“Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come.’” (Luke 22:17-18 NLT)
In the King James Version of the Bible there are only two times the word “divide” is used. Once is in the verse above in reference to the wine of holy Communion, and the second is found in Luke 12:13 when a man is asking Jesus to tell his brother to divide his inheritance with him.
How diametrically opposed are the thoughts of God and the thoughts of man. God desires to divide what He has to bring people together, while we’re more prone to desire more for ourselves, for our own benefit. Nikola Tesla wrote: “We are all one. Only egos, beliefs, and fears separate us.”
Why are we so prone to division, even within the Body of Christ? My sense is our misguided ego that tells us we’ve got to be “right,” even if we’re clearly “wrong.” Isaiah addresses this in Isaiah 5:21 when he writes: “What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.”
Have you ever wondered why there are more than 45,000 denominations in the Christian Faith. There’s only one God, one Bible, one Christian Faith, yet there are more than 45,000 groups who don’t see eye to eye on how to interpret the Bible and understand the God of our Faith. And, honestly, that’s not all bad!
Think of the differences between members of the same family or even within a marriage between two people. Each person is unique, and rightfully so. We’re all created differently, even to the point of having different fingerprints, DNA, eyes, teeth and other physical characteristics, not to mention personalities, I. Q., E. Q., and many other factors that can tend to be underlying issues in why we have different beliefs about many things, including God. But those things can be very positive and good in the right environment.
My love is deepened when I meet someone who is brilliant and has used their brilliance, not as a means of erecting barriers between them and God or me but instead to open avenues of partnership with God and others to learn more about Him, and to be drawn closer to Him. I think of great men of God in my own generation who have used their intellect and spiritual prowess to point people to Jesus and to each other.
We allow our beliefs to divide us when we see our view as superior to another’s. Beliefs DO divide, there’s no way to prevent that; however, beliefs don’t have to alienate us from one another. I have gay friends that I deeply love and care about, but we don’t share common beliefs about many things. I have believing friends who love Jesus who have different views on what some consider “major” doctrines like eternal security, the Rapture, the Millennium, speaking in tongues, divine physical healing among others.
Differences exist, that’s a given, but whether we allow them to drive us apart is a personal issue. I’m in dialog with two young Mormon Elders with whom I disagree, but the Lord has also given me love for them and a strong desire to see them come to the Christ of the Bible. I can argue with them to no good end or, in Christian love, tell them the Truth as friends and seek to help them see the error of their understanding. Even as I write these words, I see the dichotomy in which we’re entwined.
Let’s look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 