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I have been reading in 1st and 2nd Corinthians these last few weeks in the Bible reading plan I am following this year. My church is also focusing on 1 Corinthians for the next few months, and we have been in 1 Corinthians 1 for the last two weeks of sermons and small group discussions.

Paul wrote what we call 1st Corinthians to address divisions in the church, ethical issues, relational issues, and differences over religious practices (among other things). The overarching theme of this letter seems to be an attempt to get this local church in southern Greece on the same page. In the first bit of guidance Paul provides, he says:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:10

Unity (in Christ) is a focus of Paul in many of his letters: Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:3-6, 13; Philippians 2:2; and Colossians 3:14. Peter also stressed like-mindedness in 1 Peter 3:8 (with sympathy, love, and compassion for one another in humility). John stressed love for one another in his letters (1 John 3 & 4; 2 John 1:5-6)) and working together. (3 John 1:8) James urged believers to be “peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17-18)

Paul, Peter, John and James are the pillars of the early church. Unity and love are stressed by them because it was stressed by Jesus. Jesus prayed for unity among the disciples and all who believed after them:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me— so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

JOhn 17:20-23

Jesus, of course, summarized the whole Law of God in two statements: Love God and love your neighbor. In his last extended discourse with the disciples at the Last Supper before the events unfolded that led to the cross, Jesus said:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

JOhn 13:34-35

Love is the new command from Jesus that summarizes all that God sought to teach His people through the Law and the Prophets Therefore, when Paul urges the Church to be unified, we need to pay attention!

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose.

1 Corinthians 1:10

I was immediately struck by the intentionality of Paul’s exhortation. He urged us to agree to be unified. We must be willing to agree, and we must be purposeful about it.

I have often thought of the principal of agreeing to disagree. This statement is usually a gesture of civility, though it doesn’t always accompany a heart of generosity about it!

Paul seems to be saying something more than that for believers, at least as to our “mind and purpose”. We might say that we need to do more than agree to disagree on “our mind and purpose”

Paul is not saying that we cannot have differences of opinion and preferences on “disputable matters” (Romans 14:1). (See Romans 14 & 15 and 1 Corinthians 10, for instance). He says, though, we need to agree (from the beginning, as a matter of first importance, and be committed)) to be unified in mind and purpose.

Of course, what mind? And what purpose is Paul talking about?

The Greek words translated “mind and purpose” offer us some help in understanding what Paul is saying. The Greek word translated mind, νοῦς (nous) refers not only to the intellect, understanding, or reasoning faculty; it encompasses not just thoughts; it also encompasses the mindset or disposition of a person.

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament indicates that nous is described as the “mind” in a broad sense, and it explains that this word goes beyond just mental thoughts and involves one’s attitude or disposition, especially as it relates to moral or spiritual understanding. Likewise, the Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich Lexicon indicates that nous refers to “the way of thinking, attitude, or frame of mind,” which reflects not just cognitive processes but the overall mindset or disposition. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament agrees that nous involves not just intellectual capacity but also one’s moral attitude and general disposition.

I think this is an important nuance as we will see below

The Greek word translated “purpose”, γνώμη (gnōmē), can mean judgment, opinion, purpose, or intention (the conclusions we reach), but it also refers to a deliberate decision or opinion. Paul’s use of the word conveys the idea of shared intention and a unified goal – a common purpose – that should unify the people in the Church.

We have to agree to be unified. We have to be Intentional about unity. Why?

Unity doesn’t just happen. People tend towards disunity like the law of thermodynamics in the natural world. Energy dissipates. Hot things become cold. Our best designs go to seed if we don’t maintain them and tend to them with intentionality. 

Marriage counselors always talk about the work it takes to maintain a good marriage. Good marriages do not just happen. A husband and wife may have many differences in opinions, preferences, ways of doing things, ways of seeing the world, how to discipline children, etc. Despite these difference, married couples have the common goal to fulfill their vows, to love each other, and to honor God.

In the sermon David Wood gave this morning at the Village Bible Church in Aurora, Illinois, he said, “We need to fight for unity,” acknowledging the play on words. We should not fight against each other, but we need to fight with each other to be unified in mind and purpose. We need to fight the sinful tendencies in ourselves to go our own ways, and we need to fight the enemy of our souls and of the Church who wants to undo us. 

I like that David emphasized the importance of subscribing to a pattern, and that pattern for us to follow, of course, is Jesus. Jesus said, “Follow me as I follow the Father.” He told us to be one, as he and the Father are one. Paul said,

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant….

Philippians 2:5-7

Unity of mind and purpose, therefore, is not just about doctrine; it’s about a pattern of living. As quoted above, Jesus said the world will know us by our love. Paul said we can fathom all mysteries and have all knowledge, but if we don’t have love, we have nothing. (1 Cor. 13:1-2)

Love is central. Our attitudes toward each other are critical. Love must be our mindset. We should love each other sincerely, from the heart, and we should have an attitude of humility and deference, respect, and honor toward each other. In short, we need to appreciate the influence of the Holy Spirit in each other.

David Wood, said, “We need to resist the temptation to quarrel.” Satan tries to divide us, but Christ is not divided. We should not be divided!

I know that all these things are easier said than done. Marriage is no joke, and living faithfully in the body of Christ is no joke either!

It takes work. It takes intentionality. It takes commitment, and we need to agree, not just in our mindset, but in the purpose. We are going to have differences, even over some things we personally feel passionate about, but unity of mind and purpose is the goal we are commanded by Paul to aim for.

Doctrine is important, of course, but what doctrine must we agree on. Doctrine must be driven first by purpose. Therefore, what purpose must we agree on that will allow us to live out and fulfill Paul’s command to us? I will try to address that in a future article.