Is the Christ Divided? — Stephen Kaung

This is sunday evening august the 5th 1973 in richmond virginia. Ministry is being given through brother stephen kong.

The Corinthian Call to Unity

Will you please turn to first corinthians chapter one. First corinthians chapter one verse one. I'm reading from the new translation so it may be a little bit different from yours but the substance is the same.

Grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ. Verse 10. Now i exhort you brethren by the name of our lord jesus christ that he all say the same thing and that there be not among you divisions but that ye be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion.

For it has been shown to me concerning you my brethren by those of the house of kaloy that there are strides among you. But i speak of this that each of you says i am of paul and i of apollos and i of severs and i of christ.

Is the christ divided. Has paul being crucified for you or have you been baptized unto the name of paul. Let us pray lord we commit thy word into thy hands. We look to thee to bless it and to give it to us that we may be satisfied with thy word with thyself.

Oh how we praise and thank thee because thou art very living thou art very real and we know that thou art here in our midst as thou has promised lord we pray that thou will manifest thyself to us. We pray that i will remove every veil that may be upon our heart.

Oh as we turn to thee lord we may see thy glory. We may be transformed from glory to glory as by thy spirit lord the spirit we ask in thy precious name amen. All the letters written by the apostle paul.

First Corinthians as a Necessary Spiritual Examination

There is none that is more diversified and practical than the letter the first letter to the corinthians. It is so practical that it does not probably give us a very pleasant reading. I think most people would rather read the letter to the Ephesians because when you read the letter to the Ephesians you feel as if you were uplifted to the third heaven.

You are living in the heavenlies. Everything is underneath your feet and that give us such a glorious time. But when you read first corinthians it reminds you that you are still on earth. You are not only still on earth but you may yet to be delivered from being fleshly that is from being carnal.

And that is not very flattering. But dear brothers and sisters even so this first letter to the corinthians is most needed and necessary for us. There are lessons that we need to learn before god. And unless we learn these lessons we will not be able to get into the reality of the letter to the Ephesians.

We may theorize philosophize spiritualize the letter to the Ephesians. But in reality we are not in. We are not there to enter into Ephesians. We have to come through corinthians. So i feel probably this time we will like to fellowship together a little bit on first corinthians probably only the first few chapters.

Now tonight i would like to fellowship with you dear brothers and sisters just on one thing and that is paul says he is the christ divided. He is the christ divided. During paul's second so-called missionary trip he spent a year and a half in the city of corinth.

That city was a center of wealth and culture but it was also a very wicked city. He becomes part of the greek language to say that to live like a corinthian. To live like a corinthian means to live an immoral drunken life.

As in many big cities as in many cultural centers you find the depths of corruption. So there you'll find in the city of corinth it was highly sophisticated and yet it was deeply immoral. But thank god when the gospel of jesus christ reached that city even the chiefs of sinners were saved and the work of god was such that many were converted both the jews and the gentiles.

And during the 18th month that paul was there an assembly of god was raised up there as a light in darkness. Then paul left corinth and at his third missionary trip he came to ephesus. He stayed for three years there.

But during his stay in ephesus he learned something of the conditions of the assembly in corinth. Now he learned this from various sources. So he wrote the first letter to the corinthians from ephesus.

It was only a few years after he left the city of corinth after he left behind him the assembly of god which was in corinth. And yet he got information concerning that church number one. He learned something of their situation in corinth through the household of calor.

You know the name calor actually is a woman's name. So probably this lady has a big household with many children and probably many slaves many servants. And from the household of calor paul learns something of the conditions of the assembly in corinth.

But that was not the only source of information. Three brothers from corinth came to visit ephesus as you'll find in the 16th chapter of first corinthians stephanus fortunus and arcticus. Now these three brothers they came from corinth to ephesus and from them paul learned something more about the situation in the church there.

Furthermore the assembly in corinth wrote paul a letter and in that letter they asked of paul on various problems. They had some problems and they were like to seek some advice from paul. Therefore you'll find when paul wrote the first letter to the corinthians sometimes he said concerning this and concerning that that is to say which you have written to me and asked for my opinion.

