Lessons #15 and 16
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual exposition not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GWT = God’s Word Translation, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New English Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
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Division among the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:10-17)
10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, 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.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
This passage introduced the first indicator of the many problems in the local church in Corinth. It is concerned with the division in the local church in Corinth that the apostle became aware through a report brought to him by some of its members. Thus, he immediately appealed to them to deal with the problem he identified in the passage. Because of the problem and the apostle’s appeal, there is a simple message we believe the Holy Spirit wants us to convey to you as a believer that is your responsibility towards this local church. This message is this: You should guard against division in this local church. In effect, it is imperative that as a member of this local congregation that you should be on your guard to ensure that you do not bring division in this body or in any way do anything that will bring division. Of course, during our exposition of this message, we will note facts that should help all of us to ensure there is no division among us.
Verse 10 begins in the NIV and most our English versions without any connective between it and the preceding section that was concerned with the apostle’s thanksgiving to God for the Corinthians because of their spiritual enrichment and the assurance of their salvation in Christ. True, it is permissible under certain conditions to omit the translation of the Greek particle (de) that is used in the Greek to connect our present section and what preceded it. The Greek particle may be used as a marker of contrast in which case it may be translated “but” when there is a contrast between what follows it and what preceded. It may be used as a marker connecting a series of closely related data or lines of narrative hence it may be translated as “and, as for.” It can also be used as a marker linking narrative segments and so may be translated “now.” The question is to determine the best way to handle the particle as to convey what the apostle had in mind. As we indicated, because the apostle was moving into another topic that was different from his thanksgiving and assurances of the previous section, it may be possible not to translate it, as done in majority of our English versions. However, it seems that the apostle intended the particle to be used as a sign to the Corinthians that he was about to speak of something that is incompatible with who they are in Christ. You see, the apostle had already conveyed to them that they are unique people of God in Christ that have been set apart with the implication of being devoted to the Lord. Thus, they are expected to live a lifestyle that agrees to their position in Christ but that was not the case. Hence, the apostle’s use of the particle is to get the attention of the Corinthians that he is about to introduce a problem that should not exist among those who are in Christ and those who have received spiritual enrichment. This being the case, it is probably better to begin verse 10 with the conjunction “now” as in the NRSV and the CEB, to convey that the request the apostle is about to make is based on the positive things he has said about God’s work regarding them. In other words, the apostle wants the Corinthians to reflect on the positive facts he had stated in the preceding sections so that they would respond positively to his request that involves the solution of the problem of division among them.
Our position that the Greek particle used in verse 10 should be translated “now” is because of the import of such translation as we have already indicated. However, there is a pastoral reason for insisting on translating of the Greek particle; it concerns dealing with problems in a local church and in life in general. The approach of the apostle as a pastor to the local church in Corinth was first to present to them positive facts concerning their relationship with Christ and then to follow that up with that which is negative. This passage is not the only place that the apostle followed the pattern of reminding believers who they are in Christ before either an appeal to do something or a rebuke for spiritual failure. He did the same with the Galatians who were having problem with the doctrine of justification by faith. In the introduction of his epistle to them, he reminded them of what Christ had done for them and himself in Galatians 1:4:
who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
The apostle conveyed the fact that Jesus Christ’s death was to rescue believers from the present evil age. This means that he wanted the Galatians to remember from the introduction of his epistle that they are those who have benefited from the death of Christ on the cross. This being the case, the apostle then expressed his surprise of how they have ignored this truth in what he stated in Galatians 1:6–7:
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
The apostle like his approach with the Corinthians did not immediately introduce the doctrinal failure of the Galatians but began with a reminder of what Christ did for them. So, we can say that it is the apostle’s pattern to remind believers of either who they are in Christ or what Christ has done for them before dealing with failures. This approach is important in pastoral function of dealing with failures in the congregation or in an individual. A pastor should endeavor to remind believers who they are in Christ before dealing with their failures. We are saying that it is important to teach believers of their position in Christ before hammering them regarding their failures. Furthermore, when the apostle first described the assurances believers have regarding their salvation, he was probably trying to convey that he was not about to scare them regarding their salvation. In effect, he was not about to bring inadequate fear of God that is based on fear of loss of salvation. Instead, he was concerned in the kind of devotion that one should have because of the individual’s love for Christ. It is not that we should not fear God’s punishment, we certainly should, but our emphasis is that a matured relationship with the Lord is reflected in love for Him for what He has done for us rather than fear of what He will do to us. This fact is implied in what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 130:3–4:
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Anyway, the application we are making is one that is implied by the Greek particle that the apostle used in verse 10 that may be missed if there is no connection between verse 10 and what preceded. Having dealt with the necessity to translate the Greek particle used in verse 10, we proceed to consider the message of the section which again is this: You should guard against division in this local church. We will do so by considering three propositions.
