Avoid divisions

“Avoid divisions!”, say the closing three chapters of Romans. And I don’t know one Christian who doesn’t agree with that. We all hate division in church life. It is ugly. It distracts from evangelism. It causes personal pain and grief.

The important thing to notice is that Romans 14-16 offers us two very different ways in which division might arise, and therefore two very different ways of avoiding it.

Version 1

Romans 14-15a warns of division caused by issues that are not matters of the kingdom. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit… So then let us puruse what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” (14:17, 19). One person thinks it alright to eat meat; another does not. Division is easy in this situation:

• The person who thinks it is alright despises and pities the person who is, in their eyes, overscrupulous.
• The person who thinks it is not alright condemns the loose eating, in their eyes, of the other.
• The person who thinks it is flaunts their rights with no love or regard.

• And so on.

Romans 14-15a thus warn of being “over sniffy”. Some churches, some people in churches, some situations need to be spoken into with the need to pursue what makes for peace. Rather than always looking for the fight, looking instead for ways to find harmony and to co-exist with our differences. That will require talking about them, acknowledging them and understanding them – and then deciding that these are not matters to fall out over.

In this scenario, evangelism is at stake. “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (15:5-6).

Version 2

Romans 16:17-18 warns of division caused by issues that are matters of the kingdom. “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.”

This time, the division is caused by someone who diverts, obstructs and teaches in matters that deny the doctrine on which the church is founded. This needs to be met head on. In the Romans 14-15a scenario, you need to agree to overlook differences in order to avoid division. In this scenario, however, those very differences are the cause of division. If you overlook this kind, you won’t avoid division at all – you’ll be complicit.

Again, the stakes are evangelism. Paul wrote to Rome, in part, to shore up support for his planned missionary activity to the west of Rome. He wanted the Roman church to be crystal clear on the gospel, and particularly on the relationships between Jew and Gentile, so that he has their unswerving support in spreading that gospel. If divisions on matters concerning that very gospel are allowed to propogate, then their support will be reluctant.

(Picture the scene. The church has been squabbling about some matter relating to the gospel. It is well known by most in the church that this topic has become a thorny one. Everyone knows on which side they stand. Paul arrives and asks for money, prayer, commissioning and traveling companions so that he can go to Spain and preach the gospel. In so doing, he names which side of this divisive topic he stands. Half the church have got into such an emotional stew over the topic that they won’t eat humble pie and back Paul. The other half are delighted to hear Paul vindicate them, but fear raising the issue so give him, at best, half-hearted help. Ouch. How tragic).

Which is which

So, the really important thing is to work out which is which. We all want to avoid division in church life. But place a divisive issue in the wrong category, and you inadvertently cause division rather than prevent it.

If an issue is a Romans 14-15a one, but you treat it like a Romans 16:17-18 one, you try to stamp out a view that differs from yours when in fact peace should be pursued. If an issue is a Romans 16:17-18 one, but you treat it like a Romans 14-15a one, you tolerate differences when in fact the views being taught need to be publicly shunned. Either way, the church’s evangelistic mission takes a hit.

But deciding which is which is really hard in practice. Not least because, the person making such a decision is not doing it in a vacuum. They have an opinion of their own on the issue. In both Romans 14-15a and Romans 16:17-18 type issues, both sides of the debate think they’re right. Which makes it hard, as one of those people who thinks they are right, to decide whether this is an issue on which it is OK that not everyone is right (in your eyes).

Tricky. But we have to do the work if we are to avoid causing division when we should be dispelling it.

Father, please help all of us who are in churches to judge these matters wisely, so that with one voice we might proclaim the glory of the Lord Jesus to the world which needs to hear it.