Dissension Can Change || Sins of the World #11

To Affirm or To Dissent

Welcome back to “Sins of the World!” I’ve been taking a deeper dive into the words of Galatians 5:19-21 to talk about what we need to avoid and how they leads us towards the Fruit of the Spirit. In Part 10, we looked at selfishness, which Paul defined as striving for prominence that disregards the good of others and the will of God. Philippians 1:17 shows us their struggle with the different church leaders that were using the message of the Gospel for their one personal gain. It’s a reminder for us to make sure we understand the why behind our actions before we act on those things. We’re in a space of accountability right now to ensure that the behaviors of all people are coming from a right-standing and not a place of personal gain or selfishness. It brought me back to 1 Samuel 16:7, which reminds that as the world judges by appearance and stature, God looks at our hearts. Our hearts are the place where we must change our minds and directions to be less like the world and more like a servant of God.

In Part 11, we’re diving into the topic of dissension. Now, I will be real with y’all before I go on. This may feel repetitive compared to some of the other parts of this series. Dissension falls into a similar category of divisions, strife, and factions. The only time I really hear about dissensions is in politics, where someone disagrees with the item on the table. However, I find it important to recognize that Paul shared this concept separately from the others, so it has its own standing for a reason. What is it? Let’s dig into it.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you think of the word “dissension,” what comes to mind?

Dissension Lands Us in Discomfort

The Greek word that Paul uses here is dichostasia (dee-khos-tas-ee’-ah). Foundationally, it describes a destructive reality of dissension or standing apart in opposition. Scripture warns us against dissension because it fractures unity. Listening it with hostility, jealousy, and anger shows that this isn’t just about relationship differences, but about deeper moral standards. Paul wants to nip this at the bud, because dissension can spread very fast when left unchecked.

Scripture shows us that dissension is the opposite of love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7), a sign of spiritual immaturity (1 Corinthians 3:1-4), and a threat that leaves out those who choose not to repent from inheriting the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).

Dissensions can come up through false teaching, personality cults, or unresolved offenses. Paul believes they can be resolved with two things: sound teaching and relational accountability that confronts the issue while striving for restoration. The teaching can include proactive approaches to biblical peacemaking, transparent conflict-resolution structures, and swift discipline measures that are appropriate and timely.

The early churches were diverse. Blending the different types of pressures that came from the diverse demographics made them open to become clique-y. Paul was very concerned that the unity of the churches would be divided due to these pressures and people’s selfish ambition said pressures.

Dissension is an overall destructive measure that can break apart community. It’s the deep root causes that create division, coming from a place of hate, immaturity, and a lack of forgiveness. It rises up through certain agenda, taught and led by certain people. Through different societal, cultural, and economic pressures, the early churches were faced with tough decisions on how to navigate structures within the church. These pressures tended to keep similar demographics together and made creating cross-cultural unity harder to come by. When you attempt to blend lives of different backgrounds to create unity in how we have community, there tends to be push back. There’s concerns about being “forced” to accept something that they don’t feel comfortable. There’s concerns about people losing resources that they “need” to help out their neighbor. When push back occurs, it’s because discomfort sets in. When there’s discomfort, there’s fear. When there’s fear, there, to me, is where we find dissension. We will divide each other over the fear of what it means for us, our identity, our beliefs, and our resources.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Dissension keeps us in our inner circle when change tries to push us out of our comfort zone. How do you handle dissension in that capacity?

Opposing False Teachers

Let’s look at Paul’s words about the dissension that was happening within the churches he created in Romans 16:17:

AMP – I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep your eyes on those who cause dissension and create obstacles or introduce temptations [for others] to commit sin, [acting in ways] contrary to the doctrine which you have learned

NRSVUE – I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who create dissensions and hindrances, in opposition to the teaching you have learned; avoid them.

VOICE – I am pleading with all of you, brothers and sisters, to keep up your guard against anyone who is causing conflicts and enticing others with teachings contrary to what you have already learned. If there are people like that in your churches, stay away from them.

Paul wants Christians to act with loving seriousness. The church should exist as one community, submitted to God’s will, and work together to follow in the footsteps of Christ’s ministry. Christians were called to watch leaders who used their leadership and messages to break up relationships between members within the community, and personal relationships with God. These leaders would add religious ties to their doctrine, adding human requirements that were not part of God’s plan.

