A Word to the Wise

It is so crucial that we, as members of the body of Christ guard ourselves from becoming points of disagreement or division within our respective churches. Individual local bodies of believers are characterized by a great diversity in personalities, persons, and opinions. We must always be aware how important it is to strive for unity and the bond of peace in our own particular fellowship. The importance of this responsibility can not be overstated! It goes without saying that there will be various opinions on any number of topics. We must guard against dividing the body by how we hold and voice our differences. Differences in opinions can lead to sin. Holding differing views on certain subjects can lead to an unloving attitude towards those who may not believe as we do. Failing to be fully matured or perfected in our opinions and judgments can lead to the following sin in our body: Pride – we begin to think that we are right and others are wrong Critical Spirit – we begin to criticize others for not seeing things as we see them Looking down on those who disagree – we think more highly of ourselves and less of others, and treat them with disdain or disrespect Gossip – our critical spirit seeks release by our tongue and we gossip to others about them and how wrong they are Unfortunately the end result is division, quarrels, and the dilution of the power of the cross of Christ. Let’s take a word to the wise and seek agreement and unity in Christ rather than personalities, persons, and opinions!