So from these various sources paul gathered something about the actual spiritual conditions of the church there in ephesus in corinthians. And he was deeply burdened before god to write them a letter.

I wonder brothers and sisters when you read the first letter to the corinthians i wonder if you wonder why is it when the church at corinth wrote a letter to paul asking his opinions or his advice on various problems.

Why is it that the questions they asked were or what we will say or according to paul minor questions if i may put it that way. Well that's not a right word not the basic questions. In other words they asked paul about marriage.

Now marriage is an important question. That's true. They asked paul about virginity virgins. They asked paul about remarrying. They asked paul about eating the things that were sacrificed to idols. They asked paul about gifts spiritual gifts.

Now i would not say these are non-important things. I think that that is wrong. But among them there were more basic and essential and important matters to be solved. And yet they asked nothing of these questions.

There were divisions in their midst there were immorality in their midst. And yet they did not ask paul about these things. Instead they asked paul about other things. Now isn't that human nature parenting believers.

They were so proud of their intellect. They were so proud of their spirituality or pseudo-spirituality that they could overlook the basic questions the basic problems that existed in their midst and yet seem to want to rationalize and theorize and argue about different.

I do not say the other things are not important but i do say that there are more important things that need to be settled unless these basic and more important problems are solved. All these other questions which are the superstructure actually can never be solved in a real way.

Dear brothers and sisters how often god's people are so proud of their knowledge of their spirituality that they can really be blind to the basic problems that exist and yet seem to be very anxious to know many things lots of things.

And that was the condition in the church in corinth. True paul he knew god. The most basic problems that existed in the assembly at corinth were twofold. First it was a spiritual problem the division that was in their midst.

And to paul this was a tremendous problem. This was a problem that was at the root of the church. And then secondly the moral question there was immorality in their midst that even the gentiles did not have.

They were worse than the gentiles and brothers went to court against brothers. And yet the people in corinth the saints at corinth didn't seem to mind these two things. They didn't even bother to ask paul about these things as if they were minor they were of no importance.

So in answering them instead of answering what they asked first you find paul began to write to them first on the first things that were upon paul's heart. I have heard i have received information from the household of carol that there were divisions in your midst.

They were still gathering together. They were not being scattered or divided physically yet. But among them there were this party spirit. Some say i am a paul some say i'm of apollos some say i'm of cephas.

And then some others say i am of christ in a special way. And to paul this is division. We may think that division to us is when god's people are really divided and separated. But to paul where there is that party spirit and sectarian spirit in the church there is already division.

And unless this is corrected eventually the church in corinth will be broken into at least four different denominations. Why is it paul consider this so serious. We may say that they are still together.

They haven't yet be divided physically they are still together. Why paul gets so excited over this matter. Probably the saint and corinthian thought that they were so sophisticated that they were able to tolerate these things.

They could be a paul of apollo of cephas or even christ. And yet they still could be together. That was their spirituality. Probably now why paul got so excited about this whole thing. The reason is this attacks the very nature of the church.

Other things may concern with say the conduct of the church or something of the church. But this matter of division this matter of party spirit touches the very nature of if this thing is not corrected then the very nature of the church is corrupted.

The Church as the Ecclesia, the Called-Out Assembly

What is the church. The ecclesia. You know today we use the word church. But actually the english word church is not the correct translation of the greek word ecclesia. I forgot what is the greek word to be translated into english into church.

I forgot the word. I only have a faint memory that it is another word. And that word means something organized. But the word in the scripture ecclesia which our lord jesus used and which is used in the bible ecclesia means called out ones.

Those who are called out of this world gather together unto the name of the lord jesus. It is not an organization it is an organism. Ecclesia is in opposition to cosmos. The world is a cosmos. The world is so organized under the prince of this world.

It becomes a very highly organized thing a cosmos a system. Whether it is religious whether it is political whether it is economical in whatever area it may be you'll find the world is so highly organized under the control of the wicked one.

