Why a Spirit of Division is Not Your Way

In First Corinthians, Paul addresses the division prominent in the house churches of the city. Simply stated, division is a wall between two sides. In the 1960s, the Communists of East Germany erected the Berlin Wall to prevent East Germans from uniting with West Germans. Many individuals lost their lives while attempting to climb the wall that separated the East from the West, proving that this barrier was not innocent. This wall of division separated friends from friends and family from family. The result brought death and despair. The wall would stay up forever, it seemed. But God had another plan. A global wave of nationalism and the desire for freedom swept up the people in Communist countries, turning the Communist world upside down. The Berlin Wall had no power against the forces of unity and freedom—and it fell, becoming prize souvenirs for collectors. Types of Berlin Walls are built every day in churches and between believers. There is no wall worth the cost of division. The only way to keep the unity of the Spirit in the church and between believers is to remain in the Spirit.¹ That’s what Paul endeavored to get over to the Corinthian Church. It’s a lesson we should strive to learn and operate in as well in the days of our generation. Why a Spirit of Division is Not Your Way, that’s our focus of this week’s Light on Life.

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Why Unity Is Essential in All Things God

Why a Spirit of Division is Not Your Way Click To Tweet

Read the Notes

You can view a basic transcript of this podcast at the bottom of this section.

Accept the Challenge

Each week’s podcast contains a call to action. The Word of God will not produce in your life unless you put it into operation.
This week’s call is:

It’s time to repent of allowing division in our lives. It’s time to tear down walls and build bridges between believers. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, not the author of division.

Join the Conversation

Testimony is vital to a believer’s life. We overcome by it (Rev. 12:11). Each week’s podcast also contains a question designed to encourage testimony.
This week’s question is:

Question: Share a testimony of how you got out of a division type situation and the impact that had on your life. Share your story in the comments section below.

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Emery committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ over 47 years ago and has served as both a full-time pastor and an itinerant minister. He and his wife Sharon of 42 years emphasize personal growth and development through the Word of God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is the focus and the hallmark of their mission. Read more about them here.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe.

Note: Pocket Casts is available on the App Store or Google Play.

Pocket Casts

iTunes PlayerFM

Share the Love

If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on Stitcher Radio and leave a review. If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic, you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at emery@emeryhorvath.com

Prayer

Podcast Notes

Well again, welcome.
Let’s pray.

Father God, you are so lovely and wonderful — mere words cannot express. We thank you for helping us understand the power of a unified Body of Christ. Help us walk in this power in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Division in the Church at Corinth

1 Corinthians 1:11–17 (ESV) — 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 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.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 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.

In last week’s podcast, we saw that Paul asked that the Corinthians operate in a spirit of agreement, and that there be no divisions.
Paul asked for this because this spirit of agreement didn’t exist.
Paul appealed to the church to unite with the same mind and judgment.
The Church was quarreling over church leaders.
We saw from Acts 18:1 and 19:1 how all this got started.
We observed many house churches made up the Church at Corinth.
And, that these house churches had built relationships with the different men of God who came through the city in God’s timing.
One house church stated their connection to Apollos, while another group proclaimed their association with Paul and so forth.
So, Paul is asking the Corinthians to consider a no-strife-life.
We also saw that this division was an indicator of a lack of spiritual development.

1 Corinthians 3:1–3 (ESV) — 1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?

Division that Comes from Not Understanding the Body of Christ

That’s Paul input from chapter three, but in chapter one, he asks some hard-hitting rhetorical questions.
Rhetorical questions are ones where the answer is obvious by the question asked.

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Let’s take up each of these starting with the first rhetorical question, ‘Is Christ divided?’
Anybody with one eye and half sense knows what the answer is — Emphatically no!
Since we understand that these are rhetorical questions, we could easily add emphatically ‘no’ response.

Is Christ divided into House Churches? – No! Or, Is Christ divided into groups? – again No!

Interestingly enough, Today’s English Version [formerly known as the Good News Bible] reads this way: instead of the question, is Paul divided?, the TEV adds ‘is Christ divided into groups.’
Here it is — this is the TEV now.

