Why all These Church Divisions by  Danson Mwaniki, MDiv.  Confusion, division, and disagreement abound in Churches. Religious people are divided into hundreds of different denominations, wearing different names, worshipping in different ways, and teaching different doctrines.  Does Jesus approve of disagreement, and division, or does He seek religious unity? Does the Bible contradict itself? Is it impossible to understand? Do people fail to study diligently enough, resulting in ignorance? Are the problems caused by following man-made creeds and authority instead of following the Bible? What does God's word say? If a new disease comes into a community, doctors and scientists come to look for the cause or source of the disease.  Once they understand the origin, they can combat it and prevent it.  Likewise when we understand where division comes from, we are more able to heal it and to prevent it.

THE STORY OF THE "BODY" Once upon a time there was a body. It had enjoyed a healthy birth and a normal growth. Although there had been times of brief sickness and discomfort, these went through the usual healing processes and the body continued to grow and to function. Then one day, the toes began to discuss among themselves the importance of wearing comfortable shoes. In the course of the conversation, it was observed that no other part of the body was in the habit of wearing shoes."But shoes are necessary for the protection of the body!" exclaimed one of the big toes. "We need to convince the other members of the body that they should also take to wearing shoes. But alas, the other members of the body could not see the need and would not comply with such demands. The toes decided that, for the good of the body, they would separate themselves from the other members of the body. This had raised the question of what the various members of the body ought to wear. The legs stated that trousers were the only proper apparel. The torso claimed that a shirt ought to be worn. The hands disagreed, claiming that nothing was necessary, but that gloves were acceptable upon occasion.  The members of the body began to quarrel with one another with the result that each member decided to withdraw from those other members with whom there was disagreement. In the end, the body died.

CAUSES OF DIVISON MAY INCLUDE   Rejection of fundamental beliefs and commandments in the Bible: Paul listed basic fundamentals of the faith on which unity depends – Ephesians 4:4-6;  1 Corinthians 15:3,4.  If a person rejects even one of those essentials, we cannot remain one with him.  John wrote that Christians should not receive into their houses teachers who said Christ did not come in the flesh – 1 John 2:22,23;  4:1-3;  2 John 7-11;  compare 1 Corinthians 13:3;  Ephesians 4:4-6;  1 Corinthians 15:3,4;  5:1-13.  God does not condemn us for separating ourselves from this kind of false teachers. We are required to be separate from them.   Our sinful nature, “the flesh”  Paul and John described the actions of the sinful nature – Galatians 5:19-21;  3 John 9,10.  We justify our divisions by saying they are about scriptural beliefs, but often the underlying cause is a struggle over power, or perhaps resentment and unforgiveness, or pride in our superior righteousness (Paul said the Corinthians must have factions among them in order show who has God’s approval – 1 Corinthians 11:19).  Our superior “identity” becomes more important than Christ’s wider body and the welfare of the church.  A love of quarreling over foolish and vain questions: Paul said some religious discussions are not only profitless but engender strife and division - 1 Timothy 1:3-7;  4:7;  6:3-5,20,21;  2 Timothy 2:15-17,23-26;  4:3,4;  Titus 1:10-15;  3:9-11.  Our fallen nature enjoys that kind of strife, but Paul says it eats away at the church like gangrene.  Not understanding the Bible’s teaching about unity or the nature of Biblical unity: Though the doctrine of unity is among the major, foundational doctrines of our faith, it has often been the neglected orphan child in doctrinal study.  We need to deeply understand such passages as Ephesians 4:1-6;  Romans 14:1-15:7; 16:18;   1 Corinthians 1-3;  Galatians 5:19-23.  Biblical unity is not just “everybody agreeing with me.”  We will never agree on everything, but we can have the unity the Bible talks about.   Making other things bigger than Christ and the cross See 1 Corinthians 1:10-4:1.  The Corinthians divided because they followed different preachers more than they followed Christ.  We might glory in an eloquent preacher, a wise teacher, a name, a building, a pet doctrine, a tradition. All of these could divide Christians.  Anything (even a valid doctrine) that replaces Christ at the center of our attention becomes an idol.  All the other teachings in scripture get their meaning from the central truth of the cross and the Lordship of Jesus.  On Pentecost baptism took its meaning from the central truth of the Lordship of Jesus.  Paul refused to center his teaching on anything but the crucified Christ – 1 Corinthians 2:2.  A message centered anywhere else becomes a distorted, deceptive gospel.  And there can be as many divided sects as there are doctrines to emphasize.  Legalism, the belief that we are saved by our correctness rather than by the grace of the cross : In our flesh we like to feel righter than others and that we have made it by ourselves.  It is hard to admit our failure and our total dependence on the Lord.  So our fallen, fleshly nature always wants to take the gospel system of grace and turn it into a mere legal code, a system of law-salvation.  We appear to accomplish salvation by our own effort rather than by depending on the cross.  This happened with some in the early church (see Acts 15 and the letter to the Galatians) and it has happened often in the church since the apostles.  People who fight to preserve a legalistic system often mistakenly believe they are contending for the gospel and for the Christian faith.   – see Romans 10:2,3.  Religious disagreement, division, and confusion are not caused by God or His word. They are caused by people who do not obey God's word diligently. The Bible teaches us many truths, but the one truth that overshadows all truths is the message of the cross. If any other truth begins to overshadow the gospel, something is wrong. All people need to know is the gospel. It is by means of the gospel that God removed the conflict, the enmity, between sinners and Himself. It is also by the Gospel that enmity removed between men because the gospel is incompatible with human pride. When Christians strive with other Christians out of pride, the cure is not to enhance their pride, to improve their “self-esteem”; it is to crucify pride. Do you wonder why our Lord instructed His church to remember His suffering and death by the observance of the Lord’s Table? Communion is the commemoration of the work of Christ, the gospel. Communion is not simply a remembrance of an act that our Lord accomplished in the past; it is a way of life that we are to emulate every day of our lives. The gospel that saves is the gospel that humbles, and that humbling gospel is the basis for Christian unity and harmony.