Christians cannot be divided without violating the bond which binds them to Christ and to one another.
Is Christ divided.^ Of course the answer must ,be in the negative. As Christ is incapable of division, as there can be but one Christ, the church cannot be divided. It is contrary to its nature to be split into hostile parties, just as it is con- trary to the nature of a family to be thus divided. As the head is one, so are the members.
Was Paul crucified for you f Did Paul redeem you ? Were you purchased by his blood, so as to belong to him ? If not, then you are not his, and it is wrong to say. We are Paul's. Believers bear no such relation even to inspired teachers, as to justify their being called by their names. They are called Christians, because they are the worshippers of Christ, because they belong to him, and because they are con- secrated to him.
Or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? (cis to ovoixa), literally, unto the name, i. e. in reference to Paul, so that he should be the object of your faith and the one whose name you were to confess. By baptism we are brought into the number of the disciples and followers of him into whose name, or in reference to whom, we are baptized. As, therefore, all Christians are baptized unto Christ, and not unto the apostles, much less any uninspired teacher, it is Christ whom they should confess, and by his name they should be called.
14. 15. I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius ; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
Although it was the duty of the apostles to baptize, Matt. 28, 19, yet Paul rejoiced that it had so happened that he had administered that ordinance to only a few persons in Corinth, as thus all pretext that he was making disciples to himselfj was taken away. Paul did not consider this a matter of chance, but of providential direction, and, therefore, a cause of gratitude. Crispus was the chief ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, whose conversion is recorded in Acts 18, 8. Gaius is mentioned in Rom. 16, 23, as the host of the apostle.
16. And I baptized also the household of Stepha- nas ; besides I know not whether I baptized any other.