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WEEKLY
Volume 2 Number 37
10 February 2008
Division Because of Him
(Message
delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2 pm, Feb 3,
08)
Text:
John 7:37-53
Most of us appreciate unity. Unity is strength, power and
success. I remember a story about a father who taught his children to
love and help one another in unity. He distributed to each of them one
chopstick and asked them to break it and they could break it easily.
Then he asked each of them to break a bundle of chopsticks, but they
could not. He concluded that if they were united together they would
survive. The Scripture says, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken”
(Eccl.4:12). God wants His children to love one another, care for one
another and “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the
members should have the same care one for another” (1 Cor 12:25).
David highly valued unity, saying, “Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Ps 133:1). Our Lord
Jesus Christ prays for the unity of His followers, “That they all may
be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John
17:21). It is good to remind one another to maintain this precious unity
based on God’s Word. However, many Christian groups and churches quote
those verses to promote love and unity regardless of God’s Word and
God’s Truth. They promote the ecumenical movement and say “Love unites,
doctrines divide,” and then ignore all doctrinal truths, welcoming all
kinds of faiths and beliefs, even Buddhism and Hinduism! That is
unbiblical unity! Then, not all unity is good. The unity of the good
will be very good, but the unity of the wicked will be terribly wicked.
Consider how the power of the wicked Hitler doubled when Germany, Italy
and Japan united together in World War II. In politics, some parties
unite themselves with opposition parties to defeat the current President
or Prime Minister.
Then, the unity that God wants His children to have and
that our Lord Jesus Christ prays for is the godly and biblical unity.
That is unity based on God’s Word and God’s Truth. If all the believers
sincerely and wholeheartedly submit to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His
Word, no more self, “Not I, but Christ” (Gal 2:20), no more my
mind, but Christ’s, no more human “words” but Christ’s alone, then there
will be true and lasting unity, but how can we sincerely and
wholeheartedly submit to God’s Word if we do not believe that we are
holding His perfect Word in our hands today?
Then is it biblical when Rev Charles Seet and Life BPC’s
Elders blame those who stand for VPP for
divisions in their article “Mark Them
Which Cause Divisions”? Let us learn more about division and its cause.
The Term “Division” in the New
Testament
In the NT, there are three Greek terms denoting division
or schism:
(1) Diamerismós:
This term is used only once by
Luke (12:51) when Jesus says, “Suppose ye that I am come to
give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division.”
According to the context, this division happens because there is no
harmony between those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ and those who
believe in and submit to the Lord Jesus Christ. We still see many
Christians who are despised, hated and persecuted because of their faith
in the Lord and His Word today.
(2) Schísma:
This term has 8 occurrences and is translated as
“division” five times (John 7:43; 9:16; 10:19; 1 Cor. 1:10;
11:18), “rent” twice (Matt. 9:16; Mark 2:21), and “schism” once (1 Cor
12:25).
According to the context in the Gospel of John, the
division is due to the different opinions among the people about the
Lord Jesus and His Word, either to receive or reject Him and His Word.
Then, this term is equivalent to Luke’s term
diamerismós.
John 7:43 “So there was a division among the
people because of him (Jesus).”
John 9:16 “Therefore said some
of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the
sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such
miracles? And there was a division among them.”
John 10:19 “There was a division therefore
again among the Jews for these sayings (Jesus’ words).”
According to the context of 1 Corinthians 1:10 and 12:25,
God does not want any division/schism among believers. They should have
the same mind, judgment and care for one another,
1 Cor 1:10 “Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the
same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye
be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
1 Cor 12:25 “That there should
be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the
same care one for another.”
According to 1 Cor 11:18, the division is due to a lack
of love and care for one another among believers, especially when they
partook of the Lord’s Supper. They did not wait for one another and the
rich gathered in one group with plenty of food when the poor were
hungry. It should be noted that Paul rebuked them but did not command
other believers to mark them or avoid them.
1 Cor 11:18 “For first of all,
when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions
among you; and I partly believe it.”
(3) Dichostasía:
has only three occurrences and is translated as
“division” twice (Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 3:3), and “sedition” once
(Gal. 5:20). According to the context, the division is caused by those
who lived according to the flesh, without any submission to the Holy
Spirit and God’s Word.
Rom 16:17 “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them
which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which
ye have learned; and avoid them” [contrary to the doctrine
(teaching) which ye have learned (from Jesus or the Apostles) means
contrary to God’s Word (cf. 1 Thess 2:13), and the division is thus
caused by rebellion against God and His Word].
1 Cor 3:3 “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is
among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal,
and walk as men? [“the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it
is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom 8:7),
and the division is thus caused by rebellion against God and His Word
(cf. 1 Cor 5:11-13)].
Gal 5:20 “Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies”
[sedition here means division, rebellious disorder, discontent, and it
should be noted that it
is one of the “works of the flesh” (v 19) or carnal nature,
sinful nature, without any submission to the control of the Holy Spirit,
and the division is thus caused by rebellion against God and His
Word].
Therefore, there may be division due
to human opinions over the Lord Jesus and His words, or due to a lack of
love and care for one another among believers, or due to rebellion
against God and His Word.
