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Splits and Division in the Church at Corinth
1: 10-17

Splits and division in the Church at Corinth DIG: What tensions threatened this church? Who was Apollos? What might each group have found to boast about their favorite teacher? How does Paul address these divisions? What facts about Yeshua are important for a church facing internal problems? How is the cross of Messiah divisive in our world today? How is it a stumbling block and foolishness for people today?

REFLECT: Why do you think divisions have always been a problem among God’s people? What does it mean to be “called to be God’s holy people?” How should this work against divisions in the church? Can you detect any splits or divisions in your place of worship? What are you doing personally to make the place where you worship warmer and loving? Who has been a “hero” of the faith for you? What from his or her life do you want to build into your own?

We are all responsible to protect the unity of the Church.

As if the believers in Corinth didn’t face enough challenges outside the church, it wasn’t long before the problems inside the church started to rear their ugly heads. This was a church in crisis. A war was going on for its very soul. Its very existence was threatened, so much so that its founder and first pastor, Paul, wrote three letters to correct and confront the compromises and corruptions within. Two of these have been preserved in his two letters to the Corinthians. The first issue that Paul confronted head-on had devastated this young church. He addressed the age-old problem of divisions in the church. Paul did not randomly decide to tackle this one first. He understood the principle that, in spiritual warfare, just as in military warfare, “united we stand; divided we fall.” There was no way this young church could withstand the cultural corruptions assailing it from the outside if the church members were not united on the inside.24

The Plea (A common purpose and common love): Nevertheless, brothers, I call on you in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah to agree, all of you, in what you say, and not to let yourselves remain split into factions but be restored to having a common mind and a common purpose (1:10). This is the tenth reference to Messiah in the first ten verses, leaving no doubt as to the One Paul believed should be the source of Corinthian unity. His plea was for harmony, not the elimination of diversity. He desired a unity of all the parts, like a quilt of various colors blended together in a balanced whole.25 So, what was the problem being addressed here? A careful reading indicates that at least four issues were involved.

1. There was quarreling and divisiveness among them, with various teachers as rallying points. This is evidenced by several explicit statements (1:10-12, 3:3-4 and 21), plus some indirect statements (3:5-9 and 4:1-2) as to how they should regard these teachers. At the same time, however, there is not the slightest hint that the teachers were quarreling among themselves. Indeed, the fact that Paul twice commends Apollos at the beginning of his letter (3:5-9) and at the end (16:12) suggests the exact opposite. They were no longer speaking with one voice. Their core values had changed.

2. This quarreling was in some way carried out in the name of wisdom. The Greek word group sophia/sophos (wisdom/wise) dominates the discussion throughout Chapters 1-3. Those words are used in a disapproving sense would indicate that this was the Corinthian way of speaking and not Paul’s.

3. Related to these first two issues are the repeated references to the Corinthians boasting (1:29-32, 3:21 and 4:7) and being arrogant (4:6 and 18-19). Their quarrels took the form of boasting in mere humans, apparently in the name of wisdom (3:18-21 and 4:6). The problem, however, probably went much deeper than that because their view of their teachers of wisdom really spoke of their own ego. Yes, they boasted about their great teachers, but in reality, only to boast about themselves.

4. Paul was being attacked by some members of the Corinthian congregation. He is seen defending not only his own past ministry among them (1:16-17, 2:1 to 3:4), but also his present relationship to them, since Paul was being judged by them (4:1-21). Given the clear statement that some were angry with Paul when he didn’t come to visit (4:18), plus proudly taking the side of one leader (apparently Apollos in 4:6) against another (probably Paul), it seems likely that the quarreling over their leaders was not just for Apollos or Peter, but decidedly against Paul at the same time.26

The Parties (Loyalty to Men): But instead of unity, the fabric of this church was coming apart at the seams. Chloe’s household has made it known to me, my brothers, that there are quarrels among you. Chloe’s household was probably a prominent family in the church who wrote to Paul or visited him in Ephesus with the troubling news. I say this because one of you says, “I follow Sha’ul”; another says, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Kefa (Peter)”; while still another says, “I follow the Messiah” (1:11-12)! The Good News had been perverted into a cult of “fan clubs,” rather than clearly defined doctrinal differences. The tone in First Corinthians is quite different from that in Galatians where Paul opposes the Judaizers (see the commentary on Galatians Ag – Who Were the Judaizers?).

Human nature enjoys following human leaders. Instead of emphasizing the message of the Word, the Corinthians emphasized the messenger.27 These were the great teachers of the early congregations of God, around whom people gathered, and through whom they were given the Good News. People clung to the man who had evangelized and taught them, and then pitted their “fan club” against the “fan clubs” loyal to the other leaders.28

Paul had ministered in Corinth for a year-and-a-half (Acts 18:11). Therefore, the Paul group felt very special because they had been converted under the preaching of the apostle himself. And those whom he had baptized wore that fact as a badge of distinction. They probably formed to counter the other groups who were judging him. They affirmed his special role as father, planter, and builder of the community.

When Paul left for Ephesus, he sent Apollos to be the second pastor. Those of the Apollos group were probably drawn to his powerful preaching (see the commentary on Acts Cf – Priscilla and Aquila Teach Apollos). He was a learned Jew from Alexandria, Egypt. Founded by Alexander the Great, Alexandria had a strong Greek culture. Thus, his background was very different from Paul’s, and many of the Corinthians probably felt more comfortable around him. It is important to note that Paul does not criticize Apollos; but instead, takes the Corinthians to task for their causing dissension within the church.

