Today, from the book of 1 Corinthians, we have
an exhortation to Christian unity. That is, Christian
unity that transcends division. I'm going to
read today from verse 10 of chapter 1 through
verse 18. Hear the word of God as he speaks through
the Apostle Paul. Now I plead with you, brethren.
by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same
judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning
you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household,
that there are contentions among you. Now I say
this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, or
I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas, or I am of
Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified
for you? Or were you baptized in the name of
Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you
except Crispus and Gaius. lest anyone should
say that I baptized in my own name. Yes, I also
baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides,
I do not know whether I baptized any other, for
Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach
the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the
cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
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. Let's pray and
ask God's blessing on this time. Father, we thank
you, Lord, for this passage of Scripture, for
the clear and direct words from the Apostle Paul.
Lord, as we realize that as they were written
to the church at Corinth at the same time, Lord,
we realize that they are speaking to us. This
is your word to us as the saints of God. We pray
that we would take heed to these words. Lord,
help us to understand them. We pray, Lord, that
you would renew us in fervor, in vision, in clarity,
and Lord, in love for one another. And we pray
this in Jesus' name. Amen. I've read and preached
on the introduction and opening prayer to this
book in the last two sermons. And we've seen
that Paul loves the Corinthians. He loves them
quite dearly. And he began with a greeting as
brethren and an eloquent prayer of thanksgiving
for them, acknowledging that they have received
many wonderful gifts. From God. And that they're
eagerly waiting for the revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ. In verse 9 he asserts the faithfulness
of God. And that they have been called into the
fellowship of Christ. The Son of God. Indeed.
As Paul tells us elsewhere. It is Jesus who is
the head of the church. And they've been united
with him. And they're called into this fellowship.
It is Christ's church. It is the called out ones
who have been bought by Christ and who are now
called into fellowship, into union with Christ
and love for the brotherhood. But alas, this
love is waxing cold. It not all is well at this
church in Corinth. There are problems. Between
one another and thus problems in the body of
Christ. This fellowship with Jesus Christ, which
also means fellowship with his body, is disjointed
and it is out of order. After this introduction
and prayer, Paul opens up with a foundational
thesis, a statement. That actually is the statement
or the summarizing statement of at least the
first four chapters. The body of believers has
developed severe dissensions and disagreements
between them which has become a source of conflict,
division, and argumentation that disrupted the
unity, the friendship, the worship, and the fellowship.
These things which were to be evidences. of God's
work and of God's grace among them. And so he
begins with a plea. And this plea is the same
that as John writes in the book of 1 John 3,
verse 14, we know that we have passed from death
to life because we love the brethren. He who
does not love his brother abides in death. When
that love and unity were disrupted, All sorts
of ills and problems entered the church. And
the testimony of Christ was sullied. It was made
dirty. And it brought disrepute. Not only on
them, but on the testimony of Jesus. Paul begins
with an appeal. It's an address. A call to the
brethren in verse 10. And this word Adelphos,
which is the Greek word for brethren, it can
mean brothers having the same father, but it
also refers to both men and women, those from
the same womb, those belonging to the same people.
We as Christians have been born again. We have
been united to Christ, and therefore we have
a close association with one another. As fellow
believers and Christians, we are united to one
another by bonds of love and affection, both
men and women. And since this is being disrupted
in this congregation here in Corinth, which could
be fairly large by this time, we don't know the
size, but it's possible, Paul deals with it head
on, and he writes plainly about this problem
in this letter, which is to be read in a congregational
meeting. One can imagine the congregation receives
this letter and they all gather together as a
church to hear from the beloved brother Paul,
Apostle Paul. Slaves, bondmen and bondwomen,
middle class and the rich, possibly even slave
owners are gathering together. The party spirit
that is among them has not yet reached such a
point that they have separated ways. Thank God.
And so he writes to them as a congregation. One
of them, probably a leader, reads this letter.
And we are privileged to have this letter in
our possession to enter into it and to hear it
as it was read to the congregation of Corinth.
