1 Corinthians 3:1–4; 1:10–2:5
What lies behind divisions? Behind the way certain people or families break away from churches? Many things do, but the one I would like us to focus on is a different understanding of Christian growth.
People leave churches because they think that in another church they will grow more spiritually. But that brings us to the next question — the question of the true measure of spirituality.
What Is the True Measure of Spirituality?
Is it the supernatural? Prophecies? Gifts? Knowledge?
“Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Many people believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, but not in its sufficiency. That is why they dare to add things — things they write down in books or preach from the pulpits — and with the words “God told me so” they give those things the same authority as the God-breathed Word. But is this a measure of spirituality? On the contrary — it is more a mark of deception.
We have to come back to the question of authority. Who holds the highest authority in the church? God, through His Word. Now that we have the teaching of the apostles in the New Testament, do we need other apostles to hand down to us new revelations that God supposedly hid from the apostles of the early church?
As a body of teaching, Christianity was already fully complete in the first century after Christ! (Jude 3):
“3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3)
Already in the first century the Christian faith was delivered to humanity as a completed body of teaching. It has no need for anything new to be added to it. It only needs to be lived out. Every attempt to add something to it or take something away actually robs it and distorts it.
What about following the “movements of the Holy Spirit”?
The question of following the movements of the Holy Spirit leads us to the question of quick fixes. You fall, you get up, and your problem is solved… You bind the principalities and the powers and your church fills up with new people… You give the command and it happens… But is that really how things work?
Is it really worth it — over some grievance, over the supernatural, over gifts, over prophecies, over knowledge, over following the movements of the Holy Spirit, over leaders — to leave your church and create a division? I am convinced that it is not!
We have to come back to the question of what our purpose is. Why has God left us on this earth? Why, when we believed, did He not take us straight to Himself? So that we would proclaim the good news and serve toward the salvation of others!
What is the true measure of spirituality? The true measure of spirituality is Christlikeness, love, forgiveness, and unity.
Spiritual Maturity or Spiritual Immaturity?
The paradox is that it is precisely the Spirit and the pursuit of Him, along with the desire for spiritual growth, that get raised as the pretext and reason for separating from a given church.
Division, however, is a mark not of spiritual maturity, but of spiritual immaturity.
See what the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:1–4:
“1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:1)
What lies behind division? — spiritual immaturity.
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? (1 Corinthians 3:2–4)
A worldly Christian is a Christian who acts like a non-Christian.
In verse 1 the apostle Paul calls the Corinthians “brothers and sisters” and “infants in Christ.” This means that in no way does he dispute the fact that they have become Christians and remain so. At the same time, in verses 1 and 3 he calls them “worldly.” Yet he is very careful not to say that they do not have the Spirit. Because that can be said of no Christian. No one can be a Christian without having the Spirit. No one can call Jesus “Lord” without the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3):
“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3)
Sadly, however, Christians who have the Spirit can act like unbelievers — that is, like people who do not have the Spirit. By their conduct the Corinthians place themselves in exactly that category. They speak in unknown tongues, and at the same time they boast about one of their leaders, setting him against the rest.
According to verses 3 and 4, the indicator that the Corinthians are worldly Christians is precisely the jealousy and quarreling among them. These testify to the fact that some of the Corinthian believers still have not grasped the substance and nature of the gospel. Because by its very nature, the gospel cannot be a basis for division. For them, though, it has become one. And this is so because, having once become spiritual, they have gone back to a worldly way of thinking about salvation.
What lies behind division? — spiritual immaturity, which consists above all in a failure to understand the nature of the gospel and the role of pastors in God’s plan of salvation.
In 1 Corinthians 1:10–18 the apostle Paul writes:
“10 I appeal to you, brothers 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. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.” (1 Corinthians 1:10–11)
The picture is this: there is a struggle in the church. It is split into factions, and some of the people have taken a clearly stated position against Paul. All of this happened after Apollos, and perhaps Peter, visited the church.
12 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 1:12)
How far had they gone? They had placed the apostles Paul, Apollos, and Peter and the Lord Jesus Christ on one and the same level!
What Lies Behind the Social Problems in the Church?
Imagine that we were in the apostle Paul’s place and these believers from Chloe’s household came to us and told us about the problems with divisions in the church based on their loyalty to a particular leader. What do you think we would do? I am sure we would deal directly with the problem and tell them to stop their quarreling. Because strife and division are neither Christian nor a mark of love among us. In the end, the apostle Paul does the very same thing. But in their actions he sees a deeper problem.
Let us see how the apostle Paul deals with the problem of divisions in Corinth.
Before he tells them to stop, the apostle Paul deals with the theological problem that leads to their wrong behavior.
In the whole of 1 Corinthians, the apostle Paul deals with eleven problems in that church. Ten of them are social, and only one (the one about the resurrection of the dead, chapter 15) is doctrinal. The way he handles the social problems is by striking at and correcting the faulty theology or understanding of the faith that lies behind them.
Behind the social problems in the church there always stand spiritual or theological problems.
