And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He [Jesus] is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” And he [Jesus]called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. (Mark 3:22-25)
Even non-Christians are familiar with the truth taught by Jesus that a house divided cannot stand. When sports or business teams bicker and focus on individual achievement rather than a united effort, they lose. Historians will recall Patrick Henry’s declaration during our Revolutionary War and Winston Churchill’s 1941 speech as the British faced Hitler’s aggression: “United we stand, divided we fall”.
Yet, despite our awareness of this truth, we have repeatedly failed to apply it in our lives – in our homes, our nation, and even the Church. When will we learn?
Jesus applied this truth directly to the kingdom of darkness. Why would the prince of demons empower Jesus to free people from demonic oppression? As God proved to King Jehosaphat and Judah, when the enemies of God’s people turn on themselves rather than us, they destroy themselves. (2 Chronicles 20:20-24)
Likewise, the Church represents Jesus’ Kingdom on the earth, and as Paul emphatically stated to the church in Corinth, we must avoid division to accomplish our purpose. (Revelation 1:5-6; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13) Paul asks, “Is Christ divided?” No! And as His Body, we are repeatedly told to maintain the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” because there is only one Father, one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, and one hope to our calling. (Ephesians 4:1-6, 13; Philippians 2:2; Psalm 133) They will know we are disciples of Jesus by our love for one another. (John 13:35)
It is clear from Paul’s writings and two thousand years of church history that this is easier said than done. Truth, like love, is essential, and people can have strong differences of opinion on what is true. I offer two solutions.
First, trust the Bible as God’s Word inspired by the Holy Spirit – wholly reliable and authoritative scripture for the Church and every Christian, governing our beliefs and behavior. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119) As Jesus’ disciples, we are to follow Him and both learn and obey everything He has commanded. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 14:21-23) The Old Testament was scripture for Jesus. He affirmed and expanded upon it. (Matthew 5:17-20) The New Testament is the only firsthand revelation of Jesus’ life, teachings, and achievements. Trusting the New Testament is thus the only way to follow and obey Him.
Tradition, experience, and reason have their place, but they are all subordinate to scripture. Every time the historical church chose tradition and experience over scripture, they created division from truth, God, and each other. Every time the proponents of so-called progressive theology choose reason and experience over scripture, they do the same. Christians are to follow Jesus, not other human beings. (Matthew 11:25-30, 23:8-10; Galatians 1:6-7)
My second proposal is to employ how the Church avoided division in Acts 15. Jewish Christian leaders wanted Gentile Christians to become Jewish as well. The representatives of the Gentile disciples – Paul and Barnabas – vehemently disagreed. Division in the early Church was imminent until Peter and James discerned God’s heart that unity be preserved by limiting their required agreement to those things that were essential or otherwise mutually acceptable.
Refraining from engagement with idolatry and sexual immorality was essential and still is. Avoiding a diet involving strangled animals and blood complied with God’s pre-Hebrew command to Noah when God first permitted animals to be food. (Genesis 9:3-4) This was easily accepted. Jewish and Gentile Christians could follow Jesus in ways that involved some differences, but they remained one loving Body serving one Lord together.
Scripture is clear on sexual morality, gender, and marriage; and that human life begins in the mother’s womb. But opinions can credibly differ on what scripture says about the details of baptism, a woman’s role in ministry, how a church should be organized, how the Holy Spirit manifests, and several other issues. God knows how to make Himself perfectly clear. Where He has not done so, agree in love to disagree until we receive more clarity.
Where the Church cannot differ is on our Lord’s command to be united and love one another in truth and deed. (1 John 3:18) The “works of the flesh” include enmity, strife, jealousy, rivalries, dissensions, and divisions. (Galatians 5:19-21) God’s countermeasures are the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (vs. 22-25) Our nation’s politics are saturated with the former, and it is dividing our country. Unless the Church rejects those works and embraces our purpose as God’s countermeasure, our divided house will not stand.
God bless you and God bless America.