I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.”
1 Corinthians 1:10
This verse comes from the apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. The passage deals with the divisions within the church, as many in Corinth called themselves followers of the apostles Paul, Peter, Apollos, or only Christ. No leader is exactly like another, and therefore, there was a tendency in the church to prefer one leader over another. If left unresolved, the situation could have developed into a schism within the church.
Paul starts with a powerful appeal to them “by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This statement is no minor opening since the name of Jesus united the Corinthians as one. Paul challenges them, questioning, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13). Although the questions were rhetorical, the real answer was no—they were, in fact, baptized in the name of Jesus.
Paul’s questioning and instruction revealed their problem and their solution. The problem was they claimed other descriptors in conjunction with their identity of abiding “in Jesus.” The answer was to be united in the common identity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, how does this passage apply today? And why can’t we all just get along? As Christians, we can and should work together for unity in the church, which sometimes involves ‘not majoring in the minors.’ However, we cannot always get along, and perhaps in many instances, we feel we should not. Today’s Christian fellowship reflects the general society, which has evolved into “hyphenated identities” of worship like the Corinthians. However, instead of following Jesus Christ, some Christians now identify by embracing biblically questionable worship such as Prosperity-Gospel (if you give God enough money, he’ll bless you with health, wealth, and happiness); Forgiveness-Only-Gospel (because God has forgiven you, you don’t really need to obey him) or experience-Worship (with distinct music and feelings instead of the gospel as the focus.)
Perhaps we’d benefit today from heeding Paul’s same instruction he gave to the Corinthians. We need to recognize the “hyphenated identities” that fall short of and dilute the gospel of Christ Paul so resolutely preached. Uniting with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ united the Corinthians with Jesus and unites us as Christians today. We have faith, hope, and salvation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
by Jack Kennedy
