Dealing with Divisions in the Church

The church in Corinth was filled with chaos. it had compromised with the world and it had become filled with self-righteousness. The result was that the church had split into various cliques and groups with each believing that they were more spiritual than the others.

In the last part of chapter 3 Paul brings his argument against divisions in the church to a conclusion.

1 Corinthians 3:18–23 (ESV) -- Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” ²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” ²¹ So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, ²² whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, ²³ and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

If the church is going to be united it will require that we have a proper view of four specific things.

1. We must have a proper view of OURSELVES

Most of the divisions that occur in the church are a direct result of people who are overly impressed with their own wisdom and righteousness. Paul says that they have deceived themselves into thinking that they are wise and spiritual. The result is that we want everyone to know what we think and we stop seeking God's wisdom and direction. God says that the wisdom of this world is folly.

God's wisdom turns the wisdom of this world upside down. In God's wisdom . . .

• Worldly wisdom is folly
• What the world sees as folly is wisdom
• Weakness is power
• Leaders are servants
• God's people are nobodies, yet they possess all things

In verses 19-20, Paul quotes from Job 5:13 and Psalm 94:11 to provide a Biblical basis for his argument. He says that God catches the foolish in their craftiness, and He looks at their well thought out conclusions and finds that they are foolish. 

2. We must have a proper view of OTHERS

The leaders that God sends to lead His church are to be listened to and respected, but our confidence must NEVER be in the creature! It must be in the Creator!

3. We must have a proper view of LIFE

The world, life, death, present, and future sum up the tyranny of our human existence. But it is in Christ we have been set free from the tyrannies of life.

Paul tells us that . . .

• The world is ours -- In the cross, God has planted His flag on planet earth and marked it as His own possession. It is through the cross that we see God's mighty hand at work, we experience God's grace, and we work faithfully for His glory until He returns or calls us home!
• Life is ours -- For those who are in Christ, life is not to be drudgery. Jesus came so that we might experience life to its fullest. 
• Death is ours -- Death is not something that Christian should fear, because death is only the door through which we must pass to experience the freedom from sin, temptation, and evil that is a reality in this life.
• The present is ours -- Regardless of the struggles of the present, for the Christian we are promised that God will use it for our good!
• The future is ours -- For those who live by the wisdom of this world, the future often brings worry and panic. But for those who are Christians we are to be people of hope -- because we know who holds the future.

4. We must have a proper view of God

The greatest motive for maintaining the unity of the Spirit and for avoiding divisions in the church is knowing that we belong to Christ and that Christ belongs to God. Because we belong to Him, we all belong to Him, and we also belong to one another.