I’m all alone because I can’t find anyone with the same beliefs as mine

Question:

I have been searching for a group with this concept for years. I hope this is really it. I strongly believe in I Corinthians 1:10. It seems like I am all alone because I cannot find anyone with the same beliefs as mine.

Answer:

If you make your personal beliefs the standard by which you judge groups, you'll never find the true church. "But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise" (II Corinthians 10:12).

"Now I plead with you, brethren, by 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" (I Corinthians 1:10).

Paul’s greatest concern was the Corinthian’s lack of unity. Paul exhorted (parakalo, meaning "called them to come near") the Corinthians with the authority of Jesus Christ, whom they all acknowledged as their Lord, that they all continue saying the same thing (to auto legete pantes). The core of the problems in Corinth was the teaching of different doctrines. This cannot exist when Christ is the head of the church (Galatians 1:6-10). They were not to divide into different parties and schism because of variations in teachings. Paul’s point is that there should be no divisions among the brethren. This point is repeated again in I Corinthians 11:18 and 12:25.

Instead of division, Paul urges the Corinthians to be knitted together (katertismenoi). The word Paul uses in Greek means to make complete, restore, or repair. It is the word used to say that James and John were mending their nets (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19) and thus can be used in regards to fixing someone’s broken salvation (Galatians 6:1). But it also means finishing off something already started, such as maturing faith (I Thessalonians 3:10) or knowledge (Luke 6:40). Paul returns to the idea of knitting various parts together in I Corinthians 12:12-31 and in II Corinthians 13:11.

To accomplish this, the Corinthians needed to be of the same mind. This doesn’t mean that they had to have exactly the same thought on every subject. Paul is talking about their thoughts about each other (Romans 12:16; 15:5-6). In other words, they should be in fellowship, having one heart and one mind (Acts 2:42; 4:32; Philippians 1:27; 2:1-2; 3:16; I Peter 3:8). It is the oneness that Jesus prayed for his disciples (John 17:21-23).

They also needed to be of the same judgment. The word gnome refers to a person’s resolve, purpose, or will (Acts 20:2-3; Revelation 17:17). Fellowship is sharing a similar attitude toward each other and God as well as sharing a common purpose in life or goal to achieve (Hebrews 12:1-3).

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