The Killer Nature of Jealousy and Strife

1 Corinthians 3:1-4
(NASB)

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly.

For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?


Have you ever wondered why there is division in the body of Christ? Have you ever thought, “Why do people including myself who have been redeemed by God through Christ still hurt each other?” Even more so have you said to yourself, “Why can’t I trust this person even more why can’t I trust myself, isn’t he/she a Christian…aren’t I a Christian?” Have you ever thought, “Why do I keep on sinning when I have been given so much even the power NOT to sin?” Have you ever asked, “Why can’t I control my tongue and keep from saying things that I should not say?”

We ask these questions because we want to believe the Christian life is easier than our lives as unbelievers; after all don’t we have all the advantages? We even have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16. Yet, we struggle along in this world and can at times even look somewhat like the unbelievers around us. Paul gives us an indication of this problem in his own life when he says in Romans 7:14-20 (NASB):

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

Can you hear Paul’s anguish over his sin? He says that he wants to do good but cannot! The willing is in Paul; but the doing of good is not! This is the mighty Apostle Paul writing to and sharing his heart with the Romans. He is wrangling over the very questions that we ask ourselves as Christians everyday! His answer to this question is that sin dwells in him that is in his flesh! You see, while all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, we still have the flesh for as long as we live on this earth.

As Christians, we are to fight against the flesh as Paul indicates in Romans seven. So, what happens if we don’t war against the flesh? What happens to a church, a group of called out ones, when they allow the world to enter their lives and the life of the church through the open avenue of the flesh.

We have all heard of problems in churches that lead to fighting, hurt feelings, smashed relationships, we see marriages dissolve and in some extreme cases even churches being split. How can this be in the body of Christ? How can we, who have been given so much, stoop so low as to have these things happen…yet we do!

All we need to do is look at the Scriptures to get the answers as these very things were happening in the Church of Corinth! Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians) is written to address many of these issues.

In the passage we are studying (1 Corinthians 3:1-4), Paul, who just one verse before affirmed that all Christians are given the mind of Christ at salvation, describes to the Corinthians as well as all Christians the indication and the evidences of fleshly living in the life of the believer and the life of the church:

We have two points:

I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer
b. In the Life of the Church

II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!

We will start with:


I. The Indication of Fleshly Living: Stunted Growth, vs. 1-3a
a. In the Life of the Believer


First and foremost, we need to take notice that Paul called the folks in the Corinthian Church “brethren”. This is no light word. Paul would have never called them brethren if he didn’t believe them to be brothers and sisters in Christ! It is incredible that while they were struggling with many grave issues, Paul did not shrink from calling them “brethren”! Actually, he addressed this letter to the “church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

The problem with the Corinthian believers was not whether or not they were believers as there were many true believers in the church; the problem was that these believers who possessed the mind of Christ were not growing in Christ. There growth was stunted.

Because of their stunted growth, Paul could not speak to them as Spiritual men. This was a huge problem for the Corinthians and for all believers in our Lord! Paul could only talk to them as men of flesh or as infants in Christ. This, no doubt, grieved Paul’s heart! Oh how Paul would have desired to speak to them as mature Christians who were growing in the knowledge of the Lord and in holiness!

Paul wanted to give these believers solid food to eat; but could not because they were unable to handle it. It is beautiful when a baby suckles the breast for its mother’s milk! Peter even says in 1 Peter 2:1-3…Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. This passage can be paraphrased in this way, “Quit acting fleshly so that you will long for the spiritual milk of the Word that will cause you to grow in respect to salvation and cause you to be able to receive the solid food of the Word!”

God tells Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1-3: Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth.

While it is a beautiful thing for babes to long for milk; it is a very ugly thing when adults long for milk in the same way. The very milk that sustains babies and causes them to grow will stunt the growth of adults.

In the same way, the believer who has known and walked with the Lord for many years must grow to eat solid food. If he doesn’t his growth will be stunted; he will never “leave the elementary teaching about the Christ” (Hebrews 6:1).

