Our division is our single greatest deterrent to Christian growth in the world and the one place Satan knows where to hit us. Why do we wage these Christian Civil Wars?
Christian Civil War
Division and quarrelling between brothers is addressed quite well in scripture. But still we divide. Why? Well, because we have to maintain the Truth. But what if both sides are thoroughly convinced they have the Truth on their side? Maybe the principles of love and grace need to apply in more situations than we seem to want to apply them.
Stephen Gets Stoned
One of the arguments that got Stephen killed was when he was telling the Jewish leaders how they were the same as the Hebrew slaves who were so busy fighting among themselves to notice their deliverer was standing right in front of them. (Acts 7:23-29)
Abraham and Lot divided but in ORDER to maintain their unity. (Genesis 13:8) What’s the difference between disunity and separation?
Blanket Terms
Do we use terms incorrectly in order to attack other honest Christians? Words like truth, faith, gospel, doctrine, and heresy all get thrown around a lot during disputes. Are we misusing them?
The Application of Romans 14
Should we just always defer to the most conservative view when a debate occurs? Is that what Romans 14 teaches or is there more to it?
Self-righteousness is the sin most condemned in the New Testament, yet it is so prevalent when arguments occur. We get so convinced that our understanding of scripture is the divine interpretation. Therefore, people who disagree with me are really disagreeing with God. This is a proud view. We should strive for peace and joy in these situations… yet time and again we divide in animosity toward each other. Brothers, this ought not to be a Civil War.