As the first lines are read, the warm greeting
and the prayer and the acknowledgement of the
gifts. of God that are in them and the affirmation
that they will be confirmed to the end and stand
before the Lord Jesus Christ as blameless in
the day of Christ. That sounds wonderful. That
warms the heart. It feels good hearing this from
our beloved brother, the Apostle Paul. But then,
as their father in the faith, he speaks to them
directly just as fathers need to do sometimes.
He begins, not with harsh denunciation and flaming
rhetoric, but with a plea, a plea, an appeal
as brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And now we'll read this verse in our first point,
the call to have no divisions and to be perfectly
joined together. This thesis, this is the word
from Paul that will guide the subject for the
next several chapters. Now I plead with you,
brethren, he says, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing. And
that there be no divisions among you, but that
you be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment. He begins with
the word plead. He says, I plead with you. I
appeal to you. This is a call to unity and address
to the ones causing and living in division. It's
an admonishment and an entreaty. I beseech you.
Paul seeks to see this Christian community continue
well. He seeks to see it established and to continue
to prosper, to be a faithful witness of Jesus
in this worldly and idolatrous city. Because
this city belongs to Christ. And he wants to
see this congregation prosper and have a wonderful
effect so that the word of God goes out through
all of the city and through the country surrounding
it. Paul wants to see the glory of Christ exalted.
And so he writes to dissipate, to bring to peace
this conflict that is in the Christian Corinthian
community. He attempts to persuade them by this
appeal. He says, I plead with you in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this appeal is given
not just in the name of Paul, not just a good
idea that Paul has about them. It is given weight
and it is given authority by Paul speaking in
the name. of our Lord Jesus Christ. By invoking
the name of Jesus, he brings the word of the
Lord of heaven and earth to bear upon them regarding
this matter. Doing this in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ invokes the authority and the power
of Jesus himself. The scripture refers to doing
things in the name of Jesus Christ many times.
And this is because God has highly exalted Jesus
and has given him, what does Paul say in Philippians
chapter 2 verse 9, a name that is above all other
names. Therefore God also has highly exalted
him and given him the name which is above every
name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow. Of those in heaven and of those on earth
and of those. Under the earth. And that every
tongue should confess. That Jesus Christ is Lord.
To the glory of the Father. We see the authority.
We see the weight. The gravity. Of speaking in
the name of Christ. He who is Lord. Over all.
And before whom. All will bow. And acknowledge
his authority. And rulership. Furthermore this
is the name. That they were baptized into. Acts
chapter 2 gives us an example in verse 38. Then
Peter said to them, Repent and let every one
of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is through the
name of Jesus that great signs and wonders had
been done. The apostles prayed during a time
of persecution in Acts chapter 4 verse 29 saying,
Now Lord, look on their threats and grant to
your servants that with all boldness they may
speak your word by stretching out your hand to
heal and that signs and wonders may be done through
the name of your holy servant Jesus. It is in
the name of Jesus Christ that demons and evil
spirits were cast out of people. And as this
was done, the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Because of the humiliation and the suffering
of Christ, Paul says again in Philippians, it
is because of that, because of his suffering,
that God highly exalted him and gave him the
name that is above every name so when Paul speaks
and appeals to them in the name of Jesus Christ
it's not just some added filler words no it's
calling them to authority it's calling them to
bow before the one who stands over them in complete
rulership and authority and in his name Paul
speaks and calls them to obedience in this matter
Now he goes on. He says that you all speak the
same thing and be perfectly joined together in
the same mind and in the same judgment. Being
perfectly joined together is one word. It means
to repair or to mend, to be fitted together and
be made complete or that is mended what has been
broken or rent. The same word is used in Matthew
4, verse 21, for an example, where the sons of
Zebedee were mending their nets. The nets had
been broken in the process of fishing, and they
were mending them. They were sewing them back
together, joining them together so that the net
would fulfill its purpose. A tearing was taking
place in the church, for schism, dissension,
divisions, strife, and envy had set in, and they
were being torn apart. Through this. This needed
to be healed. And God's people perfectly joined
together again. And so Paul appeals to them.