The apostle wanted the Corinthians to know that he was concerned with their problem of division that he wrote the Greek sentence in an order that is not usually followed in the Greek. It is true that there is no strict order for writing in the Greek in terms of word order in a sentence, but it is usually the case not to begin a sentence with a verb unless the writer wants to emphasize the action expressed in the Greek verb. This is what happened in our passage because the apostle began verse 10 in the Greek with a Greek verb that is translated I appeal in the NIV.
The word “appeal” is translated from a Greek verb (parakaleō) with a range of meanings. The word may mean “to invite someone” as it is used to describe Lydia’s invitation of Paul into her house following her salvation, according to Acts 16:15:
When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
The word could mean “to summon to one’s aid, to call upon for help” as the word is used in Jesus’ question to His disciplines when one of them cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, apparently in the defense of the Lord Jesus. He then asked them if they did not realize that if He wanted to be defended, He could call upon the Father for help, as recorded in Matthew 26:53:
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
Although the Greek word is translated with the word “appeal” in Paul’s prayer to the Lord regarding his suffering, it is the meaning of calling upon someone for help or summoning one to come to another’s aid that the apostle used our Greek word in 2 Corinthians 12:8:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
The Greek word may mean “to comfort, cheer up” as Apostle Paul used it in writing to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:6:
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
The word may mean to make a strong request for something hence “to request, to implore, to urge”, as in 2 Corinthians 12:18:
I urged Titus to go to you and I sent our brother with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not act in the same spirit and follow the same course?
The word may mean “to appeal, to exhort, to urge” as it is used in the instruction for believers to live as aliens on this planet in 1 Peter 2:11:
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
It is in the sense of to appeal or to urge strongly that the word is used by Apostle Paul in verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 1.
The apostle’s appeal is to those he described as brothers in our passage of study, that is, 1 Corinthians 1:10. This is an interesting description of the Corinthians who were the immediate recipients of this epistle. What makes this interesting, you may ask? It is because of the makeup of the congregation in Corinth that consisted of Jews and Gentiles. Gentiles were never at the time of this epistle or even today considered brothers of the Jews, so it is interesting that the apostle would include Gentiles as those he called his brothers.
The word “brothers” is translated from a Greek word (adelphos) that has several meanings in the Greek. It could mean brother in the sense of a male person from the same mother as the reference person. It is in this sense that the word is used by the apostle to reference those from the same mother as Jesus in His humanity in 1 Corinthians 9:5:
Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?