The Roman church received this message from Christ’s apostles: salvation through the crucified and risen Lord, received by faith and expressed in holy living. The church was not able to reshape this message according to any cultural pressure, personal preference, or persuasive new leaders. It’s a reminder to us to stay faithfulness required us to both recognizing errors and refusing to give it influence within the church. Separation from those teachers protect us, preserves the community of the church, and keeps the Gospel clear for all believers, new and old.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How do you wrestle with leaders, both in the church and other parts of the world, trying to distort this message? How do you share this importance with others?

Sticking to the Message

Within the church, we have witnessed church leaders manipulated the words of Scripture to follow their own agenda. People are misusing the want the Scriptures are saying to push forth their own interpretation of what it means, regardless of it pushes to Christ or not. There’s also arguments that progressive leaders are doing this as well. How does this happen?

It brings to mind leaders like Kenneth Copeland, who tend to misuse passages like Mark 4 to push forward the idea that if people donate to his ministry, then God will give back a physical financial blessing to the person. Joel Olsteen would use passages like Luke 17:1 to teach his congregation that you can do whatever you want through God. Joyce Meyer uses passages like Proverbs 18:21 to say that our obedience to God will bring us wellness of all worst. Derek Prince use passages like Romans 5:20 to showcase the more that a believer fails, the more God’s grace comes out.

These are just a few, hand-selected, examples. These may be right. These may be wrong. However, we need to discern whether or not these are accurate to the true author’s intended meaning or not. If they’re not, leaders need to be help accountable. Too many leaders have used Scriptures to create followers and believers of their interpretation. The messages being taught by these leaders needs to keep the core teaching in tact: that our salvation happened through Jesus’s crucifixion and death. We receive our salvation through our faith in Christ and we express that from how we live. When our leaders take us away from that, then we may find dissension. That dissension can then brew into hatred, immaturity, and selfishness.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you think about the faith leaders in your life, how have they kept you true to that message and how have you been steered away?

The Goal of Reconciliation

The words Titus 3:10-11 shows us a little more about how to handle those who create dissension.

AMP – 10 After a first and second warning reject a divisive man [who promotes heresy and causes dissension – ban him from your fellowship and have nothing more to do with him]. 11 well aware that such a person is twisted and sinning; he is convicted and self-condemned [and is gratified by causing confusion among believers].

NRSVUE – 10 After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, 11 since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.

VOICE – 10 If a person is causing divisions in the community, warn him once; and if necessary, warn him twice. After that, avoid him completely. 11 because by then you are sure that you are dealing with a corrupt, sinful person. He is determined to condemned himself.

Those who take it upon themselves to to create divisions and dissension opposite the necessity of community and endanger the church and communities in general. The church in Create, false teachers were destroying relationships and promoting beliefs that were contrary to the truth of the Gospel. To be united doesn’t mean we have to accept a compromise with errors, but we stay true to sound teachings, humility, and peace. Separating from the divise person protections your health and recognizes that such conduct is not okay.

Correction will take time. Correction needs to be well thought out and focused on forgiveness and reconciliation over punishment. Jesus encourages us to address sin both personally and progressively before involving the third parties. Two warnings shows if the personal has clearly understood what needs correcting and has been given the chance to correct the behavior. If division and dissension are not corrected by then, then it’s helpful to cut ties with the relationship to protect the greater community at large. A person like this shows that he is rebellious, harms relationships, stubborn, and the list goes on. His own words, actions, and reject of God’s truth.

I personally believe that all people should be given a second chance. I think that we all deserve it. The only time I may bend is when decisions that were made created direct and intentional harm to someone, but I can’t say that for sure until I’m put in a situation like that. The Bible shows us consistently that we deserve a second chance. It shows us path of reconciliation, conflict resolution, forgiveness, and at the end of it all – salvation. No one should get in the way of that. No one should cause separation in that goal. They need accountability. They need to be corrected, with grace, and love. They need to be shown where they went wrong and given a place to correct their actions. If they correct them responsibly and healthily – we need to set aside our dissension towards them. They deserve to have the space to grow, move from their past, and get to a place of a healthy present. We don’t need to judge them for who they were, but who they are. Now – if there’s not valid attempt at correction and corrections were not made. It’s okay to release them. Cut them out of your life. Cut your relationship with them. If you can’t, then minimize your interactions. Don’t treat them like dirt. Still treat them with respect, but you don’t need to have a relationship. Some reconciliation efforts don’t lead to rekindled relationships. The goal is to remove the opposition in your heart that argues against someone and move to a place where forgive and we forget.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you look at the oppositions and dissensions that you face, where can you find forgiveness and reconciliation?