Being of one mind: Meditations on 1st Corinthians 1

A divided church is a dangerous thing, and the Apostles knew this from Christ’s own teaching, that a house divided against itself cannot stand.  Such was the concern among the Apostles for the churches they planted, that many were their calls to unity and solidarity.  But what does it mean to be of one mind, speaking and doing the same things, as St. Paul opens his admonitions to the church at Corinth?

An example is provided in Paul’s introduction:  the Christians naming themselves after particular Apostles and teachers.  Some claimed to be “of Paul,” others “of Apollos,” others “of Cephas,” and others “of Christ.”  This is not so different from today’s churches.  Some claim to be more in line with a particular teacher or center of authority, or with one tradition over another.  And some claim to be simply “Christian,” without realizing the sources of their teachings at all.  St. Paul’s stinging rebuke should sound just as sharply in our ears today, as it did to those who read them in the church of Corinth.

Did Paul, or Peter, or Apollos die for you?  Did Augustine, or Chrysostom, or Jerome die you?  Did Luther, or Calvin, or Zwingli die for you?  Did any contemporary church teacher or preacher die for you?  Of course not.  Every teacher in the church, from the Apostles down to our very day, at their best, pointed back to Jesus—and at their worst, pointed to something or someone else.  Paul was far from perfect, calling himself a chief of sinners.  Peter was not flawless, having denied the Savior three times on the day of His Passion, and needed rebuke from Paul later on for hypocrisy between Jews and Gentiles.  Augustine was not perfect, with his early life lived in debauchery, and his later life lived as a radical penance against sexual vice.  The list goes on.  Luther had many warts, not least of which being his fiery tongue and brutal temper; Calvin was run out of Geneva for running the city into the ground; Zwingli was killed in battle as a revolutionary and rebel.

What is the common thread of these teachers?  They are sinners, every one.  For since the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, there has not been one soul who was saved by grace through faith in Christ, who was not a sinner.  Or, in other words, the Church of Christ is a place populated entirely by sinners, from the laity to the pastors and leaders—for all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God.  Every Christian is a sinner, who must beg for mercy before God in faith and repentance, and by grace alone be sanctified in the Blood of Christ, being made a saint through the Cross of Jesus.

This means that every human teacher we’ve ever had, is a sinner.  At their best, they point to something beyond themselves, and encourage their students not to cling to them.  The best of our teachers know who and what they are, and who it is that saves both them and us.  They know the means of grace, by which God reached down and saved them, and which are given for the life of the whole world.  They know they live by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone, and the love of God in Jesus Christ pours out through them, to guide others into that same saving relationship with Jesus.  In so far as these teachers agree in Christ and His Word, they are united, and should be lauded.  When they fail, however, and their sinful nature corrupts their speech and teaching, we pray for mercy upon them, setting aside their error, and seeking again for Christ.

This is why St. Paul is aghast that the Christians in Corinth would take the mantle of his sinful name, or any other sinful name of human teachers.  He knows that he, like all pastors, are sinners to the core, unable to save anyone, including themselves.  He knows that the pastor’s mission is more akin to that of the angels, taking no credit or honor to themselves, but continually serving and pointing others to the God who saves them.  Every faithful teacher in the church, from the Apostles down to our day has perceived this, from the words of St. Paul, and numerous others throughout the Holy Scriptures. There is only One God, and His Word alone is to be the measure of the Christian teacher, and the Christian faith.  We are not free to set aside a single syllable what God has said.  And we are not free to add a single syllable to what He has said.  Everything beyond Holy Scripture is at best a pious opinion, and at worst, a sinful corruption.

Which brings us back to the original question:  What is it to be of one mind in the Christian Church?  It is to have the mind of Christ.  Christ is not divided, and He alone, the sinless Lamb of God, has died for the sins of the world.  He alone has conquered sin, death, the devil and hell, and gives life to His people by grace through faith in Him.  He alone is the Savior of the world, and He alone is the Word of God made flesh.  It is His image into which the Holy Spirit is constantly conforming the humble and repentant sinner, so that Christ might be formed in them.  What does a perfectly united and undivided church look like?  It looks like Jesus.

So why are there divisions in the church, both in our day, as at the time of the Apostles?  Because of sin and unbelief—pride and presumption—ignorance and malice.  We know what Christ has said, because He gave us His Word through His holy Prophets and Apostles, which the Church gathered together into the canon of Holy Scripture.  Everything necessary for the Christian and the Church, from the beginning to the end, is there.  All the disputes we have about authority in the church, the role of faith and repentance in the Christian life, grace and works of love, and a thousand other things, are settled in the Holy Scriptures.  God’s Law is clear, as is His Gospel of salvation.  Where we find divisions in the Church, is in greater or lesser acceptance of those Holy Scriptures—a greater or lesser conformance to the mind of Christ.

What are we to do, then, with St. Paul’s urgent call to the Corinthian church, and by extension, to our churches today?  Repent.  Believe.  Hear the Word of the Lord, and keep it, in all its parts and pieces.  Hear the Law in all its severity, condemning every sin of pride and hatred, avarice and contempt.  Hear the Gospel proclamation that Jesus has given His life for the sins of the world, that His grace may be poured out freely upon those who could not pay for it.  Hear the call to Christian holiness, to be conformed ever more by the power of His Holy Spirit working through His Word and Sacraments, into the image and mind of Christ.  Hear the call to repent of selfishness, and embrace the sweet fellowship of the Communion of the Saints, who all live by grace through faith in Christ alone.  See the blessed unity Christ creates through His Word and Spirit, into which you are grafted by grace through faith in Him.  See the Vine and all His branches, alive in Him, together forever.

Rather than trying to reconcile Paul and Calvin, or Augustine and Luther, or Chrysostom and Zwingli, the call of Christ is to be reconciled to God through His Cross.  Let the world’s eyes turn to Jesus, and their ears be opened to His Word, where all the human teachers are lost in the brilliance of His Eternal Light.  There we will find the unity of the Church, where Christ alone is the center and the circumference, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  Amen.