Christ has been divided[a] into groups! Was it Paul who died on the cross for you? Were you baptized as Paul’s disciples?

So, let’s take each of these rhetorical questions up and see what we can understand about the heinous subject of division.

Is Christ Divided?

Is Christ divided?
Christ is the head of the Church.
The Church is the body.

Ephesians 4:15–16 (ESV) — 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

So notice the question again: ‘Is Christ divided?’
Christ is the head — we are the body.
So, we have, in this question, human body imagery.
So, Paul is asking, is Christ divided? — or is the head separated from the body?
In the human physique, head and body are so joined that separation of the head from the body means instant death.
Obviously that’s not a good thing.
The imagery of the head and body also shows that the body is completely identified with the head – they are a one package deal.
Now, reflect all of this back to the body of Christ – naturally speaking, head and the body bear the same name.
Take yourself to the mirror.
If you are named Steven, that means both your head and body are named Steven.
We don’t think of head and body as separate parts as a matter of practice.
The whole of you in the mirror is Steven.
If you’re female and your name is Joanne — then what you see in the mirror is Joanne — head and body.
There’s no separation — there’s no distinction between any of your parts — they all have the same name.
Sharon is Sharon, head to toe.
So, the Head is Christ, guess what?
The Body is Christ as well — head and body carry the same name.
If the Church ever finds out that it is Christ, it will do the works of Christ.
If you ever find out that you are Christ, you will do the works of Christ.
The word Christ means anointed in Greek.
If you ever find out that you are anointed, you will act like you are anointed — because, here’s the truth, you truly are.
You are connected to the head and you carry the same name because the head is anointed.

John 14:12–14 (ESV) — “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

So go back to the question, ‘Is Christ divided?’
This is a big deal.
If Christ is divided, that means it’s operating in death!
So, disunity in the Body of Christ is big stuff.
I mentioned that in a previous podcast.
Division is not a minor issue and we need to view strife and quarreling in this light.
You know the scripture says — by this shall all men know you are my disciples if you have love one towards another.
That’s John 13:35.
The reverse is also true — By this shall all men know that Christianity is just another religion if you’re fussing and fighting with one another.
So now, does this scripture in the book of Romans become more vital to follow in your thinking?

Romans 12:18 (ESV) — 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Would it be worth letting the other guy win, that is not refusing to operate in strife, or sidestepping some issues rather than competitively trying to win if it keeps the body of Christ out of division?
Is Christ divided?
That’s the case Paul is making.

Division From Men Losing Their Focus

He goes on with the next question: Was Paul crucified for you?
Again, this is rhetorical — the answer is emphatically no!
Paul’s first statement against divisive house churches was about the body of Christ.
His second is about men losing their focus.
If we rephrase the question ‘Was Paul crucified for you? — into this: ‘Why are you looking at me like I’m somebody — like I did something? — when it’s Jesus that did everything — would that make better sense to you?
Paul is saying, ‘I didn’t go to the cross for you.’
Paul didn’t take upon himself the sins of the world.
Paul didn’t I leave heaven’s glory and become a man.
He didn’t leave behind his omniscience — he had none to start with.
Paul didn’t shed his omnipotence — he gloried in his weakness.
He had no omnipresence to be stripped of, as Jesus did.
Paul didn’t lay aside his form as God like Jesus did and become a man confined in a baby’s body.
Paul is saying, ‘I didn’t do any of this — why are you looking at me?’
‘What you have done,’ Paul is implying is you’ve lost your focus.
Now, you know this happens all the time – people losing their focus.
And with that thought, here’s the Illustration of the Day.