In the name of Jesus Christ. That they be mended.
That they be perfectly joined together. In the
same mind and judgment. So being in the same
mind and judgment. Means speaking the same thing.
This is. They were to have a common understanding.
A uniting of faith and belief. Of faith. Belief
and practice, yes, through which Christians are
one body. And this is to take place in any good
congregation of people. We are to have a common
understanding of God's word, a common confession
of who Christ is and of what we believe. This
is a uniting of faith and belief in which Christians
we are to exist and to live with one another
as a body. A body of Christ. This is biblical
unity. Now, biblical unity is not just parenting
one another. When Paul says speak the same thing,
he's not saying that you say something to one
person and you hear the same thing from everybody.
No, we're individuals. We know that. But we're
to be like -minded in faith and we're to speak
the same thing in faith and doctrine. And that
we practice. Though it can vary in exactly how
we practice things, it's all to be done in the
name of Jesus Christ and for the glory of God.
We're not to all go around just babbling the
same thing, just repeating one another in just
everyday language. We all have many different
gifts. Yes, Paul's not speaking about that here.
He's saying, in these matters, you need to be
of one mind, that you love the brethren and you
love the Lord Jesus Christ. Biblical unity is
to be where we take the various gifts that God
has given to us and they are for the edification
of all. That we do not have these gifts with
pride and division or with contention and factions.
Biblical unity refers to the oneness, the harmony
and the mutual love that God desires among his
people. It's not just a superficial agreement
or a lack of conflict or a forced uniformity.
No, it's a rich tapestry of God's gifts being
exercised in the body, but with a common faith
and a shared relationship with God through Jesus
Christ. By the Holy Spirit. That is biblical
unity. It is not a unity at all costs. It is
not fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
Or with false teachers. But among Christian believers.
And especially in each congregation. We must
have a unity of love of our triune God. And for
the brothers and sisters that he has placed us
with. Sovereignly. placed us with all of you
are here today by the sovereign appointment of
God where he brought you together here and he
is knitting us together and we are called to
have unity and union one with another where we
love one another fervently with a pure heart
and this is what was amiss it was being torn
asunder by factions It was being torn apart and
this needed to be mended. Now the scripture speaks
much of biblical unity. David exclaims in Psalm
133 in verse 1. Behold how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.
Jesus prays for this unity. In his high priestly
prayer in John chapter 17, he prays this not
only for his disciples, but for all who believe
in Jesus through their word, which includes us.
He says, he prays, I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe in me through
their word. What does he pray? That they may
all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in
you, that they also may be one in us, that the
world may believe that you sent me. John 17,
verse 20 and 21. And as Jesus prays this prayer
in the Garden of Gethsemane just before he is
going to be arrested and tried and crucified,
then how important Must this be. It is very important.
Paul also beseeches the Ephesians. The Ephesian
Christians. In chapter 4 verse 1 through 6. He
says. I therefore the prisoner of the Lord. Beseech
you. Here again. Same thing. I beseech you. Walk
worthy of the calling with which you were called.
With all lowliness. And gentleness. With long
suffering. bearing with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep what? To keep the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace. He goes on and
says, there is one body and one spirit, just
as you were called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
father of all. who is above all and through all
and in you all. This is the basis for shared
unity right here. It's one body, one spirit.
So brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
let us at Grace Reformed Church of Weezer speak
the same thing and let there be no divisions
among us and let us be perfectly... joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment paul
then moves on to our second point a statement
of the problem at corinth in verse 11 through
13 this is the problem for it has been declared
to me says paul concerning you my brethren by
those of chloe's household that there are contentions
among you now i say this that each of you says,
I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of
Cephas, or I am of Christ. Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized
in the name of Paul? Now the report from Chloe's
household, this passage is the only place in
the Bible where we hear of this woman. She was
probably a prominent member of the Corinthian
Christian Church and either had family or business
connections with Ephesus. Some of her people
were there. Could have been children, could have
been household, like employees or family in some
way. Then they were over in Ephesus, which is
across the Bosphorus Sea. Corinth being in Europe,
in Greece, and Ephesus being in Asia, in Western
Asia, just across the Bosphorus. And so they
went over there, and there they met Paul. They
conversed with him, and they reported the problems
that the Corinthian church was having to Paul,
who was living there at the time of the writing
of this letter. The problem was that of contention
and division. So division came through contentions.
