Avoid Division
Romans 16:17-20
Some people are divisive. Whether by talking about controversy that has no biblical support, or by pushing people away through malice and gossip, they cause division. They are self-motivated and deceptive. They use words that sound good, but they can cause a lot of damage to those that are very receptive. It is good to be receptive of truth, but for those that cannot yet distinguish truth from deceit, they can be influenced in destructive directions. Anything that is damaging needs to be strongly evaluated. It is important that in this evaluation, there is an understanding of how to distinguish truth from deceit. Division comes when we are incapable of doing this and we apply the scriptures incorrectly.
Therefore, it is important to be “wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil” (16:19). When I worked at a bank, tellers were taught how to distinguish what real dollar bills looked like. They did not need to study what all forged dollar bills looked like. All they needed to know is what the real ones looked like. If any were handed to them that were a forgery, they would know because they were so familiar with what was real, the forgeries were obvious.
The same was true for checks. If ever I saw a check that looked suspicious, I would always take it to a teller. There were checks that sent up “red flags”. In other words, there was something about the checks that just did not seem right. It required a much deeper investigation. There was also a question as to whether the checks reflected an account that had funds available for the amount written. A check that has “one million dollars” written on it, does not mean there are “one million dollars” available.
How do we know if something is “contrary to the doctrine” of Christ? First, we must be so familiar with the teachings of Christ, that anything else would stand out to us as fake. This requires immersion in the text. If we skip this step, any discernment is impossible. Second, we must be sensitive to “red flags” that we feel when exposed to something that is unfamiliar to us. Third, we must have the willingness to dig deeper if necessary and know how to “dig” effectively. This step will always be necessary no matter how much we immerse ourselves in the text of the Bible. And finally, we must be able to determine whether a claim or action has the “value” that it claims to have, and then respond appropriately. When you do this diligently, you know that “the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly”.
