One of the most effective tools in Satan’s arsenal is the art of creating division among brethren. I have recently heard of some very popular pastors who will not speak to each other. Pastors!
Pastors are supposed to be men of peace, and certainly men who should be examples of peace among brethren.
“Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” Romans 14:19.
Satan, the adversary, has over millennia created division among angels and God, and man and God.
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9.
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.
Satan is both a murderer from the beginning because he caused as many as a third of the angels/stars to fall with him see Revelation 12:3-4, into the death of eternal separation from God in the lake of fire, and in the death of mankind when he caused Adam and Eve to sin.
“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:4-5.
Satan, through his actions separated man from God, then man from nature.
“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8.
“… [The Lord God said to Adam] Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:17b-18.
Satan separated brother from brother and man from man.
“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” Genesis 4:8.
Satan has separated man from the animal kingdom.
“… [God said to Noah, after the flood] And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” Genesis 9:2-3.
Shortly after the flood, Satan was able to influence the people of the earth to build a city lest they become scattered over the whole world. This was contrary to God’s command to fill the earth, and resulted in the confusion of tongues at Babel.
“And the Lord said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’ So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.” Genesis 11:6-9.
Satan was able to divide the godly nation of Israel into the south, called Judah and the northern kingdom called Israel. And having divided them he quickly began to corrupt both kingdoms.
“Now when all Israel saw that the king [Solomon’s son] did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: ‘What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to your tents, O Israel! Now see to your own house, O David!’ So all Israel departed to their tents.” 2 Chronicles 10:16.
If you read the entire account in chapter ten, you will find that these events were from God. However, for whatever reason God allowed it, it was Satan who instigated the entire rebellion to cause Israel to sin.
Satan has managed to keep the world in constant turmoil since our parent’s first sin in the Garden of Eden. He has, as you may have observed, managed to turn the world into a seething cauldron of division, anger, rebellion, murder, and greed.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.
Divide and conquer is a maxim that could almost be considered a law. It works, and it is Satan’s greatest device. Should it be any wonder that he has used it against the church from the beginning?
Division among believers has gone on for a long time and while there are numerous reasons for this, one major one is the inability to rightly divide the word of truth. Another is misunderstanding the problem. Yet another one is a lack of diligence in the face of horrendous, tireless opposition.
“Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 2:14-16.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:6-10.
Bear this in mind. After the Lord had ascended into heaven, and later when the day of Pentecost arrived, the Holy Spirit came and entered the believers who were gathered into one room.
The church, the body of Christ, His representatives on earth were one, not many denominations.
“I [Apostle Paul writing from prison], therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” Ephesians 4:1-6.
What part of the number one is so difficult to understand?
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:17-18.
“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. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10-13.
“And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for 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? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:1-7.
What happened? The disciples set up the church as the Holy Spirit led them to, these things were written in the Scriptures, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to interpret them, what then is the problem?
“For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jude 4.
“But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. Jude 17-19.
Long Division, Part 1, Church Divided, posted on 12-7-15, updated on 4-7-24 ck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.