This division, again, as I mentioned last week,
it's a schism. It's the word for schismata, I
believe it is. I don't have it written down again.
It's a tearing apart, this rending apart. And
it came how? Through contention. So what is contention?
It is strife. It is wrangling. It is often inspired
by envy. as chapter 3 brings out. It's where
you get into arguments and strife with one another.
And all of this is inspired by pride. As Proverbs
13, verse 10 says, By pride comes nothing but
contention, but with the well -advised is wisdom.
We know that pride was an issue because in chapter
4, verse 18, as Paul is wrapping up this particular
section, he says, now some are puffed up as though
I was not coming to you. In other words, pride
is an issue here. So we have pride and envy,
as chapter 3 brings out, and all of that is producing
this strife and wrangling. Now let's just move
over to chapter 3 briefly in verses 1 through
7 because this problem is recapitulated. Paul
deals with it again, but he speaks here very
plainly to them in a bit of a larger measure.
He says, And I, brethren, could not speak to
you as to spiritual people, but as to carnal,
as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and
not with solid food, for until now you were not
able to receive it. And even now you are still
not able, for you are still carnal. For where
there are envy, strife, and divisions among you,
are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
For when one says, I am of Paul, and another,
I am of Apollos, are you not carnal? Who then
is Paul? And who is Apollos? But ministers, ministers
through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to
each one. I planted. Apollos watered, but God
gave the increase. So then neither he who plants
is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives
the increase. You are all wadded up tightly here
in dissension and strife with one another, setting
these ministers of Christ against each other
in these factions, and you are being carnal.
You are envying one another. You have strife
and you have these divisions. Now this word is
associated with other things as well in various
scriptures. We're going to briefly take a look
at them. What else is associated with strife
or what does strife produce or what kind of people
have this strife? Romans 13 verse 13 and 14 speaks
of it. Let us walk properly as in the day, not
in reverie and drunkenness, not in lewdness and
lust. not in strife or envy. Same word, not in
strife, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and
make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its
lust. So here in this passage, strife is together
with lust, with envy, with lewdness, with revelry,
with drunkenness. In 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses
3 to 5, False teachers stir up this strife. If
anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent
to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord
Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords
with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing,
but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over
words, from which come again envy, strife, reviling,
evil suspicions. useless wranglings of men of
corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who
suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From
such, withdraw yourself. Strife is coupled together
with some other really bad things that can occur
in a group of people. Strife is also associated
with unthankfulness and with all of the sins
listed in Romans chapter 1, verse 29. As we read
of the degenerate nature of man that sinks lower
and lower, beginning with unthankfulness and
then going down and down and down into the real
dregs of sin. Paul describes that, which God
gives them over to a debased mind to do things
that are not fitting, he says, being filled.
with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full
of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil -mindedness.
They are whisperers, and on he goes. And finally,
there's another warning in 2 Corinthians 12,
verse 20. Even after they took care of some of
the things that Paul had written to them about
in the first chapter, there were still some who
were having a major issue. And Paul says this
in the second letter, verse 20, For I fear lest
when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish,
and that I shall be found by you such as you
do not wish, lest there be, what, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath. selfish ambitions
backbitings whisperings conceits tumults lest
when i come again my god will humble me among
you and i shall mourn for many who have sinned
before and have not repented of the uncleanness
fornication and lewdness which they practice
here again is this strife or contentions as it's
translated here truly this is no little matter
Now what was happening here, let's look at the
party spirit or the factions that had entered.
