1 Corinthians 1:10-19: a reflection

10Now I beg you, brothers, through 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 perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. 16(I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.) 17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. 18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”

Paul is distressed to hear that the church in Corinth has split into factions. Each group rallies around a favorite leader: I follow Paul, one says; I follow Apollos, says another; I follow Cephas; I follow Christ. And Paul confronts the division with a pointed question: Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? Their deepest loyalty, he reminds them, belongs not to any human leader, but to Christ, who alone was crucified for them.

Notice the root of the problem, and Paul's remedy. The Corinthians had made human leaders into rallying points for rival factions, dividing the church around personalities and preferences. But Paul redirects them to Christ: it is Christ who was crucified for them, Christ into whose name they were baptized, Christ to whom they belong. Their common belonging to Christ should unite them, not their preferences among human leaders divide them. Is Christ divided? He asks; then neither should his people be.

That warns against a party spirit that still divides God's people. We can rally around favorite leaders, teachers, traditions, or styles, and let our preferences harden into factions, dividing from other believers who prefer differently. But our deepest loyalty belongs to Christ, not to any human leader or party; and our common belonging to him should unite us across our differences. Do not let your preferences among human leaders or styles become a spirit of faction that divides you from other believers. Christ is not divided; give your deepest loyalty to him, not to any human figure or party, and let your shared belonging to Christ draw you together with other believers, rather than your preferences pushing you apart.

Lord, Paul was distressed to hear that the Corinthians had split into factions, each rallying around a favorite leader, and he confronted them: is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Their deepest loyalty belonged to Christ, not to any human leader. Warn me against the party spirit that still divides your people. I can rally around favorite leaders, teachers, traditions, or styles, and let my preferences harden into factions, dividing from other believers who prefer differently. But my deepest loyalty belongs to Christ, not to any human leader or party; and my common belonging to him should unite me with others across our differences. Keep me from letting my preferences among human leaders or styles become a spirit of faction that divides me from other believers. Christ is not divided; help me give my deepest loyalty to him, not to any human figure or party, and let my shared belonging to Christ draw me together with other believers, rather than my preferences pushing us apart. Unite your people in Christ.