The word may mean a neighbor as that it is the sense of the Greek word in Jesus’ statement during His sermon on the mount, as given in Matthew 5:22:
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
The Greek word may refer to a fellow country man or a compatriot as the apostle used it to refer to a fellow Jew in Romans 9:3:
For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race,
The word “brothers” here is used for Jews, male and females. By the way, the phrase those of my own race can be misleading since there is not a Greek word that is equivalent to the word “race” as it is used by many people to differentiate one group from another. Truly, the word “race” is a meaningless term in differentiating one human being from another since it is a word that may be used to differentiate humans from animals as belonging to a different species. Thus, the phrase is better translated “kinsmen” as in the NASB or “my people” as in the NCV since it is translated from a Greek word (syngenēs) that may mean “a relative” or “a fellow countryman,” in the sense of belonging to the same people group. That aside, the Greek word translated “brothers” in 1 Corinthians 1:10 may also be used to describe one who has the same beliefs with the one that uses the word, irrespective of gender. It is in this sense that the word is used in the apostle’s instruction to slaves regarding their treatment of slave masters who are also believers in 1 Timothy 6:2:
Those who have believing masters are not to show less respect for them because they are brothers. Instead, they are to serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers, and dear to them. These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.
It is in this sense of one who shares the same faith and so belong to the Christian community that the apostle used the word to describe Timothy to the Thessalonians, who was clearly a Gentile because his father was a Greek, in 1 Thessalonians 3:2:
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God’s fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
It is in this same sense of those who belong to the same family of God regardless of gender and so with the same beliefs that the apostle used the Greek word in our passage. This means that the apostle considered both the Jews and Gentiles in the church in Corinth to be related to him because they all belong to the same family of God in Christ. As we have indicated previously, such an acknowledgment is huge or earth shattering considering Jewish attitudes towards Gentiles. The apostle understood that those who are believers are related in ways that the world cannot understand. The Jews of his time would have been very upset that a Jew could call a Gentile his brother and mean it. It is not difficult to understand this point in this country. Those immersed in ethnicity concern in this country would certainly be upset that a member of their ethnicity calls a person of different ethnicity his or her brother and means it. They cannot understand this because they do not know that in Christ all believers are brothers just as in Noah all humans are brothers. Unfortunately, they are not alone. Many of us Christians have not come to understand what the apostle understood that a fellow believer is a brother or a relative that belongs together because of the common bond in Christ Jesus.
Relationship in Christ is paramount, that it is because of this the apostle appealed to the Corinthians. I am saying that without this unique relationship that exists between believers in Christ then no believer or pastor has any basis for making any kind of appeal on spiritual matters to others. Believers should, of course, understand that those who teach them the word or make appeal to them with respect to living according to truth do so because they also recognize this unique bond in Christ. Again, it is because of this fact that the apostle described those – Jews and Gentiles – he made his appeal as brothers.
There is more to the apostle’s appeal to Corinthians. It regards its basis. In other words, on what basis should the apostle make his appeal or what right does he have to do so? The basis of his appeal or the right to do so, is the authority he received from the Lord Jesus Christ, being His representative. Hence, the apostle conveyed to the Corinthians that the reason or the authority by which he appealed to them is his authority derived from the Lord Jesus Christ as His representative. Every teacher of the word of God or a pastor has a derived authority from the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ, to carry out his function. The apostle had derived authority from the Lord Jesus to appeal to the Corinthians as he did in this epistle. It is this truth that is stated in the phrase of verse 10 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Literally, the Greek reads by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The literal phrase may be understood to mean because of Christ or by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. It may be that the apostle intended for us to understand the phrase to give the reason and the basis of his appeal to the Corinthians. In other words, the apostle appealed to them because of who Jesus Christ is and by the authority he received from Him as His special messenger.
We use the word “authority” because of the word name is translated from a Greek word (onoma) that refers to the proper name of a person or object. However, the word has other nuances. It may mean “authority” as that is the sense the word is used in Jesus’ declaration to the Jews about believing in Him despite the miracles He did, as recorded in John 10:25:
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me,
The phrase in my Father’s name refers to the authority of the Father hence the TEV rendered the phrase as by my Father’s authority. It is in this sense of authority that the word translated “name” in our English versions is also used in the miracle performed through Peter, according to Acts 3:6:
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
The word can also mean “reputation” as it is used in Revelation 3:1:
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
The sentence you have a reputation of being alive is more literally you have a name that you are alive. In our passage of 1 Corinthians 1:10, our Greek word is used in the sense of authority since it is important for the apostle to establish the basis of his appeal.
