no. He's not divided.
Division About Who Performs Baptism
- 1 Corinthians 1:14–17
Paul is going to go right into explaining what he means by that and he's going to be thankful. He's expressing his Thanksgiving that he, when he was there in Corinth, that he didn't baptize any of them. He gives a couple of exceptions. One is Crispus.
- Acts 18:1, 7–8 (Crispus)
You read about his conversion and Paul's there in Corinth. When he's converted, Acts chapter 18, and in verse seven.
Then you have this man by the name of Gaius he talks about.
- Acts 19:29 (Gaius)
Now, if that's the same Gaius that he's talking about here in one Corinthians chapter one, that's the only other one Paul says he was personally responsible for baptizing. That's someone who's now a part of his company and he says he was from Macedonia, he wasn't even from Corinth.
- 1 Corinthians 1:16
Then he remembers the household of Stephanas. We only read of this particular individual four times, and they're all in one Corinthians. This obviously was someone who was local that the Corinthians knew, didn't travel with Paul, but for whatever reason, Paul was directly involved in that individual's baptism and his household. He says outside of these few, I don't know if I personally baptized anyone. You see, it was not the reason that I was called to be an apostle was to baptize.
That's not why he was called. Notice the words that he uses there in verse 17; “for Christ sent me not to baptize.” The word sent me, it is all one word in the Greek, and that is the word that we get apostle from, and it is apostello is the Greek word, and that means to sent or to be sent. Paul was sent at one point, he was made an apostle. He was a messenger. He was sent by God for a purpose, and that purpose was not to baptize or have the largest number of baptisms on his account. As a preacher, that's not what it was.
But notice in verse 17 that he's sent to preach the gospel. Now you may say, I know what that word preach is. You've been talking about that a lot. That's to herald a message of authority. Well, that's actually not the word this time, not to try and confuse you. This idea is one, we get our English word evangelize or evangelism from this particular word. Euaggelizo is the Greek word or something like it. Anyway, but it comes out to our English word, evangelize. He's to evangelize. He's to be a messenger of good news, a messenger of good news. That's the reason why Paul was called to be an apostle, was to evangelize, and if he didn't do it the way that God wanted it, then if he's preaching himself, if he's baptizing in his own name, then the teaching of the cross of Jesus, of Jesus dying on the cross is of no effect.
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
It doesn't mean anything anymore. It doesn't mean anything, but Paul is going to prove.
From verse 18 through the rest of this chapter is Paul proving what he's already said. Verses 10 through 17 are going to prove to them who they should be named for, whose name should be rolling out of their mouth. And it shouldn't be Paul. It shouldn't be Apollos. It shouldn't be Cephas.
Notice there's one group that we hadn't talked about, those that said that they were of Christ. Now we would say they're the right ones, right? Well, no, because Paul's condemning all of them, every single one of them for the division that they are in the process of causing. There were those that, yes, they were saying, we are of Jesus, but it's as if they're saying, we're better than you. They're saying, I'm of Christ, out of pride for themselves, not because they're acting like the servants and disciples of Jesus. Paul condemns every one of these categories, and he's going to stand up for Jesus and he's going to prove why they should all be saying, we are of Jesus the Christ. He's getting ready to do it.
Unity in the Power of the Cross
- 1 Corinthians 1:18
If you mark in your Bible, underline that phrase, power of God, I learned something. Find it hard to believe sometimes, but I learned something. In preparing this particular lesson, something that I had never noticed before, never really considered before. Though I've read these passages and all of them that we've been talking about, I've read them, I don't know how many times, but I learned something.
- Romans 1:16–17
You're familiar with a passage in Romans chapter one and in verse 16, where Paul says,
“I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” — Romans 1:19
You're probably familiar with that particular verse, that phrase, power of God is this very same phrase, power of God. But notice if Paul says The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God. That brings us to salvation.
What is the gospel made up of? What are the components that add up to the gospel? That's the completion of everything. What are the components of the gospel? That is the power of God. Notice right here in verse 18, the preaching of the cross, the preaching of the cross is part of the gospel that makes up the power of God.
- 1 Corinthians 1:24
That's the same exact power of God phrase in Greek. It's the same one. Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. You see, if you're going to preach the gospel, which is the power of God, you're going to preach about the cross because that's the power of God. We're saved with Jesus on the cross. It's the power of God. You can't talk about the cross without talking about the one that was on the cross. That's Jesus. That's Christ. Christ is the power of God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:5
Paul says that your faith should not stand or be held up by the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. Same exact phrase. What does that mean to you and me? Your individual faith. Your faith cannot stand. You cannot rely on man's wisdom in order for your faith to be what it needs to be. It has to be founded. It has to be stood up by the power of God. What does that mean by Jesus? By the cross, the foundation of which has to be the gospel.
