Dealing with Disunity in Christ's Church (Pt. 4)

This post is the fourth part in a series of posts considering Four Strategies to Deal with Disunity found in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. To follow along, here is Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

The Third Strategy is, to Expel Errors - v. 13-16

Paul uses three questions to explain the Corinthian error. The questions are meant to reveal how crazy it is to be identified by an earthly leader instead of finding our unity in Christ.

The first question is the most potent. “Has Christ been divided?” That question dramatically and instantly exposes the whole problem. It must have hit the Corinthians hard between the eyeballs. “Have we chopped up Christ?” To divide into groups of loyalty would in essence be an attempt to cut Christ into pieces. Their human divisions, if carried through to their conclusion, would divide Christ! Why? Because they are all in Christ, and they are one body in Christ, 1 Corinthians 10:17. That is an important doctrinal teaching and clarification Paul will develop in great detail later in this letter, i.e. chapter 12.

Jesus is still one Savior with one body. He is still the One sitting at the right hand of God. He has not been divided; Therefore, neither should his followers be divided. The error of carnal divisions is corrected by the doctrine of the unity of Jesus Christ. Romans 12:5 teaches, “We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Ephesians 4:3-6 clearly teaches, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

Paul adds a second question which also brings doctrinal clarity: “Paul was not crucified for you was he?” This question invites an emphatic negative answer. Paul is making the point, “It should be obvious that your allegiance cannot be to me. Who am I? I was not the Savior of the world come down from heaven to die for your sins on the cross and rescue your soul from the wrath of God. No human leader can ever be Christ to the church.” There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5 — Not Paul; Not Apollos; Not Peter.

To make sure the point sank in Paul added a third question (Paul demonstrates wisdom here by really going after the ones who say they are of Paul, since if he were to go after the ones who identified with Apollos or of Cephas, their immature minds might twist what he was writing and fan the flames of division even more.) “You were not baptized in the name of Paul were you?” Again, can you hear the astonishment and dismay in that question? “I don’t remember anyone going down in the water in the name of the Father and Paul and the Holy Spirit – do you?” Rather than setting aside doctrine to try to find a path to unity, Paul was using sound doctrine, applied in a wise and pastoral way, to explain, even confront, the wrong thinking behind their lack of unity.

This last question launches him into a discussion about baptism because we are all baptized into One - Jesus Christ. Paul recollects baptizing some, (then the Spirit of God brought more to remembrance) but his point is — whose hand shoves you under water means much less than whose name you identify with in the waters of baptism. You were baptized in the name of Jesus. You are a Christian not a Paulite or a Cephian.

Disunity is a tragedy! How sad and confusing it can be for believers who are in a divided church. Many of you have experienced this before or heard about it from a grieving brother in another church. The bickering that develops, the gossip, the positioning for power, the self-justifications, the severing of relationships. It can rip a church apart. Anyone who has been through this understands the importance of expelling the errors before the damage is done. At the time of writing this, fires in Australia have burned more than 12 million acres. I imagine anyone living in Australia wishes the fires had been put out very quickly before they even had a chance to spread. Disunity is not a slow-moving glacier but a rapidly spreading forest fire. It must be put out quickly.

Strong Bible teaching is very helpful but not always enough. The divisive people themselves often must be removed, for they are the source of the fire. With no other recourse, some divisive people will have to be publicly removed from the local church, and the faithful must be warned to cease associations with them until or unless they have repented in a clear manner.

In another letter Paul addressed the need for the removal of divisive men. Titus 3:10-11 instructs, “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.” Pastors and the whole congregation must reject, out of the church, factious men.

A factious man is a man who causes divisions in the church. The Greek word is the origin of our word “heretic” or heresy. A heretic is one who needlessly divides the church with his words. The cognate is listed in Galatians 5 as a deed of the sinful flesh. A heretic chooses his own path and attempts to force that upon a church.

Paul also wrote about separation from divisive men in Romans 16:17-18 “Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.” Factious men are often leaders who are skilled with the tongue. They seem to say all the right things. But they will not submit to the word of God or to the leaders in church. They go their own way, refuse to fit in, and rebel against divine teachings and church rules. They go against the elders. They are lifted up in their own pride.

Love does the opposite. Love pulls together. Colossians 3:16 beautifully states, “Love is the perfect bond of unity.” It is a pretend love which argues brothers apart for unnecessary, petty, personal, or concocted reasons. As we noted, it usually is done by someone trying to start a following of their own.

Heretics also try to drum up false charges against leaders to gain an advantage within the church. Anyone concerned for the unity of a local church will pull leaders together not apart. The only way unity can be achieved and maintained in a local church is around its elders and senior pastor. Any attempt to achieve unity while denigrating the existing elders or senior pastor will not work, but will divide the church.

What is the procedure for removing a divisive man?

First, a warning is given. That term means “an admonishment or correction or confrontation.” The confrontation must be personal, direct, and clear. Others should be witnesses of it. The warning cannot beat around the bush. Next, if not heeded, a second warning is given by the elders. It is repeated, made stronger, and more severe. Only two warnings are issued. Why? Because division happens quickly. The unity of the church is too important to wait around hoping someone will respond. And waiting days for someone to respond to an email is clearly a losing strategy. In the meantime, as someone stalls, who knows how many people the person has already contacted sowing seeds of discontent and discord! Pastors have to move quickly and decisively. Patience is ill-advised.

I remember after one incident of publicly removing a factious man from our church, members of the church began approaching the leaders confessing that they too had been listening to that man’s divisive words. For one reason or another they had stayed quiet. We did not know. It revealed the insidious nature of divisiveness. Where one man may tell on a factious man by alerting the elders, that may just be the tip of the iceberg. Several others will likely be affected as well.

Third, reject him. He does not get a third warning. He gets rejected. It is not three strikes and you are out, but two strikes and you are out. The word for “reject” means to refuse him; to have nothing to do with him anymore. He is put out of the church formally and publicly. He is no longer treated as a brother. Everyone will know he is no longer allowed at any church function or fellowship - even in the homes.

The reason you must to do this is laid out in v. 11, “knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.” The verb “perverted” means twisted away; turned away. The perfect tense of the verb shows he had departed in the past, so that his mind is already warped. You can’t fix him. He is sinning, causing divisions in church. So, send him out, and let God deal with him harshly. His actions have earned him such treatment. Dr. Kitchen is his commentary points out, “Any verdict Titus or the local church leader makes of such a person is only secondary to the one he has already pronounced over himself by his actions.”

If each local church practiced this wisdom, the condition of the local evangelical churches in America would improve remarkably. The blessing of unity would be experienced by more. Satan’s men would be uprooted. The Spirit of God would not be grieved. And the health of the church would be better maintained.

Pastors cause problems for the church if they are too soft when dealing with divisive people. Being too gentle causes the problem to fester and increase the damage. The number of fires to put out will grow exponentially. How much better to have holy boldness and obey the Lord in this matter! His wisdom must guide church practice.

All is not done when the division is removed. There is still one more needed strategy.