SERMON

Unity, Not Uniformity   

I Corinthians 1:10–18 NRSVUE

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.

For it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.  What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”  Has Christ been divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.  I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.  For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel — and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.  For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 

1Corinthians 1:10–18 (NRSVUE)  

Introduction: The Beauty of Difference   

As we can see in our own families, every human being is unique.  Siblings may share the same DNA, grow up in the same home, and learn the same family traditions.  But we discover that each person carries a different personality, set of preferences, and even ways of expressing love.  One person is cautious, another bold, one reflective, and another impulsive.  It’s part of the beauty — and sometimes the frustration — of human life.  

In this regard, the church is much the same. Within one congregation, we find people who are very different. We find differences in temperament, backgrounds, political opinions, and spiritual practices. Some love quiet contemplation; others find God most vividly in singing or service. Yet the same Lord draws all.

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose.  1Corinthians 1:10 NRSVUE

Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was written about 2,000 years ago.  It shows that this diversity is nothing new.  From the very beginning, followers of Jesus wrestled with how to live in community while united in Christ.  The church at Corinth was full of gifted, intelligent, and passionate people.  But their diversity had become a source of conflict rather than celebration.    

Paul’s Pastoral Concern: A Church Divided    

Paul writes, “For it has been made clear to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you” (1 Corinthians 1:11).

That one sentence tells us volumes.  The Corinthian church, though young and energetic, was fragmenting into camps.  People were identifying themselves by which teacher or leader they preferred.

“I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Cephas,” or even “I belong to Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 1:12)

At first glance, that last group sounds right — who wouldn’t want to belong to Christ?  But Paul sees that even this claim has become a source of pride and competition.  The name of Jesus unites us, and people were using his very name to divide.  

Paul’s question slices through the nonsense:

“Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13)

It’s as if Paul is saying, “Stop acting like fans of competing teams.  You’ve forgotten who the real center is.”  

The Incarnation: God’s Response to Division   

To understand why unity matters so deeply to Paul, we must look at the heart of the gospel — the Incarnation.  In Jesus Christ, God did something astonishing: the infinite Creator took on human flesh.  The eternal Word entered human history not to erase our differences but to redeem them.  

When God became human in Jesus, he didn’t come as a generic person.  He came as a first-century Jewish man, with a family, language, and culture.  Yet through that particular human life, God opened the way for all humanity to be reconciled.  

The Incarnation is God’s declaration that human life, in all its variety, is not something to be abolished.  It’s something to be transformed.  Jesus’ body — real, wounded, resurrected — is now the meeting point between heaven and earth.  

And this is why unity in the church matters.  The church is called the Body of Christ.  If we are his body, we must reflect his nature.  His body is made up of diverse members who are united in Christ, in one life and animated by one Spirit.  Our unity doesn’t mean sameness any more than the Incarnation meant Jesus stopped being divine.  Rather, it means that different lives, different gifts, and different callings can coexist in harmony under one Lord.

The Trinity: Divine Unity in Diversity   

Paul’s vision of unity also echoes something even deeper — the life of the triune God.   

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, yet they exist in perfect love and harmony.  The Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit. But they share one essence, one will, one divine life.  The Trinity is the original community — unity without uniformity, diversity without division, equality without duplication.   

When we speak of Christian unity, we’re not just talking about good teamwork or organizational cooperation.  We’re talking about how God is drawing us into his very life.   Jesus prayed in John 17, “That they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me and I am in you …” (John 17:21 NRSVUE).  The church’s unity is meant to mirror the divine unity — the self-giving love that flows eternally between Father, Son, and Spirit.  

Paul urges the Corinthians to “be united in the same mind and the same purpose.”  He is calling them not to suppress their differences, but to let the life of the triune God flow among them.   We don’t create the unity, the oneness.  We submit to it.  We live into the unity that God created.  God has made us one.  

The Cross: The Shape of True Unity   

Paul then pivots to the cross: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Corinthians 1:18).

Why bring up the cross here?   Because the cross reveals the very pattern of divine unity.   On the cross, Jesus did not assert his rights or demand recognition.  He emptied himself — “being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8 NRSV).

That self-emptying love is the power of God.  It is also the model for the church.  Humility helps heal divisions.  Are we willing to lay down our pride, our preferences, our need to be right, and to see Christ in one another?   

Unity, then, is not a human achievement.  It’s the fruit of the cross at work in us.  

The Church as a Living Sign of Reconciliation   

Paul reminds the Corinthians that baptism is not a badge of allegiance to a particular leader.  It’s the sign that we have been immersed into Christ’s death and raised into his life.  In baptism, the old divisions lose their power — Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female — we are all one in Christ Jesus.   

