Ministry of Grace Church

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Truth to Learn

Submit to your leaders, but worship Christ alone.

Behind the Words

Meridzō is the word translated “divided.” It means “to separate into parts” or “to divide.” It is expressed here in the perfect tense, indicating past completed action with an ongoing effect, where the emphasis is on the effect. One thing to note here is that there is no interrogative pronoun in this sentence. Therefore, the structure of this question makes the assumption that the answer is “yes.” So, it is more reasonable to translate this as, “Christ is divided?” And, the assumed answer is “yes, because of the divisions in the church.”

“Crucified” is translated from the verb stauroō, which is from the noun stauros, meaning “a pole” or “a cross.” Therefore, stauroō means “to be hung on a pole or nailed to a cross.”

The word “baptized” is transliterated (a word of one language spelled with the letters of another) from the Greek verb baptidzō, which means “to dip or immerse in a liquid.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now lays his gentleness aside and gets very direct with the Christians in Corinth. He obviously is displeased with the divisions that had sprung-up in the church and asks the question, “Christ is divided?” As noted above, the grammatical structure of this question assumes a positive answer. It is clear from Paul’s teaching in his other writings that Christ is God and God is one. Therefore, the force of his question here is saying, in effect, “You have divided Christ who cannot be divided. My brothers, these things cannot be!”

He follows up this question with another, “Was Paul crucified for you?” The grammatical construction of this question is different from the first. It assumes, even demands, a negative answer. And the third question is grammatically tied to the second; therefore, it also demands a negative answer. In his typically humble manner, Paul does not want to be viewed as anyone’s savior; instead, he wants to be viewed merely as a servant leading people to the Savior.”

This reminds me of a story told about the great evangelistic preacher Dwight L. Moody. After one of his tent meetings a man approached him and said, “Sir, I saw one of your converts in the bar getting drunk last night.” To which Moody quickly replied, “He may well be one of my converts. If he were one of Christ’s converts, he would not have been there.”

As we mentioned in yesterday’s verse, it is right to submit to those in the church who have authority over you. However, we are not to worship them, nor to blindly follow them. We are followers of Christ. The responsibility of church leaders is not to gather their own followers but to guide the people under their care into a closer walk with Christ.

Application

Do you have a great love and respect for your pastor? This is good, but don’t allow your feelings to interfere with his assigned task. Remember that even the greatest preacher is still a sinner saved by grace. Give him your support, but worship Christ alone!