1 corinthians 1:15 - so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.
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What does "1 corinthians 1:15" mean?
This verse from 1 Corinthians 1:15 is part of Paul's response to a serious problem in the Corinthian church: division and factionalism. The believers were aligning themselves with different leaders, saying things like "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," and "I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:12).
In this context, Paul is saying:
"so that no one should say...": This introduces the reason why Paul is so concerned about the situation.
"...that I had baptized you into my own name.": This is the key. Baptism was understood to be a significant act of identification and allegiance. It was seen as being initiated into a new relationship and commitment to the one in whose name you were baptized.
If people could claim that Paul baptized them "into his own name," it would imply that they were becoming followers of Paul rather than followers of Christ. It would reinforce the idea that baptism was about pledging allegiance to a human leader, not to Jesus.
Therefore, the verse means that Paul is saying he's thankful he didn't baptize many people in Corinth because it prevents anyone from claiming they are now specifically his disciples or belong to a "Paul party." He's emphasizing that baptism is about allegiance to Christ, not to the individual who performed the ritual.
Paul is keen to disavow any notion that he is trying to build his own following or establish a cult of personality. He wants to emphasize that all believers are united under Christ and that their loyalty belongs to Him alone. The problem in Corinth was that they were turning their relationship with Christ into a secondary issue and allegiance to specific church leaders became the primary focus. Paul is trying to address and rectify that.
1 corinthians 1:15 - so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.
What does "1 corinthians 1:15" mean?
This verse from 1 Corinthians 1:15 is part of Paul's response to a serious problem in the Corinthian church: division and factionalism. The believers were aligning themselves with different leaders, saying things like "I follow Paul," "I follow Apollos," "I follow Cephas," and "I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 1:12).
In this context, Paul is saying:
"so that no one should say...": This introduces the reason why Paul is so concerned about the situation.
"...that I had baptized you into my own name.": This is the key. Baptism was understood to be a significant act of identification and allegiance. It was seen as being initiated into a new relationship and commitment to the one in whose name you were baptized.
If people could claim that Paul baptized them "into his own name," it would imply that they were becoming followers of Paul rather than followers of Christ. It would reinforce the idea that baptism was about pledging allegiance to a human leader, not to Jesus.
Therefore, the verse means that Paul is saying he's thankful he didn't baptize many people in Corinth because it prevents anyone from claiming they are now specifically his disciples or belong to a "Paul party." He's emphasizing that baptism is about allegiance to Christ, not to the individual who performed the ritual.
Paul is keen to disavow any notion that he is trying to build his own following or establish a cult of personality. He wants to emphasize that all believers are united under Christ and that their loyalty belongs to Him alone. The problem in Corinth was that they were turning their relationship with Christ into a secondary issue and allegiance to specific church leaders became the primary focus. Paul is trying to address and rectify that.