The writer of Hebrews tells us, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness’, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

You see: those who have their senses trained to discern good and evil are the mature in Christ. They are accustomed to the word of righteousness. Those who have succumbed in a habitual fashion to the flesh acting as men of flesh and babes in Christ are not accustomed to the word of righteousness and therefore are vulnerable to Satan and his devices in this fallen world which leads to an inability to eat solid food and a plethora of other sins that affect the man, his family and the Body of Christ!

b. In the Life of the Church

I am only going to spend a moment on this point as this becomes obvious from the previous point. If the people that make up the local body of Christ are allowed to be fleshly then the church’s overall growth will be stunted. The church will be unable to discern good from evil and will be unable to protect itself from savage wolves (Acts 20)! This is a tragedy and leads to further maladies in the Body of Christ!

So…

We see that the Corinthians inability to understand spiritual things was the indication that they were leading fleshly lives. You see, there conversations were shallow. They did not understand the deep things of the living God; therefore Paul knew they were being fleshly men!

This leads us to the second point:


II. The Evidence of Fleshly Living: Division in the Body, vs. 3b
a. Two supporting facts:
i. Jealousy and Strife exist in the Body of Christ!


We know that the Corinthians inability to partake in solid food indicated that they were living according to the flesh; but what evidence did Paul have that this was true? Could it be that a church can live together in a state of fleshliness with little or no effect from that fleshliness?

Liberal preachers have long thought and taught the same thing. They seem to think that a church can stay fleshly and not have an effect on the entire church. Preachers in the pragmatic circle think that very thing. They think they can bring the world into the church in order to evangelize them without affecting the church in a negative way. They actually make it their aim to be more like the world in order to attract people to their churches. They make it sound great! They are evangelizing the lost and reaching a dying world for Christ. But, is this true or is the effect much graver than we could ever imagine.

What about the church that tolerates fleshly living by not practicing church discipline. They do “church” things like sing, pray, and listen to "sermons or sermonettes" but they have a live and let live attitude toward fleshly living.

Actually, Paul knew the answer all along! He knew that the evidence of fleshly living bore itself out in division. Divisions could be seen by the fact that there was jealousy and strife in the body.

So, what does jealousy and strife mean?

Jealousy: a disposition or attitude of being hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.

Strife: bitter sometimes violent conflict or dissension.

Being jealous is an attitude of being hostile toward one believed to enjoy an advantage! How can this be in the body of Christ except by those who are unable to discern good from evil and have not had their senses trained by the Word of God. As Christians, we are all given gifts by the Holy Spirit in order to serve in the body. These gifts are for the edification of the body according to Ephesians 4:12-13. Oh it is a major tragedy when we see someone exercising their spiritual gift while others are jealous of it.

As Christians, we are also blessed in different ways. One Christian may have more in this present world than others! Oh what a tragedy when we are jealous for what others may have when the Scriptures are clear that we are to be content with our current situations.

If jealousy is the inner attitude then strife is the outward actions that result from those inner attitudes. We can sometimes disguise what is in our hearts but we can never completely hide our heart attitudes. Our mouths will always betray us! Jesus said, “What proceeds from the mouth which is from our hearts is what defiles the man!”

Paul’s point in this passage is that he could see the evidence of their fleshliness in that he could see jealous attitudes and the strife that results from those attitudes. He is clear in saying that where jealousy and strife exist where there are many immature believers who are acting like babes in Christ!

We might be tempted to believe that jealousy and strife are not major sins! Oh how wrong we would be to believe this! These sins can easily be shrugged off as not as serious as some others. These are very serious sins that lead to division in the church. Jealousy and Strife proliferate where many immature people exist.


Conclusion:

We have seen the indication of fleshliness: stunted growth; and the evidence of fleshliness: division in the body. We know that fleshliness leads to immaturity and stunted growth. Worse yet, we have seen that stunted growth leads to inability to discern error which leaves the church unprotected.

So, how are you doing as a Christian? How are you doing as a church? Here are a few questions:

Are you growing in Christ? It is imperative that Christians grow; if you are not growing then that indicates a serious issue in your life. Conversely, if you see others growing in Christ, make sure to tell them so they may know!
Is your church growing? Do you love one another? Are you able to discern error?
Do you struggle with jealousy when you see others enjoy an advantage? Does it make you happy (even a little bit) when others struggle? Conversely, do you genuinely want others to do well?
Do you find yourself leaning toward one leader over another? Do you find yourself seeking out those you agree with or those who will flatter you?

Ponder these questions and prayerfully confess your sin! If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins (1 John 1)!

Brandon