EPISODE 109 1 CORINTIANS CHAPTER 1 " United in thought and Purpose"

Welcome to Share the Word. We start off in chapter one of First Corinthians as Paul receives reports of division, and then he receives a letter from the church asking all sorts of questions. He deals with what seems to be a ton of problems from this struggling church in the city of Corinth, issues relating from sexuality to matters of leadership. Let's listen in. First Corinthians chapter one: United in thought and purpose. I saw a man in the grocery store shopping recently, who I at first assumed was drunk because he looked really spastic.

His movements were awkward; his arms and legs were wobbly. As I watched him for a moment, I changed my mind and realized he was probably dealing with some kind of neurological disorder like ataxia or cerebral palsy. Those conditions result from a brain malformation or injury, or sometimes a spinal cord injury, and they result in difficulty coordinating your muscle movements. Normally, our brains are constantly sending out signals to all of our muscles, controlling all of our voluntary and involuntary movements. Everything from Simone Biles blinking her eyelids to her most complex gymnastic maneuvers on the vault or on the mat. But what if those signals are not being received correctly?

What if something's interrupting them? This is why people suffering from neurological disorders often look spastic or kind of drunk. Their brain is not able to direct their muscles and control their movements normally because something is interrupting the signals. Hold on to that thought. We're going to turn our attention now to the Corinthian epistles. You may remember from our journey through Acts that Corinth was a large city in southern Greece where Paul spent considerable time during his second missionary expedition, around the year 51, 52 A.D.

This is where he ran into Aquila and Priscilla, worked for them in their business by day and did ministry in the evenings and weekends before the rest of his team rejoined him. Corinth was a large, diverse city with a significant Jewish population, the exact kind of place Paul liked to target for evangelism and church planting. It was also an intimidating place because of its devotion to pagan religions and fascination with extreme immorality. It was known far and wide in the ancient world as Sin City, a place where anything goes, if you know what I mean. One extreme example of this was the worship, if you want to call it that, of the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of sensual love. Historians say that at its peak, the temple of Aphrodite on Corinth's Acropolis, which overlooked the city, employed 1,000 prostitutes, euphemistically called priests or priestesses.

These were male and female sex workers, even minors. They came down into the city in the evening to entice customers. Imagine a religion, again, if you want to call it that, where part of the worship of their god, or in this case goddess, involved drug-infused sexual orgies with prostitutes in the attempt to spiritually connect with their deity through her priests and priestesses. Even as bold as the apostle Paul was, when he arrived in this large city alone, after having left other members of his team to finish work up north, he admits he came to Corinth, his words, in weakness, fear, and trembling. That's why God, unbeknownst to him or them, had that special Christian couple, Priscilla and Aquila, there ready to meet him. But although as dark a place as we can imagine, that's all the more why it needed the light of the gospel.

And Paul believed that because of its influence and being a hub of commerce, if a Christian witness could be established in Corinth, it would have a serious regional influence. Corinth was a big city for the time, estimated population around 600,000 to 700,000 inhabitants, likely as many slaves as free men. It was located on the four-mile-wide isthmus that connects the main part of Greece with the Peloponnesus, the bulging 8,000-plus square-mile peninsula juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. For centuries, travels between northern and southern Greece, all the commerce, had passed through or by Corinth. Ships traveling from the east to the west, often from the province of Asia over to Italy, were often dragged across that narrow isthmus on rollers rather than making the voyage all the way around the Peloponnesus, which would be 250 miles of extra sailing.

But the point is, lots of people were always coming and going from this large city, making it an ideal place to plant a church. As usual, Paul started his Great Commission work there in the Jewish synagogue where he knew he would get a hearing, and he was allowed to speak there for some time, and there was a positive response to the gospel by many. Even the synagogue president, a man he names here, Sosthenes, was mentioned at the outset of his letter. He eventually became a Christian himself. Another man who became a believer was named Crispus and his family, and they lived next door to that synagogue. When the synagogue members had finally heard enough from Paul and about Christianity, there were enough of them, the majority of them, to say he could not speak there any longer.

You know what they did? They moved literally next door to Crispus' home and held services next door to the synagogue. That was an uneasy arrangement, to say the least. But eventually, some of those influential Jews had Paul arrested for being a troublemaker, and there was a hearing before the Roman proconsul in Achaia named Gallio. That Roman official, who we know from history only served in that office for about one year, around 51, 52 A.D. — that's how we know when this letter was written — was not interested in what he saw as a religious dispute between Jews. So Paul was able to go on preaching and developing his church there in Corinth for some time.

He was there 18 months in all. After leaving Corinth, his work went on in other places, but Paul did his best to stay in contact with that church and other churches by emissaries that he sent back and forth or by letters that were sent back and forth. More letters than we have in our New Testament went back and forth between Paul and the Corinthian believers. But this one we're going to work through next, we call First Corinthians in our Bibles, is extensive. It was written probably three or perhaps four years after Paul spent time in that city. In the intervening time, the church had grown.

