one hundred percent agreement in doctrine?

1 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.

There are three essential rules to be "rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). 

1) Concurrence: defined as "a situation in which people agree or have the same opinion" (The Cambridge Dictionary). First John 5:8 says, "The Spirit, and the water ['washing of water by the word'; Ephesians  5:26] ... agree." We must understand the divine concurrence that "the word of truth" can only be rightly divided under the guidance of "the Spirit of truth" (John 16:13). Since the Scriptures are divinely inspired (2 Timothy 3:16), proper understanding can only come from a divine source: "the Spirit of truth." Ephesians 1:17-18 says "the spirit" enables "the eyes of your understanding [to be] enlightened." Utter reliance on "the Spirit" for the revelation (understanding) of the Scriptures is paramount!

2) Correlation: each passage must be viewed in correlation, or conjunction, with the harmony and scheme of the entirety of the Scriptures. Second Timothy 3:16 states, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." The Scriptures have a compatibility, or harmony. When "the Spirit" reveals the cohesion and compatibility of the Scriptures, and we begin to realize this principle, we will allow the Spirit to lead us to do as we are instructed. We will, "Seek ye out the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them" (Isaiah 34:16). 

When we study, "the Spirit" (the true Teacher; John 14:26) will "mate" up the Scriptures. He inspires us to lay "precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:13). Following such guidance will enable enlightenment of our understanding.

3) Contextual Consideration: each Scripture must be viewed in its scriptural context. "No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20). We cannot isolate or make any Scripture "private" from others (separate any text from the context in which it is housed). We must give each text its contextual consideration so as to not misunderstand and misapply it.

This rule particularly applies to the Scripture (1 Corinthians 1:10) and the question under consideration. We must apply this rule and consider the surrounding context rather than extract and isolate a single verse. It is clear from the context, the Apostle Paul was not addressing in this portion of the letter any doctrinal persuasions but rather personal persuasions. He said he had heard of "contentions among you" (1 Corinthians 1:11). The Greek word for "contentions" is eris, which means "contention, strife, wrangling" (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament). First Corinthians 1:12 reveals they were "wrangling" over their personal preference of preachers, not over doctrinal matters. ("I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.")

All the brethren mentioned held to the same doctrinal positions. Paul closed out Chapter 1 admonishing, "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). He then returned to the same subject in 1 Corinthians 3:4-5, writing: "For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man." Sadly, their "wrangling" over their preference of preachers was causing "contentions among you" (verse 11). Had they not given vent to their thoughts and minds, they could have had the benefit of all those whom "the Lord gave to every man" (3:5). "Every man" could have benefitted from all those ministers. 

The Apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." Different ministers hold different offices and have different gifts and abilities, but the body of Christ needs them all. Paul was telling them they should not let their thoughts and their minds cause them to operate and "walk as men" (3:3) but rather exercise "the mind of Christ" (2:16). 

This is incorporated into the Scriptures to teach the same lesson yet today. When people move from the spiritual position of following Christ to follow their minds and gravitate to following men as the byproduct, if not remedied, it will always result in "contentions" and "divisions." The remedy to it all is being "spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:15) and allowing "the Spirit" (2:14) to enlighten us to use "the mind of Christ" (2:16). If we do such, "the Spirit" will cause us to be, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace [not 'wrangling'].... Till we all come in the unity of the faith" (Ephesians 4:3, 13).

Earl R. Borders

From the October 2024 issue of The Gospel Trumpeter