Wondered by the Word — The Bible in a YearSample

Divisions in the Church

Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 1:12-13

“What I am saying is this: One of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or “‘ belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or “‘ belong to Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?”

Election years have become very challenging for the modern day church. Today, you may hear one person say, “I am with this candidate.” You may hear another say, “Well that candidate is wrong, I am with this candidate.” You may hear another say, “I am not with any candidates,” completely disengaging with politics altogether.

The church is no stranger to the challenges of division. In I Corinthians 1, Paul addresses the division happening in the church of Corinth. The people began to pledge allegiances to their favorite ministry leaders. Paul then begins to ask them a series of questions, while urging them to agree.  

There was a rivalry that was occurring among several church members who based their loyalty to their favorite ministry leaders. Paul begins to challenge them in his letter to Corinth by asking a series of questions, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name?” (I Corinthians 1:13, CSB). We know the answers to these questions are a resounding, No! Christ is not divided, and if we are the body of Christ, he should be the foundation of our unity.

There will always be a temptation to claim allegiances to things that may actually divide us. In Corinth, they were claiming allegiances to their favorite ministry leaders which we also may be tempted to do today. 

So, how do we overcome this temptation? We can start by rejecting the notion that everyone has to agree on everything because every Christian is different, has a different role in the body of Christ, and has different experiences that may shape their worldview. 

The second thing we can do is to remember that despite our differences, we pledge our allegiance to the same God. 

The final thing we do as brothers and sisters in Christ is to simply pursue unity by reaching across the aisle (figuratively) to someone who may think differently than you.  Invite them for a seat at your table and have conversations, remembering that our ultimate allegiance is to Christ alone. 

(Written by Jennifer Lucy Tyler)