It is a cosmos. But god by his grace through the salvation of our lord jesus has delivered us out of this cosmos out of this organized system that is hostile to god. God has delivered out of all of it and he has gathered us together unto himself ecclesia.

So you'll find that ecclesia is in opposition to cosmos. We are called out of this world system whether it is political or economical or educational or cultural or social or even religious. He has delivered out of this world and make us ecclesia.

The church or the assembly. You know actually the word ecclesia if you really want to translate it into english should be assembly. The call out ones assembled together now that is the word church. When paul begins his letter he said paul a called apostle of jesus christ by god's will.

And satan is the brother to the assembly of god which is in corinth. Paul wrote this letter to the assembly of god which was in corinth. I wonder if you notice the word church or assembly. Is it in capital letter or is it in small letter.

You find in the bible the word church or assembly ever be in capital letter. If you put it in capital letter it becomes a proper noun. Is it. If it is in small letter it is a common noun. The word church is a common noun.

In other words it is commonly shared by all the believers. What is the church. The church is the call out ones assembled universally. It includes all those who belong to the lord. It is in opposition to cosmos.

It is not a proper noun in itself. It is shared by all god's people and locally it is shared by all god's people in that locality. Therefore you'll find the word church assembly is never capitalized. It is a common noun not a proper noun the assembly of god because the assembly belongs to god.

In other words the assembly of god is not a proper noun. We cannot make the assembly of god a proper noun and call ourselves the assembly of god in distinguishing ourselves from the other assembly. No the assembly of god or the church of god.

The church is still in small letter god is a proper noun. But the church is still a common noun in small letter. In other words it just show us to whom does the church belong. It is not a proper noun that somebody can use it as distinguishing themselves from other believers.

No all the believers belong to god. All the believers form the assembly of god. And you know sometimes it is called the churches of assemblies of christ. You'll find that in first korean thinking in romans chapter 16 verse 16 in the assemblies of christ in the churches of christ.

And again you'll find the churches of christ is a common noun. You cannot call yourself the church of christ and capitalize it the churches of christ. Just tell us to whom does the church belong. We belong to christ.

And then sometimes you'll find the scripture says the assemblies of the saints in first corinthians. Again it is not a proper noun. It simply means that the church belongs to the saints. So all these are descriptive words to tell us to whom does the church belong.

The church belongs to god. The church belongs to christ. The church belongs to the saints. And then of course in the scripture sometimes you'll find other descriptions such as the church the churches of the nations.

Why. In distinguishing them from the churches in judea and in samaria and in hebrews even the church of the first born. Why. Because all those who are the lords are first born in relation to the creation.

All these are descriptive words. Now aside from these descriptive words the other descriptions you'll find are the church which was in corinth or the church in ephesus or the church in philadelphia. The church in corinth just tells us where was where was the church.

Where were these people where did they assemble. Again you cannot turn it around and say corinthian church. The church in corinth but not corinthian church the church in ephesus but not Ephesian church.

And sometimes even you find the church in the house of certain person they just show us where the church means. You cannot turn around and say house church. No you don't do that. You cannot limit the church to a house but the church can meet in a house.

The church can be in a certain locality but that locality does not make up the church. So brothers and sisters you'll find in the bible the word church is always in small letter. It is always a common noun.

It is used in this fashion. But there are other descriptions that describe the church. But anyway here you'll find to the assembly of god which is in corinth to those sanctified in christ jesus called saints.

Sanctified in christ jesus called saints. Now these were the people that made of the church which was in corinth sanctified in christ jesus called saints not called to be saints but called saints. Now there is a great difference here today we say saint john saint mark saint luke and saint nathan.

We canonize these evangelists as saints. We consider ourselves as what. Not saints. But the bible considered all who have been sanctified in christ jesus as saints. Not because we are so saintly so pious that we are canonized to be saints.

But because by the grace of god we have been sanctified in christ jesus. It is his work not our work. And because of his finished work because of his marvelous wonderful work in our life he has sanctified us.

He has set us apart from this world unto himself. Therefore we are called saints. And the saints make up the church. The sinners do not make up the church. Sometimes we try to be very humble and say no we are but a sinner.

