Factions have developed among nations and churches claiming to be Christian since the first century, even while the apostles were alive. There are obvious reasons why.
The residents of the city of Alexandria in Egypt in the days of the apostles were noted as some of the most highly educated in the world; in fact, many people among the Jews and from Palestine went to Alexandria to obtain a finished education. The book of Acts records an experience of one such man who had received a high level Greek education. He had heard about the preaching of John the Baptist and had accepted Jesus as His Saviour, although he did not understand the gospel perfectly. In Acts 18, verses 24 to 26 it says, “Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”
There was much that Apollos would learn. He did not know all about the death, the resurrection, the ascension and the intercession of Christ in the sanctuary in heaven for His people, and the promise of Jesus that those who accepted Him would be baptized by the Holy Spirit. However, he boldly taught what he did know.
Aquila and Priscilla were tentmakers who, when they heard him preach, had opportunity to explain to him the deeper meaning of the gospel. This man, with grateful surprise and joy when he learned more about Jesus, whom the Christians worshiped, began to teach even more boldly in the synagogue, becoming one of the most able defenders of the Christian faith.
We see here an example where a scholarly man who was a brilliant orator learned the way of the Lord more perfectly from a Christian man and woman of humble employment, that of tent-making. Once he accepted and understood the gospel more perfectly, he desired to go to the city of Corinth and teach there. “When he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:27, 28).
Many of the Jews who had been expelled from Rome had moved to Corinth. They were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah whom they expected would come soon and elevate the Jewish people above all nations and languages. When Apollos arrived at Corinth, he showed them conclusively that their expectations of another Messiah to come were in vain. He taught them that the Messiah had already come and that He had suffered a shameful and violent death at the hand of their Jewish teachers.
Apollos became very successful in proclaiming the gospel in Corinth so much so that some of the church members began exalting his labors above that of Paul. Apollos was working in harmony with Paul for the advancement of the cause of Christianity, but a rival factious spirit developed in the church that threatened to greatly hinder the cause of truth.
Paul said, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me, concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas’ [Peter], … or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:10–13).
Because Apollos was a brilliant orator and scholar, some of the people preferred his preaching so much that they said, “We are under the spiritual leadership of Apollos.” Others said, “No, we’re under the spiritual leadership of Paul.” Others chose to be under the spiritual leadership of Peter, who was intimately acquainted with Jesus Christ.
There were some who thought they had the perfect solution. They claimed to be under the spiritual direction of Christ. So, factions were developing in the church at Corinth and Satan took the opportunity to take advantage of their imaginary differences. In addition to this problem, other factions were developing because of Judaizing teachers who had come into the Corinthian church. These Judaizing teachers taught that the believers who observed the ordinances of the Mosaic law and were circumcised had a closer relationship to God than those who were uncircumcised. They took advantage of the fact that the apostles allowed diversity within the Christian church and allowed the Jews to keep up with some of their customs that they had received in the old covenant.
Paul had to meet these Judaizing teachers in every church that he founded or visited. Notice what he taught: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters” (1 Corinthians 7:19).
The Judaizing party looked upon Paul as an apostate and attempted to destroy his influence. They visited every church that Paul had organized and created divisions. They believed the ends would justify the means so they circulated false charges against the apostle.
Paul came to be distrusted and even despised by some Christians in the churches that he had raised up. These divisions in regard to the ceremonial law and the relative merits of different ministers teaching the doctrine of Christ caused him much anxiety and trouble and explains the root underlying the problem that causes factions today among nations, churches, and families.
Notice how Paul addressed this issue in 1 Corinthians 3:1–4: “And I brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal [fleshly, unconverted], as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?”
In other words, you are still living in the flesh; you are still unconverted. Paul counsels a lot about this subject through his epistles.
Notice what he wrote to the Romans: “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Romans 8:5–7).
Many claim they cannot keep the law of God and that is true, for the carnal mind cannot keep the law of God, is not subject to the law of God, and cannot be. But when you receive the Holy Spirit, Jesus causes you to put to death the deeds of the carnal nature, those deeds of the flesh, and to live a new life in Him.
Paul explained it to the churches in Galatia in this way: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:16–21).
We see here the problem that is underneath the contention, strife, and all the trouble in the world today. People are not converted. It can happen in the family; it can happen in the church; or it can happen in society, in a school, in an institution, an organization, or even in a whole nation. These factions, variances, and all strife prove that there are people who still hold onto their carnal nature. They are unconverted. Jesus told Nicodemus that unless you are born of water and of the Spirit, there is no chance that you can enter the kingdom of heaven. (See John 3:5.) The only people who will be fit to enter heaven are those who have been born of the Holy Spirit. All who are born again of the Holy Spirit will live their lives in harmony with God’s law (see Romans 8:4) and be fit and ready to be taken to heaven when Jesus returns.
Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh (that is, the carnal nature) with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:22–24).
When Paul came to Corinth, a wicked and idolatrous city, he was dealing with people who had no experimental knowledge of the way of salvation; so he was obliged to present the truth in its most simple form, because their carnal minds could not discern the sacred revealings of God. They were strangers to the manifestation of divine power.
Paul said, “I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. … Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us though His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. … But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:1, 2, 9, 10, 14).
Paul said that the rulers of this world didn’t know Jesus when He was on earth “for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (verse 8). But they didn’t know Him, for they had no understanding of spiritual things.
As a wise instructor, Paul began to set before the church in Corinth the true object of life, impressing their minds with the lessons of the divine Teacher so that they could come up from their worldliness and sin to a life of purity and eventually immortal life. He did not venture to directly rebuke those who were licentious and immediately show them how heinous their sins were in the sight of a holy God or they would have been crushed. He especially dwelt on practical godliness, the character of holiness necessary for all who will receive eternal life.
There are some Christians today who believe that holiness is just something for certain holy people called saints and that the rest of us have to be saved some other way. This is contrary to the New Testament that teaches that everyone who is saved must be a holy person. Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Hebrews. He said, “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, literal translation).
If you want to be in the kingdom of heaven, you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to become sanctified – made holy. We are living in a world where the philosopher turns aside from the light of salvation because it puts his proud theories to shame. The worldly person refuses to receive the gospel because it would separate him from his earthly idols and draw him to a holier life, which he finds unattractive in his carnal state. But when Paul went to Corinth, there were people, even among the most sinful, who did accept the truth of the cross of Christ—the truth that Jesus, the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the majesty of heaven, had died to bring salvation to sinners.
Paul says, “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). He explained that the wise and elevated people of this world often do not accept the preaching of the cross when he said, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.’ Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are” (1 Corinthians 1:18–28).
Do you understand that spiritual things are spiritually discerned? Do you understand that if you are going to have eternal life, you must receive the Holy Spirit and be transformed in character? Jesus told Nicodemus that unless He was born again, born of the Spirit, he would not enter the kingdom of God. It is time to do some serious soul searching. The level on which you live will determine your eternal destiny.
Jesus is waiting and wants to give you a new heart, a new Spirit, a new mind with new desires. He called it the new birth experience. How is it with you, friend? Have you been born again?
(Unless appearing in quoted references or otherwise identified, Bible texts are from the New King James Version.)
Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.