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§3 Factions in the Congregation (1 Cor. 1:10–17)

This first major segment of the body of Paul’s letter forms a coherent reflection on the specific situation in Corinth in relation to and in the light of basic matters of Christian belief. Paul examines and explains the character of the gospel itself, so that the Corinthians are directed to evaluate their situation in the light of the gospel of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ and the implication of God’s work for their lives. Paul argues against understanding the gospel as a kind of mysterious wisdom teaching, especially as a teaching that would elevate those who have certain information above others who do not. He reminds the Corinthians of their calling, of the message they heard and believed, of the way that God reveals truth to humanity, of God’s certain judgment of their life in Christ, of the inappropriateness of spiritual boasting, and of the necessity of their taking stock of and then changing their behavior.

1:10 / Paul begins by making an appeal to the Corinthians. In Paul’s direct address to the Corinthians the NRSV’s translation, “brothers and sisters” is preferable to the NIV’s brothers. The Greek word adelphoi is one of Paul’s most familiar forms of address for Christians. He uses the word twenty times in 1 Corinthians alone as a way of speaking directly to the Corinthians. In Greek the male plural form of address was the standard form for addressing mixed assemblies of men and women (the same is true of Latin and other languages, including English in a former time). Paul repeatedly uses adelphoi as the form of address for the Corinthian congregation, even in instances in which he is clearly concerned to address the Corinthian women (esp. chs. 7, 11, 14). Thus adelphoi, despite its literal male cast, should be translated as the NRSV and other recent versions render it: “brothers and sisters.”

When Paul says I appeal to you, the verb “to appeal” (Gk. parakaleō) could indicate either a formal petition as in a court of law or a simple request that has no special urgency. The seriousness of the situation in Corinth and the way that Paul words the rest of this sentence show that he speaks urgently and in an official fashion. Paul specifies that he appeals to the Corinthians (lit.) “through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Translations that read “by the name …” are closer to the sense of Paul’s statement than the NIV’s in the name …, for Paul is continuing the christological emphasis that he registered in the salutation and thanksgiving and is now making it the basis and means of his appeal to the Corinthians. The substance of his appeal is given in the remainder of verse 10 in a series of three phrases that, by the form of Paul’s Greek, state not only what he appeals for, but even the purpose of his appeal. The phrases of the appeal are positive, then negative, and positive again. He urges that they all say the same thing (positive), and that there not be divisions among them (negative), but that they be perfectly united in the same mind and in the same conviction (positive).

The word mind, which Paul uses in the last phrase, usually has the sense of disposition or mentality; the word translated here as thought may be rendered “judgment,” “opinion,” “advice,” and “consent” (see 7:25, 40; 2 Cor. 8:10; Phlm. 14). In this christologically focused appeal for unity, Paul is making a plea similar to the well-known one he issued in Philippians 2:5. This call for unity aims at eliminating divisions that encumber the church and hinder its mission. Paul is not interested in imposing uniformity on the congregation, he is concerned that the community of Christian faith not suffer a tear in the fabric of its life that would weaken its faith and life in Christ. By choosing to make this statement his starting point in the body of the letter, Paul provides valuable insight into his primary purpose for writing to the Corinthians.

1:11 / Paul tells the Corinthians how he became aware of the problem he addresses: his information came as a report on the Corinthians from Chloe’s household or (lit.) “the ones of Chloe,” who apparently had witnessed the strained relations in Corinth. The statement here raises a series of issues that are impossible to answer with certainty. (1) We cannot tell whether Chloe herself is a Christian. (2) We cannot tell whether she and her household are from Corinth or Asia (perhaps Ephesus). (3) We cannot tell whether these people are member of Chloe’s family, her slaves, or freedmen in her employ. Since they know the situation in the Corinthian church and bring the news to Paul in Ephesus, they are apparently themselves Christians. They are not to be confused with the Corinthians who came to Ephesus with a letter from the Corinthians to Paul (Stephanas, Fortunatas, and Achaicus—see 16:17). Identifying Chloe’s people precisely is not, fortunately, crucial for understanding Paul’s remarks to the Corinthians.

1:12 / Paul elaborates his concern by reporting that he has heard that some of the Corinthians are saying, “I am of …” and then naming either Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or Christ. The way Paul words his remarks is telling, for he says that “each” (NIV = one) of the Corinthians is making such declarations, so they are acting as individuals, not as groups; for each of them is speaking as “I,” not “we.” This shows us that, despite the suggestion of many scholars, there are not formal parties or fixed divisions in the church. Paul’s report does not create the image of clusters or clear factions that are set over against one another. Rather, we see a congregation in which its members are in general turmoil.

Moreover, the way Paul constructs this report also indicates that, incongruous as it is, Christ has been cast into the mix as one of a number of people with whom the individual Corinthians are claiming to identify (along with Paul, Apollos, and Cephas). Identifying oneself as being “of Christ” would normally have Paul’s approval, but the way he refers to the Corinthian situation indicates that perhaps in this case the claim to belong to Christ is not necessarily laudable. Exactly what the Corinthians think they are achieving by declaring such identities is not clear from Paul’s discussion at this point, but they apparently think such identities give them some kind of status. Yet what they are attempting to accomplish is uncertain. Their actions raise questions that cannot be answered conclusively: (1) How did this problem begin? (2) How did some in Corinth come to identify themselves with Cephas (Simon Peter)? Had he been to Corinth, or had they known him elsewhere and then moved to Corinth themselves? (3) How could Christ come to be one among several with whom the Corinthians identify? Would his name not naturally be more impressive than those of Paul, Apollos, and Cephas?

