"It is the
simplest of principles, it is the most difficult of principles. Let us first
be clear on what unity does not mean: it does not mean uniformity. Unity is
oneness. Diversity lends strength to any group of people. Unity binds together
diverse elements so that, by virtue of their many strengths, the whole becomes
greater than the sum of its parts. Me, You and Him." (Fady Habib, "Unity in Diversity")
Have you ever wondered about Jesus’ prayer for unity in the
church?
“I have given them the glory that
you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May
they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and
have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17: 22-23).
How are we doing with this “glory” that the Lord gave us? Are we truly “one?” Are we in complete “unity?”
Does the “world” know this? Hmm.
So now we come to the last thing on our list of seven things
that the Lord hates; “a man who stirs up
dissension among brothers.”
“There are six things
the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him; haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that
are quick to rush into evil, a false witness that pours out lies and a man who
stirs up dissension among brothers.” (Proverbs 6: 16-19; NIV)
“Stirring up
dissension.” How do you picture that? To better understand this, perhaps we
would do well to first describe what it isn’t. First of all I imagine a
peaceful setting where people are getting along reasonably well. I imagine
friends and neighbors in a community helping one another out. I imagine them
sharing tools, loaning each other a cup of sugar now and then, getting together
to help one of their midst put a new roof on his house, and so on and so on.
There is peace and harmony. There is brotherhood. There is love. There is
unity. Well, you get the picture. Kind of nice, isn’t it? Perhaps we might say that,
“it’s utopic.”
Then into that utopian community, a new family arrives that
do not share the same values, or perhaps who simply think a little differently
on certain matters. Nobody notices this at first. Using very subtle tactics,
this newcomer begins to ruffle the feathers of some against the others. Oh, I’m
sure it wasn’t deliberate, but tension and distrust do begin creep in. Soon
some families are noticeably absent from the regular celebratory community
block parties. The rumor mill grows and that horrible “S” word, slander, begins
to take root. Then, almost overnight, the landscape begins to change in this
once peaceful community, as a few “For Sale” signs start to pop up here and
there.
Can you hear the gossip? Some who have not yet succumbed to
the dissension virus ask, “What, they’re moving? You mean, like to another
community? Why?” Others, once their closest friends, are now strangely less
sympathetic. They shrug their shoulders and say, “Let them go. Who cares! Good
riddance!”
While I just made this quixotic community up, I am sure have
all witnessed its demise before. Where have we done so, you ask? It comes by
many different names. Some recognize it as a church split. For others it is
denominationalism. In yet another case it is known as local church membership.
Does that shock you?
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious … dissensions, factions”
(Galatians 5: 20)
What do church splits, denominationalism and local church
membership all have in common? They all pull brothers and sisters apart. They
all make a distinction between us and them, and usually they do so with some
measure of hurt feelings brought on by one dispute or another.
I appeal to you,
brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus, that all of you agree with one another
so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly
united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have
informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you
says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”;
still another, “I follow Christ” (1 Corinthians 1: 10-12).
In the very next verse the Apostle Paul then asks, “Is Christ divided?” Unfortunately the
answer seems to be, “Yes.” Oh, to be sure, our Lord never intended that, but
we’ve done it to him. I follow Menno
(Mennonites); I follow Calvin (Reformed); I follow Luther (Lutherans). We’ve
divided Christ. It seems that we identify ourselves more by our denominational
handles than by the name of the Lord. We’re Baptists; we’re Pentecostals; we’re
Presbyterians; we’re Anglicans, not to mention a host of others. I have heard
some people call denominations “flavors,” as if they were simply buying another
ice cream cone.
Denominations are not
flavors; they’re factions.
How did all that happen? Somewhere in our history there were
dissensions. Somewhere in our history our forefathers acted in an unloving way
toward their fellow believers and found it easier to divide than to reconcile.
Somewhere in our recent history we do the same thing in that we too act in an
unloving way with every church split. And every time we move on and join
another local church by taking out membership in it, we do the same thing again
by subtly saying, “I belong here” as opposed to “there” with you. We seem to
have forgotten that the only true “ministry” that the church has is the “
ministry of reconciliation” (2
Corinthians 5:18). But then again, it’s easier to divide ourselves that to
reconcile ourselves, isn’t it?
