-
The Biblical Examination Of Factors Responsible For Divisions In The Churches
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
The will of
God for us is that we are united, that is why Jesus prayed in John 17
that his disciples would have unity. He prayed in verses 20-23, “I do
not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those alsowho believe in Me
through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father,are in
Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may
believethat You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given
to them, thatthey may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in
Me, that they may beperfected in unity, so that the world may know that
You sent Me, and loved them,even as You have loved Meâ€.
This prayer
he madedid not just focus on the eleven remaining disciples but alsoto
those who would reach discipleship through their ministry(Britney;
1994). The Bible lets us know that Christ Jesus is crediting his
disciples with the numbers that will beproduced. Theprimary concern
Jesus expresses at this time of his impending death is the issue ofunity
among the disciples as their unity will most definitely be a vital
prerequisite fortheir subsequent mission (Jessica; 2004:497).Disunity
and division are threatsfound among the members of the Body especially
as the Church increases and grows in numbers. As Christ is definitely
supplicating theFather with references to God and himself, it is clear
the unity herein described ismore transcendent than that of “simply
human fellowship or the harmonious interaction of Christians†(Ebere;
1970). The external expression of this unity is to be the evangel of the
Church to the world, which attests to the sending of Christ by the
Father.
In 1 Corinthians 1:10 he exhorts, “Now I exhort you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and
that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in
the same mind and in the same judgmentâ€, here Paul states this directive
and takes a hard stand against division and factions in the Church
Body, in light of both personal division and in light of doctrine.
Unfortunately, Paul himself falls victim to one of these chasms of
opinion in his relationship with Barnabas. Paul’s terminology to address
doctrinal differences (1 Corinthians 11:19 and Galatians 5:20) is
haireseis, denoting a difference of sound doctrine, even to the point of
being an unjustified group (Accordance 2010). Just prior to the prayer
in John 17 Jesus had established the institution of the Lord’s Supper in
light of the Passover celebration, an institution given in great part
to exhibit and foster unity with the Godhead, and unity as members of
the Body of Christ. Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 10:16, that the
pinnacle of this desired oneness of communion, or church is displayed
materially in the act of the Lord’s Supper, as it is a “sharing†in the
blood and the Body of Christ. Mounce holds that the term church conveys
the idea of fellowship, communion, participation and sharing (Mounce
2006:127, 247). Paul subsequently uses the term only in a religious
sense rather than a secular one to denote something greater than a
society, to denote a fellowship of a higher level; he as well uses this
term to express a “religious fellowship (participation) of the believer
in Christ and Christian blessings for the mutual fellowship of
believers†(Hauck 1983:804). 1 John 1:3 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 affirm
that church is also held with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in
addition to the communion of the saints, it is the Holy Spirit alone
however, who brings believers into this fellowship (Prime 2008:105).
This evidence of church is an external, physical expression of the
spiritual fellowship that is enjoyed by the Body being knit together
with the Godhead (Hunsinger 2009:347). Thus, church is the internal
religious fellowship or participation of sharing in the benefits of a
relationship with Christ, yet manifesting itself at times in a physical
expression through the Body of Christ. Schmitz cites homothumadon as
being infused with â€togethernessâ€, such as is evidenced in the visible,
inner unity of a group faced by a common duty or danger; it is a unity,
or unanimity, not embracing a personal agenda, “but on a cause greater
than the individual†(Schmitz 1986:908-909). Hence, descriptive of the
early Church, it is used in Acts all but one other time in the New
Testament, in an effort to accentuate the internal unity of the group.
Statement of the problem
The
Church of Jesus is increasing in division instead of unity. This
disunity mostly comes in form of cell division. Churches are splitting,
division in church seminars are increasing as reconciliation consultants
are succeeding, while division abounds (Raymond; 1996), and
denominations continue to growin number due to social division as the
causal mechanism.Theoretically, orthodoxy would confess that unity is
possiblethrough the giving of Christ’s glory. The Church as a whole is
rightly able to proclaim theologicaltruths, but is also expected to
evidence them to the world through its witness, asdeclared unity is not
merely positional (Carson 1980:201).Christianity todaysuggests a
proactive separation may be in order as only a sentimental unity
remainsamong major denominations (Christianity Today 2004:23). Bloomberg
asserts that indeed this unity is difficult to acknowledge in light of
the many splintering factions (Bloomberg 2008:224). As a result, the
observed lack of unity in the Body of Christ isa devastating witness to
the world.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
Page 1 of 3
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The main aim of the research is to determine if the difference in belief is the major cause of church division, the study made use of primary data from the information obtained from the distribution of research questionnaire. The study made use of a total population of 100. The sample of 40 was considered for the study, the data hypothesis was analyzed using the chi-square method. The study concluded that the difference in belief is the major cause of church division. Proper recommendations were ... Continue reading---
