Paul begins his letter to the Church in Corinth with a simple but emphatic appeal, to be united.
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Cor 1:10
Have we ever thought what the Lord would say to our church if He was to send us a letter? Like the seven churches in Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. I have heard of someone who asked the Lord to speak to them personally and show which of the comments to the seven churches were most relevant to them and they felt certain points were highlighted.
So Paul begins his long letter to the Corinthian believers by appealing for unity. Some believers, from Chloe’s household saw what was happening and informed Paul about the differences in the body(the analogy of the Church as a body is useful, because a human being can’t divide and go in different directions). Paul’s first plea was for unity!
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised into the name of Paul?
No answers are required to Paul’s questions, he’s making the point that Christ is never divided and that there can be no factions or divisions in His body! If the body has become divided the enemy has the upper hand and little of value can be achieved for the Lord.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you(note it’s not us but our brother or sister who has been offended) leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother or sister; then come and offer your gift. Matt 5:23
Jesus put healing the offence before sacrificing to God and that may mean humbling ourselves to someone before we can fully stand before the Lord!
It’s interesting that in the remainder of the first chapter of Corinthians Paul goes on to talk about the differences in God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom. We need humility and God’s wisdom to walk in unity with the Lord and one another. Our opinions and agendas may cause strife and division with brothers and sisters among the Lord’s people.
The Lord bless and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and give you peace(Shalom). Num 6:24