Divisions within the Church

Divisions within the Church 

1 Corinthians is a part of a body of correspondence between the apostle Paul and a church in the Greek city of Corinth. Paul founded the church sometime around AD 50 but now it has come to his attention that they are having serious problems. Problems that threaten the health, if not the very existence, of the church. And so Paul is writing to bring biblical instruction and direction to a church with serious issues. This morning we come to the first mess that Paul attempts to clean up, and it is the mess of divisions within the church. 

1 Cor. 1:10-17 

I.  Divisions within the church

Friends of Paul’s had traveled through Corinth and they brought him a troubling report: the Corinthian church is full of quarreling and divisions. The Greek word for division in verse 10 is schismato – we get the word schisms from it – and it means to tear apart.The church was quarreling over who followed who and it was tearing the church apart. Some claimed that they followed Paul, some Apollos, some Peter, and some claimed to follow Christ and this was creating schisms in the church.

Now Paul, Peter, and Apollos all preached Christ, so this wasn’t a case of following one teaching over another. Their teaching was identical, they were all on the same page. This was a personality cult. Pockets of believers were forming around which leader they identified most with, which preaching style they preferred. Paul founded the church, so naturally there were those who looked at him as the father of the church, but a growing number in the church felt that they had moved past Paul. He was so 50 AD. He wasn’t flashy and he wasn’t eloquent, in fact, he was kind of a plain speaker. Apollos, on the other hand, had visited the church immediately after Paul left and he was just the opposite. He was very eloquent and dynamic. The guy could play the room! So many found themselves identifying him as their man. Peter may never have even visited the church, but he was known as the de facto leader of the apostles so some followed him on twitter and listened to his podcasts and he was their man. And then there who those who bypassed all middle men and went straight to Christ which sounds like a good thing, but it wasn’t. Like the other groups, they were boasting in their identity as “only Jesus” followers. They were hyper-spiritual, uber-Christians, who didn’t need any human teachers; they listened to Christ and Christ only. The church was putting certain leaders on pedestals and it was tearing them apart. 

Putting leaders on pedestals

This is a very relevant issue for the church today. Through social media, podcasts, online videos, national conferences, and books, pastors and leaders in the church can reach unprecedented levels of fame and followership. Now having these vehicles for getting the gospel out and enabling the church to benefit from faithful and gifted preachers and teachers is a good thing and blesses the church in a big way. But it also creates a greater danger of elevating certain men and women to celebrity status. We’re not talking about preferring one preacher’s style over another – there’s nothing at all wrong with enjoying a particular Christian preacher or author or pastor more than another. 

It’s when we make celebrities out of certain men or women and put them on pedestals that it becomes a problem. Years ago there were a couple of leaders who had a significant effect and influence on my life, but as I look back, I realize that, through no fault of their own, I put them on a pedestal, and placed too much authority and weight on their opinions, accepting almost without question what they taught because they taught it. I was far too concerned that I met their approval , so much so that I’m embarrassed to say I was even anxious that my kids acted just right when they were around so that it would reflect well on me. In fact, I remember as Janice and I were just getting to know Dave and Kimm Harvey – who were high up in SG leadership and for whom I had a tremendous respect – they were coming to our house on Long Island and were going to meet Jenn and Jared for the first time, and so I spent a lot of time coaching my 7 year and 4 year old to say, “hello Mr. and Mrs. Harvey”. Well, when the time came, Jenn did a great job, and Jared came whizzing out with a cowboy hat and holster on, guns ablazing, and yelled out, “Hello Mr. and Mr. Harvey!” Good enough for me! But I was putting these wonderful people – again, through no fault of their own – on a pedestal and caring far too much about their opinion of me. Putting any Christian leader on a pedestal isn’t good for the church, and it isn’t good for that leader. There’s only one rock star in the church and that’s Jesus Christ.

But, someone might ask, isn’t that what the ones who were “following Jesus” doing? Weren’t they just making Christ the celebrity and isn’t that what we’re supposed to do? Well, yes and no. Yes, the church is to humbly love and follow Christ as the one true head and Lord of the church. But by Paul including this group in this list it’s clear that they had the same “schism mentality” that the others had. This wasn’t the kind of humble followership of Christ that every believer should have, this was a boastful attitude that flaunted themselves as superior because they “followed Jesus” when others followed mere man. There is a kind of spiritual independence that is as unhealthy as putting leaders on pedestals. Instead of respecting and appreciating Christian leaders, they disdain and distrust them in the name of not needing anyone but Jesus. The problem with that thinking is that Jesus says it’s wrong. Jesus is the one who gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the equipping of the believer. To say we don’t need them because we “follow Jesus” is to reject Christ in the name of following him!

