what caused divisions in the corinthian church what caused divisions in the corinthian church

It is possible that these divisions represent competing house churches, some founded by Paul, some by Apollos. Sermon 5: Who is the Most Important? Alexandria was a center for learning and philosophy. Some of them were saying, "Well, Paul baptized me." Furthermore, would the apostle not also be concerned with other divisions within the individual church body? There are several important terms in this passage. It was a glorious work. No man would ever have planned the cross. WebThe members of the Corinthian church we disunited because they were pledging their allegiance to human leaders rather than God. When the Corinthians divided into factions, it wasnt so much about core doctrine (nature of God, nature of Christ, the Gospel, the nature of man). That does not mean that everybody has to think alike. WebWhat were the causes of division in the Corinthian Church? A. Their divisions, lack of church discipline, lawsuits, abuse of Christian liberty and over-emphasis of the gift of tongues, all illustrate this root problem. Paul continues in verse 10 by saying that there be no divisions among you. Galatians: Freedom through Gods Grace (Wipf & Stock, 2019). On a large jigsaw puzzle of a thousand pieces or more, its almost impossible to put it together upside down! Then there were the stylists, those who were attracted by the different kinds of preaching, and they had especially been drawn to Apollos. For example, in the first section from 1:10 to 4:21, it's errors regarding division. There were, first of all, the loyalists who said, "We are of Paul. Then there were the traditionalists (there always are), those that say, "Well, I don't know about Paul or Apollos. We all know what a clique is. They were dividing over this whole issue, and Paul says it is all wrong. WebPaul rebukes the Corinthians because there are divisions and quarrels in the church. This is what Paul does here. Let it do its great work of cutting down and eliminating from our lives those things over which we take pride and which separate us from others; these distinctions that make us dislike our brother or sister, and turn our backs on them. And some of them are really gross. in the Corinthian Church in the Corinthian Church 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. And some of them are really gross. His Word does not disagree with itself. The members started to develop division following different leaders. I would like to approach it from an evangelistic standpoint. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). In verses 10-17 of Chapter 1, Paul establishes the fact that there are divisions and begins to deal with them. It is popularized in the movie Mean Girls. 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. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). 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. The church in Corinth was a group of people who were tearing themselves apart! To resolve this issue, he encourages communal love. God is all about people, not money, and I feel sorry for anyone who tries to take over the current move of God, put it in a box, stick a label on it, and own it they will be swept away. 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. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. How important is it that there be unity within the Church? WebDivisions in the Church. In 1 Corinthians, Paul consciously avoids disciple-teacher language. Some say, "I am of Gothard," and others say, "No, I am of Bright." (I have been trying for a long time to get my wife to accept that!) The Corinthian church had many problems, and most of them were the result of pride and placing so much emphasis on social status. Something shows up sooner or later as an identifying badge that marks them as "special," with special privilege and special status in that group. [Then he thinks of another group that he had baptized] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Each group claimed to be better than the others, and party spirits began to grow in the church. Im not saying its wrong to stick to what you believe. Christians are all disciples, or better, stewards and servants of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). We see similar situations today, with political debates often devolving into a shouting match in which the person who yells their opinion the loudest and the longest is the winner. Some boasted of their special spiritual gifts; others felt left out. I agree with Greg, I see a lot of times where Pastors begin to care more about the number of the congregation rather on the connectedness of it. They will not all be the same flavor; they will not all have the same characteristics. 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. However, I would like to approach this in a different way than the comments already present here. Webdivided. 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. Now, it cannot. From the book of Acts we learn that Apollos was an outstanding orator in a world that loved and appreciated oratory. They may have carried Pauls teachings of justification by faith and freedom from the Law to an extreme and felt free to do whatever they wanted. I understand the fact that people have different beliefs and would like to stick to those (it is good to sick to what you believe) but when you get so segregated that you cannot work together anymore, it becomes a serious problem. Sometimes two or three hundred sailors, all of them Christians, would be there. Faith rests on Gods shoulders alone- its not by our wisdom and ability (Polhill 237). 4-The churchs failure to discipline. DIVISIONS AND PERSONALITIES IN THE CHURCH Long has taught full time at Grace Christian University since 1998, specializing in Bible and Biblical languages. The elders should make their decisions with the same mind and the same judgment. If you will turn in your Bibles with me to John 17:20-23, I will read the passage to you. What is a clique? Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. It is extremely important. Orators have to be so careful not to let teaching become a pride thing rather than a gift they share to better the other. 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church You could spot the Navigators going up and down the streets of Honolulu. WebAccording to Paul, the communitys problems were the consequence of the Corinthians mistaken belief that they had already been exalted. (Peter, evidently, had been through Corinth and had preached there.) Like Greg, I recognize this tension in some of the churches I have served in and find it appalling (1 Corinthians 3:18-19). Phillip J. Offshoots had disturbed the church. 6-Members defiling the Lords Supper. Webdivided. Obviously, here at Peninsula Bible Church we cannot do that. Weve seen how important unity was to the apostle Paul. 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. Paul, however, was a good leader. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). Unlike most of his other epistles, Paul plunges right into the heart of the practical problems that were affecting this church, and the first of these, the problem of divisions within the church, he begins to deal with in Chapter1, Verse10. Sometimes a church leader can have so much clout that he begins to have cult status. I think we have failed to de-paganize the art of preaching/teaching if pastors/leaders are looking for patronage, prestige, and numbers over relationships, service, and transformation. These are two common causes of church divisions in the West. 