Reclaiming Unity in the Modern Church
What happens when our preferences turn into idols, and our churches begin to fracture? Discover how Paul’s challenge to Corinth still speaks to our divided world today, and why unity must start with Christ, not compromise.
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Divisions in the Church
10 I appeal to you, brothers,[a] by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
A House Divided
Recently, I saw a car tag on the front of someone’s vehicle that showed the collegiate logo of two schools in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Between the logos was a zigzag line, and at the bottom it said “House Divided.” The claim is that there are fans of different universities within the household, and they’re divided on the loyalties of who they cheer.
Abraham Lincoln used that same phrase about the United States when it was on the brink of the Civil War, as the young nation prepared to split based on different desires for the future and understandings of the reasons they were together in the first place.
However, that phrase didn’t originate from Lincoln, it came from Christ in Matthew 12 when some accused Him of being empowered by Satan. He goes on to give a warning that those who are not with Him are against Him. The same problem was creeping into the Corinthian church.
The church was founded just a few years prior, and believe it or not, the church people would argue, even back then. They’d get wrong ideas, get mad, then the church would suffer because of it.
An illustration of the church has been used that compares it to being a boat. The world is the water that surrounds the boat. The boat is meant to keep the water out, but when it comes in, you have to respond to it. Thus, we can comparatively say, Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is to correct and guide them back into good and proper teaching. His goal is to redirect them to what’s important and primary: the Gospel.
The Apostle Paul laments the lack of agreement among them as the divisions are tearing the church. Following the introduction, Paul immediately tells us what his goal is:
“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.” 1 Corinthians 1:10-11
Churches sometimes have silly divisions. They would argue over what temperature the sanctuary should be, which Christmas decorations go up, how strong the coffee should be, and so forth. I’ve even witnessed a church argue over whether to use a land acquisition for a cemetery or a playground.
However, the division in the Corinthian church was much greater than any of those silly secondary issues. They weren’t united in their minds and hearts. They were divided to such a degree that they were quarreling and separating from each other. The problems of the world were coming into the church.
Division of Personality
Source: Americans Agree Nation Is Divided on Key Values (Gallup)
This survey was conducted in Fall 2024 and shows that 80% of Americans say the country is divided on the most important issues. Only 18% of polled Americans think the country is united. If you notice, the gap is growing further apart. It’s important to note that the values aren’t disclosed as to what is determined as “the most important issues.” The respondents are left to determine that for themselves.
However, the important thing to recognize about the chart is that we, as a nation, are dividing ourselves over political, economic, social, and cultural issues. In the world, we make character judgments on people based on the car that someone drives. We make judgments based on what social media apps someone might use. We make judgments based on someone’s position on current events. These are divided localities.
Unfortunately, it’s entirely possible to see these issues creep into the church, and to a lesser degree, we already are. Several years ago, Barna did a survey and asked Christians where they experience unity in their life. The top answer was church at 61%, and the second was the home at 40%. Even here, the problems of the church and the world are very much still a problem today as they were in the time of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church.
As Paul’s letter goes on, he outlines several points of division, but in our passage, and to start the letter, we see it’s a division based on personalities.
“What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:12-13
Who are these individuals listed?
Paul: Founder of this church, and author of the letter.
Apollos: We read in Acts 18 that Apollos was from Alexandria was an eloquent speaker but he had an incomplete understanding of the Gospel until he was corrected by Aquila and Priscilla.
Cephas: also known as Peter, the leader of the original apostles.
Christ: Christ is Jesus Christ. He was mentioned there because certain Corinthians were holding themselves higher and excluding others. They were focused on the wrong thing, which caused splintering within the church.
How easy is it for us to divide ourselves over a little tribe or affiliation that we attach ourselves to? Maybe it’s our favorite preacher or our denomination? Let’s not diminish that preferences are fine, but when these things turn into partitions, then we’re dividing the body of Christ in unholy ways.
“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.” 1 Corinthians 1:15
The reality is, when we put our trust in people, even our pastors, we will certainly experience disappointment. It’s not me, nor any other pastor, who saves anyone. The Apostle Paul didn’t save anyone. They weren’t baptized in his name. He didn’t go to the cross for them. The Apostle Paul even goes so far as the reject anyone who claims him.
The church is Christ’s bride and body. It’s through the baptismal waters that we enter this as a new family. What He did, does, and will do for us in a new start of life in Christ gives us a new way of leaving behind our sinful past.
“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” 1 Corinthians 1:17
Baptism is necessary for the church because Christ told us to do it, but they were using it as a means of boasting, for division, and a platform for superiority. So, the question becomes: Whose influence or wisdom do you follow?
