Note: This is the third article in a series called Overcoming the Five Failures of Us. Previous articles are always available at http://www.webbweekly.com.
Division isn’t a Christian thing; it’s a human thing.
The recent COVID pandemic is a prime example of division fueled by sharply differing beliefs about the truth. The same is true for the wars currently raging in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza. What we humans believe about truth divides us in every aspect of life — religion, politics, education, science. Division over what we believe to be true is undeniably a human thing.
Because the Church is populated by humans, division is also a Church thing — and it has been that way from the start. Some examples:
Acts 4 describes a brewing division over the belief that one group of Jewish widows was being treated better than another.
In Galatians 2, Paul gives his side of the story of a division with Peter over what they believed regarding circumcision.
In Acts 15, Paul and Silas had a sharp disagreement over what they believed about John Mark — and they went their separate ways.
In Romans 14, Paul addresses competing beliefs over consuming meat sacrificed to idols and holy days.
The history of Christianity and the Church reveals a story of division over what we believe about the truth.
What is Truth?
Pilate asked Jesus this very question in John 18:37-38. Jesus, THE Truth, was standing right in front of him. How we wish Pilate had interviewed Jesus further on the topic — like Nicodemus did regarding salvation in John 3. He didn’t bother because he was exasperated. He had become convinced that real and objective truth couldn’t be found anywhere. I don’t know about you, but I’ve become exasperated, too.
What is truth? According to the dictionary, truth is a statement that is in agreement with reality. That seems very simple. So, what’s our problem?
Answer: No one agrees on a clear definition of reality. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons, but here’s my top four:
1. Spin. How can we conclude what is real when nearly all reporting and teaching contains an agenda-driven narrative? Spin carefully selects and deletes aspects of the truth to lead the hearer toward preferred conclusions about reality. It seems like everything we hear these days contains spin.
2. Perspective. We experience reality through the lenses and filters of history, ethnicity, religion, culture, traditions, etc. These influences cause all of us to interpret reality in a certain way.
3. Temperament. Our personal makeup predisposes our interpretation of reality and our responses to it. Some of us are pragmatists (preferring answers), and some are theorists (preferring questions). Some are feelers (focused on compassion), while others are thinkers (focused on consequences). We are all so different!
4. Purpose. We each have a unique calling and gifting from God. See Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4. For example, Peter was tasked with taking the gospel to the Jews; Paul was tasked with taking it to the Gentiles. See Galatians 2:7-8. They each had a lane, and their disunity was a byproduct of getting in each other’s lane.
No wonder we can’t agree on truth and reality! But don’t lose heart – even with all of these challenges, we can still overcome division and keep our first love.
Steps to Overcoming Division
1. Follow Jesus. You have a Master. He is the only one who has the authority to judge you. Make it your goal to please Jesus and keep your eyes squarely on Him. Don’t be like Peter, who asked Jesus about John; what about him? To which Jesus responded, What is that to you? You follow me. See John 21:20-22. Jesus also said about specks of sawdust in your brother’s eye, First, take the plank out of your own eye. See Matthew 7:3-5. Jesus also warned us, Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. See Luke 6:37. Clearly, if we want to live in unity, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus, our first love – and off each other.
2. Identify the real enemy and his tactics. Jesus said Satan is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44. He is seeking to divide, conquer, and destroy. I Peter 5:8-9. We cannot be Satan’s willing accomplices. You are not my enemy — and I am not yours. In unity, we must save all of our ammunition to attack the enemy of us all. When Christians are united, the gates of hell cannot prevail against them. See Matthew 16:18.
3. Value each other in humility and with genuine respect. Romans 12:3-13. We will only grow and mature as we (1) humbly accept our own frailties and limitations and (2) allow others to stretch our understanding of reality and truth. New wine requires pliable and stretchable new wineskins. Matthew 9:17. We always have much to learn, and we would be wise to keep an open heart and mind and a very humble spirit.
4. Be quiet. Accept that our understanding of reality and the truth is very limited and affected by many things. We need to heed Paul’s teaching to keep whatever we believe about disputable things between ourselves and God. See Romans 14. It’s a simple rule: the more we talk about what we believe, the more divided we become. Remember that where words are many, sin is not absent, but the prudent hold their tongues. Proverbs 10:19.
Jesus called on us to overcome disunity so we could keep our focus on Him – our first love. Let’s talk less and love more. Remember, Jesus said that whatever we do to each other, we have also done to Him. See Matthew 25:31-46. That thought alone should cause us to be humble and quiet — and doing so will result in greater Christian unity.
