1 Corinthians 1:10-13
“Now I entreat you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?”
Paul, writing from Ephesus around 53-54 CE, addresses the Christian community in Corinth, a bustling Roman port city. This letter responds to reports of various problems within the church, including rivalries and divisions that threatened its unity.
How do our contemporary loyalties, whether to figures, ideologies, or groups, sometimes create divisions that undermine shared purpose?