1 Corinthians 1:9-17

1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV

God is faithful,

by whom                         you                            were called

into the fellowship of his Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

 All through the Apostle Paul’s writings there is the expectation of the soon reappearing  of Jesus to consummate history and usher in the eternal reign of God over his people.  No one knew when that would happen but it was expected in the near future.

Matthew 24:36 ESV
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

 The Corinthian Christians were an undisciplined and, in some cases, immoral group of people who were expectantly looking for the return of Jesus in judgment. Despite their failures and short-comings God was faithful to keep his word of salvation and Jesus would welcome them home on the day of judgment.  What a gracious God we have.

App

1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV
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.

1 Corinthians 1:11-12 ESV
For           it               has been reported

to me

by Chloe's people

that there is quarreling

among you,

  my brothers.

What        I mean      is

that each one of you says,

“I follow Paul,”

or                                                                                                                                  “I follow Apollos,”

or                                                                                                                                  “I follow Cephas,”

or                                                                                                                                  “I follow Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1:13 ESV
Is   Christ                        divided?

Was                Paul                          crucified   for you?

Or             were         you                            baptized   in the name of Paul?

1 Corinthians 1:14 ESV

I     thank                         God

that           I                baptized   none of you

except   Crispus

and                                                                                                               Gaius,

1 Corinthians 1:15 ESV

so that                                       no one

may say that you were baptized

in my name.

 1 Corinthians 1:16 ESV

(I    did baptize                also the    household of Stephanas.

Beyond that,

I     do not know                               whether I baptized

anyone else.)

1 Corinthians 1:17 ESV

For                            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.

 

Tit 2:14
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Col 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The old adage about not talking about politics or religion because such conversations often lead to arguments seems to be an impossibility.  To speak of religion, even if at first it is about Jesus, soon devolves into a discussion of what some personality has to say about him.

So, it was with the Corinthian Christians and so it is with us today.  Religion is intimately connected to religion.  The Corinthians began to identify themselves as follower of particular personalities especially those who had baptized them into the new faith. Of course, such division of allegiances leads inevitably to arguments and disputes.  We can look at the many “divisions” of the church and see this principle is still at work in our world today.

The Apostle Paul’s response is a strong one: Jesus is not divided. He is the message and the message has always been and always will be:

Act 16:31
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

What exactly were they to believe about him?

 Rom 10:9-10

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Regardless of the personality or even regardless of a person’s style of worship or form of the sacraments or other differences, anyone who believes what the Apostle Paul says in  Romans 10:9 will be saved

For Paul, as there should be for us all, there is only one ecclesia, one church.  Small groups of this ecclesia/church meet from time to time in different places but they are all of one whole: the church, the bride of Christ.  But egos, religious politics and traditions disrupt the unity of this truth and the ecclesia appears divided both to the world and even to the followers of Jesus. When asked about our faith one of our first descriptions of ourselves or of others is to name the denomination to which we or they belong. 

When we die we all claim that our faith in Jesus will open the gates of heaven for our entry.  If Jesus receives all who confess faith in him and we are all together in heaven, then why are we so adamantly opposed to each other on earth?