Well you may be very humble but you are not giving the lord his glory and honor. The church is not made up of sinners. No the world is made up of sinners. The church is made up of saints of saints. Those that are sanctified in christ jesus now thank god for that the church of god which was in Corinth.

The Universal and Local Expressions of One Church

And you find the word church here is singular in number. Not the churches of god which was in Corinth but the church of god which was in Corinth. Why. Because there is only one church our lord jesus in Matthew chapter 16.

And in Matthew chapter 18 use the word church twice in the four gospels you'll find the word assembly the word ecclesia used by the lord only twice. One in Matthew 16 one in Matthew 18. Now in Matthew 16 he is speaking of course.

But we will call today the church universal now that is just a way we use to distinguish. You don't find the word universal there. You know what the lord said. I will build my church upon this rock and the gates of haiti shall not prevail against it.

I will build my church. And the word church there is singular in number upon this rock this confession that he is christ the son of the living god this revelation of the father this living knowledge of christ brothers and sisters there is only one church upon one foundation.

And all who confess that confession through the revelation of the father is all are living stones like peter being built up together upon this foundation. And the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.

That is one church the church universal only one there you in the matthew chapter 18 our lord jesus said if your brother sin against you out of love you should go to your brother and try to bring him to his sense.

Why not to vindicate yourself but to restore your brother. And if your brother does not listen to you your duty is not finished yet. Love goes the second mile. You go and find another two brothers and with one or two witnesses you go to the same brother and try to bring him back to the lord.

If he does not listen then you go and tell the church singular number and the church would go and deal with that brother. And he does not listen to the church. Then he will be looked upon as a stranger and outsider.

In other words he comes under discipline. Now here you'll find the lord jesus mentioned the word church. But of course the word church there is used differently. In what sense. In a local sense you cannot tell the church universal.

Where do you go to to find it. It is a local problem not a universal problem. The conflict with the gates of hades is a universal problem. But a brother see against you is a local problem. He must live pretty close to you.

Therefore he can sing against you. My brother in london cannot sing against me because he's so far away. It must be a brother who lives in the same town or in the same village or in the same city. And go and tell the church.

So the church here is the assembly of the saints in that locality that is in the case of corinth. In corinth dear brothers and sisters we are still in this body and being in this body we are still subject to time and space.

One day when we put on a resurrection body then we are delivered from time and space. And thank god for that. How good it will be that when the door is open you can enter in. It's closed. You can enter in.

How good it will be that you can be in heaven. And then you can come down on earth. You don't need a rocket. You are completely delivered from time and space. But today we are still in this mortal body and being in this mortal body we are still subject to time and space.

And because of that the church universal has its local expression. It can only be expressed locally. But all the spiritual principles in the church universal are to be practiced universally locally. And that's why you'll find go and tell the church singular number one church.

The church universal is one. The church local is one. Why. Because the church local is only the local expression of the church universal it is not something else one church. The very nature of the church is indivisible.

Christ’s Indivisibility and the Unity of His Body

The very nature of the church is oneness is unique unity. Because christ is one is not divided. Christ is indivisible. If you try to divide christ you get a there is a unity that is in christ which is eternal and indivisible.

And brothers and sisters because christ is not divided therefore the christ is not divided. You know in greek there is a difference there. Sometimes the word christ is used without an article but sometimes the word christ is used with an article definite article the before it now you know english translation you you may not be able to find this because when the bible is translated people do not have that understanding.

But if you read the greek text you'll find sometimes christ is mentioned without an article and sometimes christ the word christ is used with an article v there. Now what is the difference. Whenever christ is used without an article it refers to christ himself as a person.

But when the word christ with the v preceding it it always referred to christ with his people with his church. And that is the difference. So you'll find in first corinthians chapter 12 the body is one and has many members.

And though the members are many yet the body is one so also is the christ. It doesn't make any sense if so also is christ. Of course christ as a person has one body and with many members. Everybody knows that even a child knows that.

So it seems it will be absurd. But here you'll find because the church which is the body of christ in union with the head is composed of so many members and yet only one body so also is the christ. Dear brothers and sisters why is the church cannot be divided.

