Unity in the Cross

Josh Harris @ www.newattitude.0rg starts with a joke: "There’s an old, worn out joke about a man on a desert island who was rescued after living there for years by himself. The captain of the boat that found him asked, “If you were alone why are there three huts on the beach?” The castaway said, “Well, that one’s my house, and the other is where I go to church.” The captain says “What about the third one?” “Oh, that’s the church I used to go to.”

He gave a message at my church (Covenant Life Church) on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (you can download the message here). In summarizing the passage he notes:" In this passage, Paul addresses a deeply concerning report he received about petty and prideful division in the church. “For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’” (1:11-12)".

He then outlines the situation:

The Corinthians had strayed from the defining truth of Christ crucified for sins.

How can we avoid the mistake of the Corinthians?

1. We are united by Christ’s death.

2. Unity is maintained where the cross is preeminent.

(1:10).

3. Unity takes consistent effort.

Distrust your “dislikes.”

Distrust your “favorites.”

Root out bitterness and apathy in your relationships.

For Christians, here’s the big idea that I think we’re supposed to take home from this passage:

The cross is the basis of Christian unity—we only fit together when our lives are shaped by it, and we only hold together when we’re all clinging to it.