The implication of our taking our Greek word to mean “authority” in our passage of study is that the basis of the apostle’s appeal to the Corinthians is his derived authority from the Lord Jesus Christ, as His representative. This interpretation is supported firstly by the fact that the apostle in his second epistle referred to his derived authority from the Lord of the church, Jesus Christ, that is for the edification of believers in the local church in Corinth, as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:8:
For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.
Secondly, the concept of derived authority of the apostle either in making appeal to believers or for instructing them is implied in the apostle’s epistle to the Thessalonians, as we may gather from 1 Thessalonians 4:2:
For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
The phrase by the authority of the Lord Jesus is literally through the Lord Jesus which is interpreted by some to mean “on or by the authority of the Lord Jesus” or “in the name of the Lord Jesus.” This is because that is how these interpreters understood the same Greek preposition (dia) used in this passage as well as our passage of 1 Corinthians 1:10. Thus, it should not be difficult to accept that when the apostle wrote the phrase of 1 Corinthians 1:10 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, he meant to convey that his appeal to the Corinthians is based on the authority he derived from the Lord Jesus Christ as His representative. It is important believers understand that those who teach the word of God do so on the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ so that they would not be guilty of resisting the teaching of God’s word. Of course, those who teach should also be mindful of the same fact so that they do not arrogate to themselves any authority that is beyond that received from the Lord Jesus Christ as His representative. In other words, those who teach should be mindful that they have no authority other than the one derived from the Lord Jesus Christ. This understanding will keep them from being dejected when those who are taught reject their instructions. They will not take it personal but recognize that it is the authority of the Lord that such individuals reject.
The apostle having stated the basis of his appeal as the authority derived from the Lord Jesus, proceeds to state the content of his appeal to the Corinthians. His appeal to them is for unity in the local church. It is true that in the NIV we have the word “united” in 1 Corinthians 1:10, the word “unity” is not used in the passage we are studying but that is the focus of the apostle’s appeal as will be evident as we expound on the rest of verse 10 of 1 Corinthians 1. The content of the appeal to the Corinthians is that of agreement among them that is introduced in the clause that all of you agree with one another.
Agreement with one another is a way of advocating unity among the Corinthians. It is the same as the apostle’s instruction for believers to live in harmony with one another, as recorded in Romans 12:16:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
That aside, the apostle’s appeal is for agreement with each other. The appeal for agreement with each other is an appeal for the Corinthians to say the same thing about any spiritual matter and to act or do the same things as it relates to their interaction with each other. That agreement advocated by the apostle involves saying the same thing about any spiritual matter is implied by the fact the apostle used a Greek word (legō) that may mean “to speak, to say.” In fact, the clause that all of you agree with one another is literally from the Greek that you say all the same thing. Believers can say the same thing about any spiritual matter if they have been taught the same truth which they accept. In other words, if there is a common understanding of a specific doctrine of the Christian faith then when believers speak they will say the same thing. Thus, the appeal to agree with one another is one that says that believers should hold the same doctrinal view about the essential truths in the Christian faith. It is when there is disagreement in the essential doctrines of the Christian faith that unity will cease to exist. But if believers say the same thing regarding the essential doctrines of the Christian faith then we agree with each other. It is because we are expected to do this that the Holy Spirit through Apostle Paul encourage the Philippians to stand together in the defense of the gospel, as implied in Philippians 1:27:
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.
We are saying that agreement in what we say will come if believers have the same view or thought about spiritual things. Thus, the apostle indicates that those who are matured have the same views of spiritual matters as they are affected by their understanding of the same doctrines, such as, future resurrection and rewards that will follow, as implied in Philippians 3:15:
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
The point we are stressing is that agreement among believers in what they say about any spiritual matter comes if they have a common understanding of a specific doctrine of the Christian faith. Thus, the appeal for agreement among believers is an appeal to learn the same truth of God’s word and believe it.
