“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” (1 Corinthians 1:10) Paul begins his letter to the brethren at Corinth in this way because he was made aware by the members on one congregation that there were divisions in the brotherhood. While he began dealing with allegiances, he went throughout the book dealing with other divisive matters – sexual behaviors, idolatry, disorderly worship, spiritual gifts, the resurrection and giving. In all cases the purpose was to remove disunity.

In all cases, the basis on which these misconceptions would be corrected would be the Scriptures. Scriptures according to Paul, who claims that what he writes are the commands of God (1 Cor.14:37), are all inspired by God and are profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness this is so that the man of God may be adequate and equipped for every good work ( 1 Timothy 2:16-17).  The scriptures allow us to ascertain if what we hear are actually in keeping with the truth of Jesus Christ (Acts 17:11), which is necessary because correct faith in God comes from listening to God words (Romans 10:17)

To speak the same thing therefore we must follow the same instructions– the words of Jesus Christ. The command of Jesus Christ, who we claim is our God, our Lord and our Savior, is that we speak the same thing. He is not divided and hence we His body should not be. Ephesians 4:1-6 reminds us of the oneness of God and our responsibility to be one in him, to be at peace. We can only achieve this if we are guided by the same  rule and are honestly and selflessly seeking to observe the directions of the faith. We must come to knowledge of that doctrine, and submit to it. It is that submission that will identify us as Christians, keeps us in fellowship and keeps us on tract for God’s full reward (1John 2:9)

Let us value the doctrine and stick to it.