1 Corinthians 1:10-17
About the Text
(10) Why does Paul "appeal" to the Corinthians about their problem, and not simply command them? Although he asserted his authority as an apostle in verse 1, he knew that problems in the church need to be handled gently, sensitively, and delicately. This is the way of Christ.
(10) What does Paul exactly mean by wanting the church to "agree with one another"? In the original Greek, the phrase literally means "that all speak the same thing." In other words, godly unity comes not by simply being tolerant of any behavior or belief, but by discovering what we have in common. In Christ's church, we have Jesus Christ, the articles of the Christian faith, and our purpose and mission in common. In the church today, there are many varieties of beliefs and practices. Some, for example, some believe in infant baptism, and some don't. Although we should all affirm our unity in Christ, we must still deal with the issues that divide, talk openly about them, and lovingly search the Scriptures together, so that we might come to an agreement. Simply acknowledging our differences and doing nothing about them is far from God's ideal for His people.
(10) What kind of "divisions" did Paul want to avoid? In the original language, the word "divisions" does not refer to separate Bible study groups or denominations. Rather, it literally means "tearing/rending," where people fight and oppose each other. The Bible does not speak for or against denominations, or a church having one group for teens and one for couples. We need this kind of "separation" sometimes. What God speaks against, rather, is how we might use such groups to oppose one another.
(10) Why did Paul specify being united in "mind and thought"? Again, unity among Christians comes not by simply accepting our differences (though this is sometimes necessary), but by intelligently holding to the same essentials of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which Paul later explains after verse 18. Today, Christians tend to unite together based more on worship style, lifestyle, friendships, and even race, than anything else. However, in this passage, Paul reveals that godly unity starts with a group's knowledge about Christ, not their style.
(11) What kind of quarrels did the Corinthians have? They fought by using the names of Christian leaders. Apollos was well-versed in the Scriptures and likely had loyal followers. Cephas (Peter) was one of the Twelve apostles. People in the church were using the names of the teachers they were loyal to, in order to fight against each other. Perhaps someone would say, "Look at those followers of Peter; and they say they're Christians!" They even used the name of Christ in their arguments: "Well we're true followers of Jesus Christ; apparently you aren't!" Although Jesus raises up godly teachers to lead His church, God warns us never to elevate our loyalty to any human being to the point of breaking the bonds of loving fellowship between brothers and sisters in Christ. For example, Christians need to be careful about how they use the label "Calvinist" (followers of the 16th century theologian John Calvin), or "Wesleyan" (followers of the 18th century preacher John Wesley).
(13) What did baptism have to do with causing divisions? In each local church, the pastors who lead others to Christ and baptize them often win their strong loyalty too. Sometimes followers become so attached to a pastor that they refuse to cooperate with other pastors.
(17) Why didn't Paul baptize? Because Jesus called Paul to exercise a greater power than baptism that would bring true unity to the church - preaching about the cross of Christ. According to this passage, there is great power for the church when all believers understand and agree on how Jesus Christ's death on a cross takes away our sin, and wins for us all the blessings of salvation.
Romans 5:8 says, "For God demonstrates His love for us in this: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." And Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." When you believe, not only will you be assured of eternal life, but of another salvation blessing too: unity. In other words, you become part of a loving fellowship of like-minded believers. Unity comes when people put their faith in Jesus Christ.
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