This congregation, this contention manifested
itself in a party spirit. It was in which the
congregation had developed certain factions over
against each other. These were parties of affinity
with... with certain teachers, and they differentiated
themselves with pride in their associations.
And they also fought each other with these. You
know, it was a source of, I'm of this particular
one, or I'm of that particular one. It was a
contentiousness among them. It was not just an
affiliation, not just an association of, I'm
thankful that the Lord led Paul to reveal this
truth to me. And Apollos, he ministered to me
so much, and so I have a... special warm place
in my heart for apollos but i love paul too and
i love the brethren no no no this was a real
here's a real battle between them it was there
was a lot of contention and pride in lifting
themselves up as one party over another this
was not genuine disagreement over biblical interpretation
but it became kind of like rooting for one's
home team or political party now note that many
of our founding fathers in the United States
feared this very thing in the U .S., that factions
would tear apart this new nation. John Adams
feared the party spirit would prioritize party
victory and power over truth and conviction.
that it would foster blind zeal, revenge and
division and would harden people against reason
and justice. In George Washington's farewell
address in 1796, he noted significant, he devoted
significant space to the condemning of the spirit
of party as one of the greatest threats to the
young republic. He described it as a baneful
or poisonous. and warned that excessive partisanship
would lead to several things. One was the alternate
domination of one faction over another, sharpened
by the spirit of revenge, that there would be
frightful despotism where parties seek power
rather than the common good, that there would
be regional divisions, foreign influence, and
weakened national strength, and that it would
blind, it would... Bind loyalty to party over
truth and blind them to justice and to country.
My, was he a prophet or what? As we look around
us, of course, right now we see this in really
an excessive manner. So look at Minneapolis and
the various things that are happening there.
This same thing, this same danger that they warned
of, of our body politic, is something that we
also must be warned against in the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ, in his church. And that's
exactly... What Paul is addressing here. The
same kind of thing. A domination of one faction
over another. Even having a spirit of envy or
revenge. Having divisions and a weakened congregation.
And blind loyalty to party over truth. Oh yes,
it's very possible that in a congregation the
same things can happen when factions develop.
Now, let's take a moment here and look at who
was Apollos. Apollos is mentioned here. Now,
so is Cephas, which is Peter. But it seems like
Apollos was a little bit more visible here. So
Apollos first comes on the scene in Ephesus.
It's recounted in Acts chapter 18 and verse 24
through 28. He was a certain Jew born in Alexandria,
and he was a very eloquent man. He was mighty
in the scriptures, and he came to visit Ephesus.
He had been instructed in the way of the Lord,
and he was very fervent in spirit. He spoke and
taught accurately the things of the Lord, although
he had not yet received the Holy Spirit. He only
had the baptism of John. So he came into the
Jewish synagogues, and he began to speak boldly.
Then Aquila and Priscilla, who were co -laborers
with Paul, they heard him, so they took him aside,
and they explained the word of God to him more
accurately. When he desired to cross to Achaia,
the brethren wrote and they exhorted the disciples
to receive him. And when he arrived to Achaia,
he greatly helped those who had believed through
grace. Why? Because he vigorously refuted the
Jews publicly, showing from the scriptures that
Jesus is the Christ. God had his hand on Apollos.
He was a mighty man of the word, able to speak
in wonderful words that persuaded people. He
was a gifted man. The Corinthians... prized the
ability to speak well and to argue points not
just the church here this was known in the land
they they prized that that of sophistry and being
able to give great swelling words of wisdom this
is one of the reasons why when we go on in this
chapter Paul's going to be speaking about the
wisdom of the wise versus the wisdom of God contrasting
the the eloquence of which they were known for
with the simple truths of God's word. We're going
to be looking at that, Lord willing, next week.
The cross of Christ and the foolishness of the
cross compared to the wisdom of the world. But
Apollos, he had some of those abilities that
they admired. And so, consequently, they developed
a faction after him. I am of Apollos. Now, others
did the same then for Paul. And then some also
did for Peter. And there was even a Christ party.
