(Even non-denominationals do this, just without claiming a denominational title). Now, almost every group does this. In conjunction with this, some people were questioning Pauls character and authority ( 1 Corinthians 14 ). Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. He appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I think that if you put the teachings of a man over the teachings of Scripture then you have a problem. The same viewpoints are still dividing people. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who The better the orator, the higher the fee, and the more disciples he will attract. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). Then not only did they have the Bible, but every Navigator who was anybody at all had to have an index drawn in on the pages of the Bible, a kind of a ladder that gave you a clue to where the books were so that with your thumb you could turn up any book in the Bible almost instantly. So, just a few texts and there are so many more. Christ did not send me to take scalps or to cut notches on my gun handle as to how many converts I've won." All are mere teachers; there is only one Lord. Peter was an uneducated, common man and may have appealed to that group of people in Corinth. Phil Long is correct, we have not improved much since the first century. The word divisions comes from the Greek word schismata, from which we get our English word schism. Therefore, the only basis upon which you can get Christians to agree is by setting before them the Person of the Lord Jesus, and calling them back to that fundamental base. 12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ.". 2 Corinthians Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. And some of them are really gross. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." On opening it you found a loose-leaf notebook with many of the small, half-page materials that the Navigators printed their Bible helps on. Four groups had formed in the Corinthian church. One of the celebrities was Paul himself some believers at Corinth actually claimed to be his followers. Many of us are familiar with this common phenomenon in human psychology of thinking that some symbolic thing that is of use to us is so important that we finally make it a badge of the group to which we belong. Even though the churches within a certain denomination agree to the same biblical teachings, some churches within those denominations may begin to disagree with the biblical teachings and break away from the denomination to become affiliated with another denomination that aligns with their beliefs. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. The facts in the gospel are what will set us free, and particularly, he says, the word of the cross. I dont remember Paul seeing any thing like these issues as other than trivial. That was a mark of status with them. When everybody decides to put the things of Christ first, and is willing to suffer loss that the honor and glory of Christ might be advanced, that is what brings harmony in a congregation. But when doctrinal beliefs keep churches from working together to further the gospel. Dio Chrysostom complained that Corinth was filled with wretched sophists, many of whom were debating one another with shouting and abuse near the temple to Poseidon. My impression is that the same sorts of problems evident in Corinth are clearly evident in the contemporary church, whether that is West Michigan or Brisbane. The families have been seated. I remember a few years ago being at a family congress in St. Louis, Missouri, when one of the evening speakers was Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the very capable and powerful preacher on the Lutheran Hour radio program. But that is a very dangerous attitude, and yet we tend to think of people as being the channel by which deliverance can come to our heart. So Paul is insisting that the Corinthians, and all believers, have doctrinal unity that is clearly based on Gods Word. We have Jesus only groups even today. (1 Corinthians 1:12 RSV) Now, there was the trouble at Corinth. Are we willing to love each other as Christ loved us? WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. (1Corinthians 1:13 RSV). What is a clique? Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. Throughout this 2000 year process of normalizing divisions among believers, we have consistently neglected the fact we Jesus should unite us, and unless we choose to make a change, we will continue to forget this fact. If you survey the church scene all over America today, you find people dividing up this way. To an unbeliever, this looks like we cannot agree on our own religion. He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. We become followers of out Pastors and churches rather than of Christ. We must allow him the privilege of doing that. We had some great meetings and great times together. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) We tend to fall out along doctrinal lines or because we are drawn to one charismatic pastor over another. Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. In fact, there are still many divisions that exist today in modern churches. 1-False prophets (2 Corinthians 11:13). Apollos was an intellectual. The cross of Christ is what will heal the fragmentation of Christians wherever they are. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. If I am not out of line I seem to remember that Constantine played a large role in allowing Pagan influences back into the Christian Life. And, after all, Peter even walked on water!" It was considered honorable for you to stand up for yourself in this way. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. Gods people who are moving in revival (like we have been to experiencing right here in Brisbane these last few months) have no qualms about getting together to see the nation of Australia come to Christ. 