With the help and insight of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul sees that behind the division among the Corinthians and their hostility toward him personally there actually stands their wrong understanding of wisdom and of the nature of the gospel. They also misunderstand the role of their leaders in God’s plan of salvation.
What Can a Servant of God Do for Us?
The main aim of the next passage is to show how wrong it is to follow Paul or some other servant of God rather than Christ.
Paul begins to deal with the problem by painting a vivid contrast between what he did not do for them and what he did (verses 13–16):
“13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.)” (1 Corinthians 1:13–16)
The apostle Paul neither was crucified for them nor baptized them in his own name.
All he did was hand on to them, in plain words, the message of the cross of Christ — something any other person could have done as well (verses 17–18):
“17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17–18)
For a person’s salvation, neither the eloquence of the one who brings the good news nor the personality of the servant who baptizes him in water makes any difference. What matters is only the sacrifice of Christ and faith in it.
Have you ever asked yourself what a servant can and cannot do for us?
Can he save us? Can he heal us? Can he baptize us with the Holy Spirit? Can he give us spiritual gifts? Can he work the character of Christ into us?
How wrong it is to follow some servant of God! We must not follow the servants of Christ, but Christ! We must not bow down to the “stars,” but to the one who holds them in His hand! Of course God leads us through His servants, but our attitude and motives toward them must be right.
What Is Our Own Experience?
From here on the apostle Paul defends the claim that the very way the Corinthians were saved, their own experience of salvation, contradicts what they are saying and doing now. Their own experience proves that salvation comes from no human being, but from God alone, and therefore they have no ground for quarreling in the name of men, as though those men were the authors of their salvation.
The next three passages, from the end of the first chapter and the beginning of the second, contain three proofs in support of the claim that salvation is from beginning to end the work of God. The apostle Paul’s logic is that if this is so, then it is utterly senseless for the church to split into factions in the name of men, even if they are ever so “great.”
If we are honest with ourselves, we will see that what the apostle Paul says about the Corinthians holds true for us as well.
Who Is the Author of the Gospel?
I. The first proof that salvation is not a human work but God’s is His very choice of the cross as the means of salvation (1 Corinthians 1:19–28).
“19 For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’” (1 Corinthians 1:19)
This is a promise of God, and He fulfills it through the cross. There He turns the wisdom of the world into folly.
In the following verses the apostle Paul rhetorically challenges the Greek philosopher and the Jewish scholar to become witnesses of this historical fact.
“20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:20–21)
God, in His great wisdom, has arranged things so that a person cannot know Him by his own wisdom. If this were possible, and a person reached God by his own wisdom, then he would begin to worship himself, to worship the creation — because of the abilities he has — instead of God, the Creator. So God deliberately chose crucifixion as the means of a person’s salvation. In this way He made it so that salvation could never be something a person might boast about, or credit to his own wisdom.
“22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:22–23)
The Gentiles reasoned like this: “How could a God be so weak as to give Himself up to be killed by His enemies, instead of making the earth open up and swallow them?! Why not come down from the cross and act like God?! How could the God of wisdom take part in such folly? Who needs a God like that?!”
For the Jews, a crucified Messiah is an outright scandal — an offense, an insult, an affront to their national pride, an absurdity, an unbearable contradiction, something like “boiled ice.” This is so because the Jews, unlike God, load the concept of the Messiah with political, not spiritual, meaning.
And yet, God chose precisely the cross as the means of salvation. In this way He left a person powerless, without any hope in himself or in his own inventions. He left him only one way out — to surrender himself completely into the hands of God, to trust Him for both his deliverance and his life. And those who have done so have not been disappointed. They have discovered that God is worthy of trust.
It is not something else, but the message of the crucified Anointed One, that is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Perhaps you think that the crucifixion is only milk, but it is not so. It is the solid food and everything else too! God’s redemptive mission could not be shallow!
God’s wisdom and true power are demonstrated precisely in the cross.
“24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:24–25)
By pointing to the foolishness of the cross from a human point of view, the apostle Paul proves that the nature of the gospel is not human. Therefore it cannot be an occasion for division, since the credit for it can be given to no one but God.
When we speak of the gospel and salvation, we must keep in mind that this also holds true for all biblical truths.
By the way, the cross is no less glorious than the resurrection. Through the cross the Son glorifies the Father, and through the resurrection the Father glorifies the Son. In John 13:31–32 we read:
“31 When he was gone (this is about Judas), Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him’ (through the cross the Son glorifies the Father; on the cross God is glorified in Christ). 32 If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once (through the resurrection the Father glorifies the Son).” (John 13:31–32)
Both of them — the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ — are equally glorious!
It seems to me that one of the reasons for the church’s problems today is that it has drifted too far from the cross — not only as a message, but also as a way of thinking.
The return to the cross is the road to revival.
And so, the credit for the choice of the means of salvation and for the content of the gospel belongs not to human beings, but to God. No person can put his own “copyright” on the gospel or on the teaching of Christ. No person, however great, can claim authorship over it.