Perhaps it was those who for selfish reasons
exalted Christ as being, as they were the ones
who were above the fray. We're the party that's,
we're above it all. We don't get into this. We
are of Christ and down with all of the others.
We don't know. It could have been an indicated
superiority. The scripture does not tell us.
So we just simply can imagine what. The Christ
party was. Now, let me go on quickly to say that
there is no proof that those who identified,
who were identified with the factions, had any
part to play with them. Paul, Apollos, Peter,
Christ, they were not responsible for fomenting
these. factions now that can happen in certain
places where a man or a leader or a person who
is eloquent or or who is admired can foment that
but that was not the case here this is something
that they cooked up that they desired that they
brought about through their own selfish lusts
or desires for uh well it was desires against
each other in order and provoked envy amongst
them all of the men listed here were using the
gifts that God had given to them, and they were
doing it well. The offenders used the opportunity
and pride to foster envy and division amongst
God's church. And this shows us how people can
use good things, good and wonderful things, or
good and wonderful people, but in a bad way.
This does not denigrate the people that they
are denigrating, using in a bad way. These men,
like I said, were solid and good men. They were
chosen by God. They were well endowed with gifts
by the Holy Spirit. The same thing happens today
with prominent men or with leaders of churches
or denominations or businesses or political leaders.
Now, some will incite and promote this, and that
is wrong. But others are simply gifted leaders
that God puts in a very visible place. And so
they have this position of visibility and they
attract some who foment this kind of dissension
and party spirit. So a good leader thus seeks
to put that down or to diminish it, not diminishing
his gift, but making sure that he in no way is
fomenting this kind of envy, this kind of factions,
and in fact speaks against it. And in all of
this, pride is certainly a temptation and must
be guarded against. Now there must have also
been here a misunderstanding of baptism and its
significance in verses 14 to 16 because Paul
deals with this. We're supposing here, and again
this is a supposition, that there was a mystical
understanding of baptism. That whoever baptized
them was their leader or that they had special
gifts. Because of the one who baptized them.
Perhaps it was the ones who were baptized by
Apollos who were longing for that kind of giftedness
themselves. I don't know. It's just Paul deals
here especially with baptism. And he says, I
thank God that I baptized none of you except
for these few. Crispus, Gaius, the household
of Stephanas. Besides that, I don't know if I
baptized any other. He thanks God that in God's
providence he has not baptized many of them.
Now Paul is not diminishing the need for baptism
here. Not at all. But rather that he was not
sent to baptize lest a faction should deliver.
should develop after him and so there was this
misunderstanding and he clears this up here that
the cross of Christ is the central thing that
has happened and Christ is the one that we are
to hold to we are to believe in because it is
Christ who died for us Paul didn't die for them
Apollos didn't die for them Peter didn't die
for them no They were baptized into Christ. And
so it did not matter who baptized them into the
Christian church as far as one versus the other.
And they didn't receive some special miraculous
gifts because of the one who baptized them. That
seems to be what was going on here in this misunderstanding.
Paul then moves on to the preaching of the gospel
and the efficacy of the cross of Christ in verses
17 and 18. He says, Christ sent me to preach
the gospel, not with the wisdom of words. In
other words, not with great eloquence, not with
the ability to move men by the power of his word,
but rather that it would be through the cross
of Christ. He did not in any way want to take
away from the power and the impact and the effect
of the cross of Christ. Because, he says, the
message of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, except to those who are being
saved. It is the power of God. After the statement
of the problem, Paul turns to the message of
the cross of Christ, that cruel instrument of
death on which our Lord was murdered. And he
glories in the cross. The message of the cross
is that death brought forth life. And it brings
forth life in us. The cross is the power of God
to save his people. It is the demonstration of
the power of God to forgive sins. Having placed
them on Christ who died for our sins. The cross
was a shameful way of death. In the Roman time,
it was reserved for those who were really bad.
And so the effect of the cross could not be diminished
in that Christ went that way. He died the death
of the cross as an atonement for us. Lest we
should glory in ourselves, no way. We glory in
Christ alone. Is the driving message here. And
so he beseeches them. Be perfectly joined together
with the same mind. And in the same judgment.
