PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER

1 Corinthians 1:10-11 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them, which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

In his opening greetings to the church of Christ at Corinth, Paul commends them because they had heard the word of God from inspired preachers of the gospel, believed it, obeyed it, and had been baptized into the body of Christ. In doing so, they had been enriched by Him (Christ), having received all of the knowledge necessary to become His followers and fellow-heirs of eternal life in heaven. However, beginning with the lesson text, Paul addresses a problem that existed within the body of Christ in Corinth. It had been brought to his attention, by the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Evidently the congregation was arguing over certain issues, and a member of the family of Chloe notified him of this contention. The family of Chloe was probably members of the body of Christ in Corinth; other family information would be mere speculation. Where Paul was when this message was delivered to him, exactly who brought it to him, etc., bears no fruit to argue one way or another. The primary point the lesson text raises, is the situation that existed between certain members of the church of Christ at Corinth - that being that there are contentions among you. Contention in the church is, not only ugly to witness, but it is destructive and renders a congregation incapable of effectively carrying out its God-given mission.

Affectionately addressing the congregation at Corinth as brethren, Paul begins his admonition by saying,I beseech you. He is begging and pleading with them, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to listen, and heed, the instruction he is about to give them. In other words, the exhortation Paul is about to deliver to them, is by the authority of Jesus Christ. The church they were added to, through baptism, was the body of Christ; He was its head. He authored the conduct under which each member is to abide in His church, and Paul is only the messenger that is delivering His judgment, regarding disunity that may exist within the church. The message of Christ that Paul delivered was that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you. It is this conduct that Jesus expected, even demanded, in the church at Corinth. It is the conduct He expects to exist in each body of Christ both then and now.

There is but one doctrine that the church of Christ is to follow, and its founder, its head, Jesus Christ, is the author of that doctrine. Since there is only one doctrine, all must believe in it, and teach it, as it is given, without private interpretations, that add to it or delete from it. Included in the doctrine laid down by Jesus, is this guide for member conduct. All members must speak the same thing, and in doing so, there will be no divisions among you. Within the church of Christ in Corinth, the result of this would be then, as it would be in all bodies of Christ today - all members would be perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment. The church of Christ, His body, in being perfectly joined together, is like the human body. Each body part is responsible for doing that which it is capable of doing. This being so, the body, as a whole, responds exactly as it is designed to function. This is exactly what Jesus requires of each member of His body, that the church will be able to accomplish its tasks of benevolence, edification, and preaching the gospel of Christ to every soul, having an open and receptive heart, and searching for the hope of eternal salvation. Contention within the church greatly hinders this mission and often stops it altogether.

Jesus, alone, was crucified for the atonement of our sins; in His name was each Christian baptized; He is head of His church; He established its doctrine. No other human being has the right to take His place or alter His doctrine. Whether the messenger of that doctrine was Paul, Apollos, Peter, or any other preacher of God's word, it is to be delivered and received with a singleness of mind. Jesus Christ is not divided, and neither is His church body to be divided. Although we know of contention within the church at Corinth, there is no historical evidence of division. The forming of different "religious bodies" under different doctrines took place at later dates. However, we know that the seeds of Sectarianism, Protestantism, and Denominationalism are found in contentions within the church today. To be called a church of Christ, and to function as it is intended, its membership must be unified - perfectly joined together.