Are we going to live in Division or walk in the illumination of the Holy Spirit?

    Have you ever been in a church were there was division? I can't think of many things more miserable than that. I mean God never intended for those tensions and ill feelings to exist in his body. God's ideal is that we would be of one heart and one mind, in unity. How sweet it is when we live in that unity (Psalm 133:1) and how displeased God is with those that would hinder that unity (Proverbs 6:16-19).

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!

 

¹⁶ These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
¹⁷ A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
¹⁸ A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
¹⁹ A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

    Here in 1 Corinthians 1, Paul address the problem of division that existed among this church. He pleaded with them to speak the same thing and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and the same judgment (1:10). There is a lot of instruction in the scriptures as to how to handle divisions, but it starts with a deliberate decision that it is not right and we are going to do what ever is needed (with in the bonds of scripture) to be in unity.

    Paul spends the rest of chapters 1 and 2 talking about the wisdom of this world verses the wisdom of God. To overcome division or any other thing in our life that runs contrary to the Lord, we must have his wisdom. This kind of deep wisdom is only found in the Holy Spirit and his work of illumination in our life.