The Biblical Basis of Division, by Jacob Prasch

August 23, 2007

The following article is by Jacob Prasch of Moriel Ministries.

When is Church Division Ordained of God, and When is It Not?

As we have often noted, in His high-priestly prayer in the 17th chapter of John’s Gospel, Jesus prefaces His prayer for unity amongst believers, in verses 17 to 23, with a prayer that they first of all be sanctified in the truth. Biblical unity, that is the unity of the Spirit, first and foremost depends on that unity being grounded in doctrinal truth. “Sanctify them in the truth, Thy Word is truth” . Moreover, Jesus identifies Himself personally, as the literal incarnation of truth itself (John 14:6), because in the context of the Gospel of John, particularly, Jesus Himself is literally the incarnate Word (John 1:1). In short, if there is no truth, there is no Jesus and if there is no Jesus, there is no unity in Him. His teaching, in which we are to be sanctified, of which He Himself is both the eternal Logos (or davar in Hebrew) and of which He is the physical incarnation, is referred to in the New Testament by the Greek term didaskein. Those rejecting biblical doctrine reject truth and consequently reject Christ, placing themselves under a divine curse, where the Lord Himself will send a delusion, causing them to believe what is false, which will ultimately be the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3-11).

Yet in today’s world, Paul Crouch, of Trinity Broadcasting Network, denounced doctrine as “excrement”. We have heard many people from charismatic backgrounds tell us that doctrine is bad because it divides and instead we need love. In actual fact, according to Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is meant to divide, designed by Him for that very purpose. In an age where Christians would choose to believe a Chuck Colson, Nicky Gumbel, Tony Campola, Robert Schuler or some other ecumenical deceiver instead of the Word of God, biblical imperatives about discernment are rejected, in the name of love, as divisive. It is easily overlooked, by those paying attention to such people, that real love, that is the love of Jesus, can only abound where there is real knowledge of Scripture, and real discernment (Philippians 1:8,9).

The Two Primary Kinds of Popular Mistakes and Misconceptions

The question becomes - when do we divide? When should a church split? When should someone leave a church? When should someone sever fellowship with another believer? At what point should we refuse to co-operate with others in the ministry?

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(HT: Symphony of Scripture)

Category Posted in Chuck Colson, Division, Jacob Prasch