Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
Much of this letter to the Corinthian church contains the response of Paul to the Christians there concerning struggles within the fellowship that had come to his attention. The first issue mentioned in this epistle is the presence of factions within the congregation.
Personal allegiance to church leaders had led to tensions between church members. Some people had preferred the teaching of Paul … others the teaching of Peter. Some were specifically following Apollos and some were following Christ.
The threefold exhortation in 1 Corinthians 1:10 literally reads that the Corinthians should "say the same thing (i.e. agree), have the same mind and the same judgment." This does not mean that Christians should be able to have the same opinion on everything, but that there is a oneness of purpose and mutual commitment and love. True unity is not uniformity.
The foundation of this harmony is commitment to Christ and the basic doctrines of the gospel of Christ. To highlight the commitment the Corinthian Christians should have had to Christ, Paul mentions their baptism … the public declaration of their allegiance to the Savior.
Church harmony is not a peripheral issue in the New Testament. Nor is it a peripheral issue in our day. Let us be diligent, with all humility and mercy, to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph 4:2,3).
