Romans 16:17-18 "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."
Division in the church is like a cancer, and unfortunately, it seems to be growing. Christian churches use the same text to build their doctrine on, so how can there be so many different interpretations? I have shared before that a former pastor of ours used to say, "In essentials unity, in all else grace." I have held this as wisdom for the past 30 years, and I still do. Yet I have to wonder about why there are so many things that we disagree about. The Bible is the inspired Word of God. I believe that to the core of my soul. My husband has often said that if you can extract or think that even one part of it is nothing more than a fable, than you cannot uphold any of it as truth. These words too are wise.
When my son was younger, he once said that there is no such thing as a place of gray where belief is concerned. He also said that those that walk in gray places are too weak or misguided to choose. Again, I find these words very wise. In the song "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns, part of the chorus is "It's a slow fade when you give yourself away, it's a slow fade when black and white turns to gray." It is a powerful lyric, and exactly what my son was saying.
So, how to combat this place of gray that causes division? I believe it is by letting the living and active Word of God be the total focus of our worship and our personal journeys with Jesus. To seek the Holy Spirit's leading for illumination on how to apply the Bible to all areas of our lives. We must continue to worship and pray for our churches to become places of truth and sanctuaries for all people. A sanctuary from the evils of this world where everyone can find community, love, mercy, and the truth of the Gospel. If division continues, we will fall, and worse yet, fail to bring the love of Christ to a hurting world.
The division in our churches, in our government, in our society is just so pervasive. It makes me so sad how that term united we stand couldn't be farther than the truth at the moment. These divisions are going to lead us into very dangerous patterns of disbelief. We have to repair these factions and keep our focus on the truth.
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