5-Members going to pagan courts to settle disputes. If it had been left up to us to plan the program by which God would change the world we would never have included a cross. So we have the possibility for this very thing right here. It seems so bland compared to all the other choices out there when really it presents and encourages people to live out a very different and exciting life in the opposite direction of the world. On Friday of this week we will gather again to consider the cross of Christ. What happens when you get a tear in a piece of clothing and you keep washing and wearing that piece of clothing with the tear in it? At that time it was under the leadership of its founder, Dawson Trotman, and it was my privilege and delight to be a close friend of his, to have spent a good deal of time with him and to come under the influence of his teaching and his methods. Not when one part of the congregation meets in one part of the building, and the other part of the congregation meets in another spot. In fact, these divisions are a sign of worldliness. The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. He has Masters degrees in Biblical Exposition and Old Testament from Talbot School of Theology (BIOLA) and a PhD in New Testament from Andrews University. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). The Greek word used here literally means to say the same thing. The followers of Jesus may have believed in Jesus words only, and did not believe that the writings of Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were really Scripture. Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? There are even discrepancies inside single denominations (which means we have division inside our divisions, great). The members started to develop division following different leaders. These kinds of things happen when there are divisions in a church. All rights reserved. In these cases, there should be freedom to agree to disagree. Because the Holy Spirit has but one will, and because a church must be in complete harmony with His will, the leaders must be in complete harmony with each other in that will. And there are others who are drawn to some speaking style that has attracted them. Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. As a young Christian in my early twenties during World WarII, I was stationed in Hawaii, and I became acquainted with the work of the Navigators. In 2019 he published a commentary. Ones honor and reputation were valued highly and if someone attacked your reputation it was expected that you would defend yourself and retaliate by publicly bashing your attacker. Since November 2021, Reading Acts is edited by Sarah Westphal. The first and perhaps biggest is denominations. When it comes to seeking the spiritually lost for Christ, we can be much more effective if we are perfectly joined together in an unfailing zeal for Gods glory, not our own. I have had people say to me, "Oh, Mr. Stedman, when you speak I see so clearly! Website 2023 by Ray Stedman Ministries. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. They were hard to get in those war years, and every shipment that came in went out like hot cakes. Now, in one verse he introduces to us the cure for these divisions (Verse17): For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom [literally, "wisdom of words"], lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. We, as the modern church, say that we hold to Pauls message that we shouldnt be conformed to this world, but when we look at the world, there seem to be just as many divisions. 4-The churchs failure to discipline. 7-False zeal for spiritual gifts. There is not a single teacher who ever lived who can heal the hurt of a broken heart, or supply energy and adequacy to someone who feels worthless and unable to function in society, not one. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. 1 Corinthians 1:10: 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.. If Paul could see the divisions between the various denominations of today, what would he say? It is a serious threat to the life of a church to find people choosing favorite preachers, to the degree, at least, that they do not want to listen to anyone else. In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. Luke says in Acts 4:12, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved. The ground is level at the cross. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). There are still others today who follow after some school of thought. It wipes out all the petty distinctions that men make among themselves. We came to life in Christ by Paul, and Paul is the one we're going to listen to above all others." It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. We worry about how the power points are going to look, if we should have one or two singers, drums or no drums, electric guitars or none at all (I feel like you get my point) its almost as if we worship these things! A young pastor who was facing that problem in his church called me this week from another state. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. So he says, "I didn't baptize many of you. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. That was the mark, that was the identification badge. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Its all about who looks the best, how much money is made, and how big our churches are. So they said, "When Peter came, we really felt that we were on solid ground. Dio Chrysostom visited Corinth about A.D. 89-96. Now, here the apostle makes very clear that the tendency among groupies is to distort the meaning of symbols. Now, the second thing Paul says is, "Was Paul crucified for you?" Church has become about the pastor and not about his message. The cross of Christ cuts across all human value systems. In verse 11, Paul gives the reason for his appeal for unity in the church at Corinth. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, and whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. You and I cant have more of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we can give Him more of ourselves, and experience more fully what is already ours as children of God. I'm nobody, just like you!" [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Just looking at America, there are political divisions that have destroyed relationships, there are social divisions that have sparked riots around the nation, and there are even religious divisions that have pitted millions against each other. He started this church. (1Corinthians 1:17 RSV). And I say that because some people focus on PREACHER instead of THE SAVIOR. This is really what is behind his disclaimer on baptism in 1 Cor 1:14-16. "I appeal to you," he says, "by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." This is not what the Church was meant to be like, and I fully believe that Paul would be appalled by our actions today as a Church of believers in Jesus Christ. WebThe spirit that wrought such mischief at Corinth has been busy in the Church ever since. 