Paul commends them in his opening lines where he can. He says, I always thank God when I remember you because of the grace that's been given you in Christ. In him you have been enriched in every way, with all kinds of speech, with all kinds of knowledge. God has confirmed our testimony about Christ among you. Paul believed that their faith was real, and he goes on to say there was evidence of that in the gifts of the Holy Spirit displayed among them. But this is not a letter that's going to be full of a lot of commendations.

It's rather a letter full of a lot of admonitions. It's mostly about addressing problems. Problems like what? Well, there was factionalism pulling this fellowship apart. There was confusion about the use of spiritual gifts. There was confusion about the issue of divorce.

There were members going to court suing each other. There was open immorality going on among members, and it was being ignored. People were misbehaving even at the celebration of the Lord's Supper. I mean, things were a mess there, Paul heard. It had to be really disappointing for him to hear that report. I'm sure he expected these early Christians to be further along toward maturity, you know, spiritual maturity, more grown up after three or four years.

Here's the first problem Paul feels the need to confront off the bat. I'm reading now from chapter 1, starting at verse 10. I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in your church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. For some members of Chloe's household have told me about your quarrels.

Some of you are saying, I am a follower of Paul. Others are saying, I follow Apollos. Others, I follow Cephas—that's Peter—or I follow Christ. Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you, or any of you baptized into the name of Paul? Of course not.

I thank God that I didn't baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, for now no one could say they were baptized in my name. On second thought, he adds, Oh yeah, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don't think I baptized anyone else. For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the good news. This is definitely not the big idea I want to focus on today, but I can't go by that last verse without pointing out something we may have discussed previously, and that is the meaning and purpose of baptism. Those who teach that water baptism is part and parcel of salvation, it's required for salvation, are mistaken. Paul's words here should make that very clear.

Although he went to Corinth to evangelize, he says, I didn't personally baptize only a few people, and he sounds glad that that was true. And then he adds, Jesus didn't send me to baptize people, but to share the good news. Water baptism is an outward initiation rite for new believers. Every new believer should make that public testimony if they can, as a follower of Christ. It's a declaration that you have personally believed into Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection for your justification. It pictures God washing away your sins and giving you new spiritual life with Him.

No one should ever minimize that, and I'm not. It's an important statement, a landmark in a new believer's life, but it does not save anyone. Only faith in Christ saves us. It's when we receive Jesus as our Savior and put our faith in Him, trust in Him. That's what saves us. We've stressed this over and over on Share the Word.

But the issue I want to focus on more in that section is what members of Chloe's family had reported back to Paul, and that is that there were serious quarrels creating factions in the Corinthian church, causing Paul to make this admonition by the authority of the Lord Jesus: Live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in your church. Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. The Apostle Paul strongly reminded them of the importance, the necessity really, of unity in their church. I've been a member in Bible-believing churches all of my life. Most of that experience has been very positive, but I have also lived through a couple painful periods of seeing disunity.

That can happen in so many ways when Christians have their guard down. It can happen when disagreements occur over someone teaching things that disagree with the church's positions. It can happen when someone gets their nose out of joint because they feel slighted. I saw that happen once when a man who felt he should have been nominated to be a church leader was passed over, and then he went about trying to undermine the pastor who he felt had blackballed him. I've seen situations caused by gossip and jealousy. But in Corinth, it sounds like the divisions existed over which celebrity spiritual leader people most admired.

Some saw themselves as followers of the important apostle Peter. After all, he'd been with Jesus from the beginning, right? Others identified with Apollos, a very gifted teacher who followed Paul in Corinth. Others felt a deep affection for and loyalty to the apostle Paul. After all, he had planted their church. Still others felt only Jesus should be recognized as the ultimate leader.

Why do so many people have the tendency, almost the need, to turn people into celebrities, larger-than-life stars? We do that in every area, with entertainers, with athletes, politicians, sadly even Christian leaders. Don't turn your favorite pastor or Bible teacher or theology guru into a celebrity, please. This mistake still creates factions in the body of Christ today. Although he was an apostle, hand chosen and called by Jesus and given the authority of that office, Paul wanted nothing to do with creating a personal following, that kind of celebrity status. He asks, Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul?

Like, did that ever happen? Upon your profession of faith, Gaius, I now baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the apostle Paul. No! Paul scolds them. Christ is not divided, and neither should you be. Do you remember Jesus' prayer on the night he was betrayed?

This is John 17. It was a prayer not only for his immediate disciples to hold together in unity, but for all those who would hear and receive the gospel in the future, which includes us, by the way. I'm always struck by that part. I'm asking not only for these disciples, Jesus prayed, but also for all those who will believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you are in me and I am in you. We are in each other.

May they be one so the world will believe that you sent me. So that the world will believe that you sent me. In some way, the unity of Christians can bear out the truth of who Jesus is and the importance of his saving mission. Think about that. The unity of Christ's followers, in some way, is convincing to unbelievers that our faith is real and true. So it follows, doesn't it, that if there is disunity, the effects of the gospel are going to be hindered.

Why? Because the energy of the body starts getting pointed inward and focused on problems rather than outward on the mission of sharing the good news and serving other people. Isn't that exactly what happened in the first church at Jerusalem that was growing so rapidly? Acts says everyone had things in common and God's power was very evident among them, and all the believers were of one heart and mind until, until that problem arose over the Hellenistic Jews, those people not native to Israel, feeling that their widows were being slighted in the distribution of supplies. Remember that? Hard feelings developed.

