2022_05_06 Insight Post- Emma Keeton

  -   May 6, 2022

This week’s reading- 1 Corinthians 1-2

As we start the book of Corinthians this week, Paul writes to the church in Corinth about the divisions that have formed among them.

“My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul“; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:11-12

Different parties had formed around the leaders of the church, and the people thought that their leader was the one who held the correct interpretation of the gospel. The result of this was spiritual elitism rooted in pride. The camps of Paul, Apollos, Peter, and Jesus all in effect were saying, “we are the only ones who are right with God.”

Paul asks the Corinthians to live in unity:

“ I appeal to you, bothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10

The English definition of ‘division’ is to be separated into parts. The Greek definition Paul used here means ‘to tear.’ Paul was imploring the Corinthians to stop tearing each other apart. As we will see in the following chapters, diversity in the body of Christ is a strength. The many differing parts of Christ’s church serve to fully spread the gospel to the world. It is estimated that 45,000 Christian denominations exist globally, and 200 have been formed in the U.S. If all of these denominations pridefully thought that they were the only ones that had the full truth about Christ, fulfilling Jesus’ great commission to spread the gospel to all nations would only go so far. It is not wrong to make distinctions between us, but we can celebrate our differences and still unify under the name of Jesus Christ.

How do you view the differences of our Christian faith? Do you rally around a certain pastor on YouTube or identify with a particular Christian group? While there is nothing wrong with hearing teaching from other sources, we must be careful not to let spiritual pride creep in. We can easily slip into thinking that this pastor/group has the truth, that all else is inferior. Ask God today to help you be ‘perfectly united in mind and thought’ with other believers. Jesus Christ is our unity, and he has given us all work to do.

Emma Keeton