The other aspect of the appeal for agreement among believers, concerns actions that we undertake. This agreement in action results from believers obeying God’s word. For example, if every believer obeys our Lord’s command that we should love each other, then our actions will reflect that, and so it can be said that we agree with each other because we love each other. It is because of the agreement in the essential doctrine of the Christian faith regarding death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the anticipation of His second coming that no doubt contributed to the kind of unity that existed in the early church. Their unity was first that of having the same view about the gospel and its implications and this was then reflected in their sharing of their possessions with each other, as stated in Acts 4:32:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
If believers agree with each other in their actions with respect to truth, then we would have the unity that our Lord expects of those who are in Him and as He prayed in His priestly prayer in John 17:23:
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
Anyway, the appeal for agreeing with one another, as we have indicated, is one that requires believers to learn the same doctrines of the Christian faith and apply them.
It is our assertion that the appeal for the Corinthians to agree with each other is one of appeal for unity in the local church. This assertion is supported negatively and positively by what the apostle says will result from such an agreement. Unity implies the absence of division. Thus, the negative result of agreeing with each other is the absence of division as in the clause so that there may be no divisions among you of 1 Corinthians 1:10.
The word “division” is translated from a Greek word (schisma) from which we get our English word “schism.” The word may mean “tear, crack” as it is used in the Lord’s declaration when He was asked as to the reason His disciples did not fast. He replied by referring to a proverb that in its usage in the context of the question He answered, probably meant to convey that the new way of life brought through His teaching does not need to be restrained by the old in Matthew 9:16:
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse.
The Greek word may mean “division, dissension, schism” as a condition of being divided because of conflicting aims or objectives or beliefs. Of course, the division often results in two different groups with opposing views. This meaning is reflected among the Pharisees regarding the person of Jesus Christ, as we read, for example, in John 9:16:
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.
The division among the Pharisees is because they did were not united in their view of Jesus Christ. So, division is that which indicates that there is a tear in a group that will not be present if there is unity. In our passage, the apostle used the negative to indicate that unity does not permit a tear or division for he wrote so that there may be no divisions among you. Again, when there is no division then we have unity. Thus, if the apostle’s appeal for the Corinthians to agree with each other results in lack of division or tear in the group then that must mean that his appeal is for unity among them.
Positively, the result of agreeing with each other is to have a common thought that, no doubt, comes from a common source of truth. This common thought is implied in the second result expressed in the last clause of 1 Corinthians 1:10 and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. The clause seems to be saying that there are two results of agreeing with each other among the Corinthians but that is not really the case as we will note later. But for the moment, we should recognize that the result of agreement among the Corinthians is a proper condition of thought expected of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We say this because of the expression “perfectly united” is translated from a Greek verb (katartizō) that may mean to prepare something for a purpose hence means “to prepare, make, create, outfit” as the word is use by Apostle Paul to describe those designed for destruction in Romans 9:22:
What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction?
The Greek word may mean “to restore to a former condition” as the word is used by Apostle Paul in instructing believers to be involved in restoration ministry of an erring believer in Galatians 6:1:
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
From the fact that our Greek word is used in Greek literature of a trainer who adjusts body parts, the word may mean “to put into proper condition, to adjust, to complete” as the word is used by the apostle to indicate that he would either fix up any deficiencies in the faith of the Thessalonians or complete what is lacking in their faith in 1 Thessalonians 3:10:
Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 1:10, the word means “to be prepared” in the sense of being ready, suitable or equipped in advance for a specific purpose. Thus, the apostle intends to indicate that the Corinthians will attain a state or a condition in which they are ready to exhibit a common thought in spiritual matters. This state or condition is that which the Holy Spirit brings about in believers. We say this because we have a passive voice in the Greek of the expression of the NIV perfectly united, implying that someone else acts on the Corinthians to bring them to the state of being prepared or completed in the condition stated in the passage.