Be reconciled to one another. Be the body of
Christ. Not a collection of factions. And so
we hear that today as well. Let's consider. a
few applications in closing. Number one, we as
believers in Christ are one in Christ and Christ
is not divided. Note that we do not get unity
by focusing on unity. But we get unity by exalting
and worshiping and serving Christ. He is the
central figure. And as we look to Him, and as
we believe in Him, and we trust in Him, we are
drawn together. And we have fellowship with one
another. He is the central figure. Not any of
the prominent leaders in His church. It must
be Christ and Christ alone. Unity is destroyed
when there are contentions, when there is envy,
and when there is strife. And so we must repent
of these when we fall into these sins and look
to Christ to bring back that unity. We are one
in Christ, and Christ is not divided. Number
two, the whole context of this passage, though,
is not speaking about false teachers. I want
to make sure that that is emphasized here. Because
false teachers are to be avoided. They are to
be confronted. They are to be taken out of the
assembly and not listened to. And so this unity,
this brotherliness, this faithfulness together
is not speaking about being joined together with
false teachers. It's very important to understand
that. This is speaking of those who are in Christ.
There is no common unity with those who are false
teachers. The same Paul writes in Galatians chapter
1 verse 8. But if we or an angel from heaven
preach any other gospel to you than what we have
preached to you, let him be accursed. In other
words, he's saying, let him be damned. Very,
very strong language. And this was written to
a church who was being attacked by false teachers.
And they were being swayed. And Paul was very
jealous about them. And so he speaks these strong
words. Elsewhere, later in Galatians chapter
5, he says, I could wish that those who trouble
you would even cut themselves off. For you, brethren,
have been called to liberty. Only do not use
liberty as an occasion for the flesh, but through
love serve one another. So it's important that
we understand that there is a false unity by
which all just join together and say, oh, we're
all one. And that could even extend like, have
you heard the thing? Oh, we all worship the same
God. Jews. The Jews worship the same God. The
Muslims worship the same God. The Buddhists and
all of these. We're all just one. We're all children
of the Father and all seeking Him in our own
way. No, Jesus is the truth. He is the way. And
you cannot get to the Father if you do not come
through Christ. We must be careful to maintain
those distinctions very strongly. Christ is the
way. We have no common unity. with those who
are not in Christ. Oh, there might be some things
that we can do in the community together. You
know, there are some, you know, for example,
there are some who are outside of true Christian
faith, and yet we have some common interests
with them. We might be able to work with them
politically or even for the good of the community
because of common grace. But we are not united
together in Christ. We must maintain that distinction.
This passage is not speaking to false teachers.
Number three, well, what do we do? Why do we
disagree with one another? We have this problem.
We don't all see alike. We understand the scripture
in various ways. Later in this book, in our study
of this book, we're going to get into two things,
one of being liberty of conscience, another being
religious liberty. And there's a distinction
in them, and I'm not going to get into it all
right here, but there is a liberty to the children
of God, and it's something that we need to grant
one another. There are some, for example, Paul
speaks of the eating food offered to idols, that
there are some who cannot in good conscience
eat food that was offered to idols, even if it's
being sold in the marketplace. Their conscience
is defiled. There are others who can eat it and
say it's fine. I give the Lord praise for this.
It's God who created the food. And so there's
a disagreement about this, and yet you have to
live together as the people of God. Now this
could be a whole message in itself, and I'm not...
I don't have time to get into everything today.
I would just say that when Christians disagree,
we need to pray together. We need to be able
to give a good defense of what it is that we
see and do to it without acrimony or without
hatefulness. But in other words, to appeal to
the word of God, to persuade. There needs to
be discussion from God's word. But we also realize
that... Not all disagreements of biblical interpretation
can live together in the same local church body,
and yet we can still be Christians. There are
some things where we seek to understand one another,
but there's various understandings, especially
of secondary issues in Christ's church, and it
doesn't necessarily work real well together in
the same church body. I'll give you an example
here just in a bit. But we must at all times,
to fellow Christians, extend Christian liberty
and the liberty of conscience to one another.
