What caused the divisions and problems in the Corinthian church?
The Corinthian divisions arose because believers aligned themselves with different leaders—some followed what Jesus said, others Peter, others Apollos, and only a few stayed with Paul. This created problems, and Paul had to continually defend his apostleship because it was under constant, Satanic attack.
Les explains that the divisions in the Corinthian church were part and parcel of its problems. Some were following what Jesus said, some what Peter said, some what Apollos said, and a few were staying with Paul. This created divisions and problems. He notes that the same tendency exists today when people want to spend all their time in the four Gospels and what Jesus said, even to the point of a pastor claiming he could take Paul's epistles out of the Bible and never miss them—a travesty. Because Paul's apostleship was under constant, Satanic attack, he had to defend it. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write for our benefit, claiming only to be a wise master builder who laid the foundation, not the foundation itself.