The Power of God • 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 • Sunday, January 25, 2026

The Power That Transforms: Unity in a Divided World

We live in a world obsessed with taking sides. Politics divides us into red and blue. Philosophy separates us into competing schools of thought. Social media algorithms push us into echo chambers where we only hear voices that already agree with us. Division has become so normal, so expected, that we barely notice it anymore.

But what happens when this culture of division seeps into the church? What happens when Christians begin to fracture along the same fault lines that split the rest of society?

This isn't a new problem. Two thousand years ago, the church in Corinth faced this exact challenge.

The Corinthian Problem

Corinth was a bustling seaport city in ancient Greece, close to Athens and steeped in a culture of political maneuvering and philosophical debate. The Corinthians were accustomed to choosing sides—following Plato or Aristotle or Socrates, aligning with different political factions, constantly arguing and dividing over ideas.

When they became Christians, they brought this divisive mindset with them into the church. They began saying things like "I follow Paul" or "I follow Apollos" or "I follow Cephas." They were treating church leaders like competing philosophers or politicians, creating factions within the body of Christ.

The apostle Paul addressed this head-on: "I appeal to you brothers by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment."

These aren't gentle suggestions. Paul doesn't mince words. He goes straight to the heart of the problem: Christ cannot be divided.

The Source of Our Unity

The Apostle Paul asks rhetorical questions that cut to the core: "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

The answer, of course, is no. Our unity doesn't come from following particular leaders or adhering to specific philosophies. Our unity comes from one source and one source alone: Jesus Christ and the power of His cross.

Paul even expresses relief that he didn't baptize many of the Corinthians, precisely because he didn't want anyone thinking they were baptized into his name. He clarifies his mission: "Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."

This is crucial. The power doesn't come from eloquent preaching or sophisticated arguments. The power comes from the message itself—the word of the cross.

The Power of God

So what exactly is "the power of God"? Is it a who or a what?

The answer is both.

The "who" is Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh, the second person of the Trinity. But the "what" is the word of the cross, the gospel message that transforms lives.

Scripture tells us: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."

Think about that for a moment. The same message that seems like foolishness to unbelievers is the very power of God to those being saved. It's not the messenger that matters—it's the message. It's not the preacher's eloquence—it's the gospel's inherent power.

Consider a computer that won't turn on. You can have the most advanced, expensive computer in the world, but if it's not plugged into a power source, it's useless. You could even plug it into itself, but that accomplishes nothing. It needs to be connected to an external power source to function.

The same is true spiritually. When we're "plugged into" ourselves—our own wisdom, our own strength, our own understanding—we have no power. But when we're connected to Christ, when we're plugged into the gospel, transformation happens.

Transformation in Action

This transformation isn't theoretical. It's real and observable.

When someone is baptized, they're not just getting wet. Through the power of God's Word combined with water, they're being transformed. They move from being an enemy of God to being a child of God. Their eyes are opened to faith. They receive the gift of grace—forgiveness of sins and everlasting life.

This is the power of God at work. Not human power. Not persuasive rhetoric. Not clever arguments. Just the simple, profound power of God's Word.

And this power continues working in believers' lives long after baptism. Years later, people remember a particular message or insight that transformed their thinking or touched their hearts. That's not because of human wisdom—that's the Holy Spirit at work, continuing to transform hearts and minds through the gospel.

Two Lines of Thinking

The reality is that as long as this world exists, there will be two fundamentally different ways of viewing reality.

To those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness. Christianity seems ridiculous. The gospel appears to be nonsense. These are people who view faith with contempt, who see no value in spiritual things, who may even actively oppose the church.

But to those being saved, the cross is the power of God. It's everything. It's transformation, hope, life, and salvation.

This division will always exist in our world. We can't eliminate it. But here's what we can control: we can refuse to let division exist among believers.

Unity in Christ

The devil wants us to doubt God and doubt His Word. Sin leads us to separate from each other through pride, arrogance, and stubbornness. We live in a culture that constantly pushes us toward division.

But we're called to something different.

We're called to unity—not based on personality preferences, not based on political alignments, not based on philosophical schools, but based solely on Christ and His gospel.

When Christians from different denominations gather together to hear God's Word, when they focus on the gospel rather than their differences, they demonstrate what true Christian unity looks like. It's not about being Lutheran or Methodist or Baptist or Presbyterian. It's about being Christian—being united in Christ.

Shining the Light

Our calling isn't just to maintain unity among believers, though that's important. We're also called to bring the light of the gospel to those still in darkness.

Remember, even the apostle Paul was once a persecutor of Christians, murdering believers.

But God opened his eyes through the gospel. Only the gospel can do that—open blind eyes and bring people from death to life.

And we do this work better together than apart.

When we're empowered by Christ and transformed by Him, we become lights that help others see Him. Not through our own wisdom or eloquence, but simply by faithfully proclaiming the word of the cross—the power of God for salvation.

In a world that seems determined to divide us at every turn, may we find our unity in Christ.

May we be transformed by His power. And may we shine His light so that others, too, might move from perishing to believing.

Because that's what the power of God does. It transforms everything.

(Content generated by PulpitAI from sermon transcript)