Have you ever thought about what it means to live a crucified life? Imagine the following happening to a church in your community: In the middle of a church service, Jesus Christ Himself walks right down the center aisle and positions Himself behind the pulpit. As you can imagine, there is great excitement. A pulsating electricity runs through the congregation. [This is Jesus after all!] On the edge of their seats, the people wait for His profound words. “Go with Me today to the local shopping mall and witness for Me.” The assembly was a little shocked by His request. After all, their church was trying to do all the right things to bring people in. But, because it was Jesus doing the asking, they decided to do as He said and follow Him to the mall. It would be hard to witness, but they would. The next week, Jesus comes back to this church again. By this time, the congregation is feeling honored that He would take the time to visit their church. Again, they sit in their chairs, wondering what He would say. Truthfully, they expected Him to ease up after the last week’s difficult challenge. “Go with Me and comfort those who are in the prison. And then, reach out to their families by including them in your times of fellowship.” Everyone was shocked! The mall was a safe place to share with people that they would never see again (hopefully). But now, He was asking them to get close to people they had no desire to be around. But again, because it was Jesus, they did everything He asked them to do. It was awkward at times, but they all lived through the experience, and those who were visited seemed to really appreciate their efforts. Jesus came back to the same church for the final time the following week. By this time they had gotten used to His visits. They figured they had passed His test of faithfulness and that He would bless them and go on His way. As was His custom, He walked to the pulpit. One man in the congregation shouted out: “Jesus, what do you want us to do for you today? We’ve blocked out the whole afternoon to go with you. What’s it going to be today? Nursing homes, soup kitchens, visiting widows? Like I’ve said; we’ve scheduled you in for the whole afternoon.” With eyes that pierced through their shallow hearts, He said, “Today, I want you to take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Me up that hill and die.” “Die?! We don’t understand. How can we serve you if we die? We’re doing a lot of good things down here and dying on a cross would ruin everything that we’ve done.” Like these church people, many of us have missed the purpose of the cross. Crosses were not made for carrying … they were made for dying. There should be no pride in the number and weight of the crosses we carry. Their purpose is for our death.

Taking up the cross and following Jesus should be our focus.
The people in Corinth lost theirs.
They weren’t living the crucified life — they were living the competitive life.
Paul is saying, ‘I am no one to compete with. Jesus is the one who did it all for you.’
Instead of looking at me — instead of lifting me up [you should never pedestal leaders, it’s dangerous business] – instead of lifting people up, you should lift up the Name that’s above every name.
‘That’s way better than using my name for advantage.’
You know they call that name dropping in the world in which we live.
So, the identity of a Jesus follower is obviously in Jesus.
His death, burial, and resurrection are the centerpiece of a believer’s existence.

Division Over Baptism

That leads us into the last of Paul’s three rhetorical questions.

Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Now Paul says, ‘Your focus should be the Name of Jesus, not my name.’
Now, the Greek here reads a little bit different from the English.
Were you baptized in the name of Paul, in the Greek reads — were you baptized INTO the Name of Paul?
Baptism is not ‘in the Name,’ it’s ‘INTO the Name.’
Matthew 28 reads the same way.

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV) — 19 [Go therefore] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

So let’s talk about how names function.
The name of a person stands for the person.
When you think about a person, or when they come to your mind, they do so by name.
‘You say to someone in conversation, ‘You know, I was thinking about so and so today.’
You know it’s amazing how many times you think of someone and shortly after they end up calling you.
It’s intriguing how that works.
The name of the person and the components of the person [you know body parts] are identical.
When you think of the person, you think of their name and vice versa — when you think of their name; you think of the person.
Name and person are not separate in your mind.
Now think of baptism, think of being baptized INTO the name.
When you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you were baptized into the names of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Water baptism is an outward display of the inward working of coming to Jesus.
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are separate beings — each individually are God but they are one in mind and purpose.
You were baptized into God —into His Name.
That means you’re under His [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s] protection, care, authority, and Lordship.
Saying this in a different way; all that God is what you’re hooked to.
When demons see you, they see Him because you are in Him.
You are utterly hooked with omnipotence.
This is what Paul’s third question points to: ‘You were not placed INTO my name — the name of Paul, you were placed into His Name.
When you went through baptism, you did not hear the words ‘I baptize you in the name of Paul.’
Paul’s name is nothing.
Talking to the Corinthians, Paul says ‘I witnessed to you but it’s from His direction.’
‘I laid hands on you but His power healed you.’
I visited your house church because believers need to gather together, but that wisdom came from God.
‘I baptized none of you,’ Paul said.
‘You are not under MY lordship and authority because I am under HIS lordship and authority.’
‘Separate the two us in your thinking because there’s a great gulf difference between Him and I.’
The Church at Corinth, composed of multiple house churches, was put INTO the name of Jesus.
They were not put INTO the name of Paul.
Magnifying this thought, Paul exclaims.