Ultimately, though, all that has more to do with religion
than it has to do with Christ. At the very least, it is not a life in the
Spirit, for as the Apostle Paul says, “live
by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”
(Galatians 5:16). What are dissensions and factions? They are “acts of the sinful nature” (Galatians
5:19).
I define “Dissensions” as those quarrelling hard feelings caused
by differences of opinion. Is God happy with this? On the contrary, He HATES
it. Not only does He hate “it,” our Proverbs text says that He hates the “man”
who stirs up this SIN in others. Notice that again, those who “stir up dissension among brothers,” God
hates. Up until now, in the first six parts, it was always a thing that the
Lord hated; but now God’s hatred seems to be directed at a man. Perhaps that is
why James said, “we who teach will be
judged more strictly” (James 3:1). Maybe we should pause and thing about
that for a moment.
“Hate” seems like
such a hard word. How are we to understand it?
I can just see all the red flags now. Did I say that God hates a
man? Actually, I didn’t, but the Bible did. I just quoted it. I’m reminded of
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Romans
9:13). Ever notice how some people seem to have a hard time with the notion of
God hating anything, much less, anyone? Perhaps you’re one such person. In some
ways I have yet to make peace with this notion too. Rather we prefer to think
only of the love of God in Christ Jesus, which I might add, is right and proper
for us to do. However, here is where it gets tricky for many of us. Does God’s
wonderful love for us mean that He cannot hate? How do we reconcile this
apparent dichotomy?
I like how the
Encyclopedia of Bible Words (Lawrence O.
Richards; Zondervan, page 325) discusses the objects of God’s hatred. It reads:
It is not surprising
to read that God hates wickedness and will have no relationship with the
evildoer. God, who loves justice, rightly hates robbery and iniquity (Isa
61:8). The Bible tells us that God also hates hypocritical worship offered by
those whose lifestyles show that his moral standards have been ignored (Isa
1:13-15; Am 5:21). God’s hatred of idolatry is also well established.
Usually we human
beings are fearful of hatred. Both in ourselves and others it becomes a dominating
emotion that robs one of judgment and of compassion. But God’s hatred is
different. His hatred is always appropriate, focused on evil and the evildoer.
And God’s hatred is always balanced by his attributes of love and compassion.
Because God is the moral judge of the universe, he must make distinctions
between good and evil. Because God is wholly committed to good, he must react
to wickedness and act passionately and wisely to punish. As the psalmist says:
“You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot
dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.
You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the Lord
abhors” (Ps 5:4-6).
So what are we to make of all this? Certainly we prefer to
speak only of the love of God. I know that I do. However, maybe the truth about
God is better described as if on a pendulum. It is this, but it is also that.
God is one, but He is also Three-in-One. There is election and there is also free
will. There is justice and there is also grace. There is Heaven and there is also
Hell. There is God’s love and there is also God’s hate.
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"Wind Gauge" in Lethbridge, Alberta. Photo Source: Unknown
Reminds me of our theological pendulums, sometimes stuck to one side. |
I suspect that for many of us, though, that theological pendulum often seems to get stuck on one side or the other. We tend to gravitate to one camp or the other instead of seeing that both can be correct in their own ways and contexts. Maybe that’s why there are often
so many dissensions in the church. Maybe it’s ultimately to do with our pet
doctrines that we love so much. Maybe we would all do well to remind ourselves
that even if we think we have all these mysteries of God figured out, if we
don’t have genuine and unpretentious love, then ultimately we have nothing (1
Corinthians 13).
What was the Greatest Commandment? Oh yes, love God and love
our fellow man. “All the Law and the
Prophets hang on these two commandments,” said Jesus (Matthew 22: 40). The
way I read that, everything that has ever been said about God or will ever be
said about God, hangs on love.
Is it reconciliation time? Hmm, I wonder.
Anyway, that’s the way I see it. Peace.