3. FACTIONAL IN-FIGHTING - 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

 

We have been considering some of the remarkable things that Paul has said about the Corinthian Church, things which we have tended to by-pass in our assessment of the church in Corinth, focusing only on the troubles in that church. However we have seen in our last study that the Corinthian church had been greatly blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, and that the church would indeed persevere to the end because of the grace given to them through the Lord Jesus Christ. Why would they persevere? Because God is faithful and He is the one who will bring them to that day blameless.

Yet there were still problems to be addressed in the church, and Paul now sets himself to deal with those various problems. The first that he addressed is that of factional in-fighting.

 

Please read 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.

 

Verse 10: In this verse Paul pleads with the Corinthian church, addressing them as his brethren, that they might remember what it means for them in practical terms to be in fellowship with Jesus Christ. These fighting brethren were indeed brethren, and therefore they belonged to one another in the body of Christ. What this means is that the church must behave in a manner consistent with belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ and so Paul pleads with the church in Christ’s name (Rom 12:1,2; 15:30; 2 Cor 10:1; Philip 4:2; 1 Thess 4:1; 2 Thess 3:12). But this verse also includes the thought that Paul spoke (or wrote) with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore they should take heed to what Paul says in his role as an apostle (1 Cor 5:4; 2 Thess 3:6).

How should the church behave? They should behave in such a way that they all say the same thing. But what does Paul mean when he says that they should each say the same thing? Is Paul speaking of a ‘clone-like’ profession of faith among the believers in Corinth? Is Paul saying that there should be no degree of diversity in opinion?

QUESTION: What does Paul mean by telling the church that they should all say the same thing?

 

What Paul is saying to the church at Corinth is that they should be expressing Christian unity and that to the world through a united witness for Christ (Philip 2:1,2). These brethren share a common faith in Christ, and this should be being expressed outwardly toward one another and as a body toward the world. In all areas of major doctrinal belief the church must be united. Things of a secondary nature are a different subject that Paul will address later in the book.

The church should not be marked by factional divisions that are constantly at odds with one another, therefore Paul exhorts the church not to be divided into factional groups. They are to stop their factional in-fighting, and to be united together in the Lord Jesus Christ. There should be no place in the church for alienation from one another, for each member is united together in the Lord Jesus Christ. They should in fact make every effort to achieve unity, for they are the Body of Christ.

Verse 11: In this verse Paul clearly informs the Corinthian church that he knows of their factional in-fighting, for it has been told to him by those of Chloe’s household. He has therefore heard reliable reports concerning the Corinthian situation, and therefore the need for the exhortation in verse 10 becomes apparent. Yes, Paul knew exactly what was going on in Corinth, and therefore the exhortation of verse 10 was indeed for them.

What had been reported to Paul was that there were contentions or in-fighting among the Corinthian believers. These are disputes that would eventually cause irreparable damage to the church, tearing it apart from the inside out and destroying its testimony in the world.

NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DISCOVERY QUESTION HERE: How was it wrong for the Corinthians to say that they were of Christ in 1 Corinthians 1:12? Explain.

 

Verse 12: Paul now relates to the Corinthian church the information that has been reported to him concerning the in-fighting at Corinth. What appears to have occurred at Corinth is that certain groups claimed to be following Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ in what they were believing or practicing. By naming the one that the group was supposed to be following, they believed that their behaviour was legitimised. What exactly the church had divided over is mere speculation, and there is no real profit in attempting guesses, yet it had something to do with factions that named one of these four as their head.

Verse 13: In this verse Paul asks a series of questions designed to get the Corinthian believers to recognize the error of their ways. Each of these questions are intended to draw out a negative answer. ‘Of course not,’ so we hear the response coming from the Corinthians in to these questions asked by Paul, yet weren’t these the very things that the Corinthians were saying by their factional divisions?

Note how Paul focuses the questions on himself and not the others mentioned as ‘heads’ of these factions in Corinth. Paul wants there to be no doubts that he is opposed to such factional parties, and especially in association with himself.

QUESTION: Why was it important for Paul to destroy the factional associations at Corinth by correcting those based upon his ‘leadership?’

 

Verses 14,15: By way of further comment concerning his final question in verse 13, Paul adds that he was thankful to God that he baptised so few of the Corinthians. Those he baptised at Corinth were only Crispus and Gaius (and also the household of Stephanas - verse 15). Crispus had been the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth (Acts 18:8), and Gaius was the one in who’s house Paul had penned Romans (Rom 16:23).

Paul’s policy on baptism was very deliberate, for he feared that people would attach significance to him by having been baptised by him. In response to this fear (perhaps a well-grounded fear in hindsight), Paul baptised very few of the Corinthian believers. He had no intention of forming a ‘Paul party.’

Verse 16: In this verse Paul corrects himself, for he had omitted mentioning the household of Stephanas from being among those that he had baptised in Corinth. The household of Stephanas were among the firstfruits of Achaia in turning to Christ (1 Cor 16:15).

QUESTION: What is emerging as being the reason as to why Paul baptised these people and no others?

 

Besides those he has already mentioned, Paul remembers no others that he baptised. Clearly there was a need for Paul to be the person responsible for baptising these early believers in the region of Corinth, for there was no one else able to baptise these believers upon their profession of faith.

Verse 17: Baptism was not the primary purpose of Paul’s ministry, but the preaching of the gospel (Rom 1:1; 15:15,16; Gal 1:16). Therefore that which held the greatest place in Paul’s ministry was the preaching of the gospel, though it should be noted that he ensured that all were baptised (Acts 10:48). It is interesting to notice the example of Christ in this matter also (Jn 4:1,2).

QUESTION: What does the example of both Christ and Paul suggest about baptism today?

Paul was not to preach the gospel in a manner that exalted himself, but in a way that clearly brought glory to God through the gospel. He was not commissioned to preach in any manner of cleverness or contemporary wisdom, but to simply proclaim the message of the gospel (2:1). If he was to have adopted the way of the world, and to use the wisdom of men, the gospel would not have been the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16,17), and no one would have been saved or baptised.

Perhaps Paul’s thoughts on baptism and his manner of preaching the gospel shed some light on what the factions in Corinth were about.

QUESTIONS: In what ways do we see the wisdom of words demonstrated in ‘Christianity’ today? How should we as Reformed Baptists (i.e. Biblical Christians) therefore preach the gospel?

 

Individual Discovery

How is the message of the cross foolishness to those that are unsaved (1:18-23)? Explain.

 

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17/10/2006

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