Daily Lesson for Monday 13th of July 2026
Read 1 Corinthians 1:10. What do you think Paul meant by “be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (ESV)?
The formation of cliques constituted here a denial of one’s allegiance to Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10). God called us “into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9, NKJV). Our Lord is Christ, and we must be centered on Him. Thus, the answer to the rhetorical questions “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13, NKJV) is a resounding “No!” Christ is not divided. It is Christ who was crucified for us. We were baptized “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NASB).
Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com
Paul mentions that we are “the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV; emphasis supplied). While the body has many parts—each one with its function—it is still one body. For the body to function properly, each part has to do its work according to its capabilities. This metaphor indicates that Paul is looking for unity, not uniformity. He is looking for unity in the diversity. More than that, he is looking for unity despite diversity.
However, all thoughts and opinions must be submitted to Christ, our Lord. The fact that Christ is our Lord is such an important concept for Paul that he resorts to it repeatedly, in the opening of 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:2,7-10). Thus, before Paul deals with the issue of cliques and human leaders, he first emphasizes that all of us have Jesus as our Lord. The church is not centered on human leaders. Christians are centered on Jesus.
The emphasis on the Lordship of Jesus in the early verses of 1 Corinthians helps us understand what Paul meant by the words: “Be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, ESV). The Greek term translated as “united” comes from the verb katartizō, which suggests that something is to be restored to its proper condition. When cliques are formed around human leaders, relationships within the church must be restored to their proper condition, and that can happen through unity in Christ and the death to self it entails.
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During the past few decades, some parts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have emphasized small group Bible studies. What is the difference between cliques and small groups? How can we be careful that small groups do not turn into cliques? |
