Divisions in the church and the message of Christ

1:10 I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose. 1:11 For members of Chloe's household have made it clear to me, my brothers and sisters, that there are quarrels among you. 1:12 Now I mean this, that each of you is saying, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," or "I am with Cephas," or "I am with Christ." 1:13 Is Christ divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? Or were you in fact baptized in the name of Paul? 1:14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 1:15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name! 1:16 (I also baptized the household of Stephanus. Otherwise, I do not remember whether I baptized anyone else.) 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - and not with clever speech, so that the cross of Christ would not become useless. 1:18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1:19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will thwart the cleverness of the intelligent." 1:20 Where is the wise man? Where is the expert in the Mosaic law? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made the wisdom of the world foolish? 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching. 1:22 For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, 1:23 but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. 1:24 But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 1:26 Think about the circumstances of your call, brothers and sisters. Not many were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were born to a privileged position. 1:27 But God chose what the world thinks foolish to shame the wise, and God chose what the world thinks weak to shame the strong. 1:28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, what is regarded as nothing, to set aside what is regarded as something, 1:29 so that no one can boast in his presence. 1:30 He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 1:31 so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 2:1 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come with superior eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed the testimony of God. 2:2 For I decided to be concerned about nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 2:3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling. 2:4 My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 2:5 so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on the power of God. 2:6 Now we do speak wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are perishing. 2:7 Instead we speak the wisdom of God, hidden in a mystery, that God determined before the ages for our glory. 2:8 None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 2:9 But just as it is written, "Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him." 2:10 God has revealed these to us by the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the man's spirit within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 2:12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God. 2:13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom, but with those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people. 2:14 The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 2:15 The one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is understood by no one. 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to advise him? But we have the mind of Christ. 3:1 So, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but instead as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 3:2 I fed you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready. In fact, you are still not ready, 3:3 for you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you not influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people? 3:4 For whenever someone says, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," are you not merely human? 3:5 What is Apollos, really? Or what is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, and each of us in the ministry the Lord gave us. 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow. 3:7 So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth. 3:8 The one who plants and the one who waters work as one, but each will receive his reward according to his work. 3:9 We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God's field, God's building. 3:10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master-builder I laid a foundation, but someone else builds on it. And each one must be careful how he builds. 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. 3:12 If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 3:13 each builder's work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. 3:14 If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. 3:15 If someone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire. 3:16 Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 3:17 If someone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, which is what you are. 3:18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise. 3:19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness." 3:20 And again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." 3:21 So then, no more boasting about mere mortals! For everything belongs to you, 3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future. Everything belongs to you, 3:23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. 4:1 One should think about us this way - as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 4:2 Now what is sought in stewards is that one be found faithful. 4:3 So for me, it is a minor matter that I am judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4:4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not acquitted because of this. The one who judges me is the Lord. 4:5 So then, do not judge anything before the time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the motives of hearts. Then each will receive recognition from God. 4:6 I have applied these things to myself and Apollos because of you, brothers and sisters, so that through us you may learn "not to go beyond what is written," so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of the one against the other. 4:7 For who concedes you any superiority? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not? 4:8 Already you are satisfied! Already you are rich! You have become kings without us! I wish you had become kings so that we could reign with you! 4:9 For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. 4:10 We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, we are dishonored! 4:11 To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, poorly clothed, brutally treated, and without a roof over our heads. 4:12 We do hard work, toiling with our own hands. When we are verbally abused, we respond with a blessing, when persecuted, we endure, 4:13 when people lie about us, we answer in a friendly manner. We are the world's dirt and scum, even now. 4:14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to correct you as my dear children. 4:15 For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, because I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 4:16 I encourage you, then, be imitators of me. 4:17 For this reason, I have sent Timothy to you, who is my dear and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 4:18 Some have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 4:19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing, and I will find out not only the talk of these arrogant people, but also their power. 4:20 For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power. 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline or with love and a spirit of gentleness?

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Paul rebukes the Corinthians for dividing themselves around human leaders. The church belongs to the one crucified Christ, so neither baptism nor preaching should ever be used to create loyalty to ministers rather than to Him. Therefore the gospel and the cross must remain central, not human prestige or impressive speech.

