Articles
Reasons For Division (1)
If you are familiar at all with Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth, you know that church was a very divided church. It seems like they found a way to divide over just about anything and everything! As they were, they were an embarrassment to the faith and a reproach on the name of the Lord. Paul, at one point in the letter said, “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse” (1 Cor. 11:17), and just a few verses later, “What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you” (1 Cor. 11:22). Imagine getting a letter from an apostle of Jesus Christ directed at you, and then reading those words!
A study of this letter would actually do some good for us today, however, for we can still learn some lessons from those who are doing it wrong; we can learn what not to do! And regarding their divisiveness, we must certainly learn to not do as they did, or not be as they were. What Paul sought for them is what the Lord wanted from them: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). Paul’s plea was essentially the very thing for which Jesus prayed when He asked “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me…that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me” (John 17:21-23). Jesus and the Father — and all true disciples —- desire unity.
There is an old joke about the Devil falling on hard times, to the point he was having a fire sale and getting rid of some of his tools. One man happened by and was looking over the assortment when he noticed a small tool off to the side, and inquired about it. The Devil replied, “Oh, no! That is not for sale! That is my most useful and successful tool!” The tool? A wedge, by which he divided brethren. There’s a lot of truth in that story, brethren, so let us do our best to (1) not be the wedge, and (2) not use the wedge. Let us now consider some of the reasons why Corinth was so divided, and what we must do to ensure we do not follow in their steps.
Factionalism. (1 Cor. 1:11-13) Factionalism is simply an attitude of desiring to categorize oneself and others according to some differences or interests. In the case of Corinth, they were dividing themselves according to who taught or baptized them, saying, “I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ’’ as a way of drawing their dividing lines. They even used the name of Christ to draw a line of distinction between themselves and…other Christians? Yes, they did that!
Factionalism rears its ugly head far too often amongst brethren, and I am positive the Devil is standing in the shadows, holding that wedge. Brethren divide themselves over just about any little, petty, and unimportant thing, and make a big deal out of things of no significance, and they do it because they have an attitude of division, rather than having a mind for unity! Currently, it seems the coronavirus has given brethren another wedge to divide themselves, with some refusing masks or complaining constantly about having to wear them, and then complaining about the brethren who are “forcing them” to wear one. Friends and brethren, can you not see the devious work of our spiritual adversary, the Devil, is behind such attitudes?
The solution, according to Paul, is simple: “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31). On matters of liberty and opinion, instead of insisting on your way or boasting about how superior your view or position is on some subject [compared to that of a brother or sister in Christ], humble yourself, count your fellow believer’s opinion just as valid and valuable as your own, and let all that is done be done to glorify God, instead. Don’t be the wedge, but don’t even think about using the wedge. Our attitude towards this will make the difference between peace and unity, and strife and division.
Carnal-Mindedness. (1 Cor. 3:1-3) This could really be argued as the basic problem for all their divisions, and I don’t know that I could disagree. In the case of Corinth, it goes back to their insistence on dividing themselves along the lines of who had taught or baptized them, and Paul did not mince words about their failure in this, saying, “you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” The problem was, they were thinking like fleshly people, instead of like spiritual people; they valued worldly standards instead of God’s standard; they used carnal valuations instead of considering the fact God valued all of them because they were now His children!
Let’s not overlook or underestimate the seriousness of the equation of carnal-mindedness with their divisive attitudes. Make no mistake, and don’t deceive yourselves: A mind that tolerates or even seeks division is at odds with God, for Paul also wrote, “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7). A carnal mind is one that places importance on physical issues, and less importance on the spiritual; a carnal mind will focus on material matters [personal comfort, what pleases them, etc.], sometimes to the exclusion of any consideration of the spiritual needs of themselves or others; and it is a carnal mind that prefers one’s own way over being unified with the brethren.
Worldly Solutions To Problems. (1 Cor. 6:1-8) In the case of Corinth, brethren were suing one another and taking their brethren to the public courts, instead of working things out amongst one another or finding another brother to mediate and find a solution. In this particular case, Paul said, “I say this to your shame…it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another.” In short, Paul said it was embarrassing that they would even think of doing such things! Their ‘solution’ was actually the problem!
Brethren continue to make this same mistake, but most often in ways different than the situation at Corinth. The problem, in its generic sense, was that they were seeking worldly solutions to their problems, instead of considering what God wanted them to do; and how often do individual Christians and sometimes entire churches seek ‘solutions’ that are actually more of a problem, because it comes from thinking the world’s ways are better than even God’s way? When churches stray from God’s pattern for the work of the church because they see worldly institutions doing it, or when disciples seek advice from unbelievers and even those who are clearly in opposition to God’s ways [For example: the world’s solution to marriage problems is to simply divorce], we are only going to add to our problems, and we will not be pleasing to the Lord.
If we have a problem or problems, seek advice or counsel from a fellow believer we trust; if we are looking for an answer to personal struggles or failures, seek God’s word to learn what He would have you do. It may seem that the world’s solutions are easier or even better, but they are neither. God’s way is always the way we must choose.
More next week. — Steven Harper
