Do you see divisions in the church?

One of the things I love about the Old Testament is the example of the People of Israel. It’s not that they were always so awesome and faithful that they are a great inspiration. Quite the opposite. They often rebelled, fell into sin, and grumbled against God. Yet, God remained faithful, constantly pursued them, and showed great mercy when they returned to Him.

If God can love Israel, God can love me.

The New Testament also gives us some examples like this and the church in Corinth is one of them. As you read through 1 Corinthians you’ll find that church was doing just about everything wrong.

They were messing up Communion. They struggled with legalism. They even had people openly committing sins even the Gentiles wouldn’t have put up with. Yet, God still loved them and considered them His Church.

If God can work in the church in Corinth, it gives me great hope for our churches, even when we struggle to “look like the church.”

One theme that runs through the entire book of 1 Corinthians is division. This was a church divided. They were divided over which leader they followed. They were divided between the wealthy and the poor. They were even suing each other.

Let There Be No Divisions
Paul’s appeal and God’s command to the church in Corinth and the church today are that there be no divisions among us. This doesn’t mean we can’t ever have differing ideas. It does mean that we should treat everyone with humble love and be united in our love for each other and faith in Jesus.

This means we need to be intentional about avoiding division in the church and work to unify when division occurs. 

The Church needs to be unified in Christ.

What does that mean, though?