Which brings me to the fourth point, and that
is, is there a time to leave a church to a local
body of Christ's church where you can believe
that they are Christians, that they are Christian
believers, but it's not a good fit for us? Is
there a time to leave a Christian church? And
I think that in the interest of peace and unity,
there are times when one should leave a church
body and associate with another. This is especially
the case where there are practical outworkings
of Christian doctrine. For example, it's one
that we use fairly commonly, such as baptism.
Should baptism only be for believers who confess
the Lord Jesus Christ with a testimony? Or is
there such a thing as household baptism, a covenantal
baptism of whole households? How that is practiced,
there are some that will see it in a different
way. Now, to the one, it can be practiced, and
yet, you know, especially comes down to leadership.
If the leadership says, Yes, we will baptize
upon belief and faith, but we will also baptize
in a covenantal baptism. Then, you know, the
views can get along as long as we accept one
another. But if a leader says, no, I absolutely
will not do covenant household baptism, then
it's more difficult for the person who has a
family and is at that church because they really
desire and believe that their children should
be baptized. You have to weigh these things,
and there are some other things like this. The
church has practices for how some of these things
work, and it may or it may not work out for your
family. Back in 1998, we left the church over
doctrinal differences, some significant ones.
Having been convinced that some of the Anabaptist
beliefs, such as non -resistance or pacifism,
as it is commonly known, was a requirement for
membership. And we no longer held to that. So
we were no longer able to maintain or to be members
of that particular congregation. We were not
in agreement with their requirements for church
membership. But they were still Christian believers.
And we still love them. And I still interact
with them to this day. But. I could not be a
member of their congregation because of these
things. When this happens, we must still treat
one another as Christian believers and not leave
with ill feelings out of spite or with hate in
our heart for our brethren. What about denominations?
That question often comes up in this because
aren't denominations factions just like this
with, you know, Paul and Peter and Cephas? They
can be, but they are not necessarily. It's actually
just a little bit of a larger frame of what I
just talked about as far as whether it's right
to leave a church or not. There are a way to
maintain our unity in Christ in all of the essentials.
but to also then dwell together in congregations
that are aligned with each other in common agreement
on secondary issues or areas that affect the
whole body, such as the method of church government
or the practices of the church regarding the
sacraments of the Lord's Supper and baptism and
a common confession regarding great doctrines
of the Bible. Now, this is something where we
long to see greater unity in the body of Christ.
But until we reach that point, by God's grace
and sovereignty, and whatever that looks like,
it seems that denominations can be, or not always
are, especially if they become very exclusive
and say, well, we're the only true church of
Christ. But they can be a way of working peacefully
with the disagreements that... and yet we have
a number of congregations that are of the same
mind in some of the secondary matters. This is
where I think the creeds and confessions are
helpful. The great ecumenical creeds, such as
the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and Athanasius,
they are a summary of biblical teaching on essential
Christian... doctrine which must be believed
in order to be a christian again it says they're
not scripture they are a summary of scripture
this is who christ is this is who god is this
is who the holy spirit is and so forth confessions
of faith though are then summaries of a common
understanding of various biblical teaching some
of which not all true christians are in unity
at this present time We long for the day when
we will mature in the faith in a greater way
and the Holy Spirit brings us together in a closer
union. But in our current state, it is my understanding
and practice that denominations are helpful to
maintain the distinctions that are important
while yet maintaining a Christian unity of all
Christian believers. And for this, we long. Ephesians
4 verse 13. Till we all come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God to a perfect man. To the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ. Christ's church may
yet be in its infancy or in an adolescent stage.
There is much we need to grow in. Much in how
we must love each other and grow in faith with
humility. And we long for the day, for the time,
when we all come to the unity of the faith and
the knowledge of Jesus, to a perfect man in Christ.
Oh Lord, hasten this day. Let's pray.