The one and the basic reason is because christ is not divided. You may think of a hundred reasons why the church should be divided. But the bible said the church cannot be divided because christ is not divided.

If you can divide christ then you can divide the christ. When any division to come into god's people it touches the very nature of the church and it goes back. It's an affront an offense. Oh brothers and sisters for that reason to paul when these corinthian believers began to say i am a paul i am of apollos first i am of christ.

Paul's heart wasn't broken. He says is the christ divided. The church divided. It cannot be because it is christ who crucified for us. Not paul not apollos not c. First we are baptized in the name into the name of jesus christ in the name of jesus christ not in the name of paul.

Brothers and sisters today we are so used to division and division to certain extent that it is not only something that is boiling within but something that has broken out in open. And we are so used to it then that it does not even create a problem to us brothers and sisters we should be exercised before the lord god has called us out as the ecclesia in opposition to the world as here is our testimony.

If we are divided it contradicts the very nature of our calling the very meaning of our existence. It goes to the very heart the very root of all things. So brothers and sisters this is not a light thing it's a serious thing.

The Causes of Division and the Meaning of Christian Unity

Why. What were the causes of such divisions and strife. May the church in corinth broken into such what reason. I exhort you by the name of our lord jesus christ that you all say the same thing and that there be not among you division but that he be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion.

Paul said i exhort you by the name of our lord jesus that you all say the same thing. Now what does that mean. Does it mean that everybody has to say the same thing literally. That is to say if i say this is a good day and you say this is a good day this is a good day this is a good day.

Everybody say this is a good day. We are just like parrots copying and just try to uniform everything and say well we all say the same thing. Does it mean that when paul said that you all say the same thing.

Now let us see what they are saying. What they say is one say i am a paul. The other say i'm of apollos. The other say i'm a seepers and the other in strife saying i'm a christ. So in other words you'll find these people of god in corin they began to say different things.

And the different things that they say were. Some say i'm a paul some say i'm apollo some say i'm a seepers and some say i'm a christ. Paul said let us all say the same thing. Now it refers to that it is not that god's people have to say the same thing mechanically.

And that is unity. Not at all not at all. He got to tearing tearing country. They make every people say the same thing. If the leader said this is black everybody say it is black. And tomorrow the leader say no this is white.

And everybody say no it is white. Now does that mean they all say the same thing. No not at all. That is not the scripture meaning. The scripture meaning is instead of saying i am a paul i'm apollos i'm seepers i'm a christ.

Let's all say the same thing. And that is christ. But not in sectarian spirit. Let us not say of paul. Let us not say of apollos. Let us not say of seepers. Let us not say of christ in sectarian spirit.

But let us say of christ in a spirit that embraces all that is saying the same thing. Why do they say different things. And paul said be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same opinion. The word perfectly united or closely knit is a medical word.

When your bones are fractured try to knit your bones fractured bones together and mend it. Or if your joint is out of joint you reset it and connect it now that is the meaning behind the word perfectly united.

In other words you korean believers your body is fractured. Your joints are out of sockets. Now bind them together knit them together mend them and put back reset them so that the body may really function as one and healthy now that is the meaning behind it.

Oh brothers and sisters how the body of christ is fractured. How the body of christ is out of joints. How unhealthy the body is. How we need to be mended up knit together join together that we may live healthily before god.

So in other words what paul is trying to say is let there be no division. Do not have parties and party spirits be one perfectly joined together. Why. Because we are all called by the name of our lord jesus.

Instead of calling on the name of the lord jesus. Some say i am of paul. Others say i am apollo. Still others say i'm of cephas. And in distinguishing themselves those pseudo-spiritual people said well we are of i think that's the worst possible.

Because they say it with boast with pride spiritual pride. So-called brothers and sisters we have been given no other name but the name of our lord jesus whereby we are saved. God has given us the name of our lord jesus and his name is sufficient for us.

Why should we call ourselves by other names. I am. Instead of holding fast ahead we began to group around a great man a spiritual man a great apostle. Apostles themselves have no intention to have their names used in that way.

