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Jesus, in Matthew 12:25 says, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” Jesus is regarded as the Voice of God, so one can presume that anything Jesus says in God’s name is what God would say. As Christianity places great emphasis on our faith in God, rather than in dutifully abiding by the Laws of the Old Testament, however insignificant they may seem, our faith in Him is such that it is not necessary to fact-check Jesus’ words, but they can be accepted in faith.
And in the Scriptures which come after the Gospels, there is an inference that the calls to divide an established order, and acting toward doing so, is a sin. Galatians 5:19-20 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident...divisions...” The works of the flesh in this context are things that originate in the flesh that God would not approve of; so these works are works of sin. Romans 16:17 is an appeal to us to avoid those who would cause divisions, so in context with Galatians 5:19-20 it is an appeal to us to avoid those who would sin by encouraging division.
Division could not be confused with disagreements. With disagreements that end as such, there are resolutions, often through compromise, that enable people to stay together despite the disagreements. Resolutions maintain unity, which in turn fosters piece as envisioned in Colossians 3:15.
On the other hand, divisions that end in division results in a parting of the ways, a breaking apart. Such is what Jesus in Matthew 12:25 warns us about. Now some may argue, ‘What about divorce? Is that not a division, and have people survived from such a division?’ Perhaps this argument was in the mind of a certain leader in the U.S. who suggested that certain states ‘divorce’ themselves from other states. Well our faith in God through Jesus would compel us to accept that God decreed in Genesis that one shall hold fast to another, so they be one flesh. Not to mention that such a relationship of the flesh that is commanded by God is different than a relationship amongst people that involve all other interactions.
For the moment, let us entertain the consequences of a division amongst people that have formulated to depend on one another. In countries such as the U.S., and even among countries, a dependency has formed of one region on another, for reasons that include the climate and availability of human and other resources. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 provides a stark analogy to the human body. The human body has eyes, ears, feet and hands and a mouth, to name a few parts. What good are the eyes without feet, hands, ears and a mouth? What good are feet without eyes, hands, ears and a mouth? We could go on. In this context, in unity the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
And as Romans 13:1 says that a governing authority under God is an authority that rules as an extension of God, we should expect our government to maintain the unity of what they govern, that peace can be maintained.
And in the Scriptures which come after the Gospels, there is an inference that the calls to divide an established order, and acting toward doing so, is a sin. Galatians 5:19-20 says, “Now the works of the flesh are evident...divisions...” The works of the flesh in this context are things that originate in the flesh that God would not approve of; so these works are works of sin. Romans 16:17 is an appeal to us to avoid those who would cause divisions, so in context with Galatians 5:19-20 it is an appeal to us to avoid those who would sin by encouraging division.
Division could not be confused with disagreements. With disagreements that end as such, there are resolutions, often through compromise, that enable people to stay together despite the disagreements. Resolutions maintain unity, which in turn fosters piece as envisioned in Colossians 3:15.
On the other hand, divisions that end in division results in a parting of the ways, a breaking apart. Such is what Jesus in Matthew 12:25 warns us about. Now some may argue, ‘What about divorce? Is that not a division, and have people survived from such a division?’ Perhaps this argument was in the mind of a certain leader in the U.S. who suggested that certain states ‘divorce’ themselves from other states. Well our faith in God through Jesus would compel us to accept that God decreed in Genesis that one shall hold fast to another, so they be one flesh. Not to mention that such a relationship of the flesh that is commanded by God is different than a relationship amongst people that involve all other interactions.
For the moment, let us entertain the consequences of a division amongst people that have formulated to depend on one another. In countries such as the U.S., and even among countries, a dependency has formed of one region on another, for reasons that include the climate and availability of human and other resources. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 provides a stark analogy to the human body. The human body has eyes, ears, feet and hands and a mouth, to name a few parts. What good are the eyes without feet, hands, ears and a mouth? What good are feet without eyes, hands, ears and a mouth? We could go on. In this context, in unity the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
And as Romans 13:1 says that a governing authority under God is an authority that rules as an extension of God, we should expect our government to maintain the unity of what they govern, that peace can be maintained.
