its witness. If being in Christ were merely a private affair, divisions in the church would pose no serious threat. For Paul, however, to be in Christ is to take part in a new community—indeed, a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17)—called to bear witness to the gospel not only in word but in the manner of its common life and service. As most Christians today would readily agree, the signs of disharmony in the churches that Paul addresses, whether comparatively minor as in Philippi or full-blown as in Corinth,