Dealing with SCHISMS

INTRO

You know, we have an adversary.  He’s known as the Devil, Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, or Diablo.  He wants nothing more than to destroy the Church.  Why?  Because the Church is Jesus’ way of bringing all Nations through every generation the gospel, and into a relationship with Him.  It is how we become part of His family!  Satan knows that if he can destroy the church, many will never have the opportunity to enter into a relationship with Christ.  See how important the Church is and why the Devil would want to destroy it?!

I’ve chosen a passage that shows us an example of the devil attacking the brand-new church in Corinth and how he sought to ruin their effectiveness in a way that he is still employing today.   

Paul had gotten a report from “Chloe’s people” about significant schisms developing among the Corinthian churches. What is a Schism you may ask?

Define Schisms:

A schism is a formal division, split, or separation within a group, organization, or movement, typically caused by a fundamental difference in opinion or belief. While the term is most frequently applied to religious bodies, it can describe any deep fracture between people.

Does this sound like what God wants for His Church?

Paul saw this as having the potential of completely fragmenting the churches.  He writes at least two letters to the church in Corinth to deal with these schisms.  They were written to a particular audience to deal with their particular problems, but these issues were included in the Canon of scripture for us today as leaders recognized that these same problems would persist throughout time.

SCRIPTURE

Paul’s letters to the Corinthians give us a very clear picture of the difficult nature of establishing churches in the Gospel. The churches had developed deep schisms threatening to completely fragment the church. Paul identifies a whole collection of divisions and problems and addresses them one at a time in First Corinthians, building a careful solution based on the Gospel and its power.

1 Cor. 1:10-12

“10 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. 11 My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

1 Corinthians 1:10

Paul wants them to be of the same mind and of the same opinion. He appeals to the fact that they have the mind of Christ.  Would anyone listen to them if they all have different opinions about the truth?  No way!

1 Corinthians 1:11–12

Paul knows the churches have schisms or quarrels that threaten to blow apart their unity and to have an adverse effect on the progress of the Gospel.  Who would want to join a group like that?

1 Corinthians 3:1–11

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:1–11

Paul is laying a foundation for dealing with the conflicts and schisms in the Corinthian church by pointing to the fact that they were built on Christ.  But there is one foundation—the Gospel and the Apostles teaching. That teaching was delivered to the churches; through the churches, God would astound the world with His wisdom. Paul, Apollos, and Peter were nothing but stewards. . . The Church is God’s plan—the foundation—as revealed by Paul.  

So, let’s break down the kind of problems they were having.

General schisms:

·         following certain leaders

Specific schisms/disagreements over:

·         Unresolved conflicts

·         Lifestyle—marriage, singleness, divorce

·         Lifestyle—liberties, freedoms

·         Social status

·         ‘Spiritual gifts’

·         Worship

·         Accepting restored believers

1.     DEALING WITH SCHISMS

Paul wanted them to understand that the gospel is what really matters, not the one who proclaims it.  If it is the true gospel, the foundation of which he laid very carefully when he was with them, then that should be a unifying truth.  They mustn’t let these divisions destroy this foundation.  Christ is not divided, so they shouldn’t be either. 

The devil was hard at work to destroy this church.  He was using every trick up his sleeve to bring division among these people.  He knew that a house divided would not stand.  Paul decides to deal with each one of these issues in turn beginning with the gospel

The Gospel & Teaching are crucial.  Worship style, programs, or a Pastor’s style should be way down the list.  What is being taught, and being on the same page in our understanding of the Gospel are primary.  If we hold those other things loosely, we can get over our differences and not be as fractured as a church.  Being committed to the local family and working through any differences of understanding is what Paul wanted to see.

Churches today struggle with: theological issues, worship style, various false gospels (health & wealth, etc.), Denominational issues, spiritual gifts, traditions, cultural (woke) issues, lifestyle, race, politics, social status, etc.  The issues that divide us today are very similar to the issues they faced then.  Alternative gospels, lifestyle issues, belief issues, worship and spiritual gifts are all categories of things that they struggled with in the 1st Century.  The issues are the same and I believe that the answers are to. 

Since the Reformation when Protestant churches followed Martin Luther and broke off from the Catholic Church due to their errant teaching on indulgences, the Protestant Church has continued in this process of splitting off whenever there is disagreement.  When there is false teaching involved this may be justified, but all too often today people leave, and new church groups are begun for all sorts of reasons. 

Dr. Todd Johnson from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary wrote this in 2019, “Throughout the history of Christianity, followers of Christ have struggled to express solidarity and unity. . . The earliest splits occurred over culture, doctrine, and ecclesiology. Later splits seemed to be based in the idea that each Christian should decide for themselves what “church” should look like.

An anecdote of a man stranded on a deserted island illustrates one of the issues. After many years, a ship sails close by the island and the man is rescued. The ship’s captain comes ashore, notices three huts that the man built, and asks, “Tell me about these huts.” The man replies, “The first hut is my home, and the second hut is my church.” The captain asks, “What is the third hut?” The man replies, “Oh, that is where I used to go to church.” Studies from the Pew Research Center have shown a lot of switching between Christian denominations in the United States. By 2025, there will likely be 49,000 denominations.”

DEAL WITH SCHISMS AND DON’T BE DIVIDED!

2.     BEING ONE MINDED

They must be one-minded about the gospel and not allow any divisions or quarrels to exist among them.  The gospel is crucial.  It is the one thing that we have to get right and stand together on.  Other theology and practices are secondary.  Paul understood that the schisms had to be dealt with to keep the church unified in purpose and message.

We really need to be intentional and work at being unified around the teaching.  One-mindedness is crucial! (1 Corinthians 1:10) Dialogue, debate, questions, and correction are all a part of that process.  We need to work through the big ideas and come to some agreement of what we say we believe.  This will take time and effort but will be worth it in the long run as we see the strength that this unity brings.  Second wrapped up in that is that I mustn’t be afraid of disagreement.  I need to take a stand on certain things and not back down.  Bring correction when necessary, and love people through it all just a Paul did. 

Dr. Timothy Tennent wrote in his book, Theology in the Context of World Christianity, “It has more to do with a shared sense of belonging to Christ and a common commitment to global witness than anything about the specifics of ecclesiastical structures or even precise doctrinal formulations.” From a theological point of view, we are primarily concerned with how differences are brought together to achieve unity in the Christian family. Christians often navigate difference by becoming more entrenched in our own way of thinking. We fear losing distinctives but then make differences all-important in our identity. The challenge we face is figuring out what truths we share in the wider body of Christ.”

BE UNIFIED IN THE GOSPEL.  HOLD SECONDARY TEACHINGS LOOSELY