One of the blogs I wrote, “Where is the Unity?”, was written concerning the extensive divisions in the body of Christ. Whether in Old Testament times or in the Church Age, God has never wanted His people to be divided, but unified (Psalm 133:1; 1 Corinthians 3:1-9).
However, during His earthly ministry Jesus Christ made a statement which seems, on the surface, to be a direct contradiction of this idea. We will get to it momentarily. As always, though, the Bible does not actually contradict itself. Even where the Word of God seems to be conflicting in places, there is an underlying truth which ties the contrasting elements together. Here is the Lord’s stunning statement:
Luke 12:49-53: “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on the earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
What is Jesus telling us here? It cannot be division among believers, for that would contradict the inspired Word’s instructions for us to be united. It also cannot be a desire to see all families’ members wantonly embattled against one another, for God’s basic building block of any society from the beginning has been the family, springing from one man and one woman in marriage (Genesis 1:27-28, 2:23-24).
In contrast to the announcement by the angelic host of peace and goodwill toward men upon the birth of our Lord (Luke 2:8-20), Christ is relating in the Luke 12 passage how His name, after His death, burial, and resurrection, will result in conflict between believers and unbelievers as well as between the adherents of Judaism and those of Christianity.
The name of Jesus Christ is a spiritual lightning rod. If you get involved in a discussion with unbelievers about God it will not take long for you to find this out. As long as you say, “God,” you will not normally receive much pushback unless you are dealing with someone who is either polytheistic, agnostic, or atheistic. Besides, to a lot of people, the term “God” if used without context can mean any of a number of gods, but when you supply context with the mention of the one true God, the whole atmosphere changes:
At times during the Lord’s ministry on earth there were attempts made on His life. However, He accomplished His task and won salvation for us on the cross, handing Satan and his kingdom their worst defeat yet. Since then the enemy has not ceased attacking the body of Christ. As the time of the end of the Church Age draws near he has ramped up his attacks on us. In the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries there have been more Christians martyred than in the previous nineteen centuries combined, including the multitudes killed during the ten Roman persecutions spanning the time from Nero in the first century AD to the time of Constantine, who encouraged benevolence toward Christians and Christianity with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.
Throughout the Church Age, the name of Jesus has polarized people against each other, including those in households as He foretold in the Luke passage we started with. Spiritual warfare is real. The devil, the fallen angels, and the demons are real. They hate, despise, and dread the name of Jesus (Luke 8:26-32). They know who the one true God is. Also note this Scripture:
James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
You also know from witnessing to others that sometimes people can become quite angry at the mention of Jesus’s name. That is to be expected. In my blog, “Dogs and Swine,” I discussed the witnessing aspect of this more extensively. But no matter what we experience as believers living as lights in a dark and fallen world, we must not hide who we are and Whose we are. We must not lose the courage to speak the name that is above all names: Jesus Christ (note Matthew 10:34-39 in connection with this and the Luke 12 passage).
He is the only way to salvation, and He has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). The name of Jesus will continue to give division. So be it. Let the Lord be the cause of division, not us. When our efforts do not prevail with certain individuals, let them be, but maintain your courage to live for the Lord. And rest assured, if people do not confess Him willingly now, they will confess Him later whether they want to or not:
Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
