In a divided world, the gospel standard remains: let us be unified

By Dean Collins

I don’t know that we can quantify the number of ways we are divided. I will start the list: politics, not just two parties but all the political division within the parties; religion; culture wars; race; power; finance; and on and on. In nearly every category, we would find differences of opinion. The problem isn’t different opinions as much as how we tend to create barriers and groups based on our different opinions. Before we know it we hunker down and congregate and decide our opinions are litmus tests to determine the correctness of nearly everything.

Sadly, the divisions we see are amplified through the microphone of social media and further complicated and exaggerated now through AI.  While artificial intelligence can help us simplify and speed resolution to certain things in life, it also can be used and is being used to cause further division.

Appealing for unity

Transformed by the power of the gospel, the apostle Paul led the early church’s mission to share the gospel far and wide. We read over and over in the book of Acts, and see further evidence in Paul’s writing, that the mission of the church as directed by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit was multiplication. 

As Paul opens his first letter to the church in Corinth he spent considerable time trying to help the saints understand that divisiveness and division are the opposite of multiplication and not at all what Jesus desired. 

“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. “

Paul explained that it had been reported to him that not only was there a lack of unity of purpose and mission but that the church was fighting about who had led them to Christ; they were claiming spiritual superiority based on their association with the various spiritual leaders. Basic logic suggests that the more time you spend arguing who has the most orthodoxy the less time you can spend in fulfilling the mission. But those Paul addressed hadn’t realized that.

Defining wisdom

As the apostle continued his thoughts on the danger of division in the church, he stressed what is foolish and what is true wisdom.

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

At one level it seems silly that personality preference and one’s spiritual origin story would become so divisive until you look at current events inside the family of faith today. We divide over denomination, by our view of end times, by favorite Bible teacher, by theological frameworks, and sadly we sometimes have let political position become a tenet of our faith.

Paul spent considerable time in his letter to Corinth stressing that the foundation of our faith and our path to salvation and wisdom comes down to one thing: acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah of God who died on the cross, was buried, and rose from the dead. Those who put their faith in Jesus are transformed by the Holy Spirit and become grafted into the family of God. Our mission is to share this gospel and glorify God through daily surrender to his authority and his purposes.

Apparently, the church in Corinth did a fair amount of bragging about who they followed and the resulting distinctiveness of doctrine or theology.  Paul responded with a reminder as helpful for us as it was for the Christians in Corinth:

“Not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.””

Imagine the unity we would have as followers of Christ if we could follow Paul’s closing words in chapter 1 of 1 Corinthians: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  Note Paul did not say boast in anyone’s opinions or preferences but rather boast in Jesus as the one who died and rose from the grave. 

Lord, we admit that we each have contributed to the division of the world. Our pride and arrogance have caused us stubbornly to insist on everything from political opinion to theological opinion instead of simply rallying around the beautiful wisdom of Jesus crucified for our sins. Today we choose to boast in what you did for us on the cross. Strengthen us to be resolute in sharing the simple yet powerful truth of Jesus. Unify us in Jesus as Lord and by your Spirit use us to share your love with someone today.

Your time with God’s Word
1 Corinthians 1

Photo by Josue Michel on Unsplash
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