At the root of all this was pride: the Corinthian’s were taking pride in who they identified with. It was about making themselves more important by association. Paul writes them in chapter 4: I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another (vs. 6). And in chapter 3 he warns them, so let no one boast in men (vs. 21). They were boasting and getting puffed up about who they identified with. And that spirit – whether applied to Paul or Jesus – was leading to division and quarreling and it was tearing the church apart. 

The mess of divisions

Divisions can take many forms in the church. Last week we talked about Christians dividing over the charismatic gifts: are they for today or not? Believers can divide over worship styles. In fact, there’s something called the “worship wars” where battles over the style of worship has torn apart churches and denominations. Churches can divide over the color of the carpet. There’s a church in Louisiana that couldn’t agree on what color to paint the roof, so one side of the roof is red and the other side is green. Their roof is a sad testimony of the disunity within the church.

Taken to the extreme, divisions within the church can lead to the shredding of the church. If I were to ask all those here who had been through some type of church split or schism to raise your hand, I am sure that there would be too many hands raised. For those who go through a church split, or any kind of church schism, it can be a terribly painful and disillusioning experience. Paul talks about those who shipwreck their faith and divisions within the church can be like hitting the rocks with our faith. There are those whose faith is seriously damaged – if not destroyed – as a casualty of division within the church. If our faith is truly and deeply in Christ, it will survive, but it can be a hard recovery. Paul knows that divisions can destroy a church and that’s why it’s the first mess that he attempts to clean up. 

II.  The remedy for divisions

And so Paul addresses the issue in verse 10, but listen to his tone: 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. He doesn’tuse his apostolic authority to command them but rather he appeals to them. This isn’t an issue he wants forced obedience on: he wants their hearts! 

And he asks for them to agree. To end the schisms by having the same mind and same judgment. Is it possible that we all always agree? Is it possible (or even good) for us to always be united in the same mind and same judgment about everything? Notice that he appeals by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is the believer’s agreement, there is our unity. He asks the rhetorical question, “Is Christ divided?” Can Christ be apportioned out as one of the choices of who we follow? This is a rebuke to those who say “I follow Christ” as though Christ could be claimed as exclusively theirs. It’d be like naming our church “The True Church of Christ Followers” – we would be claiming a corner on following Christ that is wrong to claim. Christ belongs to every believer. He is the One we all follow – for only Christ was crucified for our sins. Only Christ is the name we are baptized into. Paul takes comfort that he didn’t baptize many people in Corinth so that they wouldn’t think that he came to baptize them in his name, although as he writes this a few more names come to mind, but the point remains: Christ didn’t send him to baptize but to preach Christ. 

So what is this unity supposed to look like? Can there be diversity in the church without division? When Paul says we are to be united in the same mind and the same judgment, does that leave no room for differing opinions, perspectives, and even doctrine? What do we do with the fact that there are so many different denominations and styles of church services? Does that necessarily mean that the church is divided? Is the goal for there to be one style, one monolithic belief system – even in the issues that aren’t central to the gospel – and one template for what the church should look like and believe, and if that’s so, what is that one template? Who’s got it just right? Is it us? Are we the perfect church and all churches should look like us? Or is it the Victory Highway Wesleyan and we should look like them? Or the Baptist church? Or the Methodist church? 

It is said that John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Denomination, one night had a dream that found him standing at the gates of hell. He cried out, “Are there any Presbyterians in there?”  "Yes," came the reply, "a great many".  "Are there any Anglicans?" "Yes, lots of them." "Any Baptists?" "A large number." "And, are there any Wesleyans?" Again the answer comes back, "Yes, many of them."

Then, in the same dream, John Wesley is then transported to the gates of Heaven. He repeats the same questions and each time is surprised to receive the same negative answer. "No, not one! No Baptists, no Anglicans, no Presbyterians and no Wesleyans are found in Heaven!" "Who, then, is in Heaven?" Wesley exclaims. "We know nothing about the names you mentioned," came the reply. "The only name that matters here is the name Christian. We are all Christians here."

This is what Paul is saying: he’s not saying get rid of all diversity within the body of Christ, he’s saying that within that diversity agree in Jesus Christ. In Eph. 4 Paul gives the short list of what we must agree on for unity: There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Eph. 4:4-6

When we are all tuned to Christ, we will be in tune with one another, even if we play different harmonies. The body of Christ is diverse with many gifts and members who do different things and play different parts, but when we are walking in the Spirit we are all in tune with one another even in our diversity. In fact, the very fact that we can be diverse and different and still have a deep sense of agreement and fellowship in Christ is a beautiful and God-glorifying thing. 

