In this season our pastor Tom Pelt, brought to our attention what some would call a conundrum. The prince of peace also brought a sword, which removes peace. That is Jesus, who brings to ones soul a peace that the world cannot give, but He gives this as a gift; but with it He also brings that, which will divide this one receiving this peace, from the world and in so doing He introduces conflict in areas, where there formerly was no conflict.

Even our children, while they are in the world and apart from Jesus, will invade and disrupt our peace as believers. They will do so until such time, as they become one with us in Christ Jesus.

So what about the division that is in the Church itself? Pastor spoke of this as being “messy”. He did not elaborate, but how can it be that division or a lack of peace can exist between believers? The Holy Spirit is the comforter that Christ gives us. The Sword that Jesus promised to bring was His own intervention into our lives by His Spirit. We who have come to Him for salvation possess Him and His peace. What really happens when we turn to Him with our lives?

John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (KJV)

This comforter we learn brings to us the way that we are to live; the truth that we are to believe. The gifts that we are to employ on His behalf for the benefit of others.

He is promised to come to teach us all truth. So it would be reasonable then to believe that the division within the Church itself, is present because the Holy Spirit within the Church is being grieved and ignored. This is especially true within those areas where there is division and disagreement among us. There cannot be more than one truth on any doctrine.

Men like to say that our agreement on the important doctrine of salvation is what matters and that our disagreement on the peripheral doctrines is not crucial to our brotherhood in Christ. Yet, can we believe that we are being led into all truth, but that we are being led in very different directions concerning the truth that God’s Holy Spirit is leading us in? What does Paul seem to tell us in this regard?

2 Timothy 2:25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses [and escape] from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (NASB1995)

A Church doctrine is taught to be the Truth that the Holy Spirit has led us to believe. Is there something wrong when there are variations of the Truth surrounding the gifts; or the way that we are to comport ourselves in love; or the way that we are to handle sin in the world Vs. in the Church; or our understanding of our own times; or of the Lords coming?

I would have to say that yes the above scripture implies that there exists a wrong or a bad association when there is opposition to the Truth that the Holy Spirit is teaching. In fact, the snare is of the devils own making. We know that the twisting of the scripture is the snare that leads to one’s own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). So if one is into the word of God thinking that they are right but they are not; then they are ensnared by the Devil. In these cases we have a responsibility to with gentleness correct such a one. If each man who is holding to a differing opinion of this truth is thus stedfast in his belief; then he must bring Scripture to bare in support of his argument. The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures and uses them to teach us.

When Jesus said that we are to abide in Him, and also stated that He is the Word, and that He is the Truth, is He in this not providing our only way of abiding? His Word is Truth; and in Him: in His Truth we are abiding. Anything else and we are not abiding.

So the differences in doctrine can even be used to aid us in our abiding, for these differences can drive us into the word for that truth that we need in order to abide.

Study my brothers to show yourselves approved workman who need not be ashamed. If one continues in error he then is following after the snare of the Devil, and he, in fact, cannot be abiding in Christ, the one who is the word; the truth and the life which is eternal.