Church Politics at Corinth

This chapter is based on Acts 18:18-28. 

After he left Corinth, Paul’s place to work was Ephesus. He was on his way to Jerusalem to attend a festival, so he could stay only a short time. He made such a good impression on the Jews in the synagogue that they begged him to stay with them. He promised to return, “God willing,” and left Aquila and Priscilla to carry on the work. 4TC 139.2

At this time “a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.” He had heard the preaching of John the Baptist and was living proof that the work of the prophet had not been in vain. Apollos “had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.” 4TC 139.3

In Ephesus, Apollos “began to speak boldly in the synagogue.” Aquila and Priscilla, recognizing that he had not yet received the full light of the gospel, “took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” He became one of the most effective spokesmen for the Christian faith. 4TC 140.1

Apollos went to Corinth, where “he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.” Paul had planted the seed of truth, and Apollos watered it. His success led some of the believers to value his efforts more than Paul’s work. This brought a spirit of rivalry that threatened to weaken the spreading of the gospel. 4TC 140.2

During the year and a half that Paul spent in Corinth, he had purposely presented the gospel simply. “In demonstration of the Spirit and of power” he had declared “the testimony of God,” that their “faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4, 1, 5). 4TC 140.3

“I fed you with milk and not with solid food,” he explained later, “for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able” (1 Corinthians 3:2). Many Corinthian believers had been slow to learn. Their growth in spiritual knowledge had not measured up to their opportunities. When they should have been able to understand the deeper truths, they were no more advanced than the disciples had been when Christ said, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12). Jealousy and evil suspicions had closed the hearts of many against the full working of the Holy Spirit. They were infants in the knowledge of Christ. 4TC 140.4

Paul had instructed the Corinthians in the alphabet of faith, as people who were ignorant of divine power on the heart. Those who followed him must carry forward the work, giving spiritual light as the church was able to bear it. 4TC 140.5

How Paul Handled Sexual Immorality

The apostle knew that among his hearers in Corinth there would be proud believers in human theories who would hope to find theories in nature that would contradict the Scriptures. He also knew that critics would argue against the Christian interpretation of God’s word and that skeptics would treat the gospel of Christ with scorn. 4TC 141.1

As he worked to lead people to the cross, Paul did not try to rebuke directly those who were living immoral lives or to show how hateful their sin was in the sight of a holy God. Instead, he talked especially about practical godliness and the holiness people must have if they will be counted worthy of a place in God’s kingdom. In the light of the gospel of Christ they might see how offensive their immoral practices were in the sight of God. And so the theme of his teaching was Christ and Him crucified. 4TC 141.2

The philosopher turns aside from the light because it puts his proud theories to shame. The worldly person refuses it because it would separate him from his idols. Paul saw that people must understand the character of Christ before they could love Him or view the cross with the eye of faith. Only in the light of the cross can anyone begin to grasp the true value of a human being. 4TC 141.3

The refining influence of the grace of God changes a person’s natural attitudes. Unconverted people would not find heaven desirable, and if it were possible for them to enter, they would find nothing attractive there. The impulses that control the natural heart must be subdued by the grace of Christ before anyone is able to enjoy the society of the pure, holy angels. 4TC 141.4

Paul had tried to impress the Corinthian believers that he and the ministers with him were all doing the same work, and all of them were dependent on God for success. The discussion in the church over the strengths of different ministers resulted from cherishing the traits of the natural heart. “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal? ... 4TC 141.5

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:4-7). 4TC 141.6

It was Paul who had first preached the gospel in Corinth and organized the church. The seed he sowed must be watered, and this is what Apollos did. He gave further instruction, but it was God who gave the increase. Those who plant and those who water do not cause the growth of the seed. The honor and glory that comes with success belongs to the Master Worker. 4TC 142.1

God has given to each of His messengers an individual work. They are all to blend in harmony, controlled by the Holy Spirit. As they make the gospel known, the human instrument is hid, and Christ appears as the Chief among ten thousand, the One altogether lovely. 4TC 142.2

“We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). The apostle compares the church to a cultivated field and also to a building, which is to grow into a temple for the Lord. He gives His workmen wisdom and skill, and if they follow His instruction, He crowns their efforts with success. 4TC 142.3

God’s servants are to work together, blending in a kindly, courteous way, “in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12:10). No one is to pull another’s work to pieces, and there are to be no separate factions. Each person is to do his appointed work, respected, loved, and encouraged by the others. Together they are to carry the work forward to completion. 4TC 142.4

The Letter to the Corinthians Is Timely Today

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he referred to the comparisons made between his efforts and those of Apollos: “I have applied all this to Apollos and myself for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so that you may learn through us the meaning of the saying, ‘Nothing beyond what is written,’ so that none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:6, 7, NRSV). 4TC 142.5

Paul told the church about the hardships that he and those working with him had endured. “To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:11-15). 4TC 142.6

He who sends out gospel workers is dishonored when church members develop so strong an attachment to some favorite minister that they are unwilling to accept some other teacher. The Lord sends help to His people, not always what they might choose, but what they need, for people cannot recognize what is for their highest good. Not very often does one minister have all the qualifications necessary to develop a church perfectly, so God often sends others, each one possessing some qualifications that the others did not have. 4TC 143.1

The church should gratefully accept these servants of Christ. They should seek to gain all the benefit possible from each minister. In humility they should accept the truths that the servants of God bring, but no minister is to be idolized. 4TC 143.2

As God’s ministers obtain the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to extend the triumphs of the cross, they will see results—they will accomplish a work that will withstand the attacks of Satan. Many people will turn from darkness to light, converted not to the human messenger but to Christ. Jesus only, the Man of Calvary, will appear. And God is just as ready to give power to His servants today as He was to give it to Paul and Apollos, to Silas and Timothy, to Peter, James, and John. 4TC 143.3

The Peril of Trying to Go It Alone

In Paul’s day some misguided people claimed to believe in Christ, yet refused to show respect to His ambassadors. They claimed that Christ taught them directly without the aid of the ministers of the gospel. They were unwilling to submit to the voice of the church. People like this were in danger of being deceived. 4TC 143.4

God has placed people with different talents in the church, so that through the combined wisdom of many we may do what the Spirit wants. Workers who refuse to team up with others who have had long experience in the work of God will be unable to tell the difference between the false and the true. If they were chosen as leaders in the church, they would follow their own judgment regardless of the judgment of their fellow Christians. It is easy for the enemy to work through them. Impressions alone are not a safe guide to duty. The enemy persuades such people that God is guiding them, when in reality they are only following their human impulses. But if we take counsel with others in the church, God will give us an understanding of His will. 4TC 144.1

In the early church some refused to accept either Paul or Apollos, saying that Peter, also known as Cephas, was their leader. They affirmed that Peter had been one of Christ’s closest associates, while Paul had been a persecutor of the believers. Controlled by prejudice, they did not show the generosity, the tenderness, that reveals that Christ is living in the heart. 4TC 144.2

The Lord instructed Paul to speak up in protest. Addressing those who were saying, “‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ,’” he asked, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” “Let no one boast in men,” he pleaded. “Whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Corinthians 1:12, 13; 3:21-23.) 4TC 144.3

Apollos was sad because of the conflict at Corinth. Hhe did not encourage it, but quickly left the scene of strife. Later, when Paul urged him to visit Corinth again, he declined until many years later when the church had reached a better spiritual condition. 4TC 144.4