Unity in Christ

Memory Text

1 Corinthians 1:10 ESV

“I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

Pastoring is difficult.

Trust me, I know.

In my short three years of pastoring a church—and planting one, too—I have seen a glimpse of what it is like. Churches have problems. People have issues. And because churches are made up of people, leading a church can be challenging.

But when I look at the church in Corinth, some of the problems I have faced pale in comparison.

To give you a not-so-exhaustive list:

• Members were divided because they idolized different leaders (1 Cor. 1:10–4:21).
• The church struggled with immaturity and pride (1 Cor. 3:1–4; 4:6–13).
• A member was involved in incest (1 Cor. 5:1–13).
• Some were involved in sexual immorality and prostitution (1 Cor. 6:12–20).
• Members were filing lawsuits against fellow members (1 Cor. 6:1–11).
• The rich humiliated the poor during the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:17–34).

And so much more!

We have not even listed the problems found in 2 Corinthians, mind you.

Would you want to be a member of that church? Would you want to be one of its leaders?

Just one problem from that list is already a headache. How much more when all of them are combined?

Yet the first problem Paul addresses is division. Why?

Because disunity in the church is not a small matter.

Disunity Is a Serious Sin

We sometimes create our own hierarchy of sins.

Sexual immorality? Serious.

Idolatry? Serious.

Witchcraft? Definitely serious.

But jealousy, quarrelling, factions, and divisions? Sometimes we dismiss them as ordinary church problems.

Paul does not.

In Galatians 5:19–21, jealousy, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions are listed beside sexual immorality, idolatry, and sorcery. In Romans 13:13, quarrelling and jealousy appear beside drunkenness and sexual immorality.

What?!

Paul places division among the works of the flesh because division contradicts the very nature of the church.

The church is the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head, and believers are the members of His body (1 Cor. 12:12–27; Col. 1:18).

When the members fight against one another, the body cannot function as it should. Its fellowship is fractured, its mission is weakened, and its witness to the world is damaged.

Before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His followers:

John 17:21 ESV

“That they may all be one . . . so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Unity is missional.

The world is supposed to see something about the truth of the gospel through the way Christians love one another. How can we reconcile the world to Christ if we cannot even reconcile among ourselves?

Is Christ Divided?

The Corinthians were gathering around their favorite leaders.

“I follow Paul.”

“I follow Apollos.”

“I follow Cephas.”

“I follow Christ.”

Paul then brings them back to one piercing question:

1 Corinthians 1:13 NKJV

“Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

That question ends all boasting in men.

Was your preferred leader, theologian, teacher, or church group crucified for you?No.

Christ alone was crucified. He alone can give atonement for our sins. Christ alone is Lord.

Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize believers “in the name”—singular—“of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19).

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons, yet they are one God, perfectly united in character, purpose, and mission.

Jesus presents this divine unity as the pattern for His followers:

John 17:22 NKJV

“That they may be one just as We are one.”

If the Head is not divided, why should the body be divided?

Unity Is Not Uniformity

Unity does not mean everyone must have the same personality, background, preference, or opinion.

Paul describes the church as one body with many members.

The eye is not the hand. The ear is not the foot. Each member has a different function, but all belong to one body (1 Cor. 12:12–27).

Unity is not uniformity.

This raises an important question about small groups.

In ministry, we often form groups around a common denominator: students, professionals, young adults, women, men, children, or people with similar interests. I have done this myself, and it has real missional and pastoral value.

But when does a small group become a clique?

It becomes a clique when its members find their primary identity in what distinguishes them from the rest of the church. It becomes a clique when the group turns inward, becomes suspicious of outsiders, or builds itself around loyalty to one personality.

Our deepest common denominator should not be age, culture, economic status, or preference.

It must be Christ.

And because we belong to Christ, we share one mission.

When Preachers Become Personalities

We probably recognize names such as Mark Finley, Doug Batchelor, Stephen Bohr, John Bradshaw, and many other Adventist teachers and evangelists.

We can appreciate their ministries. We can learn from them. We can even prefer one person’s preaching style over another.

That is not the problem.

The problem begins when our Christian identity becomes attached to a preacher rather than to Christ.

“I only listen to this pastor.”

