Year Two, October 8

Be United in the Same Mind and the Same Judgment1

Paul loved the church in Corinth, but it caused him much pain and trouble because of the evils that grew in it. The main problems were the inaccurate teaching of Jewish converts, the fact that the church had more talent than grace, and that no pastor had been raised up to oversee the concerns of the church. We will now read from the first chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church.

  

1 Corinthians 1:1-17

1Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, (It is always good to acknowledge and comment on all the good that we see in our brothers and sisters in Christ, even though we may see much to be sad about. They will be all the more ready to accept our rebukes if we are fair enough to acknowledge and admire their good qualities.) 5that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

10I 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. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.

If we bring an accusation, we should always be willing to give our reason for it and mention the name of the accuser. Those who speak against others, and yet will not allow their names to appear, are not worth listening to.

12What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” (Many of the Gentiles stood up for the apostle Paul because he planted their church. On the other hand, the Jewish Christians praised Peter; while a third group was charmed by the eloquence of Apollos, and a fourth company separated from the other three asserting that they were the ones who truly followed Christ. The last group appears to be just as much to blame as the others. Divisions in the church of Christ are always evil.) 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.

There are some professing Christians who make us feel glad that we had no part in their baptism. For instance: Those who look to their baptism for their salvation, those who live inconsistent lives, and those who sow “discord among brothers.”2

16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) (This is a very remarkable passage. The apostle was inspired, and yet he made a statement and then corrected himself, and then modified it again with a hint that there might still be some others who escaped his memory. This is intended by the Holy Spirit to teach us to use great care when we speak, because we should speak the truth with the utmost accuracy in even the small details.) 17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (Elegant preaching feeds a person’s pride. Plain preaching brings glory to God and benefit to people.)

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¹ 1 Corinthians 1:10

² Proverbs 6:19