Bible Study with the Cincotti’s – Is Christ Divided? – 01/11/2025
Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti.
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Is Christ Divided? Audio Podcast
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Is Christ Divided?
“Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Jos. 5:13-14
Divisiveness in the church should break our hearts; it certainly breaks God’s heart. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.” Lk. 11:17. The hallmarks of the kingdom of God are unity, agreement, peace, and one accordedness. How did we get to this ugly place with over thirty thousand Christian denominations, each one claiming truth, and accuracy. The Holy Spirit is not confused or divided so that means that someone isn’t listening.
In the year 1054 the Great Schism occurred, dividing Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. It’s a bit naive to think that the church had a unified witness up to that point. Controversies, error, heresies, and divisions existed from just about the very beginning. Many were quenched with much debate resulting in creeds and doctrinal statements of faith. Others were quenched with bloodshed. Today we quench our differences by splitting off to form another group, adding to that embarrassing number. How can an unbelieving world take interest in such confusion and disagreement? Many people defect toward what feels good for them without much regard for fidelity to the truth, and in this current church atmosphere it’s not hard to find a version that is going to tell you what you want to hear.
On our podcasts we try to stay away from that mess and make every effort to hear from the Holy Spirit and rightly divide the word of truth. We each have a church covering but try to refrain from being personally dogmatic to suggest that we are getting it right one hundred percent of the time. Always remain teachable, and listen to opposing opinions with grace towards those who staunchly hold them.
The apostle Paul was zealous for sound doctrine. Many of his letters, that we esteem as Scripture, are corrective. He says to Titus, “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine.” Tit. 2:1. The trouble arises when, over the centuries, well intentioned men, responding questions, cultural changes, and pressures of all sorts, make deductive doctrinal statements, which end up layering the simplicity of the gospel. Once this has happens, it’s almost impossible to repeal. Paul said to the church in Corinth, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” II Co. 11:3
In his book Amusing Ourselves To Death, author Neil Postman includes an excerpt from The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in which there appears, what Postman calls a, “remarkable quotation attributed to Michael Welfare, one of the founders of a religious sect known as the Dunkers and a longtime acquaintance of Franklin. The statement had its origins in Welfare’s complaint to Franklin that zealots of other religious persuasions were spreading lies about the Dunkers, accusing them of abominable principles to which, in fact, they were utter strangers. Franklin suggested that such abuse might be diminished if the Dunkers published the articles of their belief and the rules of their discipline. Welfare replied that this course of action had been discussed among his co-religionists but had been rejected. He then explained their reasoning in the following words:
When we were first drawn together as a society, it had pleased God to enlighten our minds so far as to see that some doctrines, which we once esteemed truths, were errors, and that others, which we had esteemed errors, were real truths. From time to time He has been pleased to afford us farther light, and our principles have been improving, and our errors diminishing. Now we are not sure that we are arrived at the end of this progression, and at the perfection of spiritual or theological knowledge; and we fear that, if we should feel ourselves as if bound and confined by it, and perhaps be unwilling to receive further improvement, and our successors still more so, as conceiving what we their elder and founders had done, to be something sacred, never to be departed from.”
I included this lengthy passage to suggest, without proposing another group, that perhaps this is the way it should be done. Over the centuries it seems as though Christendom has rectified itself with course adjustments, with intent, frequently, to return to basic principles. This doesn’t mean that every schism was righteous. Clearly the enemy of our souls is active, behind the scenes, causing division with malicious intent. His aim is to divide and conquer from within if necessary, but fortunately we are not unaware of his schemes.
How do we distinguish between righteous and unrighteous doctrinal forms in our own personal choice making? I wish it was as simple as just know the Scriptures, but every camp always has, what seems to be a sound Scriptural apologetic. The following are a few thoughts.
Yes, know the Scriptures and why they matter as a firm foundation for our faith. Doctrinal statements that begin to wander based upon interpretations and logical conclusions could be dubious. Luther’s demand, “show me in the Scriptures,” was a sound approach.
Next, know yourself. Are you prone toward a certain system or away from others because of your own subjective experiences? Perhaps, for instance, if you have experienced the abuse of “Spiritual gifts” or have never experienced a miracle personally, you reject that dynamic. You are not the barometer of truth, Christ is. Pray for wisdom and be willing to submit to what God says.
Examine the group. I hate to say this, but in the present atmosphere, we need to be wise consumers. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes form thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” Mt. 7:15-17. Every church has its problems. I’m not suggesting to be hypercritical, but some inconsistencies can often be obvious.
Beware of divisiveness within. A church born in divisiveness will breed divisiveness. Protestantism is evidence of this. Paul speaks to this in his first letter to the church in Corinth, “For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ Is Christ divided?
I Co. 1:11-13. The answer is NO!
Have a willingness to submit to authority because this is the design of the church, which reflects the kingdom. Heb. 13:17 says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account, let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable to you.”
At the same time beware of spiritual abuse and cultism.
Finally, notice what takes place in our opening verse. “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” Jos. 5:14-15. It’s not about us, it’s about Christ, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” II Co. 3:17. We gather together to seek His face, to exalt Him, to enjoy His presence, and practice what we were created for. Not for our own entertainment or comfort. When we make Him first, we will also reap the benefits.
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