Is Christ Divided?

Marshall Stiver asserts that God’s law continually abounds in interest because there is always something new to learn. Intense meditation is required to incrementally develop God’s mind, storing His precepts and laws in the recesses of our minds. God’s called-out ones, part of the current spiritual organism constituting His church, will have the opportunity in the Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment to assist the multitudes to understand and live God’s expansive law. This one spiritual organism is bigger than any physical organization; paradoxically, there are many organizations bearing God’s name which do not interact or assist one another, militating against the apostle Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 4 to be knit together as a well-tuned body. We should exude love and unity in our interactions among the brotherhood, and not look with suspicion on the other groups, feeling that they do not measure up to our standards.

Perhaps the seven churches of Asia Minor had similar misgivings about each other, separated by differing strengths, weaknesses, approaches, and understandings. All had spiritual blind-spots, forgetting that they had more things in common than things they disagreed about. Consequently, divisions developed pitting one personality cult against another, implying that Christ was divided against Himself. God dwells with those who have a humble and contrite spirit; His eyes are on those who put Him first. If we follow Paul’s admonition to esteem others over self, we will not have the inclination to build walls. As we submit ourselves to Jesus Christ and to one another, we will not have to worry about “stale mate” impasses of separation and division with the Body of Christ.

Keywords:
Adultery – Church as spiritual organism – David’s patience waiting for God – Division – Ephesians 2:19; 4 – Exodus 20:1-3 – Fasting First commandment – I Corinthians 1:10-13; 3:1 – I Peter 3:8 -12 – God’s expansive law – Hebrews 12:1-15 – Household of God – Isaiah 14 syndrome – Isaiah 57:15; 58:1-9 – Jeremiah 2:14 – Meditate on law – Money as a god – Mouth speaks out of the abundance – Philippians 2:1-4 – Psalm 18:46; 34:12-16; 119:96-97 – Schism – Schisma – Seven churches of Asia Minor – Sardis – Seventh commandment – Spiritual freedom – Unity