This means the church is not a club of single-minded people.  It’s a new humanity being formed by the Spirit.  When the world looks at the church, it should see a living sign of reconciliation.  The world should see a community where people who would otherwise never associate with one another are bound together in love.   

The tragedy is that too often the church mirrors the world’s divisions rather than God’s unity.  We divide along lines of race, class, theology, or politics, forgetting that our witness to the world depends on our ability to love across those lines.  Jesus proclaimed the one unifying factor: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 NRSVUE).

Unity, Not Uniformity   

Let’s be clear: unity is not uniformity.  Paul does not call the Corinthians to agree on everything.  The goal is not to erase their personalities  or  force everyone into one mold.  Rather, unity means we hold our differences within a shared commitment to Christ.   

In the Body of Christ, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you.”  Each part has its purpose.  When all the parts work together, the body grows and moves gracefully.  But  when one part competes against another, the body becomes paralyzed.  

Our task is not to make everyone think the same way.  Our task is to love one another deeply.  Then our differences might become gifts rather than threats.  

A congregation can welcome different generations, cultures, and worship styles.  Doing so reflects the wideness of God’s kingdom.  These are not distractions but demonstrations of the gospel’s breadth.  

When we learn to appreciate each other’s differences, the world sees that God’s love can hold us together even when we are not identical.  

Listening as an Act of Love   

One of the most radical acts of love we can practice in the church is listening — really listening.  

To listen well is to set aside our need to defend, explain, or persuade.  It’s entering another’s experience with humility.  It’s a way of saying, “You matter.  Your story matters.  God is at work in you, and I want to understand how.”  

When church leaders, small group members, and friends  learn to listen like this, we become agents of reconciliation.   Listening becomes a spiritual discipline through which the Spirit knits us together.   

The Role of the Holy Spirit   

Unity is impossible apart from the Holy Spirit.  Human efforts at harmony often collapse into compromise or control.  But the Spirit is the bond of peace — the living presence of God that holds us together in love.   

The Spirit does not erase our individuality.  The Spirit sanctifies it, turning our differences into instruments of grace.  Paul writes, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:4 NRSVUE).  Each person’s gift reveals a different facet of God’s character.  

When the Spirit moves freely among us, unity becomes not a burden but a joy — a taste of heaven on earth.  

The Missional Dimension: Unity for the Sake of the World   

Unity is not just about getting along.  It’s missional.  Jesus’ prayer in John 17 makes this clear: “May they be one, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”  

The credibility of the Church is tied to her unity.  Christians can love across boundaries, forgive, reconcile, and celebrate differences without fear.  When others witness this, they glimpse the kingdom.  

The Incarnation shows that God’s mission is always relational. The Father sends the Son; the Spirit empowers the Son.  Together they invite us into that mission — to embody God’s love in a divided world.  

When the church lives in trinitarian unity, we become a living preview of God’s future.  We live the message of the gospel.  The Church is a community where strangers become family and enemies become friends.  

Practical Applications    

1. 1. Celebrate diversity intentionally with humility and curiosity. 
      When disagreements arise, ask not “Who’s right?” but “What might God be teaching us through this difference?”  
   2. Listen more deeply.
      As Paul says in Philippians 2, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”  Listening is one of the most Christlike things we can do.  
   3. Pray for the Spirit’s unity.
      Unity is not something we manufacture; it’s something we receive.  Ask the Spirit daily to soften your heart and expand your love.  
   4. Live the gospel missionally.
      Remember that how we love one another is part of our witness.  The world is polarized.  So, a church that embodies unity-in-diversity proclaims the reality of the risen Christ.  That’s more powerful than any argument.  

Conclusion: The Power of the Cross   

Paul ends this section with a reminder that the wisdom of God often looks like foolishness to the world.  The cross — an instrument of shame — became the means of salvation.  The same is true of unity.  The world values power, control, and winning arguments.  But the kingdom of God values humility, love, service, and reconciliation.  

So let us remember:  

• Christ is not divided.  
• The Spirit is not absent.  
• The Father is still gathering his children into one family.  

Unity is not about thinking alike.  It’s about loving alike.  We love God, the world, and one another.  Unity is about reflecting the relational heart of the triune God who sent his Son into the world.  Unity is not making everyone the same. Unity is Christ making all things new.  

May we, the Church of Jesus Christ, live as a sign of that divine unity.  We are different, yet one;  many voices, one song;  diverse members, one body.  We can proclaim together the good news that we are united in Christ.   

Go Deeper:

https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/articles/unity–uniformity

SONG OF RESPONSE   

Small Group Discussion Questions