Jesus Divides – The Joy of Division
Luke 12:51-53
51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;
52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.
53 "They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."
We've been told that division is bad. We've been taught that division has no place in the church. We've been warned that division is a tool of the devil and it is not a characteristic of God. But if that is the truth, then how do we respond to the words of Jesus in the passage above?
As we continue to see examples in evangelical churches today, and how they are continuing to slip further and further from scripture, then the Holiness of these words from Jesus start to become clearer.
Many churches today's have fallen away from the beauty and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The reality is simple, the ONLY thing that matters in this world is the Truth. It is what we [Christians] use as a foundation for everything we believe in. This truth (the Word – See John 1:1-2) did not come to bring peace. By its very nature it has brought division. We are sinners, and we live in a fallen world. The result of sin is that our heart, eyes, mind, body, spirit and flesh have all been corrupted by the destructive and corrosive nature of sin and the evil it brings. This evil cannot co-exist with the TRUTH and righteousness can not co-exist with the depravity of sinners.
We are continually being sifted like wheat. And during this process there will be some who look at the Word and turn away from its truth because of the conviction it brings; those who choose the pleasures of their flesh over the pleasures of God. This, in reality, is the sifting process. It is also the division that Jesus spoke of as well.
posted by Jason W. Allen @ 1:04 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
THIS COMMENT IS TAKEN OUT OF CONTENT WHEN HE SAYS THERE IS JOY IN DEVISION, IF YOU WOULD READ THE WHOLE CHAPTER YOU WOULD FIND THAT DEVISION IS OF MAN AND 49 AND 50 OF SAME CHAPTER TALK OF HIS RATH TO COME. WE KNOW THAT AT THE END FATHER WILL BE DEVIDED AGAINST SON AND SO ON BUT GOD WAS TALKING OF HIS TIME AND HOW HE WOULD DEVIDE THE CHURCH AND RESTRORE HIS CHURCH. BUT MAN HAS DEVIDED THE CHURCH AND IN GODS EYES THAT IS NOT JOY TO HIM SO IT SHOULD NOT BE JOY TO US. YOU NEED TO FALL TO YOUR KNEES AND ASK JESUS FOR THE TRUTH WHEN YOU SAY THE JOY OF DEVISION AND YOUR COMMENT AND HE WILL BRING THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO MIS CONCEVE PEOPLE INTO BELEIVING OUT OF CONTENT. WELL IF YOU READ ALL THE PASSAGE THAT GOES WITH THIS PASSAGE YOU CAN SEE THE TRUTH AND DEVISION IS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT GOD DOES NOT WHAT US TO HAVE JOY IN DOING IT . PEACE AND LOVE WAS HIS MESSAGE, NOT DEVISION AS A WHOLE AND SHOULD NEVER BE THOUGHT OF AS JOYFUL
OH SORRY JASON, I HAD A OPINION ABOUT BEING JOYFUL FOR DEVISION AND GOD TOUCHED ME TO SAY SO
CHUCK
Chuck:
Thank you for your comment on this post. I appreciate your thoughts on the subject and I agree with many of your points. However, I think you may be taking the blog post our of context. The point was not to say that Christ finds joy in dividing the church but rather that He takes joy in sparing people from the wrath of God though his death on the cross and resurrection.
We see again, in Matthew 10:34, that Christ came to bring not peace, but the sword. What is this sword? It’s the Word of God, who is Christ Jesus manifested in human flesh. The message of the Gospel is offensive, and it divides. John MacArthur said it like this:
“Though the ultimate end of the Gospel is peace with God, the immediate result of the Gospel is frequently conflict. Conversion to Christ can result in strained family relationships, persecution, and even martyrdom. Following Christ presupposes a willingness to endure such hardships. Though He is called “Prince of Peace” Christ will have no one deluded into thinking that He calls believers to a life devoid of all conflict.”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ divides. It separates the flesh form the spirit and sin from righteousness. This is a division that as Christians we can and should find joy in.
I'd like to hear your response to Matthew 10:34.
For His Glory
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