2- The Churchs division. That is why we have four gospels, because not even one of the disciples who was with the Lord was capable of giving us a complete enough view of Christ. I have to admit though that sometimes I think about numbers and recognition and want that. I think that some of the ways we have failed to de-paganize is because we are still so focused on the little things that make up the church. WebDivisions in the Church. This is a radical principle that we need to understand, because, when you understand the cross, there will be no room left for the divisions of men. 3- The presence of an immoral member. Paul goes right on, in Verse12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." How important is it that there be unity within the Church? It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. If Paul were to visit one of these churches, he would see a good-looking man in a custom suit standing over everybody else, and his mind would go straight to the orators of his day. Many of the other problems were flowing out of this division within the congregation. Now, how could that be? Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. This applies also to the leadership in the church. Divisions never really ended with Pauls letters; they just appear to have evolved into having more sophisticated names. Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. It is well known that division in the church of Corinth was over leadership. (1Corinthians 1:13b-16 RSV). Let's go back to Jerusalem. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? We pray that it may be rich and real in our hearts as we live this week together. Lovelessness among Christians is not a light thing.. And some of them are really gross. I appreciate the perspective given by the author and agree 100% that the body of Christ is divided. They failed to take seriously the power of evil; their behavior caused divisions in the church and led to a lack of concern for other members. That is not the work of men; that is the work of God himself. Who are we, that we should put our interests and our desires ahead of that of the Lord for his church? We all know what a clique is. He was introduced in a rather extended and flowery way, but he came on and in his great, booming voice said, "I'm not Dr.Oswald Hoffman, the great preacher of the Lutheran Hour. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. We are so proud of them when they look right, but when things start to fall apart, the church begins to fall apart as well. His Word does not disagree with itself. In this parable, the groom is Christ. He is the ground, always, of unity. 1 Corinthians 1:10: 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.. Message transcript and recording 1978 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. Paul gives the church a stern warning about their actions and the proper way to participate. He does not say we should stop baptizing because of this problem. Some Corinthian Christians were dividing over church teachers. To all of this Paul would say to us, as he says to Corinth, Is Christ divided? These are not the only causes of divisions in churches today. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Paul, however, was a good leader. Offshoots had disturbed the church. WebPaul goes right on, in Verse 12, to describe the forms that these divisions were taking in the church of Corinth: What I mean is that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas" [another name for Peter], or "I belong to Christ." For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. All that mattered to Paul was Jesus! In my church it seems like they are all about numbers. If it is to expand the congregation and further the work of the Lord in that area, and he had the whole agreement of the leadership of the church behind him, then it is fine to take part of the congregation and go away and begin another work. Try it some time. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." In what ways have we failed to de-paganize? Although the modern church has improved in many ways compared to the ancient churches, there is still the issue of division that exists among differing churches as was in the ancient churches. This is a very propitious time for us to consider the cross for this is Palm Sunday, commemorating the day when our Lord entered Jerusalem for his last week. If someone comes on preaching the doctrines that were emphasized during the Reformation, he will get a great following of people who think that the Reformation was the whole sum and substance of all great Christian truth. Here are our first clues as to what is wrong with this kind of cliquishness in a church. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. Just as there was competiveness for honor and prestige among the orators of the first century, it also seems like there is competition between the pastors and churches of today. This introduces one of the greatest passages in the Bible, setting forth the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God. Help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o'er me. I would agree that we find ourselves in much the same situations as those listening to the Greek philosophers/orators. 17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospelnot with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. In Philippians 2:9 Paul said of Christ, Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name. No Christian, no Christian minister, is to put himself in Christs place, or allow himself to be put in Christs place, and take the authority and honor that is due to Christ alone.
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what caused divisions in the corinthian church