What the Bible says about Cliques
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The subject here is God, and He scorns the scornful. Scorn, a contempt or disdain, is a fruit that pride produces in a person, and it is usually shown toward someone thought to be an inferior. A human being will tend to avoid the person who he deems unworthy, or he will immediately reject or ridicule the unworthy person's opinions. What is the effect of this? It breaks people into cliques. Scorn divides and separates.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Faith (Part Six)
These people were using the gifts that God gave to them to divide the church. They were separating themselves into cliques, getting people in the congregation to say, "I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Peter," and so forth because "Peter represents this, Paul represents this other thing, and what Paul has is better," and "Peter is not teaching this, and Paul is teaching it," etc. They were using such arguments to divide the congregation.
In argument to this, the apostle is saying, "Look, we all have our gifts. There is not one of us that did not receive what we have." Consider this within the framework of I Corinthians 1:29-31. Paul is hammering away at them because they were so proud, so puffed up, about what God had given them, as if it belonged to themselves, as if they had acquired their gifts without God.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Grace Upon GraceRelated Topics: Cliques | Disunity | Division | Division, Causing | God's Gifts | Pride | Puffed Up | Self Righteousness | Spiritual Gifts | Spiritual Gifts, Abuse of