1 Corinthians 1:10-17

(1 Corinthians 1:10-17)

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

 

Corinth was also a city that represented sexual disturbance and corruption because Greek philosophy and eloquence developed, people enjoyed athletic games and pursued physical pleasure. Not only did Paul establish a church in Corinth, he wrote two letters, 1 Corinthians and 2nd Book, with desperate heart toward the church.

Corinthian Church was a church that received many gifts, but it was a church with many problems. They had problems very similar to those facing the modern church in the modern society of capital and materialism today. So, the problem that the Corinthian Church is facing can be seen as a miniature version of the modern church problem. As Paul writes to the Corinthian Church, he speaks of the sectarianism in the church, namely the splitting of parties, among the many problems.

 

『Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 』, Paul said first. When people's thoughts and minds become one, the things that were divided become one, and reconciliation can be achieved. 『Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. 』This means that there was a sect. First, they are those who say they belong to Paul. Paul was the person who founded and pioneered the Corinthian Church. Therefore, they were intimate people who accepted the Gospel through Paul, who founded the Corinthian Church, so they can be seen as members of the Corinthian Church.

 

The second are those of Apollos. Apollos was an excellent interpreter and teacher of the Bible, who was excellent in eloquence. Thus, those belonging to Apollos are considered to be lovers of refined and intellectual faith. Next are those who belong to Gueva. Since Peter (Gueva) was a pillar among the twelve apostles and preached the Gospel mainly to the Jews, the people belonging to Gueva are probably considered primarily Jews.

Finally, they belong to Christ. Those who claim to belong to Christ are regarded as self-centered and self-righteous people who do not appreciate the ideas of others. In particular, these people seem like people who claim direct statistics that they have heard the word directly from Christ.

 

The people of the Corinthian church say the names of Paul, Apollos, and Cephas and tell them they belong, but in fact, Paul and Apollos and Cephas are also just fingers pointing to Jesus Christ. Also, these three men have nothing to do with the division of the Corinthian church. Instead, the people who build the party of the Corinthian Church are simply using their names. Therefore, Paul said, “Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 』.

 

Today's churches are also largely divided into Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant churches. There are also several denominations and denominations in the Protestant church. There are Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, Holiness Church, Pentecostal Church, etc. Likewise, there are several denominations within Protestantism, and since the emphasis is different, as a believer, you can think and act differently. However, Jesus Christ must be the center of the various thoughts and actions.

 

Also, Paul wrote, “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. Baptism is administered in the name of the Trinity God, where the expression by name means that you are absolutely bound to that name. That is, if a person is baptized in the name of the Triune God, that person is absolutely subordinate to God. If you are baptized in Paul's name, you are the person's possession of Paul. That is why Paul is saying that he did not baptize in his name. Paul is also trying to exalt God thoroughly even in baptism.

 

Instead, Paul spoke of the calling he received, ``For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 』. Paul says that his calling is to preach the gospel, not the wisdom of words that the Greeks like, but only to preach the gospel of the cross of Christ. Therefore, when Paul was zealous for the law in the past, he regarded all thoughts, positions, and vested interests in Judaism as excrement, and confessed that the knowledge of knowing only the Lord Jesus Christ is the highest.