Reflections with Andy - 1 Corinthians 1: 10-17 – Back to Jesus
The people of Corinth are arguing about who their favorite preacher is. Paul tells them this, take it back to Jesus.
In today’s reflection, we begin to see the divisions that plagued the church in Corinth as believers argued over their favorite leaders instead of keeping their focus on Christ. Paul reminds us that pastors and teachers are simply servants whose calling is to point people to Jesus, not themselves. Along the way, we also see Paul’s wonderfully human personality shine through—a reminder that God doesn’t wait for us to become perfect before using us. Ultimately, every disagreement, preference, and personality must give way to the cross of Christ, because the church has always been, and always will be, about Jesus.
Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.
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Good morning!
It’s good to be with you on this Tuesday morning as we continue together in our daily reflections. We’re one day into 1 Corinthians, and it’s one of my favorite books in the Bible. There are a lot of reasons why I love Corinthians, and today’s reading is one of the biggest. In fact, I’ve quoted this section many times because I think it gets to the heart of what we’re going to see throughout this letter: a church doing great things, but also a church with real problems and real divisions.
So today we’re going to see a little bit about those divisions in Corinth.
Let’s read 1 Corinthians 1:10–17:
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
You’re going to see something happening here that we’re going to see over and over again throughout Corinthians: this church is in the middle of conflict. Conflict is raging over all kinds of things. Later we’ll see arguments over spiritual gifts, but today’s issue is one that’s probably even more relatable to us.
They’re arguing over who their favorite preacher is.
That’s really what this passage is about.
Some are saying, “Paul’s my favorite.” Others say, “No, Apollos is my guy.” Others say, “Peter’s the one I follow.” And then, of course, you’ve got the super-spiritual folks who say, “Well, I belong to Christ.” You can almost hear the self-righteousness dripping off that one.
They’re fussing over personalities.
And honestly, that’s still something we do today. We all have preachers we connect with more than others. That’s just human nature.
But what I really love about this passage is that it shows us something beautiful about Scripture itself.
I have a very high view of the authority of Scripture. It is God’s inspired and holy Word. As United Methodists, our doctrine says that Scripture “contains all things necessary for salvation,” and that “all things needful are made plain within it.” I love that. If you need to know something for your salvation, God isn’t hiding it from you. God isn’t playing hide-and-seek with His will. He wants us to know Him.
But even with that high view of Scripture, one of the things I love most about the Bible is that you can still see the humanity of its authors.
Matthew was a Jewish tax collector, and his Gospel feels very Jewish.
Luke was a Gentile physician, and you can see his concern for outsiders and the marginalized.
And then you have Paul.
Paul is wonderfully human.
Listen to him here.
“I thank God I didn’t baptize any of you...well, except Crispus and Gaius...oh yeah, I also baptized the household of Stephanas...beyond that, I don’t really remember if I baptized anybody else.”
You can almost hear him thinking out loud!
I just find that so beautiful.
God uses Paul to write Scripture, and yet Paul is still Paul. His personality comes through. His humanity comes through. Peter even refers to Paul’s letters as Scripture later in the New Testament, while joking that they’re sometimes hard to understand.
God didn’t erase Paul’s personality. He used it.
And I think that’s encouraging for us.
God does not expect you to stop being human before He can use you.
God made you with gifts that nobody else has.
There are things you can do that I can’t do.
There are people you can reach that I can’t reach.
You don’t have to become someone else for God to use you. You don’t have to say, “If only I were more like so-and-so.” God made you as you are, and He intends to use you as you are.
If God can use Paul—with all of Paul’s strengths, quirks, and imperfections—to write Scripture itself, imagine what God can do through your life.
Now, that’s not really Paul’s main point here.
His main point is that these believers are arguing over personalities, and he’s trying to redirect their attention.
He says, “Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel...so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.”
That’s the point.
We’re just people.
As pastors, our job is not to gather fans. Our job is to point people to Jesus.
It’s not about me.
It’s not about being somebody’s favorite preacher.
I’ve got preachers who shaped me. Bill Poole was my pastor growing up. I’ve had mentors in ministry who have meant the world to me.
But ultimately, none of us matter all that much.
Jesus matters.
Paul keeps bringing the Corinthians back to that truth. Every time they divide over personalities, spiritual gifts, worship styles, or anything else, he says, “Take it back to Jesus.”
Take it back to the cross.
Because every preference we have pales in comparison to the goodness, the power, and the glory of Jesus Christ.
That’s what it’s always about.
It’s always about Jesus.
So today, don’t get caught up in human things. Don’t get caught up in personalities, preferences, denominations, or styles. Those things have their place, but they’re never the center.
Jesus is.
Keep your eyes fixed on Him.
Thanks for being with us today. I hope you have a great rest of your day, and we’ll continue tomorrow in 1 Corinthians.
Have a great day!