One Body, One Hope

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,
to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:
Grace and peace to you. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3a

We live in a deeply divided world.

Every day there’s a pressure that comes at us – sometimes gently, sometimes forcefully – for us to choose a side!

Political sides. Cultural sides. Ideological sides. Even religious sides. We are encouraged to locate ourselves within a group, to find our security in shared opinions, and to defend our place within the tribe.

Much of this feels natural. Belonging matters. Identity matters. It’s a natural thing to want to know who we are, where we fit, and who has our back when the world feels uncertain.

But there is a darker edge to this instinct. When belonging becomes alignment, and alignment becomes where we find our identity – divisions harden.

We begin to define ourselves not only by what we believe, but by who we oppose. Trust slowly shifts – from God to voices, movements, leaders, or narratives that promise certainty and control.

This phenomenon is often called ‘tribalism’. And while modern technology – think of the echo chambers of social media – has amplified it, tribalism is not a modern problem. It is an ancient one.

The apostle Paul confronted it in the early Christian church at Corinth. Believers were forming factions and attaching their identity to particular leaders – Paul, Apollos, Cephas, or even Christ himself, as though Jesus could be claimed as one party among others.

Paul responds with a confronting question:

“Is Christ divided?” (v13)

No, is the obvious answer.

The question speaks law to us when it condemns our own lack of unity. Behind it is a deeper truth. Tribalism is not merely a social problem; it is a spiritual one. It reveals our tendency to place ultimate trust somewhere other than God. When confidence in God’s goodness or faithfulness wavers, we look elsewhere for stability. We search for voices that sound certain, positions that feel secure, and groups that reassure us that we are on the right side.

In doing so, we quietly exchange faith for control.

This is the law at work – not as a list of rules, but as a mirror held up to the human heart. It exposes our propensity to trust authorities that cannot save us and to build identities that cannot hold us together.

Yet what is so striking in Paul’s letter is how he begins.

He does not start with rebuke. He does not open with correction or demand reform. To a divided and deeply flawed community, Paul’s first words include the following astonishing pronouncements:

“Grace and peace to you.” (v1)

“You do not lack anything.” (v7)

“God is faithful.” (v9)

That is the gospel’s disruptive power. As well as naming what is wrong, God, through his servant Paul declares what is true – and he does this right up front. Even before addressing division, God gives a gift. The Corinthians are not held together by their maturity, their unity, or their insight – but by God’s sheer grace.

And so are we.

The true unity of the human race does not come from agreement, shared ideology, or moral alignment. It does not arise from stronger leadership or better systems. It can come only from what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

Is Christ divided? No! And there’s gospel for us in that question also!

God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:17).

At the cross, our false certainties are undone. Our pride, fear, and self-justification are exposed – not to shame us, but to forgive us. There, all human beings stand on level ground: equally in need, equally loved, equally redeemed.

In the resurrection, and delivered to us personally in our baptism, God gives us a new and indestructible identity – one that does not need defending or proving. We are reconciled to God, and therefore to one another. Not because we see everything clearly, but because Christ has acted decisively on our behalf and because we are baptised into Christ.

This is the only unity that can endure.

Not unity of opinion, but unity of grace.

Not unity achieved, but unity received.

As members of Christ’s one holy, catholic and apostolic – and invisible – church – one body scattered across cultures, nations, and traditions – we are bound together by something deeper than agreement: forgiveness.

In a world gripped by tribalism, we bear witness to a different reality – that reconciliation is possible, and that God’s mercy is stronger than our divisions.

This does not remove disagreement. It does not deny the ongoing pain and grief as we wrestle with our sin. It does not make discernment unnecessary.

But, most of all, it relocates our confidence. Through God’s promise in Christ our trust is redirected, from ourselves, and onto Jesus.

Our hope does not rest in leaders, movements, or our ability to manage uncertainty. It rests in Jesus Christ – his life, his death, and his resurrection for you, for me and for the sake of the world.

He is not divided.

And in him, we are not lacking.

God is faithful.

And that is enough.