019: Division

March 6, 2010
1 Corinthians 1:10-2:16

I love school. I like the new books at the beginning of each year, and I like sitting in the classrooms discussing abstract ideas and theories; I enjoy the rush of energy in the halls between classes, and I like the smell of whiteboard pens. Sometimes I wonder, though, if education and academics as Western society defines it is counter to my faith and beliefs.

Paul is clear that the world’s wisdom is not the same as the Lord’s wisdom. What humans called foolishness is truth and wisdom in God’s mind.

Although this issue is important, I think a more pressing issue from this section of Corinthians is the division that Paul addresses and appeals to end. As The Church of Christ, I think we sometimes do a very poor job of being unified. Whether it’s over issues like if we should pursue education from secular universities, or whether women should be education, or how music should sound or whether church should be a building or in small groups, we manage to find all kinds of things to argue over.

On top of that, we debate about theological issues – is baby baptism wrong? Is using birth control anti-biblical? Predestination or free choice?

And yet, Paul specifically address the church in Corinth to be UNIFIED. He wanted them to NOT have fractions and divisions. He pointed out how he had boiled his messaged down to the simple, cut and dry terms in order to keep the converts from being confused and getting wrapped up in the terminology and rhetoric, rather than in what the words were actually saying.

Are we a unified church today? Is the fact that we are one body reflected in our communities, in our services, in our goals and mindsets? I have been extremely blessed to grow up in an environment where cross-congregational socializing, sharing, encouraging, challenging, and development is prioritized. I love how it feels like there are many churches that are part of the same body. But it also doesn’t feel like enough. Unity can’t really be THE goal, although I do think it should be a goal. We need something bigger than that to strive toward. We need more to focus on than just “let’s be united.”

We need a cause. A reason. People always come together when they have a common goal to accomplish. My family had to clean the snow off my Grandmother’s roof last year on Christmas Eve to keep her house from collapsing. We were united in our purpose, and the job got done with minimal arguing, debating, bad attitudes, or complaints, because we were in it together.

I think God knew this about humans and the church. That’s why he gave us a job, to help us come together and accomplish it. We’re told to go and share Jesus. Rather than letting this be a point of contention between churches – whether urban or overseas ministry is more important, whether it should be straight out evangelism or discipleship and church building – why don’t we use this to unify us? Each of my family members had a different section of the roof to clean off. We did it differently, but the job got done. Why can’t our churches adopt a similar model?