Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians
primarily addresses the carnal tendency of men, even true believers,
to divide themselves up into sects and divisions. For it hath been declared unto
me of you, my brethren, 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? Such practices are not
prescribed nor recommended in the scriptures, and the principle
of strife and division among those who are bought with the
precious blood of Christ is not taught by the Spirit of God.
Yet due to the weakness and depravity of the sinful flesh of man, such
heresies, that is, sectarianism, rears its head among the saints
of God. Paul warned the Ephesian elders
of this very tendency and even prophesied that such things would
occur among their own number. Paul even speaks of such divisions
as necessary in order to contrast that sectarianism with the godly
principles of the kingdom of Christ, which set forth the concepts
of forbearance with one another and esteeming of one another
above ourselves. Throughout this first epistle
to the Corinthians, Paul continues to build upon this very theme.
Thus the first chapter of it ends with these words, that according
as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. It
is impossible that a man should have disregard to the brethren
when his sole source of glorying is in the Lord. For then and
only then does he know that he is nothing and that his knowledge
is quite limited. In the third chapter, he continues
to take away any room for glory in men. Therefore, let no man
think more highly of himself and his calling than he ought
to think. It is often true that some who would cause divisions
among the saints do so as an excuse to promote their own liberty,
rather than acknowledging that expediency is much more important
than liberty when it comes to seeking to build up the brethren
in the most holy faith. Thus Paul set the example of
denying himself many things that were his liberty to have or partake
of for the greater good of those whom he loved. He mentioned that
while he had liberty to lead about a wife or a sister at the
expense of those to whom he ministered, yet in order to remove any hindrances
to his ministry, he made no such charge. He also pointed out that
all things, meats and drinks, whether offered to idols or not,
were lawful unto him and all believers. Yet he would refrain
from partaking of them at all if it caused his weaker brother
to stumble in confusion. In chapter 10, Paul once again
brings the focus of his message to the importance of unity among
the saints of God. If we are united around a crucified
Christ, what is the grounds of any sectarianism? Jesus Christ
and him crucified does unite the awakened sons of God. Woe
be unto him who would seek to overturn that unity. Christ is
our salvation. He is our righteousness. He is
our sanctification. What God has joined together,
let not man put asunder. If any man would preach another
Jesus than the one which Paul preached, then he would seek
to turn men aside from following him. Thus he declared that he
determined, that is, he charted a soul and specific course, to
know only one thing when he was among them, which is the very
essence of the gospel, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Then in chapter 12 he speaks
of the various gifts which the Lord is pleased to give to His
saints. It is not a bad thing for a man to desire a gift in
order to benefit the Church. While it is good to desire gifts
to profit the body, Paul describes an even more excellent way which
exceeds even the greatest gift of oratory or edifying word which
could be spoken by men. This true brotherly love is the
very denial and destruction of all that the flesh could ever
produce. This love has only ever been truly demonstrated by one
man born of a woman, the man Christ Jesus. Greater love hath
no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. For scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet for our adventure for a good man some
would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream.net.