Engaging With Others - Part II

In the Part I of Engaging With Others, I mentioned I Corinthians 1:10:

Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. I Corinthians 1:10

Paul further illustrates his point by mentioning the household ("those of Chloe") of Chloe where strife had reared its stinky head. This should be no surprise, because it happens everywhere, not just in families and marriages, but also in religious circles. The whole book of Corinthians addresses all these areas of strife issues. The Corinthians believed in God, believed in the resurrection of God's son and had received the gift of holy spirit. They all had the power necessary to live abundantly with one another. For some people, God's power is not enough, they still through human desire want to have power and control over others. This desire originates in a point of weakness in their thinking and lack of confidence in God and his Christ.

The people of this particular household were following their favorite leader and in doing so were separating themselves from each other.

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.13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I Corinthian 1:12-13

In contrast, Paul, a man of great spiritual understanding, admits in I Corinthians 2:1-5:

2 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.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. 

Is Christ divided? Absolutely not! However, they certainly were acting divided! The question is: why? Pride (Genesis 3:5) come to mind.  Pride lifts our minds above others and it can also push our minds to think negatively about ourselves. Self-condemnation is a form of pride as it inflates our own opinion above God's. Personal opinion and comparison to others destroys relationships by introducing rivalry and competition. Measuring ourselves by each other seriously undermines the power of God in our lives.

The remedy to this human condition is to look at each other as godly individuals and respectfully submit to one another. We are all divinely unique and yet we all have been empowered with the same measure of faith, the faith of Jesus Christ. We should believe in and utilize what we've been given. Comparing ourselves with others takes our eyes off our own unique path for what God wants to bless us uniquely with.

21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

Being 'perfectly joined together' (Greek - katartizo) in the same mind and in the same judgment does not mean that we are in agree on everything or walk in lockstep robotically. Studying the Greek word for 'perfectly joined together', 'katartizo', helps us to better understand I Corinthians 1:10. Its first use in the gospels is in Matthew 4:21:

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending (katartizo)their nets; and he called them.

It is translated 'mended', 'fitted', 'prepared',  framed', 'perfected' in other places in the New Testament. We are to be mended together in reasoning, understanding, purpose and decision. Hardly anyone is in complete 'perfect' agreement. 'Perfectly joined together' in our culture could imply having exactly the same thoughts and opinions. I like the thought of being 'mended' and fitted' with each other as followers of Christ. It sure beats isolation and strife.