The five great items mentioned in the previous six lessons are positive items which we should know; they are the most fundamental truths-realities-revealed by the Bible. Because of the decline and desolation of the church, however, we must also know a most basic negative item in the church’s desolation. This is the matter of divisions, the so-called sects or denominations, which we see in Christianity today.
1)“But I beseech you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you...each of you says, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:10-13).
In those days, in the church in Corinth, there were factions. One party said that they were of Paul, and another said that they were of Apollos. Another party said that they were of Cephas (Peter), and still another party, who considered themselves superior to all the previous parties, said that they were of Christ. Therefore, they were severely rebuked by the Apostle Paul, who had led them to salvation and who had established them as the church. Paul called them to account, asking them whether Christ had been divided. Obviously Christ has not been and cannot be divided. However, those who had believed and had been baptized into Christ were divided one from another. This offended Christ, dividing His Body, separating the unique church, which He redeemed by shedding His blood, into many different sects.
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul asked the divided Corinthian believers, “Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?” Of course not! Paul did not die to accomplish redemption for them; neither were they baptized into the name of Paul. It was Christ who died to accomplish redemption for them, and it was Christ into whom they had been baptized. Yet why did they say they were of Paul? This is just like some today who are redeemed by Christ and are baptized into Christ, who say that they are of Luther (the Lutheran sect), or of Wesley (the Wesleyan sect), or of the Baptist church (the Baptist sect), or of the Presbyterian church (the Presbyterian sect). Here Paul’s rebuking and denouncing of the divisive Christians strongly condemn and deny all divisions, sects, and denominations in Christianity today.
1)“One Body and one Spirit...one Lord...one God” (Eph. 4:4-6).
Since Christ is not divided, neither should Christians who belong to Christ be divided into sects. Even the more, since the Body of Christ is unique, Christians who are members of this unique Body should not divide it into many different sects. We should only want the unique Body of Christ, not the many man-made sects. In this Body of Christ, there is only one Spirit; also, His Body has only one Lord, that is, one Head. Furthermore, all the members of His Body are regenerated by one God and Father, and they are indwelt by Him. The Triune God has been mingled with all the believers as one, and the essence of His divine oneness in the believers has further constituted them into an indivisible Body. The Spirit is the one life which they all possess. How can a body have two or more lives? The Lord is the one Head to whom they belong. How can a body have two or more heads? God is the one Father who begat them. How can the children of God have two or more Fathers? It is strange and unreasonable for a single body to have more than one life, or for a body to have more than one head, or for a family of children to have more than one father! Yet these unreasonable and strange things are actually being established, supported, respected, and promoted by a majority of Christians! None of the lovers of the Lord or those who know the Lord’s heart and the truth of the Bible should do this. Rather, they should imitate the Apostle Paul to condemn and deny these things which offend Christ, sadden God, and grieve the Holy Spirit.
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