10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
1 Corinthians 1:10-17 CSB
I read this passage a couple of weeks ago and it has really stuck in my mind. Paul was writing to the church in Corinth. We can see from this passage that the people within the church were in disagreement. They were separating themselves, basically dividing themselves up into teams and trying to one up each other based upon who baptized them. Paul said he’s thankful he didn’t participate in any of their baptisms. While this is not the exact theme of church today, the fact is, that Christians have divided into teams. These teams are based on everything from theology to worship styles and everything in between. I have to ask myself, is this what God intended?
As I have about 3 semesters left in my seminary studies, looking ahead means looking at ministry opportunities. Looking at ministry opportunities means looking at where do I wish to be affiliated. This thought leaves me feeling anguished. I am a Christian. I am a Christ-follower. That makes me a part of the body of Christ. But the body of Christ is broken. We tend to talk about the body of Christ in relation to our local body of believers within one church. But we are not!!! The body of Christ is all of us who have called on His name and have chosen to follow Him and to worship Him and to obey Him. It doesn’t matter if you go to the progressive church in the big city or the conservative country church down the road, we are all His children and we are one body in Christ.
What if we read verses 12 and 13 a different way:
What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to the Southern Baptist church,” or “I belong to the Presbyterian church,” or “I belong to the (insert denomination name here) church,” or “I belong to Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was your denomination crucified for you? Or were you baptized in your church’s name?
I know we all have our own opinions about scripture, but the key word I said is “opinions.” Scripture doesn’t change, God doesn’t change. Our understanding of scripture may change, but no matter how we understand it, that doesn’t change what it actually means. I know that as human beings, we seek to be with likeminded people, but honestly, if we are one in Christ, shouldn't we all be likeminded? I think somewhere along the way, we have missed the mark.
My identity is in Christ. Not in a denomination. Not in my local church. Not in my opinion of scripture. Whose team are you on?
“You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 NIRV
Be a Blessing!