I thank God that I baptized none of you…

Isn’t that odd that Paul is thanking God that he didn’t baptize a bunch of folk?
I mean baptizing people is a wonderful thing.
It’s not a bad thing.
But you see, division is such a bad and massively heinous thing, that Paul is so glad that he didn’t somehow contribute to this mess by baptizing a bunch of people.
Now, that’s sad really — to make someone feel that they did a bad thing for the Kingdom when all along they were trying to do something good and righteous.
I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, that’s Paul’s testimony.
Who in the world was Crispus?

Acts 18:8 (ESV) — 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

Crispus is fruit from Paul’s synagogue ministry – Paul baptized him.
Gaius? — was a traveling buddy of Pauls.

Acts 19:29 (ESV) — 29 So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.

Note that Aristarchus was a traveling buddy of Paul’s as well but, he didn’t baptize him — only Gauis.

15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

Who was Stephanus?

1 Corinthians 16:15 (ESV) — 15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints—

Stephanas was one of the first people saved in Corinth, along with Crispus.
Now, here’s a thought: check this out.
Paul baptized these couple of men but you kind of wonder, ‘Was Paul led by the Spirit not to baptize a whole bunch of people?’
Did the Lord check him in his spirit?
Now, I can’t prove that the Lord did that but you can’t prove that the Lord didn’t do that.
It’s a thought to consider anyway.

Division: The Conclusion of the Matter

1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV): 17 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. 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”

Look at how Paul wrote this.
There’s a comparison between words of wisdom and words of the cross.
Notice in both cases, ‘word’ or logos comes first.
So, there is word-wisdom and there is word-cross wisdom, if we could say it that way.
Man’s wisdom — God’s wisdom compared.
Paul says, ‘I didn’t share word-wisdom with you, no matter how beautifully you package it up — it’s still worldly wisdom.
‘I shared cross-wisdom, instead.’
We will talk some more about this in an upcoming podcast.
I trust you got something out of this today.

Now Father God, thank you. We now understand, if we didn’t before, that division is super bad. If we are involved in it, we ask you to forgive us and we ask you for wisdom to get out of it. We give you all the praise, glory, and honor for these things in Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

Why a Spirit of Division Is Not Your Way — you have a great God week and we will see you next week for another edition of Light on Life.

Why God Is The Greatest Mystery Writer of All Time [Podcast]

__________
References:

Leadership Ministries, Practical Illustrations, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians ↩

emeryhorvath.com

Equipping people to pursue God's glory

Why a Spirit of Division is Not Your Way

Podcast: Light on Life Season Eleven Episode Twelve

by Emery Horvath

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

Division in the Church at Corinth

Division that Comes from Not Understanding the Body of Christ

Is Christ Divided?

Division From Men Losing Their Focus

Division Over Baptism

Division: The Conclusion of the Matter

Listen to the Audio

Click to Listen | Right Click to Download |Subscribe to PlayerFM

Read the Notes

Accept the Challenge

Join the Conversation

Episode Resources:

If you would like to know more about growing in faith, see the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

We are currently teaching in the book of First Corinthians. You can click on the links below to listen to some of these podcasts.

About Emery

Subscribe to the Podcast

Share the Love

Prayer

Podcast Notes

Division in the Church at Corinth

Division that Comes from Not Understanding the Body of Christ

Is Christ Divided?

Division From Men Losing Their Focus

Division Over Baptism

Division: The Conclusion of the Matter

Related posts: