OUR FATHER WHO DESIRES UNITY AMONG THE BRETHREN

1 Corinthians chapter 1 verses 10 - 17 continues with the Apostle Paul imloring the people of the church at Corinth to maintain a deliberate unity where they all shared the same understanding of their brotherhood in Christ.

Paul had learned that the Corinthian church had been cultivating a differentiation among the believers based on who had baptized them. To Paulˋs chagrin, they had segmented themselves into sets by baptizer which revealed that the Corinthian church members had a fundamental misundrestanding of doctrine whereby they believed that there was something of eternal consequence that was attached to the person of value. 

Paul diagnosed this error and asked them if any of the apostles that they were claiming fraternity with them because of having been baptized by them had in fact been crucified for them or if they had been baptized into their names.

To Paul, the development of personality cults was so aggriegious that he regretted baptizing anyone because of the potential for it to be said that people were baptized into Paulˋs name.

10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.

The apostle Paul demonstrated that baptizing people was important for them but not for the baptizer because he did not even maintain a clear memory of whom he had baptized and didn´t.  To him, his pivotal task was to preach the gospel and thus he concentrated on that and not on the baptisms of believers.

Paul then mentioned a principle where the gospel was effective when preached in its simplicity such that it carried with it the power of God unto salvation ( Romans 1 verse 16   For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. ) but when philosophical and rhetorical devices were employed in the gospelˋs preaching, the power of the cross was neutralized in its ability to transmit the urgency of salvation to the listener.

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