Factions in the Church

The church in Corinth was troubled by many sins that kept them from functioning the way that God desired for them. The apostle Paul wrote two letters to them to address these concerns (and there is some indication that there were some extrabiblical ones from him as well). One of the problems in the church was factionalism.

Corinthian factions. After the greetings and opening niceties of his first letter, Paul immediately jumps into an admonition against factionalism (1 Corinthians 1:10-17). A trusted source has reported to him that the Corinthian brethren are quarreling with each other. What is the reason for the quarrel? They had divided themselves into factions based on the preacher they followed. Some wore the name of Paul, others of Apollos, others of Peter, and still others the name of Christ.

 

It’s possible that these factions went beyond the specific examples given here. Corinth was a city of extreme wealth and an attitude of upward mobility that was unusual in the ancient world. People believed that with the proper work ethic and the help of a wealthy patron, they could climb the ladder and become a member of the upper-class elite. Based on some of Paul’s criticisms in the Corinthian letters, it seems that this patron dynamic had entered into the church as well.

 

Regardless, it is evident that lines had been drawn and the congregation carved up into competitive blocs. Paul did not indulge this behavior for even a moment. He refused to be used in this way even if that was meant as an honor to him. Paul was not crucified for them and there was no power in his blood anyway. He cared for them, took a personal interest in them, and even considered himself a sort of spiritual father figure for them since he taught them the gospel, but he took no ownership of the church as a whole, the Corinthian congregation, or even a segment of the congregation. The Corinthians needed to correct this behavior immediately and stop following a man instead of following Jesus.

 

Who do we follow? In our congregations today, what kinds of factions can crop up? The exact issue in Corinth can easily happen with us as well. Christians can line up behind preachers as champions and leaders. Whether it’s the preacher who baptized them or someone who is influential in their area, there can be an allure. From there it is a small step into factionalism, particularly when it turns competitive.

 

I have not been in as many places as some have, but in my ten years preaching I have preached in three different states—Texas, California, and Kentucky. What has struck me in each place is a difference in the preachers that people knew and looked up to. Some of the important names to brethren in these places were ones that I had never heard of and didn’t mean anything to me. This is not an indicator of faithfulness or quality of preaching or discipleship in any of these places, but it does illustrate how we instinctively establish a circle of preachers and other Christians that we know and trust. That is only natural, but we must never mistake our circle for God’s book of life! Just because I haven’t heard of a preacher doesn’t mean that he isn’t doing good work for the Lord, and just because I know and trust some other man doesn’t mean that he can’t fall away.

 

We can also create factions on other lines. Among some brethren, school affiliations are important and create an in-group and an out-group. We ought not judge someone’s faithfulness on whether they graduated from the same school as us, even if that school is religious and has brethren teaching in it.

 

On a smaller scale, congregations can create factions along family lines (particularly when a large, extended family occupies a prominent place in the church), socioeconomic lines, or any number of other petty reasons to divide. No faction is proper in the church and a spirit of division must be avoided.

 

Conclusion. It is good for us to be introspective and consider how the church can divide so easily. Next week I plan to address what is so harmful about factionalism and how we can prevent it in the church.