- 1 Peter 1:5
Peter's writing to Christians here in the opening, it explains that verses one through four and he gets to verse five and it says, who are kept by the power of God. Very same phrase that we've been looking at. Every one of those in the Greek is the exact same phrase. It was structured exactly the same. It's all the same. What do we know that the gospel is the power of God? The teaching of the cross is a part of the power of God, teaching of Jesus as the Christ is part of the power of God. Your personal faith is stood up. It is kept by the power of God. Your salvation is protected. The word kept, your salvation is protected by the power of God. And all of that put together is what Paul says in Romans chapter one and verse 16, that makes up the gospel that is the power of God to save
“For therein, where all of those things tied up into that one word gospel for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. The just shall live by faith.” — Romans 1:17
Unity in Speech and Faith
Paul says, you need to speak the right things. You need the words coming out of your mouth to be the same. And that is Jesus and the cross, that is my faith, the security of my faith. We talk about wanting to know where we are going when this life is over. That's the idea of being kept. Our assurance, the protection of our soul is wrapped up in the gospel.
Speak the same thing, identify as the same thing. Outwardly, utter the same message. I am of Jesus, of Christ, not because I'm better than you, not because you took the name of some man. No, but because righteousness is in the word of God. Let there be no divisions among you. Be perfectly joined together with the same mind and with the same judgment.
Unity in God’s Wisdom vs. Division in Man’s Wisdom
- 1 Corinthians 1:19
We've skipped a few verses, and that was by intention so that we could get some of these points across. In verse 19.
- Isaiah 29:14
Why is it that we are to call ourselves after Jesus? Why is it that we need to be careful to speak the same thing? Why is it that we need to be careful that we don't cause strife or contentions that lead to the tearing apart of the church?
- 1 Corinthians 1:20–24
Paul's not asking for them to answer any of these questions. These are more rhetorical questions on the part of Paul to these Corinthian brethren, where are the wise? Where are those that are wise in this world? They're the ones saying, I'm of Paul, I'm of Apollos, I'm of Cephas, I'm of Christ. The world says, you're with me, and if you're not with me, you're automatically against me on somebody else's team that's speaking after the ways of the wisdom of the world, if you will.
Now, God does not for a moment believe that preaching heralds a message of authority, there's that word again, it's in the word preaching is foolish in any way. This is where man's wisdom and God's wisdom are not on the same page. Man says that standing up here and preaching a message of authority to help change the lives of people is foolish. Man's wisdom says that that's the foolishness that's being talked about in verse 21, but it's not foolish to God.
That's how he set it up for the Jews require a sign in the Greek, seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness. Why would we follow after someone if you're a Jew who allowed himself to be hung on a cross? It's a stumbling block to the Jews to talk about. Jesus is the head of the church, and yet he died in the most shameful way upon a cross and didn't do anything to save himself. To the Greeks. It doesn't make any sense because they are full of Greek mythology and the mythological gods that the Greeks paid homage to, that they bowed themselves down to Zeus in particular was over and above and would never have allowed himself to be put on the cross.
A stumbling block to the Jews. If you're going to preach Christ, if you're going to preach salvation is by the blood of Jesus that he shed upon the cross. It's foolishness to the Greeks because it never would've been allowed to happen. But to those that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Verse 24, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
God Unites
In a moment, Paul's going to give us some categories of people that are less likely to ever follow God and there's one common denominator between all of them.
- 1 Corinthians 1:26–28
Notice what he says in verse 26 For ye, see your calling brethren. How that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God hath chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound things which are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen and things which are not to bring to naught things that are.
If you still have your pen and are caught up and you want to underline a few words in verse 26, I would suggest you underline wise men, mighty and noble. Paul says that the calling is widespread. God's calling to salvation is for everyone. We could go to numerous passages in the New Testament and prove that particular statement to be true. That's not the point of our lesson this morning, but we could do it if we needed to.
Paul says, notice what he says here in verse 26, that you see your calling brethren. How is it that not many that are wise men after the flesh, not many who are mighty after the flesh, not many who are noble after the flesh are going to accept the call. Why not? Because these three categories, those that are wise according to the ways of the world, those that are mighty according to the ways of the flesh, and those that are noble according to the flesh, all are that way because they're trusting in themselves. They're all that way because they're not trusting in God.
We're reading about kings right now in our adult Bible class that are called down because they're not trusting God and they're trusting in themselves, and they're trusting in their physical alliances with other nations, and God is not approving of any of those things. Why? Because it demonstrates a lack of faith in God. There's not many that trust in themselves that ever stop trusting in themselves. There's not many that are mighty in themselves or in the ways of the flesh that ever turn that power over to somebody else and submit. There's not many that are noble or rich in this world, that are rich by their own ways, that are willing to turn all that over to be a follower of God.
