We’ve all heard about it and if you have been in church for very long you have probably experienced it. I am talking about division in the church.
I do not believe it is the Lord’s will for there to be division in any church. Division, cliques, gossiping and complaining in the church have done more to hurt the cause of Christ and hinder unsaved people from coming to church than about anything else I can think of.
So, the question is, “Can any good come out of church division?” Surprisingly, as I have been preaching through the book of 1 Corinthians, I found that the Apostle Paul said there is.
1 Corinthians 11:18-19
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
Paul says that while God does not desire for there to ever be division, He does allow it for a reason. “What is the reason?” you ask. The word “approved” in verse 19 is a word used in testing metals to see if they are genuine.
Paul is saying that when division does occur in the church, it causes the genuine (approved) believers to stand out that much more. Think of it this way, when everything is going smoothly and everyone is getting along, it may be difficult to tell if unbelievers are in the church. It is only when division occurs and sides are taken that the true, genuine believers stand out as those taking a stand for righteousness.
So, along with this revelation comes a warning. If you are a true believer, you should NEVER take part in church division of any kind. Many times, the division comes about because the true nature of unbelievers is being revealed. Therefore, if a believer sides with the troublemakers, they are in fact identifying themselves with them and will be judged with them.
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Though we are all different and unique and all have different opinions about things, as believers we are commanded to come together with the same mind and same judgement. We can do this because we are coming together with God’s mind and His judgement, not ours.
Church unity does not come through our different opinions. Church unity comes when all agree on what God says in his Word.