But it is the people who try to uplift the name of the person. Instead of holding fast the name of our lord i remember forgive me to use to say something about our brother watch money again because as you know i know him so well.

Once as he was talking with his fellow workers he he apologized to his associates. He said i apologize to you. Why. Because people label you as this was not his intention. The people began to label his fellow workers as of me the knee party the knee kites.

So he apologized to his fellow workers. And then he closed what he said with this word he said the name of watching the knee is to be cursed. Brothers and sisters. Paul has no intention to land his name to a party.

Apollos had no such intention nor seepers. But here you'll find instead of holding fast ahead christ people began to uplift man the name of a man a great man a spiritual man. That's hero worship natural that's according to the flesh.

Human Factions, Hero Worship, and Partial Views of Christ

Now why is it people want to form parties. Why. Now probably some of the people in they received so much help from from paul. Maybe they were saved. So the preaching of the gospel of paul. And paul preached the simple gospel to them christ jesus and him crucified and nothing else.

And they were saved. And because they were saved through the instrumentality of paul so naturally they surrounded paul and said i'm a paul than other people who are more intellectual. Apollo's king a great teacher.

And he taught them all the mysteries that were hidden the old testament. He expounded the mysteries the secrets of the old testament to them in clarity. And these people with intellectual desire they were greatly helped by apollo.

So they said i am of apollo i stand for him he is my leader i follow him. And then some people with jewish background when they say we are of severs because severs was the first apostle. Brothers and sisters.

Is this not according to man. Is it not because they live in the flesh sign of carnality how we need to hold on and not to god may use these men to help us. But there are only channels our eyes should be set upon.

You know hero worship is a natural lust. Now why do you surround a man. Or why do you try to identify yourself with a particular person. Is it not because that man seems to be successful in what you are hoping for yourself.

You want to be that. But you cannot arrive there. And someone has arrived. So you identify yourself to him and give you a little boost to your ego. That is of the flesh of the flesh. Brothers and sisters the name of the lord jesus is above every name.

Whether it is the name of an apostle or even the name of an angel or any other name. The church has no other name because the church is the christ the body of christ joined to the head indivisible one with christ and one with one another.

I wonder when they say i'm a paul i'm of apollos. I'm of cephers. What do they mean. What do they really mean. Do they really mean that they belong to paul. They belong to cephers. They belong to apollo.

Maybe they are more sophisticated than that. When they say i'm a paul. Probably. Probably they mean i am for the christ that paul preached. I'm of apollos. I'm of the christ that apollo teaches. I'm of cephers.

I'm of christ that cephers stands for. In other words it is still christ but it is not the whole christ. I wonder if that is the reason. Probably we are too sophisticated to follow a man however great that man may be.

But it is so subtle we say we stand for the christ that that man preaches. Oh how often you find today people stand for a partial truth a certain truth but not the whole truth not the whole christ. You cannot say they are wrong.

They are right. Certainly the christ that paul preaches is right. But christ is preached and taught and presented not only by paul but by apollos and by cephers. In other words christ is the whole christ.

The truth that is in christ is the whole truth. If you hold on to one particular truth and neglect the other truth you stand for one truth against everything that is sectarian. The word heresy in the scripture actually means schools of opinions.

You hold to a certain school of opinion. That's heresy. Today we think of heresy as a great error in teaching. No the teaching may be correct but it becomes a school of opinion that's heresy instead of holding the whole christ.

Oh brothers and sisters today if you look at god's people you find some people hold on to certain thing of christ. Some people hold on to certain face of christ and everybody seems to be circled around a path to the exclusion of the other path that is sectarian in spirit that is party spirit that is dividing christ.

Or how we need to hold on to the whole christ. And then comes this last party when some say i'm a paul i'm apollos i'm the c first. Then they come out and say we are more spiritual than you are. We want the whole christ.

We are of christ. But when they say it they say it with exclusive spirit as if christ is their exclusive property and not belong to the other believers. That is the worst the worst. Brothers and sisters we need the christ preached by paul.