Why Do Christians Seem So Divided At Times?

Christians are people who have desires and expectations that many times guide them in their decision making, which can be the opposite of what another Christian desires or expects.

Many times a Christian's expectations may be based on godly desires, or they may be rooted in carnal desires. It depends on what level of faith a Christian is walking in, and the severity of a trial they may be experiencing.

In Ephesians 4:1-3 the Holy Spirit tells us to "...walk worthy of the vocation by which you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace".

The problem arises when we don't listen to the Spirit. When some one doesn't believe exactly like we do, or has a different plan than ours, many times we get upset. This is where divisions take place in the body of Christ, or in other words, among believers.

Sometimes people are in a certain phase of their growth and begin acknowledging and speaking of things from the Spirit but aren't yet in the place of repenting or walking it out. Instead of speaking the truth in love to them as Ephesians 4:15 says, we judge may judge them and thereby create division.

According to Ephesians 4:7, "Everyone of of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ". This means we understand what we understand based on the measure of Christ God has given us. Those measures are not all the same, as written in 1 Corinthians 12:6, "There are a variety of gifts but the same Spirit. There are differences of administrations but the same Lord. There are a variety of operations but it is the same God which works all in all".

When Christians lose sight of these differences, which are administered by the Holly Spirit, we may become divided, not realizing that those things which may seem to oppose our faith are actually beneficial to it. Sometimes the very things we so adamantly disagree with are the the very things that are there to give us the opportunity to exercise our faith.

However, if we are not walking in the spirit of unity and love, we may find ourselves opposing one another in an evil way rather than a holy way. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8:1, "As touching things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies". This statement is true whether speaking of idols or anything else. We have all received the knowledge of Christ through the Spirit of God. Love enables us to connect that knowledge of Christ we have been given to the knowledge of Christ given to others, and thereby create a unity of fellowship that could only come from above.

Without love, we can't receive knowledge from others that would aid in our spiritual growth in Christ. Because love believes all and hopes all, and bears all. But if we only cling to our bit of knowledge as being the only truth, then it becomes impossible for us to be admonished by God. As we are sent to preach, exhort, rebuke and reprove, so are others. Sometimes they may be sent to us by the Spirit of God.

Let us no think that we have the whole answer to ourselves. The answer we do have is from the Lord, and is for the benefit of the entire body. And the answer others have is from the Lord, and for the benefit of the entire body.