1:13 / The activity of the Corinthians in declaring these diverse identities causes Paul to compose a series of rhetorical questions in this verse that aim at exposing the absurdity, the inappropriateness, and the danger of what they are doing. The grammatical construction of the questions signals that Paul expects the answers all to be “no.” Yet because of ambiguity in the vocabulary that Paul uses, interpreters debate exactly how the questions should be answered. The difficulty relates to the sense of the first question, Is Christ divided? If “Christ” in this question is a surrogate for “church,” then some argue the three questions in this verse are to be answered “yes—although to divide the church is erroneous and inappropriate,” “no—certainly Paul was not crucified for us,” and “no—of course we were not baptized into the name of Paul.” This would, however, be an unusual use of Christ by Paul—one that uses a very different meaning of Christ than that of verse 12. But then, what does Paul mean by asking “Is Christ divided?” In fact, the verb translated here as “divided” more normally means “to apportion out,” so Paul may be asking, “Is Christ apportioned out [as one option among several viable options]?” If this is the sense of Paul’s first question, then the answers to the three questions are “no,” “no,” “no.” In either case, in the sequence of these questions, the first identifies the problem and the following two questions make it obvious that the situation in Corinth is senseless. The third question, concerning baptism, will become Paul’s point of departure in the ensuing verses as he first argues that who baptizes whom is unimportant and second explains the central concern of his ministry—preaching the gospel in a way that does not draw attention to Paul’s ministry, but that ensures that the power of the cross is preserved and made effective.

1:14–16 / In an initial reading, Paul’s remarks in these verses appear to exhibit a surprisingly, even shockingly supercilious view of baptism. Paul is not, however, attempting to explain his theological understanding of baptism; rather, he is combating the Corinthians’ own obviously erroneous understanding of baptism as some kind of magical ritual (see 15:29 and the commentary on that part of the letter). Paul is grateful here that he baptized only a few persons in Corinth, for this means that not many will be apt to say they were baptized into the name of Paul (1:13) and then declare that they “follow Paul” (1:12).

As he registers this disclaimer, Paul recalls that he did baptize Crispus and Gaius. Crispus is surely the former president of the synagogue in Corinth who is mentioned in Acts 18:8, and the Gaius referred to here may be the same Gaius mentioned in Romans 16:23 who, Paul says, hosted him and the whole church in Corinth. (Paul wrote to the Romans as he was in Corinth and about to go to Jerusalem with the collection he had assembled for the church there.) Thus, Paul’s immediate memory is that he baptized only two prominent persons in Corinth—although he remembers (or someone like Sosthenes or Stephanas reminds him) that he also baptized the household of Stephanas. Later, at 16:15 Paul relates that Stephanas and his household were among the first converts in Achaia. The subsequent reference to Stephanas in 16:17 as one of the letter delegation may name the same person, although that is not certain since the name was not uncommon. There is certainly sarcasm in these lines as Paul attempts to jolt the Corinthians out of their boastful comparisons concerning their status in the church.

1:17 / As one sees from Paul’s statement in here (1:17), he is able to relativize the importance of baptism (which the Corinthians apparently think gives them special identities and status) because he understands his call as a call to preach. The sentence begins with for and looks back to the last phrase of verse 16, “I don’t remember if I baptized anyone else.” Baptism is a part of the larger picture of Christian faith and practice, but Paul’s principal interest is in the proclamation of the gospel. Given the particular problem in Corinth with the Corinthians’ concern with baptism and spiritual boasting, Paul claims that he is thankful that baptism per se was not his primary ministry. Paul understands his primary ministry to be to preach the gospel, that is, the cross of Christ.

As Paul continues he creates a remarkable contrast between wisdom and the cross—literally, “the wisdom of word” and the cross of Christ. He articulates disdain for sheer eloquence, for in Paul’s evaluation, loquacious rhetoric that wins allegiance merely through its beauty is inadequate, since it draws attention to itself or to the one who utters such lovely lines. The good news of God’s saving work in the cross of Christ, however, is not a message that is to be sold through elegant presentation. The cross is not a pretty sight, and sheer manipulative eloquence is not a medium that can bear the weight of the message of Christ’s cross. Above all, the shocking claim that God saves humanity in the cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates that God works in defiance of this world’s norms. Paul’s unstated point here is that the substance of the gospel—the message of the cross of Christ—determines the appropriate style of the proclamation of that message. Human wisdom is smooth and easy to hear, but the gospel confronts humanity with power that is real and urgent, even offensive. Paul’s statements here are an aggressive apology for the form of his work and preaching but also for the gospel itself, which is his ultimate concern. Only as the Corinthians hear and heed the gospel will they exist as the church in the way God intends.