Rather than recognizing Jesus as the ultimate, the Corinthians were idolizing leaders. They were identifying themselves by someone (or something) other than the one who saved them. It became more important who baptized them than who had done the saving in the first place.
When the Church is defined by its relationship to Christ as the first, then it’s released to carry out the mission that Jesus gave Her. When we put Christ second to something else, we begin to divide what Christ calls us to. He is our great unifying factor across time and space that holds all of creation together, yet we disparage Him when we say we’re His and hold onto other allegiances first.
It’s only when we do put Him first that we can be united. This message is throughout Scripture. Find yourself in Christ, then unite as the church to go out and do the things that He’s told us to do. In Philippians, Paul wrote:
“So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” Philippians 2:2
In 2 Corinthians, he also wrote:
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11
Notice the flow. It goes from restoration, which is reconciliation with Christ and God, then with each other. Next, there is agreement and unity. Finally, there is peacefulness. When there is unity, our quarrels subside, and we have God’s presence among us. This is holistic salvation and a wholeness we uncover when we find ourselves with our brothers and sisters.
Our purpose isn’t to seek to be united for the sake of unity. We don’t want to just find agreements or discard individuality, but there’s a line between preference and division, and when preferences go on the attack and we identify ourselves as anything other than Christ, then the gospel has been replaced as our true allegiance. When we live into that divisiveness, we’ve set up a new idol.
Idolatry can look like any number of ways or things. It doesn’t just have to be a person or personality. It could be your family, work, children, the idea of leisure, or a location that is comfortable. These things aren’t bad until they become the ultimate, and only you can know that for yourself.
This isn’t about contrary doctrine either, even Paul clearly states throughout the New Testament that when there is errant teaching or wayward brothers, we’re to restore them when possible. However, he says in Romans 16:17, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.”
When we put something ahead of Christ, we are being disobedient to God’s command to recognize Him as Lord of all creation. These divisions are in their essence, disclaiming Christ as Lord and Savior. But unity in Christ brings blessing. See how David expressed this in Psalm 133: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
How to Foster Unity
Corinth, much like our world, was diverse. It was a multicultural city, and more than one commentary has compared it to Las Vegas. It was also a crossroads of military movement and commerce. Because of its location along the Mediterranean and Aegean Sea, many sailors would come and go. Ultimately, Corinth was a place where many travelers came from all over the Roman world.
There were also many demands on time, attention, money, resources, and allegiances in Corinth. There were people there, different races and ethnicities, social classes, wealth levels, ages, and more. This isn’t different from our city today. But in Jesus we have an offer for unity, a word whose meaning is not just a sense of “we’re in this together,” but being restored, prepared, equipped, made perfect and completed; It’s about finding fulfillment in Jesus.
The Christ Methodist Discipleship Pastor, Grant Caldwell, recently told me, “This clear call of unity breeds mission. We’re here to preach the gospel.” We find our unity in Christ, and ownership of that mission and vision holds us together. This call-to-action doesn’t mean we’re together just to define our mission and to do what we want individually. Instead, it’s to discern it together.
A.W. Tozer said it this way:
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine
When we’re attuned to Christ, we’re attuned to one another, too. There might still be (read: will be) disagreements, but when they are responded to in a Christ-honoring way, the Body emerges stronger than before. To simplify it: If we aim at unity, we will miss Christ, but if we aim at Christ, unity comes automatically. We can’t manufacture unity in our own efforts. It can only come together by aligning our individual hearts with Christ first, then collectively, we’re unified.
We’re not called to seek unity on its own. We’ve tried that for thousands of years, and it’s always failed. What we’re called to do is to unite with Christ first and allow Him to make us united.
Christ was divided on the cross so that we wouldn’t have to be. He was punished on the cross so we wouldn’t have to be. He was killed on the cross so that we could have life, and that offer is for everyone. It’s inclusive because anyone can have it, but it’s exclusive because it has to come through Christ.
When we accept His invitation, then we’re freed for unity. Salvation enables us to drop everything that clings to us and all other identities. Without an interconnectedness found in Christ, everything else falls apart. Without Christ, our fallenness reigns in life. But the call of the Gospel is for us today. Christ offers us a unity that redeems. It rebukes worldly divisions and disputes as we respond to this call on our lives.
TL;DR
In a culture overwhelmed by division, the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthian church offer a timely call: unity in the Church comes not through shared preferences or personalities but through shared union with Christ.
This message explores how division creeps in through misplaced allegiance, why Christ alone is our true unifier, and how unity, rooted in the gospel, becomes a powerful witness to the world.
We are not called to uniformity—but to surrender our idols and let the cross reshape our identity, together.
