DAY #245: Romans 16:17-1 Corinthians 1:13

Paul had not yet been to Rome, but he certainly realized that the ubiquitous false teachers would make their way there. He urged believers to watch out for people who cause divisions by teaching things that are contrary to the truth. They should stay away from them. The severe problem of false teaching in some of the other churches Paul visited caused him to include this in the closing lines of his letter, for he knew it could certainly become a problem.

Teachers should be paid by the people they teach, but false teachers were attempting to make more money by distorting the truth and saying what people wanted to hear. They were more interested in serving their own personal interests, motivated by a desire to gain power and prestige.

In contrast, genuine Christian teachers are motivated by sincere faith and a desire to do what is right. Both Paul and Peter condemned greedy, lying teachers. Paul warned the Roman believers that when they listen to teachers, they should check the content of what is said and not be fooled by smooth talk or glowing words. Many cult leaders have led Christians astray by teaching things that sound like truth but are actually falsehoods. Christians who study God’s word will not be fooled, even though superficial listeners may easily be taken in. For an example of those who carefully checked God’s word.

Paul wrote this letter to the church of God in Corinth while he was visiting Ephesus during his third missionary journey (Acts 19:1–20:1). Paul’s purpose for writing was to correct those problems and to answer questions that church members had.

Corinth, a giant cultural melting pot with a great diversity of wealth, religions, and moral standards, had a reputation for being fiercely independent and as decadent as any city in the world. Yet out of this moral wasteland God formed a church through Paul’s ministry.

Paul recognized this group of believers as called by God to be his own holy people. The term “called” means designated by God. God had identified them to serve him and not to serve their own purposes. To be made holy means to be cleansed of sin, separated from the world, and belonging to God. This can only happen through salvation in Christ Jesus, for only his death on the cross could accomplish this for sinners.

The problems in the Corinthian church shaped almost every word Paul wrote in his letter. He realized that the believers were struggling with internal, as well as external, problems. They were forgetting to whom they belonged.

Thus, Paul here was pleading with the believers to let there be real harmony and for them to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. To be perfectly united does not mean that Paul required everyone to be exactly the same. Instead, he wanted them to set aside their arguments and focus on what truly mattered—Jesus Christ as Lord and their mission to take the light of the gospel into a dark world. The internal divisions would only cause strife and hinder the gospel, as well as make the church look ridiculous to those outside.

The factions in the Corinthian church threatened to destroy it. These factious groups followed different preachers for different reasons. Some of the believers followed Paul, who had founded their church. Others chose to follow Peter. A third group chose to follow Apollos, an eloquent and popular preacher who had had a dynamic ministry in Corinth. Apollos was from Alexandria and had become distinguished for his speaking ability. Finally, a fourth group claimed to follow only Christ. This group may have boasted a special relationship to Christ, or they may have been positioning themselves above the fray, saying that they had chosen to follow Christ alone, not any human leader.

Paul asked whether Christ could be divided. This is a graphic picture of what happens when the church (the body of Christ) quarrels. Then Paul asked if he, himself, had been crucified for them. No, because only One had been crucified for the believers—indeed, only One could be crucified to pay the penalty for sins.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

Unity in the Body of Christ is built around the truth found in God's Word. When we don't know the truth, it is so easy to allow others to distort the truth to further their own agenda. When we allow that, disunity follows. Folks, when we do that is sin. It is so vitally important that we KNOW God's word. We must hear it weekly. We must read it daily. We must study it regularly. We must meditate upon it constantly. We must memorize it always. Finally, we must do what the Word says. We must live it out, or we become just like the Pharisees.

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:9-11 (NIV)

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

James 1:22 (NIV)

False teachers can only exist where there are immature believers and no mature believers willing to stand up and fight for the truth. To be sure this is a prescription for danger. When men and women of God fail to stand for the truth of God's Word, false teaching creeps into the church - into the body of Christ.

How else can you explain tolerance for abortion and homosexuality in the church today? How do you explain false teaching about baptism and ordination? How do you explain a total rejection of the creation account, in favor of godless evolution, in so many denominations today? If you sit under false teaching long enough, you become dull to the truth. You get lulled to sleep. Social connections in the church and friendships become more important than sitting under correct biblical teaching/preaching.

"Your flip and callous arrogance in these things bothers me. You pass it off as a small thing, but it's anything but that. Yeast, too, is a "small thing," but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. 7 So get rid of this "yeast." Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast."1 Corinthians 5:6-7 (MB)

Men and women of God need to scrutinize what they hear and filter it through God's word to make sure it jibes. Be that man. Be that woman. Know the Word. Cherish the Word of God. If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything.

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 8:31-32 (NIV)