There are so many divisions among people today….in general, and among Christians as well. We have the believers and the non-believers, rich and poor, young and old, white, black, red, brown and yellow; weak and strong, men and women….the list goes on and on. Along with divisions we also have labels: nerds, geeks, Bible thumpers, haters….too many to list them all. Why do we have all these divisions? Because we judge.
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matt. 7: 1….if only we all could heed this advice. Most of us want to be accepted for who we are. Some try to change in order to fit in when it would be so much nicer if we could just be ourselves. Young people today often find life unbearable simply because they feel they’re not pretty enough, or not smart enough to fit in with their peers. Going to school and facing these obstacles everyday is often more than they know how to deal with.
If we see a fault in ourselves we feel it must certainly be obvious to everyone else. We don’t realize that others face the same problems we do….or worse ones. You might be concerned about the clothes you wear, a bad complexion, or countless other things, while everyone else seems to be fine. But maybe if we look a little closer….
That boy who was Captain of the football team and all the girls admired him, maybe he had to work twice as hard as some just to keep up his grades so he could play ball. The girl who seems to have it altogether and talks to everybody maybe has a nervous condition due to the fact that her mother drinks too much and she’s constantly worried someone will find out. We don’t know what life is like for anyone else unless we know them personally….then they might not tell us everything that bothers them. We humans are really good at hiding our feelings and pretending that everything is fine.
Even among believers there are many divisions: Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterian, Lutheran….so many denominations. Even the denominations are divided: Southern Baptist, Standard Baptist, Missionary Baptist, Bible Baptist….why can’t we all just call ourselves Christians and be done with it? Once again, because we judge. Some baptize by submersion, some sprinkle, some baptize infants and others believe we must be at least 12 years old, the age of accountability.
Some believe all food is good and others refuse to eat certain kinds of meat. Some worship on Sunday and others on Saturday. Christmas is observed by some while others celebrate Hanakkah….so many reasons to separate and divide.
The religious groups in Jesus’ day were the Sadducees and the Pharisees….all Jews but with much different beliefs. The Sadducees opposed Jesus, did not believe in resurrection, angels or spirits. they had the confidence of the wealthy and thought themselves above others. Most were rude and argumentative, often questioning Jesus for His every move.
The Pharisees believed in following every letter of the written law. They believed in an afterlife and a coming Messiah, angels and spirits. They found fault with Jesus and His followers as well.
Another group were the publicans…. tax collectors for the Roman government. Any Jew who took the job as tax collector, was excommunicated. The publicans though, such as Matthew, were most willing to accept Jesus and His teachings.
All these divisions today cause the same complications in our efforts to spread the Gospel and lead others to Christ. In Mat. 12: 25, Jesus said: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself cannot stand.”
The problem is also found among those who govern our country right now. They cause massive arguments about unimportant issues when they should be focusing on how to solve some major problems like war in the Middle East, immigration and racial unrest. Our police officers are being targeted and killed while we argue over bathroom rights for trans-gendered people.
I think one reason Christianity is losing some of its attraction today is due to so much division and our tendency to judge each other based on denominations. This ought not to be, as Jesus came that we all might be saved based on our faith in Him. The church, which is the people, not a building, needs to come together, overlooking differences and love one another simply as brothers and sisters in Christ. He looks at our heart, not at how well we follow a church’s rules or doctrine.
When the disciples saw one not among their group casting out devils in the name of Jesus, they told him to stop then pointed it out to Jesus, He told them, “Forbid him not: For he that is not against us is for us.” Luke 9: 49-50
If we want our country to come together, first we have to see god’s people standing together as one and praying for each other. Jesus’ love is what attracts people to Him, so we need to remember the last commandment He gave us: “Love one another, as I have loved you.” John 15:12
God’s Word is a sword we are to use when fighting the enemy….not each other. Let us use it as directed and work together to introduce Christ to the unsaved of this world. May our actions and words bring about healing, not more division. Let us judge not, lest we be judged also.