The prepared state or condition that results from agreeing with one another as we have explained is a common thought or way of thinking that is expressed in a common opinion or view. It is this that is given in verbal phrase of 1 Corinthians 1:10 be perfectly united in mind and thought. As we have indicated the phrase is not stating two different results of agreeing with each other but one primary result that leads to a secondary one. The primary result is that of way of thinking or thought. This is because the word “mind” is translated from a Greek word (nous) that may refer to the faculty of intellectual perception so that it may mean “understanding, mind as a faculty of thinking” as the apostle used the word in Philippians 4:7:
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
The word may mean “way of thinking, mind, attitude.” It is in the sense of way of thinking that our Greek word is used in describing unbelievers in Ephesians 4:17:
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
It is in this sense of way of thinking that the word is used in our passage of 1 Corinthians 1:10 so that the apostle meant that because of agreeing with one another believers come to a prepared state of way of thinking. As we have implied, this prepared state produced by the Holy Spirit is one that is brought about when the Holy Spirit works on believers so that they come to the same understanding of the truth of God’s word. If we believers have the same way of thinking about spiritual matters, that is certainly a sign of unity among us.
How can we tell that we have this common way of thinking? It is in the opinion we express or judgment we give regarding any subject in the spiritual life. Hence, we contend that once believers have a common way of thinking that it results in expressing the same opinion or giving the same judgment about any matter. There are two reasons we contend that a secondary result is expressing the same viewpoint. The first is the word “and” in the verbal phrase of the NIV of 1 Corinthians 1:10 be perfectly united in mind and thought. The word “and” is translated from a Greek conjunction (kai) that here could be understood either as a marker of explanation so that it may be translated “that is,” or it is used as a marker of result that comes from what precedes, leading to the meaning “and so, and then.” It is possible that the Greek conjunction could refer to a marker of explanation since the Greek word translated “thought” in the NIV may mean “mind” but such meaning does not clarify the first word translated “mind” in the NIV. Furthermore, it does not seem the apostle would be repeating himself by using another word that means “mind.” For these reasons, we believe that the Greek conjunction is used to express result that comes from a way of thinking. Consequently, the second reason we believe the apostle gave a secondary result of believers having a common way of thinking is because of the word “thought” of the NIV.
The word “thought” of the NIV is translated from a Greek word (gnōmē) that may mean a viewpoint or way of thinking about a matter, that is, “opinion, judgment, way of thinking”, as Apostle Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 7:25:
Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
The Greek word may refer to the action of expressing agreement based on knowledge of set of facts and so means “approval, consent, agreement” as Apostle Paul used it in Philemon 14:
But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.
The Greek word may also mean “purpose, intention, mind, mind-set” as it is used in Revelation 17:13:
They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
In our passage of 1 Corinthians 1:10, it is probably with the meaning “judgment, opinion” that the apostle meant. For if believers have the same common way of thinking on any subject in the spiritual life, we should expect them to express the same judgment or opinion concerning whatever it is. Therefore, we contend that the Holy Spirit through the apostle indicates that common judgment or opinion results from a common way of thinking that is developed through the same understanding of common truths of the Christian doctrine. This common opinion or judgment was needed among the Corinthians who were having different opinions regarding their leaders. Such differences in opinion led to division. If they have proper understanding from the Scripture regarding leaders as those who represent Christ, they will not entertain varying opinions that will lead to division. Anyway, having a common way of thinking is that which is true where there is unity. We can see this in marriage relationship. The constant friction between husbands and wives is due to lack of having the same thinking of spiritual matters as applied to every family affair, be it the raising of children or how to handle their finances. The point is unity results from common way of thinking. Hence, we know that the apostle’s appeal to the Corinthians is concerned with unity. So, I remind you that the message we are considering is: Guard against division in the local church.
01/19/18