Sermon - The Call to Unity (1 Corinthians

As the Apostle Paul begins this letter to the Corinthian Christians, the first thing he addresses in exhortation is the division that defines the church. He urges them to restore the unity of the Spirit that God established in Jesus Christ, saying that they needed to be in perfect agreement, saying the same thing, with one mind and one judgment. While this kind of unity may seem idealistic within the church of Christ, especially considering the denominationalism that defines the church today, it is exactly what Christ prayed that we would be in John 17. The greatest obstacle to that kind of unity is people. When people elevate their own position, authority, opinions and knowledge above the supremacy of the truth of God, division results. The solution to restoring unity within the Body of Christ is to have the same mind as Christ, rooted in humility, and forbearing others in love. As long as we are more concerned about being right over being humble, unity will always be marked by division.