The following is a teaching from the Great Apostle Paul about:
- Factionalism and a party spirit rather than a Kingdom of God spirit
- what makes one spiritual or unspiritual,
The main chapter to be discussed is 1 Corinthians 3. Apostle Paul starts by outlining for us the characteristics of UNSPIRITUAL persons. I will quote the verse and bullet the different characteristics mentioned in the verse using the Amplified Classic translation of the Holy Scripture.
1Co 3:3 (AMPC) For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men?
The church in Corinth was born again but exhibited the nature of unspiritual men. They had fallen from the glorious state from which Christ had exalted them.
Unspiritual men are those having the nature of the flesh or under the control of ordinary impulses. He defines unspiritual men as those who entertain works of the flesh such as:
- envying
- jealousy
- wrangling
- factions among you…
He says anyone who does these things behaves after a human standard, like mere (unchanged) men. Christians are changed men—no longer homo sapiens but a new creation, a chosen genos, created in righteousness and true holiness.
Factions are a mark of un-spirituality.
Factions have to do with discord or dissension. FACTION is a party or group (as within a government or church) that is often contentious or self-seeking. Faction acts as dissenters that emerge from one big organisation. In Apostle Paul’s day, there were two factions—one siding with Apollos and another with Apostle Paul. Apostle Paul was very unpleased with this.
1Co 3:4-8 (AMPC)
4 For when one says, I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos, are you not [proving yourselves] ordinary (unchanged) men?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Ministering servants [not heads of parties] through whom you believed, even as the Lord appointed to each his task:
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.
7 So neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but [only] God Who makes it grow and become greater.
8 He who plants and he who waters are equal (one in aim, of the same importance and esteem), yet each shall receive his own reward (wages), according to his own labor.
Factionalism or factionism is the state or quality of being partisan or self-interested. This is the problem with denominationalism. This is how the Dragon tried to introduce divisions into the early church at its infancy. God's house is a spiritual house, and none of the early disciples started any denomination. Paul fought it stating that he did not die for anyone. Christ did.
After he passed on though, many denominations and factions sprung up within the church. Factions are divisions and not only do they make new men unspiritual. This unspirituality leads to defeat.
Mar 3:25 (AMPC) And if a house is divided (split into factions and rebelling) against itself, that house will not be able to last.
Today, the ekklēsia globally seems very fragmented (full of factions) that it has no one judicial council to try what happens between Christians—such as the Jerusalem Council. You have broadly speaking, the Roman Catholic faction and the Protestant faction and under these, there are further fragmentations and factions/divisions.
Within the ekklēsia in Corinth, some people said “I belong to Paul, and another, I belong to Apollos.” Paul could have condoned this a developed his own sect but no—he said Christ is not divided.
1Co 1:11-13 (AMPC)
11 For it has been made clear to me, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions and wrangling and factions among you.
12 What I mean is this, that each one of you [either] says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollos, or I belong to Cephas (Peter), or I belong to Christ.
13 Is Christ (the Messiah) divided into parts? Was Paul crucified on behalf of you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
It is Christ who died for his ecclesia and so all should belong to Christ. That was Paul’s impetus. Christ alone. He entreated an end to the factions.
1Co 1:10 (AMPC) But I urge and entreat you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in perfect harmony and full agreement in what you say, and that there be no dissensions or factions or divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in your common understanding and in your opinions and judgments.
This is one of the reasons God did not allow any of Jesus’ bones to be broken on the cross. His body is not divided but one under God.
1Co 3:22-23 (AMPC)
22 Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas (Peter), or the universe or life or death, or the immediate and threatening present or the [subsequent and uncertain] future--all are yours,
23 And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.
No need to fight over your leaders. All of them are actually yours from the Lord. And you are Christ’s and Christ belongs to God.
1Co 4:6 (AMPC) Now I have applied all this [about parties and factions] to myself and Apollos for your sakes, brethren, so that from what I have said of us [as illustrations], you may learn [to think of men in accordance with Scripture and] not to go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up and inflated with pride and boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another.
Paul used himself and Apollos as a teaching tool to show these believers what is not acceptable in God’s house. Factions are built upon and promote:
- people being puffed up and
- inflated with pride and
- boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another
This is unchristlike. There is but one Teacher and his name is Christ and all fivefold gifts are simply his helpers or fellow workers—each with different functions either sowing seed, watering or doing something else as led by Holy Spirit our Lord.
Unity builds and strengthens but factions destroy.
1Co 12:12 (AMPC) For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Eph 2:14 (AMPC) For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,
A mark of a strong church is its unity.
Act 2:44 (AMPC) And all who believed (who adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus Christ) were united and [together] they had everything in common;
And a mark of a weak church is its disunity and factionalism. In Christ, we must all be of one mind—the mind of the Spirit of God.
1Pe 3:8 (AMPC) Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).
Unity and Love is the key to factionalism.