“This speaker is always correct.”

“That ministry is the only faithful ministry.”

Then we begin comparing preacher against preacher. We downgrade the value of what others have to say. Every difference becomes a test of fellowship.

There are doctrines worth defending. Unity does not mean pretending that truth does not matter. Paul himself confronted Peter when the gospel was at stake (Gal. 2:11–14).

But not every disagreement is a gospel issue.

The Bible gives clear commands, but it does not provide a detailed rule for every circumstance of life. In many areas, it gives principles that must be applied prayerfully and wisely.

Spiritual maturity includes knowing the difference between truth and preference, and refusing to divide the body of Christ over our preferences.

1 Corinthians 3:3–4 NASB

“For you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like ordinary people?”

Division is not always proof that we are defending truth.

Sometimes it is proof that we still need to grow.

The Mind of Christ

What is the solution?

Paul says:

1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV

“But we have the mind of Christ.”

Elsewhere, Paul explains what the mind of Christ looks like:

Philippians 2:3 NKJV

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

The mind of Christ is humble.

Jesus did not use His position to exalt Himself. He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death—even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:5–8).

This is why Christian leaders must be regarded as “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1).

Servants, not stars.

Stewards, not owners.

They are simply people entrusted with Someone else’s work.

Ministry Beneath the Cross

Thursday’s lesson calls this a “theology of the Cross.” Faithful Christian ministry must reveal the wisdom and power of the crucified Christ, rather than the pride and glory of human beings.¹

The cross was not a platform where Jesus displayed Himself. It was the place where He laid Himself down.

In the same way, ministry should not become a platform where our wisdom, talents, spiritual gifts, and achievements shine for our own glory.

The goal of Christian ministry is not simply to shine.

It is to let Jesus shine.

Charles Spurgeon once said:

“I would be willing to speak with stammering tongue if God’s purpose could be more fully presented.”²

What a statement!

Spurgeon was known as one of the greatest preachers of his generation. Yet he was willing to lose the beauty of his delivery if God’s purpose could be more fully presented.

This does not mean ministers should neglect preparation. In the very next paragraph, Spurgeon added:

“I am persuaded we should carefully prepare ourselves, and we should try to do our very best in our great Master’s service.”³

Preparation matters. Excellence matters. We should offer God our very best.

But preparation, eloquence, wisdom, and talent must remain servants of the message. They must never become ways of drawing glory away from Christ.

At the cross, selfish ambition dies.

Ellen White writes:

“The same devotion, the same self-sacrifice, the same subjection to the claims of the word of God, that were manifest in Christ, must be seen in His servants. Our mission to the world is not to serve or please ourselves; we are to glorify God by co-operating with Him to save sinners.”⁴

That is Christian ministry.

Not making a name for ourselves, but making Christ known.

Not gathering people around ourselves, but bringing them to Jesus.

Not asking, “How can I be seen?” but, “How can Christ be seen through me?”

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, you, and I all stand equal at the foot of the Cross.

Conclusion

The church in Corinth had many problems, but Paul brought them back to one question:

1 Corinthians 1:13 NKJV

“Is Christ divided?”

Christ is not divided. Therefore, His church should not willingly remain divided.

Unity does not mean that we agree on everything. It means that Christ is greater than our preferences, personalities, and favorite leaders.

At the foot of the cross, no one can boast. We all stand there as sinners saved by grace.

The church does not need more stars. It needs more servants—people willing to decrease so that Christ may increase.

May we be one, not only for the peace of the church, but so that the world may believe in Jesus.

Discussion Questions

1. The cross was where Jesus “laid Himself down,” not a platform. Where are you tempted to make ministry a platform?
2. When has “defending truth” actually been about winning an argument?
3. What does “servants, not stars” look like in our church?
4. What would it look like this week to ask, “How can Christ be seen through me?”

Notes

1. Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide, Standard Edition, lesson 3, “Unity in Christ,” July 11–17, 2026, 36.
2. Charles H. Spurgeon, The Greatest Fight: Spurgeon’s Urgent Message for Pastors, Teachers, and Evangelists(Aneko Press, Kindle ed.), 1.
3. Spurgeon, The Greatest Fight, 1.
4. Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons (Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1900), 143.