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. That is what they were doing with baptism here in Corinth. But when each piece is fitted together into its proper place in the puzzle, you have a beautiful and complete picture. The third danger of groups is given in the latter part of Verse13, and on through the next few verses: Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? In this passage of Scripture, Paul is very careful to focus the attention on Christ and not on himself. 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. Do we need to be looking for results? I used to attend a Navigator group which met in Honolulu on Sunday afternoons. So they were splitting and arguing and quarreling over the relative merit and authority of these various teachers. The first thing Paul says is that it tends to chop up Christ and parcel him out as though his person and his work came in various packages, thus you lose perspective of the whole of Christian theology. And there are others who are drawn to some speaking style that has attracted them. This is what Paul uses as the basis for unity in this church -- not only the attitude of selflessness, which is the mind of Christ, but the responsibility to submit to his Lordship, the common responsibility that we have together. 11My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. I think the letter to the Philippians helps us here, because in that passage I just quoted from, Paul goes on to say, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:5). Conclusion. is the history and significance of the church Paul then goes on to give us three very carefully stated clues in Verse13 as to what is wrong with this kind of thing. Phil Long is correct, we have not improved much since the first century. In other words, there must be agreement with Christ, with His will, and with His Word. I find there are these tendencies right here in Peninsula Bible Church. But if it is to escape pressures and difficulties and problems in the congregation, then it is absolutely wrong and the worst thing he could do, because it sets before the watching world a false testimony concerning the church of Jesus Christ. They are springing up all over the place, including Downunder (Australia) where I live here in Brisbane. The individual leaders should only point them to Christ. Not even a three-fourths vote should carry a motion. Will we do so by the strength which God alone can and will supply? Corinthians The Factions At Corinth Perhaps, in their individual efforts, they had missed some spots; so the suggestion was made, Lets all join hands and go through the long grass again. Finally, the child was found, but it was too late. The Protestant Reformation had its beginnings in 1517 (see Chapter 1 0). Whatever you say, I believe." There are those who are emotionally attached to some great Christian leader who has helped them, and they will only listen to him. I've not forgotten that incident because it seems to me to capture the very attitude Paul is describing here. He was a rhetorician who was especially capable in the allegorical style of teaching of the Old Testament. 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.. Corinthians 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. 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. Some followed Apollos whom they honored above Paul (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:4; Acts 18:24 to 19:1). Paul says that he does not preach in cleverness of speech because the power of the gospel lies in the facts of the gospel, and not in any mans presentation of them. They embraced the values of their Roman society, which divided over ethnicity (e.g., Jews vs. Gentiles) and social rank (wise vs. foolish, powerful Members follow him blindly and whatever they do seems right to them. Chapter Summary Unity in the church is something that requires cooperation with each other and with the Spirit of God. The first noticeable division would be among differing denominations. Paul condemns their behavior in verse 13 by saying, Has Christ been divided? In other words, have different amounts of Christ been given to different people? Since I was working at that time in the ship's service department in Pearl Harbor, we ordered great quantities of these Bibles. If we are, all our differences and difficulties would soon come to an end. Conclusion. It is sad to see that our world appears just as divided today as it did back in the first century. 1 Corinthians Problems in the Church The real problem behind the divisions is that the church continues to act like Christianity is just another philosophy, and teachers are in competition with each other just as the Greek orators competed. That is always the unifying factor in a church, and that is the mind that is to be among us, the mind that does not consider itself the most important thing. How important is it that there be unity in the Church where you fellowship? 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. It would destroy the unity of the congregation and split them up and provide an inaccurate testimony to the Person of Christ before the watching world. Verse 12 tells us the source of this problem. But it is the exclusiveness that Paul is concerned about here -- people who do not even want to come to a service if someone other than their favorite is preaching. On Friday of this week we will gather again to consider the cross of Christ. Every piece of that jigsaw puzzle is different, isnt it? Religious snobs want to be a part of a small group who The most well known one is having worship on Sundays instead of the Sabbath. You may be reminded by his words in Verse10 of the similar passage in his letter to the Philippians where, in Chapter2, he says to that church, "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind," (Philippians 2:1-2 RSV). And if you were really on the inside circle, your ladder was drawn by none other than Dawson Trotman himself! How can the presence of divisions be described as worldly?, Bruce Winter details the Greco-Roman practice of discipleship in the second chapter of After Paul Left Corinth. 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. 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. They are his family in Christ. Bruises show on her arm! He called to ask whether I thought that would be right or wrong to do. Today we have followers of Rob Bell, Rick Warren, and even Joel Osteen (for some reason). DIVISIONS IN THE CHURCH I Corinthians 1 Its pathetic that people should get so angry about whether drums are used or if the AC unit is kept at 71 or 70. This is the result of a religious snobbery associated by cliques that produced pride and conflict. They were burdened about them, and they went to the right person with them. There are some people who minister to us better than others, and it is only natural that we should listen to them and follow them. It wasnt even about secondary doctrine (the second coming, the nature of baptism). We feel some sense of connectedness to the teachers (pastors/leaders) whose teachings we sit under while they count us as proof of their effectiveness (numbers). Paul exhorts them to agree. I think that if you put the teachings of a man over the teachings of Scripture then you have a problem. Not when we hear of churches with factions or cliques of people who sit on opposite sides of the aisle. This division in the church was over their own selfish ambitions evidenced in what they wanted. In the year 1 054 the Church was divided into two parts: 1) The Greek Eastern Church 2) The Roman Western Church.