Paul opens with a serious appeal in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is more than advice about getting along. It is a call to live under Christ’s authority. He urges the Corinthians to stop speaking in ways that reflect rivalry and division, and instead to be restored to shared mind and judgment. The language suggests mending what has been torn. He then states the problem plainly. Reports from Chloe’s people have made it clear that quarrels are troubling the church. These are not small personal irritations. The congregation is being fractured by open conflict. Some are saying, “I am with Paul,” others, “I am with Apollos,” others, “I am with Cephas,” and others, “I am with Christ.” In this setting, even “I am with Christ” is best understood as another party slogan. It sounds orthodox, but Paul includes it in the same pattern of divisive boasting. Even true words can be used in a proud and sectarian spirit. Paul answers this party spirit with three pointed questions. “Is Christ divided?” Certainly not. Christ is one, and His people must not split themselves into rival camps. “Was Paul crucified for you?” No human leader died to redeem them. Their salvation rests on Christ alone. “Were you baptized in the name of Paul?” No. Baptism marks belonging to Christ’s name, not attachment to a minister. Their slogans, then, are not merely immature. They contradict the meaning of their Christian identity. When Paul says he is thankful he baptized only a few of them, he is not speaking against baptism itself. He is not treating baptism as unimportant. His point is narrower and more practical: he is glad that no one can use baptism administered by him as evidence of special allegiance to him. He mentions Crispus and Gaius, then adds the household of Stephanas, and admits he does not remember whether there were others. That brief aside feels natural and unforced, and it shows that the exact number is not the issue. What matters is that his role in baptism must not become fuel for factional pride. Paul then exposes the deeper issue. Christ sent him primarily to preach the gospel, not to make baptism serve a minister-centered identity. And he was not sent to preach with “wisdom of speech” in a way that would empty the cross of Christ of its proper effect. Paul is not rejecting clear thought, careful argument, or faithful persuasion. He is rejecting a showy, self-exalting style of rhetoric that draws attention to the speaker and away from the crucified Christ. The Corinthians were drawn to status, polish, and human impressiveness, and that same desire was feeding their divisions. So this passage is about more than bad manners in the church. It uncovers a deeper spiritual disorder. The Corinthians were treating Christian leaders as identity markers and status symbols. Paul cuts that off by reminding them that the church is defined by Christ’s person, Christ’s death, and Christ’s name. Ministers are servants. Christ alone is Savior and Lord. Paul’s argument also prepares for what follows. Verse 17 leads into the next section, where he contrasts human wisdom with the word of the cross. The quarrels at Corinth are tied to boasting in human ability and prestige. When the church admires the messenger more than the message, the cross is pushed from the center in practice, even if it is still affirmed in words. This passage therefore calls the church to more than polite coexistence. Paul calls for repaired unity shaped by the truth of the gospel. Believers may rightly value faithful teachers, but they must never build their identity around them. Baptism must be understood as belonging to Christ and, therefore, to His people. Preaching must serve the gospel rather than the fame of the preacher. In every dispute, the controlling question must be this: do our attitudes and words fit a people who belong to the one crucified Christ?

• Unity in the church is grounded in the authority and name of the Lord Jesus Christ. - Factions built around human leaders deny the church’s identity in the one Christ. - Christ alone was crucified for believers
• no minister is a savior. - Baptism signifies belonging to Christ, not loyalty to a preacher or group. - Paul does not belittle baptism
• he rejects its misuse for partisan pride. - Paul does not condemn all eloquence
• he condemns speech that magnifies the messenger and obscures the cross. - The true cure for division is not mere friendliness, but a return to gospel-centered thinking and shared allegiance to Christ alone.

• Do not treat this passage as a call for total sameness on every issue
• Paul is addressing divisive party spirit. - Do not assume "I am of Christ" is clearly the one faithful group
• in context it most likely functions as another factional slogan. - Do not use verse 17 to deny baptism's proper place in Christian initiation. - Do not read "not with wisdom of speech" as a rejection of careful preaching or sound reasoning. - Do not separate these verses from the larger argument in 1 Corinthians 1:18-4:21 about boasting in human wisdom and human leaders.

Paul is confronting a public struggle over honor, belonging, and status within the assembly. The repeated "I am of X" formulas function as allegiance slogans, so Paul replies with the name of Jesus, the crucifixion of Jesus, and baptism into Jesus' name. His point is not that baptism is negligible, but that it must not be turned into ministerial branding. In the same way, "not with wisdom of speech" targets the kind of rhetoric that makes the speaker impressive and the cross secondary. The quarrels are therefore not just bad manners; they reveal a church letting human prestige compete with the claims of the crucified Christ.

- Watch for modern forms of "I am of Paul"—identity built around a pastor, ministry brand, network, or tradition instead of Christ. - Teach baptism as belonging to Christ and entry into his people, not as a badge of loyalty to the one who performed it. - Evaluate preaching not only by polish or impact, but by whether it leaves people impressed mainly with Christ. - In church conflict, ask whether our words and loyalties fit those who belong to the one crucified Lord. - Seek unity that is grounded in truth and shared submission to Christ, not merely outward peace.

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