11 For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you. 12 Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. 16 Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. 1 Corinthians 1:11–17
There is a saying in the South, he’s “getting too smart for his own britches.” Perhaps this applies to the Corinthian church, who seemed to hitch their doctrinal wagons to a particular man rather than the word of God, so much so there was in that body an undercurrent of strife. These men, including Paul, Peter and Apollos, were great men, and certainly Paul and Peter carried apostolic authority, but their aim was not to bolster their own fame. Perhaps Paul’s untimely birth was held against him, or Peter’s questionable reputation for playing both sides was an issue, or Apollos was just too handsome and polished to be trusted. I find it interesting that Paul mentions those who purposely took “the high road,” citing Christ as their only or final authority. Chloe possibly wisely saw all this and reported the issue to Paul as something that needed fixing.
This issue is not foreign to us today. Some constantly quote their own pastor, or frame their arguments in terms of one theology against another, or align with a famous preacher (living or dead) with thousands of books in print, whose You Tube sermons are a substitute for their own pastor’s. If the Corinthians were truly gifted, they didn’t need to align themselves with a particular man or theology, or to have as one’s life calling to shout down a particular school of thought. It was time to think for themselves and establish their own doctrines from the entirety of scripture with the assistance of the Holy Sprit.
Here it is in the very first chapter of this letter that Paul weighs in on this issue, thankful to have not personally baptized more people in the church in fear of possibly perpetuating the “man and the myth.” I find it refreshing that Paul initially forgets he baptized the household of Stephanas. This humility might prove endearing to some, that he’s weighty in his arguments but can’t find his reading glasses! In all seriousness, we should not seek personality or polish or preaching style (superiority or cleverness of speech) at the expense of unity. “If it were not for the grace of God, there go I,” as they say.
I’m not siding with Paul here, but this was an ongoing issue for a man about whom they said, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.” 2 Corinthians 10:10 We should look for truth in the word of God, giving preference to it regardless whose mouth it comes from, hopefully unadulterated by some preconceived notions within the context of some theological bent.
There is unity in purity.
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