Who Chooses Who Will Be Saved?
II. The second proof that salvation is not a human work but God’s is the very objects of salvation (1 Corinthians 1:26–31).
“26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.” (1 Corinthians 1:26)
In this new paragraph the apostle Paul continues to use the Corinthians’ experience as proof that salvation is not the fruit of human wisdom. If a human being had to choose whom to save, he might perhaps hold a beauty contest. (In that case, many of us surely would not have qualified!) He would choose people who are intelligent, strong, and noble — those who are worthy to be saved. But the vast majority of the Corinthians were not like that.
In other words, the apostle Paul is telling them: “Just look at yourselves! For it to be precisely you who were chosen to be saved would, humanly speaking, be foolish. But you are chosen for salvation, and this proves that no human being can take the credit for salvation. It is entirely God’s. He chose you! So if you want to boast about someone, boast not about me, or about Apollos, or even about the apostle Peter, because we neither secured your salvation nor chose you for salvation — boast only about the Lord Jesus Christ! He is our Savior!”
“27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:27–31)
The credit for the choice of the objects of salvation belongs not to human beings, but to God. That is why we must stop bristling against our leaders. They do not deserve it, because it was not they who chose us for salvation, but God alone!
Where Does the Power of the Gospel Come From?
III. The third proof that salvation is God’s work and not a human one is that the manner of speaking and the messenger of the gospel make no difference to its effect (1 Corinthians 2:1–5).
The apostle Paul arrives in Corinth from Athens. There he had used his oratorical skill. He had preached before the highest philosophical forum — that of the Areopagus. Unfortunately, though, he had a very weak response. So he changed his strategy. He resolved to let nothing cloud the beauty and power of the message of the cross. And he was not disappointed, because in Corinth God helped him to found a large church.
“1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:1–5)
In this paragraph the apostle Paul continues to remind the Corinthians of their own experience as proof that salvation is God’s work. His preaching among them was not marked by eloquence or oratorical skill. The manner of Paul’s proclamation was, humanly speaking, inadequate. In spite of that, it had such power that it led to their salvation. Therefore the apostle Paul was not speaking his own word to them, but God’s Word, because only that Word has the ability to save. The very existence of their church and the fact of their salvation are proof of the effectiveness of the gospel.
The power of the gospel does not come from the personality and abilities of the one who speaks it, but from its content itself. And the heart of that content is the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The power of the gospel comes from the crucifixion.
It does not matter who preaches it to you. It does not matter how he preaches it to you.
What matters is that he preaches it to you. And if you believe it, you are saved!
It is the gospel that changes people! Even if the devil preached the gospel, it would save! But he would not do it, because he is afraid of it. It is God’s “atomic bomb.” It is not just some tool. It is the almighty power of God that touches a person.
The manner of preaching is not so important. What is important is the content of the message! If the preacher preaches Christ and the cross, his word will be effective, but the credit for that effect will belong not to the preacher, but to God, because He alone is the author of both salvation and the gospel! That is why all the glory must be given to God alone, and not to His servants!
Conclusion
And so, what lies behind divisions? A failure to understand the nature of the gospel.
A right understanding of the nature of the gospel leads to unity! It rules out the possibility of division on the basis of loyalty to a leader.
According to the apostle Paul:
The credit for the content of the gospel belongs not to pastors, but to God! The credit for who exactly is saved belongs not to pastors, but to God! The credit for the power of the gospel belongs not to pastors, but to God! The gospel is not a human philosophy, but the wisdom of God!
Therefore, the personalities of pastors should never be an occasion for division!
Behind every social problem in the church there stands a spiritual problem. Our task is to uncover it and resolve it. The trouble is that we do not admit that we have a problem. That is why humility is needed.
Behind divisions stands spiritual immaturity. We have to discover what exactly it consists of. Is it a failure to grasp the nature of salvation? A failure to grasp the role of God’s servants in the Church? A failure to grasp how important it is to submit to the leaders God has set over us? An unwillingness to forgive — a grievance that drives us to look for other embittered people to fan our own resentment? (You do not cure a rash by scratching it!) A spirit of deception? A craving to listen to novelties?
Once we recognize what exactly our spiritual immaturity consists of, we must confess it and overcome it.
It is good to remember the experience of our own salvation. If something does not match its nature, then it is not from God!
In Galatians 3:1, 3, on a different occasion and about a different problem, the apostle Paul says the same thing:
“1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” (Galatians 3:1)
“3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)
Clearly, we human beings are prone, after starting well, to wander off and to fall ill with some childhood spiritual disease. But I believe it is high time we came to our senses, got well, and stopped leaving our churches and flitting like butterflies from one place to another. That does not strengthen the church as a whole. Nor does it help our spiritual growth. Still less does it serve the fulfillment of the great task the Lord has set before us — the salvation of immortal human souls.
Therefore, let us sober up and recognize that the causes of divisions are actually devilish snares that trip us up in our spiritual development and service.
Let us live in unity, and let us be not worldly, but spiritual! Amen.