Then, Rev Charles Seet
and Life BPC’s Elders, who
quote Romans 16:17 to mark and avoid those who stand for
VPP and blame them for division, are quoting out of context because that
verse is referring to those who live according to their sinful nature,
rebelling against God and His Word while those who hold to VPP
acknowledge the full authority of God’s fully inspired and fully
preserved Word! Thus, it is those who reject VPP are rebellious
against the authority of God’s
Word and causing divisions. If they had acknowledged the full authority
of God’s perfect Word, they would not be fighting against FEBC and VPP
as they are doing now.
We should not be surprised when we
face opposition or persecutions because of the Lord Jesus and His Word.
Now let us have a look at the Gospel of John 7:37-53 to see more about
this. There are three groups of people. One group believed in the Lord
and His Word, another rejected the Lord and His Word due to their lack
of faith and knowledge, and the other
publicly blasphemed, persecuted and sought to kill the Lord. Which group
do you belong to?
Believing in the Lord and His
Word: After
hearing the gospel call of the Lord Jesus and the promise of the Holy
Spirit, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that
believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water” (vv 37-38), many of the people therefore,
when they heard this saying (Jesus’ Word), said,
“Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ”
(vv 40-41). Do you and I truly believe in the Lord Jesus and His
Word without any doubt, question or reservation? (cf. John 4:41-42;
8:30-31, et al).
Rejecting the Lord and His Word:
However, there were many others rejecting the Lord and
His Word due to their lack of faith and knowledge, saying, “Shall
Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That
Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem,
where David was? So there was a division among the people because
of him (Jesus)” (vv 42-43). They knew the Scripture, but did
not know and believe that the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of the
Scripture. They did not know and believe that Jesus, who was before
their eyes, was the Christ, who was really born in Bethlehem (Matt 2:1).
Many nowadays know the Scripture but do not know and believe that God
has perfectly preserved His Word (the Hebrew and Greek texts underlying
the KJV), before their eyes and in their hands, as He promised (Ps
12:6-7; Matt 5:18; 24:35, et al). How about you and me?
Publicly Persecuting the Lord and Finding Faults
with His Word: Ironically, most of those
who persecuted the Lord and found faults with His Word were religious
leaders, “And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the
Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of
many things: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of
his mouth, that they might accuse him” (Luke 11:53-54). And these
are their subtle tactics:
(1) Telling Lies: They “sought to kill”
Jesus (7:1) and the people knew about it, “Is not this he (Jesus),
whom they seek to kill?” (v 25), but when Jesus exposed their wicked
intention, they denied and even blasphemed Him, “Did not Moses give
you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to
kill me? The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth
about to kill thee?” (vv 19-20), and Jesus had to tell them the
truth, “Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it”
(John 8:44). Many nowadays are telling lies. They do not mean what they
say. Fearing others may think that they do not honour God’s Word, they
say that God’s Word is perfect while they deny VPP and persecute and
insult those who hold to VPP as heretics! Dear friends, do not be
deceived by their lies!
(2) Misleading Common People:
To convince the common people of their stand, they appeal to the
majority of high-ranking people, saying, “Have any of the rulers or
of the Pharisees believed on him (Jesus)?” (v 48) They cursed
and regarded those who believed in Jesus and His words as being deceived
(v 47) or lacking in knowledge (v 49). They did not know that Nicodemus
did believe in Jesus (v 50, John 3:1-13) and so did Joseph of Arimathea
(Luke 23:50-53). Moreover, as regards spiritual matters, Jesus says,
“I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes” (Matt 11:25). It is not surprising that many nowadays mislead
common people by pointing to the majority of “scholars” with great
“credentials” who do not believe in God’s perfectly preserved Word and
who arrogantly criticize God’s Word with their textual criticism,
regarding apparent “discrepancies” as “scribal errors”! They think they
are scholarly and regard those who hold
to VPP as being deceived or lacking in knowledge. Dear friends, do you
still believe in the Lord and His perfect Word no matter what the
majority may say?
(3) Hiding the Truth: Our
Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy in the Old
Testament (Micah 5:2; Matt 2:2, 5-6). While many people thought that
Jesus was born in Galilee, these religious leaders persuaded them not to
believe that Jesus was the Christ, by telling a lie, “Search, and
look: for out of Galilee
ariseth no prophet” (v 52).
Actually, they were “chief priests and Pharisees” (v 45) and were among
those who had been called for by King Herod concerning the place of
birth of Christ when the wise men came to Jerusalem (Matt 2:4-6), so
they either purposely ignored or hid that truth about Christ and even
ignored that the prophet Jonah was from Galilee (2 Kings 14:25).
Nowadays, many also ignore God’s promises of preserving His Word and
tell a lie to mislead common people, “Nowhere in the Scripture says that
God will preserve His Word”! Dear friends, do you believe in what God
says in the Scripture or what non-Bible-believing men say? “God
forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom 3:4).
Conclusion
Dear friends, division may be caused by
different opinions about Christ and His Word, by a lack of love and care
for one another, or by rebellion against God and His Word. Our Lord
Jesus Christ prays for unity of believers who are sanctified by God’s
Word and God’s Truth (John 17:17,21). Separation from self, sin, and
wrong doctrines, and submission to the Lord and His Word are the only
way to have godly unity. May God graciously help us do this. Amen.
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