Division

In I Corinthians 1:12 Paul pointed out the spiritual immaturity of the Corinthians:

12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

They were following men, rather than God. Paul mentioned himself first. He did not want worship. Paul was instrumental in bringing the freedom of the Word to the Gentiles.  There were some Judeans that criticized his message, demeanor and behavior.

Apollos was popular because of his eloquence. In a Greek culture that thrived on intellectualism, he would appeal to many. He was a well-liked orator.

Then there was Cephas. Cephas (Aramaic for 'stone'-It is interesting that this is the name used here) is Peter.  Some Judeans would have been looking to him for leadership.

Paul even included a group that was 'of Christ'. Maybe the other leaders were rejected by this group and a spiritual elitism dominated their thinking that they only followed Christ.

Factions and following men is a result of spiritual immaturity. God has given his word and His spirit for the 'growing up' process (Ephesians 4:15-16). Men and women may assist in this process as in the case of gift ministries and anyone who recognizes what reconciliation to God is all about (that is: -real honest-to-goodness discipleship), but the ultimate goal is that each individual becomes an expression of the heart of God.

Paul, Apollos and Peter were united by Christ, not divided. In verse 13, Paul says:

13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

There is so much available today to help someone start the process of getting to know God.  Ultimately it is the individual himself that needs to take on the responsibility of developing a relationship with God.  Paul expressed God's heart, as well as his own, in II Corinthians 2:

4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

As a child grows up, he becomes less dependent on Mom and Dad. A baby learns to feed himself, crawl, walk, dress himself and so on. At some point during his growth, he develops the youthful attitude: “I want to do it myself!”  As an individual continues grows and matures, he hopefully becomes an avid learner and eventually develops his own confident independence that functions lovingly and wisely with others. The same is true with spiritual growth. It is the process of ‘growing up’  and maturing in Christ.