Examples of God’s Wisdom
God's wisdom is different than man's wisdom. Notice in verse 27, it says, God chose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Let me give you four areas that we could demonstrate from Scripture where God has used wisdom that man would not use.
- 1 Kings 5 (Naaman)
- Joshua 6 (Jericho)
- John 9 (blind man)
- Acts 2:38 (implied for repentance and baptism)
In one Kings chapter five, A man is called to dip seven times in the Jordan River, and his leprosy would be removed. The name is Naaman. We've talked about him before. If Naaman had done all of this searching to figure out a cure for his leprosy, why hadn't anybody told him to go dip seven times in the Jordan River? Because that's foolishness in the ways of man. But God said, go dip seven times in the Jordan River, and you'll be healed. You'll be cleansed.
Joshua chapter six, the walls of Jericho came down because the people marched around it and they shouted at the appropriate time. And because of that, the walls fell flat and they took the city. You know, there have been wars going on for centuries before the battle in Jericho, and yet not a single battle plan involved walking around a particular city, shouting and blowing trumpets up until this one. Why? Because that's man's wisdom that says you take it by might you, you march through the doors, you catapult over the walls. You destroy the city and then you walk in.
God's wisdom was different. There was a blind man that sat outside the gates of the city in Jerusalem, in John chapter nine. And Jesus and his disciples walked right by this particular individual, and the disciples of Jesus stopped him at this particular time and said, whose fault is it that this man was born blind? Was it his fault or was it his parents' fault? And Jesus said, it's not his parents' fault. And it's not his fault that he was born blind, but he was born blind. So that now at this particular very moment, you can see the glory of God, and he takes spit and mixes it with dirt from the ground, and he wipes it on this man's eyes and tells him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam, and he would be healed from that blindness.
This man's been born blind. He's never seen a day in his life. Why is it that nobody else told him to do that? Why isn't anybody else spit on the ground and rubbed it on his eyes? Let's say, let's see if this'll work. Now. Go wash it off in the pool, because God's wisdom is different from man's wisdom. God's authority is different from man's authority. God's power is different from man's power.
God's wisdom says, if you repent of your sins and confess my name and be baptized in water, your sins will be forgiven. Man's wisdom doesn't say that. Man's wisdom says, if you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God, then you're saved. Man's wisdom says, if you're willing to accept Jesus into your heart, that he's going to cleanse your soul. Miraculously, you're saved. Man's wisdom says, if you allow the Holy Spirit to rearrange your insides, if you will, outside of the word of God, you'll be saved.
Unity in Christ: Our Wisdom and Redemption
Man's wisdom and God's wisdom are not the same. And that's what Paul is demonstrating to these Corinthians at the very beginning of this letter.
- 1 Corinthians 1:29–30
We get to the last two verses, and I know our time is up. Verse 29, Paul brings this back home to them for their current situation. Notice what he says in verse 29, that no flesh should glory in his own presence, but of him are ye. Verse 30 Are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us? Wisdom. Four more words to underline wisdom. This is the wisdom of God, not according to the wisdom of man, but the wisdom of God of righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Four things that we have. If we do things God's way according to his wisdom and leave our wisdom behind.
We can have the wisdom of God and we find it right here. We can demonstrate the wisdom of God in our life if we follow what the New Testament says, and it shows us a way of righteousness, literally to walk in a right way with God. Sanctification. There's our holiness. We're set apart. We're called out of this world sanctified, set apart to be God's children in his kingdom and we are redeemed. Look at that word redeemed in the Greek. What you're going to find is very specific. It's from a couple of Greek words, apo meaning separation or away and lutron. Something to loosen with a ransom. Literally, we are separated away from our sins by the blood of Jesus Christ that he shed on the cross.
- Jeremiah 9:23–24
We are separated away from our sins by the blood of Jesus that according as it is written. Jeremiah chapter nine, verses 23 and 24, you'll have to read 'em on your own. He the glory, let Him glory in the Lord. Do not be divided. Do not continue these contentions that are going to lead to the complete tearing apart of the church. Glory in the Lord because you're his.
Maybe you're a member of the body of Christ, but you're more apt to follow after some man. Or you call yourself by the name of some man to follow the ways of God who called you according to the gospel, which is the power of God. Do not allow any man to separate, to cause strife within your life, to cause a schism in your faith, to render you away from the one that called you don't allow it to happen.
Maybe you're one who's not a member of the body of Christ. You cannot be saved, its not possible, you cannot be saved by man's wisdom. Because man's wisdom and God's wisdom are not the same. And the weakness of God, if He had any, the weakness of God is stronger than men. We can only be saved if we follow God's pattern and God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
Are you willing to follow that? If we can assist you in any way, please contact us.
