As North American Christians we live lives of relative safety, ease, and even some cultural approval from non-Christians. Therefore, we often think that the greatest threats to the Church will be either physical persecution—that is being arrested for our faith or killed—or cultural persecution—that is us losing our jobs and social standing because our Christian views are incompatible with our culture’s. But a look at the Bible and church history would suggest that there is a far greater threat. Do you know what group of people has destroyed more churches than any other throughout history? It’s not the Roman Empire, ISIS, or even the Communist regimes of the 20th century. The correct answer—is professing Christians. Professing Christians have done more to damage to the spread of the true Gospel than anyone else. Whether this is the medieval Church that launched the Crusades, or entire denominations that have gone liberal and don’t believe in the authority of the Scriptures, or even church pastors who have abused their congregants—false teachers and false followers of Christ. Therefore, one of the greatest threats to the church today is the danger that lies within. The apostle Paul understood this and addresses here in 1 Cor 1:10-17, 1) the deadly danger of division, 2) what division looks like, and 3) how we can defeat it.

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