Welcome to the Paul Tripp podcast, where pastor and best-selling author Dr. Paul David Tripp

connects the transforming power of Jesus Christ to everyday life. The Church of Jesus Christ has many

reasons for disunity, familial and cultural background, social and economic status, and plain personal

preference. But the gospel of Jesus Christ can and should transcend them all. In today's

episode, we're going to listen to a sermon from the archives, as Paul teaches from 1 Corinthians 1.

In it, Paul looks at the Church of Corinth and examines three things that happen when the gospel is no longer the most precious, unifying possession in the church.

If you're interested in hearing more sermons from Paul, visit paultrip.com slash sermons.

Here's Paul from 1st Corinthians 1.

Well, it is humbling to admit, but sin has the potential to make us better at war than we are at peace.

I think there's probably no one in this room who lived a completely conflict-free week this week.

Some of you are smiling.

Sin causes us to be better at division than we are at unity. Sin can cause us to be critical and argumentative,

ready to take offense, ready to debate.

And in that way, it should not surprise us that the church struggles with division.

I would invite you just to look around in this room.

Do that for me.

Just look around.

What would bring this diverse group of people into this room? We have a dangerous basis for disunity, don't we? We don't dress the same.

We don't enjoy many of the same things.

We live in different economic places, different locations.

We can't really relate to what the other person finds exciting.

I tell people how excited I am to live in Chinatown and they look at me like I'm crazy. I think that they mow the lawn and I think they're nuts. There's all kinds of reasons,

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