III. The root of the division 

In verse 17 Paul begins to get to the deeper root of the division. 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. That phrase, words of eloquent wisdom, seems to be a phrase the Corinthians are using a lot and Paul is repeating it back to them. Of the 44 times that the word “wisdom” is used in the NT, 28 of them are in 1 Cor. The church is hung up on what they think is their wisdom, and it’s a primary factor that is driving a wedge between them and Paul, but more concerning, it is driving a wedge between them and the power of the cross of Christ. 

They are emphasizing wisdom and knowledge so much that they’re moving away from the simplicity of the message of the cross. They are proud of their spiritual maturity because they’re measuring it by how wise they think they are rather than by how dependent on the power of the cross they are. They are losing sight of how desperately they need mercy and grace to cover their sins because their focus is on how wise they’ve become. Their Christianity is powered more by pride than it is by grace. We will be digging deeper into this issue of wisdom as the root of their division next week, but I want to close by asking us to consider an honest question regarding schisms and division in the church. 

Why is it that far too often Christians can seem to be such a divisive and disagreeable group? 

This is not always true, of course, or even mostly true. There are so many beautiful and loving people in the church. And it is certainly not true of this church. But if we are honest I think we can say that it is true far too often. Why are some Christians so ornery? Why are there believers and churches that can be mean-spirited to those who disagree with them? Why are there churches that treat other believers with suspicion if they don’t fit into their little box – whether it be a doctrinal box or a denominational box or a particular emphasis box? Why is it that once peaceful churches, when they hit a wall of disagreement, can be reduced to name-calling and vitriol and broken relationships in an amazingly short time? 

I believe one reason may be that many believers don’t know how to hold onto strong convictions with grace. 

Strong convictions, deep grace

As Christians we have strong convictions and it is right that we do. We are meant to believe there is an absolute right and a wrong. We are meant to study the Bible and know what we believe and why we believe it. We are meant to believe what we believe so strongly that we will contend for, and even die for, our core beliefs. 

The church is not meant to just “go along to get along”. We aren’t meant to elevate agreement and unity above truth and doctrine – that would spell the end of the church. We are to stand against the tide of ungodly and unbiblical streams of thought that are flooding our culture today. We are to stand strong in our faith – even if it’s alone – when we come to a choice of obeying God’s word or obeying the politically correct sensitivities of our day. If we see a brother or sister in a destructive sin, we are to have strong enough convictions and a strong enough love to confront them in order to restore them.

But if we grow in our convictions without growing in grace we will be imbalanced and immature in how we walk this out. Strong convictions without deep grace will lead to carnal, un-Christlike responses in the name of Christ. Here’s where I think spiritual immaturity comes out in such divisions and arguing and quarreling and schisms. Immature believers hold strongly to their convictions, but don’t hold them with grace. They get angry. They get suspicious of churches that are different (and pride fills their heart with a “we do it right” attitude). They judge other believers harshly who have different convictions than they do. They walk away from a believer who stumbles or falls because in their misguided way they think that by doing so, they’re taking a stand for righteousness.

Spiritual maturity is being able to hold onto strong convictions with grace. We love those we disagree with. We gently correct those who are straying. We contend for the faith but not in a contentious way, but rather in a gracious and winsome way. We can believe what we believe but differentiate between the non-negotiables of the gospel and the peripheral doctrines that are not central to the gospel. We love and reach out our hand in fellowship to those who trust in Christ and believe in the authority of God’s word, but differ in secondary doctrinal beliefs from ourselves. Because what binds us together isn’t having exactly the same doctrine, it’s the power of the cross. It’s that we were all sinners in need of grace, and Jesus purchased that grace for us when he died on the cross. 

I want to be straightforward with you. If you get angry or judgmental about other Christians if they don’t look or sound like you do, if you’re suspicious that most churches are way off and maybe aren’t even Christians, if you turn every doctrinal thing you believe into a hill you’ll die on, you may have strong convictions, but it sounds like you need to deepen in grace. 

Think about it. If Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for them, how can we possibly justify being mean and harsh to other believers because of relatively minor differences? That’s not being courageous, that’s being immature and unChristlike.

Don’t swing to the other side. Don’t be willing to compromise your convictions or sell them to the highest bidder or soften them just to fit in with what others think. Be courageous. Be strong. Be convicted. But with all that, be gracious. Most schisms in the church aren’t due to doctrine or differences. It’s due to pride. It’s due to growing wise in our own eyes, but losing sight of the grace that comes through Christ and the power of the cross. The cross speaks of our deep, deep need for God’s grace and when we see that, it helps us see other believers (and unbelievers) through the eyes of grace. As we close, let’s thank God for the power of the cross, for the grace that has saved us, and let’s ask God to help us to hold strong convictions with grace.