Disunity raised its ugly head. And it wasn't until the apostles found a solution to that problem and unity was restored that the church was able to move forward again and grow. I've seen this so clearly, not only on the pages of Scripture, as in the early church we watched growing in Jerusalem, but also in my own years participating in observing ministries over the years. Some really good churches, effective ministries have stalled out or even come apart because of disunity that was not effectively confronted and solved. This is why we are so often and so pointedly told in the epistles what Paul tells the Corinthians here: Let there be no divisions in your church. Be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.

Or what he told the Romans in chapter 15: May the God who gives us patience and encouragement help us to live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ. Or what he wrote to the Ephesians: Be completely humble and gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. For there is only one body and one Spirit, as you were called in one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. One, one, one, Paul stresses. So you be one too.

I know what some of you are thinking. Wow, that's easier said than done, Paul. You know, churches are made up of difficult people. It's a challenge for sure. But unity of mind and purpose is certainly possible because, unlike the Corinthian church, others of the early churches that we read about on the pages of the New Testament were experiencing it. I've experienced it.

But it has to be a priority of every member of a local church. Everybody needs to understand how important it is and commit to it. As people come into a church, new people, leaders need to be very clear about the church's beliefs and values. Things need to be down in writing. People can see. They need to see a doctrinal statement.

Here's what we believe. They need to see a members' covenant. Here's what we expect from you. Leaders need to go over these things carefully with prospective new members so they have their questions answered before they become members. It's a good idea to rethink that members' covenant annually and ask members to consider if they feel God wants them to be a part of this particular local church for another year. And importantly, when problems arise, because Satan will find the cracks and he will exploit them if he can.

Church leaders have to be strong enough and wise enough to solve them, courageous enough, just as the apostles did in Jerusalem when a potential division threatened there, or as Paul did when a doctrinal problem caused by Judaizers occurred in the church at Antioch or Galatia. Church leaders have to recognize, biblically confront, and resolve problems. This is one of their biggest responsibilities in overseeing the flock of God because unity is paramount. On the other hand, members. Members need to respect their leaders' decisions. God expects church members to listen to their spiritual leaders.

If you don't respect them enough to listen to them and follow their lead, guess what? You're in the wrong church. Find a different one. But whatever you do, do not be the cause of disunity. Toward one another, Paul is clear that members need to be humble, forgiving, forbearing, honoring, never backbiting or gossiping. I heard about something that happened at a small Christian college where a lot of disunity was going on.

A lot of bad feelings were poisoning the atmosphere on that campus. In one particular class, which several of the leading seniors attended, a wise old professor decided he'd confront the problem. When the young people arrived at his class that afternoon, they noticed a large poster was hung on the corkboard where the announcements were usually posted. And the poster had a target drawn on it. The professor said, We're going to do something different today. I understand there's a lot of bad feelings going around.

What I want you to do is draw a picture of someone you're really upset with, someone you don't like, someone you have a grudge against, and we're going to do some getting of the hostility out today. One girl drew a picture of another young woman who she felt had stolen her boyfriend. A guy drew a picture of his rival who had beaten him out for a starting position on the basketball team. Someone else drew a caricature of one of the administrators he didn't like on his paper. And when all of them were done, the professor had them, one at a time, pin their picture up on the target and throw several darts at it. This is what they did for the whole class period, one person after another.

The students thought it was funny. Some of them got very into it, firing their darts at the likenesses of those people they had problems with. A few minutes before the class period ended, the professor stepped up and carefully took down the target from the board. And directly underneath that paper target was a picture of Jesus. That room grew very quiet as each student viewed the now marred image of Jesus, completely disfigured with holes and tears from the darts they'd thrown. That one object lesson had a profound impact on their campus for years to come, the girl who wrote the article said.

We must always remember that we, the church, are the body of Christ. The way we treat each other, talk about each other, relate to each other should be no less than the way we would treat Jesus Himself. What was going on in the Corinthian church, not just with factionalism and disunity, but in several other areas as well, which we'll see, is just like what was going on with that fellow I told you about at the outset, the guy whose body was not processing the signals from his brain properly. Similar to that neurological disorder, a church that is not receiving and obeying Christ's instructions, our head, is going to be showing disorders too, looking spastic, with many counterproductive things going on.

Instead of the love and unity that convinces the world around us that the gospel is true and Jesus is real, a church that gets that unhealthy will actually turn people off from the truth and away from Christ. Never let yourself become a part of that. Remember the apostle's admonition to the Corinthians: I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of the Lord Jesus, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in your church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. This is Paul for Share the Word.

Thanks, Paul. For those of you who are joining us for the first time, welcome, and we'd love to encourage you to visit sharetheword.org. Check out all of the other episodes, from the Book of Acts to John to James to Romans and so much more. Share the Word is a Great Commission project, sharing the big ideas of the New Testament chapter by chapter. The podcasts are designed and perfect for personal growth to group Bible studies. Everything that is offered is free to use, download, and share.

From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.