With this text, Paul gives his first of many admonitions to the church at Corinth. The Corinthians were acting carnally (cf. 3:1-4) in that they were fomenting strife within the congregation.
Division is an unacceptable condition among those who name the name of Christ. Those who cause it are to be quickly rejected by godly men (cf. Titus 3:10). Interestingly, in this situation, the Corinthians were dividing over men who themselves were godly and unified. The exaltation of men over truth is a common problem, causing division even today.
The present denominational view of unity is not advocated by Paul. While those today call for compromise, the abandonment of doctrine and an “agreement to disagree”, Paul calls upon the Corinthians to “all speak the same thing” and to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Christian unity must aspire to the same standard practiced by the Son and the Father (cf. John 17:20-23). Nothing less will do!
