Evidently, what was happening is that the church was lining up behind its favorite

teacher and isolating and elevating the distinctives of that teacher and boasting in them as better and deriving

some kind of substitutionary pleasure for having been in the train of this noteworthy teacher.

Pride.

Paul is going to make plain in just a moment is the root of this noteworthy teacher. Pride, Paul, it's going to make plain in just a moment, is the root

of this disunity that boasts in one teacher over another.

Are you ever tempted to seek significance by aligning yourself with influential leaders.

In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper turns to 1 Corinthians 1, 10 to 17

to reveal how this impulse fractures unity and shifts our boast from Christ to mere men. This sermon was originally delivered at Bethlehem

Baptist Church on January 24, 1988. What is the nature of the disunity that Paul was meeting at Corinth.

It's described in verses 11 and 12.

Let's read these two verses.

For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people

that there is quarreling among you, my brethren.

What I mean is that each of you says, I belong to Paul, or I belong to Apollus,

or I belong to Cephas, or I belong to Christ. Now, what's the nature of this disunity?

Evidently, what was happening is that the church was lining up behind its favorite teacher.

And isolating and elevating the distinctives of that teacher and boasting in them as better.

And deriving some kind of substitutionary pleasure for having been in the train of this

noteworthy teacher. Pride. Paul is going to make plain in just a moment is the root of this

disunity that boasts in one teacher over another.

But now before I give you the evidence from that, from the text,

...