Evidently a group of Jews had been saved under Peter’s (Kefa’s) ministry. There is no indication that Peter ever visited Corinth; however, he was undoubtedly looked up to by these Jewish believers because of his identity with the Messianic congregation in Jerusalem. Members of this group were not likely to be comfortable with the church members who had been converted out of paganism and who paid no attention to Jewish customs.29

A fourth “fan club,” probably the most self-righteous, seemed to think that they were more spiritual than the others and had a special claim on Messiah. They had the right name, but it is clear from Paul’s accusation that they didn’t have the right spirit. Perhaps, like some “Messiah only fan clubs” today, they felt they had no need for human teaching – despite the Lord’s specific provision and appointment of human preachers, teachers, and other leaders in His Body (First Corinthians 1:1, 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; Second Timothy 1:11, etc).

The inevitable result of these “fan clubs” is contention, quarrels, wrangling, and disputes – a divided church. It is natural to have special affection for the person who led us to Messiah, for a Messianic rabbi or pastor who fed us from the Word for many years, for a capable Shabbat school or Sunday school teacher, or for an elder or deacon who has counseled and consoled us. But such affection becomes misguided and carnal when it is allowed to segregate us from others where we worship, or to poison our loyalty to the other leaders.30

The Principle (Oneness in Messiah): Paul’s indignation explodes in a series of questions: Has the Messiah been split in pieces? Was it Sha’ul who was put to death on a stake for you? Paul reminds his followers that he didn’t die for them. Nor were they immersed in his name. Were you immersed into the name of Sha’ul (1:13)? The B’rit Chadashah makes it plain that immersion is performed in the name of the Trinity (Matthew 28:19). This formula was often abbreviated as immersion in the name of Yeshua Messiah (Acts 2:39 and 19:5). Nowhere in the B’rit Chadashah is anyone immersed in the name of an apostle or church leader.31 The central principle of Paul’s argument is that believers are one in Messiah and should never do anything that disrupts or destroys that unity. No human leader, no matter how gifted and effective, should have the loyalty that belongs only to the Lord.32

The Priority (Preaching the Good News): The mention of immersion seems to distract Paul momentarily from the issue of splits and division in the church at Corinth. He gives thanks that he immersed none of them except some of his early converts. Until the church grew, Paul did some of the immersing. I thank God that I didn’t immerse any of you except Crispus (Acts 18:8) and Gaius (Acts 19:29, 20:4; Romans 16:23). Just as Yeshua didn’t immerse people (John 4:1-2), so both Peter (Acts 10:48) and Paul allowed their associates to immerse new converts. Paul does not belittle immersion as something unimportant, but downplays the role of the one who performs it. He realized the danger of his creating a cult from those he personally immersed, “Otherwise, someone might say that you were indeed immersed into my name” (1:14-15). It is wrong to identify anyone’s name with your immersion other than the name of Yeshua Messiah. Given Paul’s year-and-a-half in Corinth, one could not expect him to remember all of the specific details about what he did. But Paul suddenly remembered, “Oh yes, I did also immerse Stephanas (16:15-17) and his household; beyond that, I can’t remember whether I immersed anyone else” (1:16). This comment gives an interesting insight into the inspiration of Scripture. As an apostle writing the Word of God, Paul made no errors; but he was not omniscient. YHVH protected His apostles from error in order to protect His Word from error. But Paul didn’t know everything about God, or even about himself, and was careful never to make such a claim. He knew what ADONAI revealed – things he had no way of knowing on his own. What he could know on his own, he was prone to forget. He was one of us.33

Another reason for Paul’s immersing so few converts was that his primary calling lay elsewhere: For the Messiah did not send me to immerse but to proclaim the Good News – and to do it without relying on “wisdom” that consists of mere rhetoric, so as not to rob the Messiah’s cross of its power (1:17). He was not sent to start a cult of people immersed by him. Yeshua had personally called him, “For this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you as a servant and a witness not only to the things in which you have seen Me, but also to the things in which I will appear to you, rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:16b-18).

We need to focus on what we have in common, not our differences. Paul tells us: So then, let us pursue the things that make for shalom and mutual upbuilding (Rom 14:19). As believers, we share one Lord, one Body, one purpose, one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love (Romans 12:4-5). We share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future – factors far more important than any differences we could number. There are the issues, not our personal differences, that we should concentrate on.

We must remember that it was ADONAI who chose to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate them. YHVH wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we must never let differences divide us. We must stay focused on what matters most – learning to love each other as Messiah has loved us, and fulfilling God’s purposes for each of us and His Church. Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less important issues, things that the Bible calls arguments over opinions (Romans 14:1). When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations, styles, or methods, division is inevitable. But if we concentrate on loving each other and fulfilling God’s purposes, harmony results.34

Dear Awesome Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your great love which welcomes all who follow you into Your family. Thank You that You do not make some of us slaves and some Your children, but rather You call all who love and follow You Your children (John 1:12). Praise Your gracious chesed love which you extend to all no matter their looks nor the color of skin, nor amount of money they have. For you are all sons of God through trusting in Messiah Yeshua – there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for you are all one in Messiah Yeshua (Gal 3:26 and 28). What matters is the heart of love for You as Lord and Savior (Rom 10:9-10).

May all who follow You as their Lord, seek to bless the one unified Body which Messiah has created (Ephesians 2:15) and which is a temple of the one and true living God. Let unity be more important than pride which causes division, for we are all members together of one Body. In Him the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple for the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together into God’s dwelling place in the Ruach (Ephesians 2:21-22). In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen