“And now I make one more appeal, my dear brothers and sisters. Watch out for people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by teaching things contrary to what you have been taught. Stay away from them.” Romans 16:17 NLT
“Watch out,” Paul says, for people who cause division! Well Paul, that’s been happening for a very long time. Division in the Body of Christ is the quickest, and most effective way to nullify our testimony of the gospel’s work in our lives.
Similar to using the phrase, “keep your eye out for…” Paul uses the root word, skopos: a watchman, a mark (on which to fix the eye), like a hunter intensely focusing on a target. It would seem that Paul understood, and that we should also understand, there were and are teachings contrary to what Jesus taught. Folks have always determined to cause “dichostasia,” (standing apart, dissension) divisions which wrongly separate people into pointless (groundless) factions. And, these dissensions create these “skandalon” (sticks for bait of a trap or a snare). C.A. Chase writes, “Scandal is worse-as it involves seducing another to blaspheme, in order that another might willingly choose a negative option with eschatological consequence.” These divisions and baited-trap scandals, cause others to be deceived.
The tricks are as old as Satan’s lies. The kerfuffle is as damaging as the lie itself! It is interesting that Paul advises us to mark (skopos) but not to go in for the kill. Enlisting the community of faith to rally with pitchforks and torches just gives the scandalous teachings more attention and inevitability causes the division that plays right into the enemy’s plan! Paul’s, Holy Spirit inspired advice, is just to “ekklínō” – AVOID, bow out, deliberately walk away from it. Isn’t division worse than false doctrine? Let God handle the weeds sown among the wheat! We’ve got to warn our truth-lusting brethren who hunt down heresy, don’t make the issue bigger by highlighting the scandal. Mark it, watch it and then walk away.
Prayer
Dad,
You know that I know, there is a lot of trashy theology out there. You know there is damnable doctrines, sown and seeded by Satan himself! Yet, even as we are tempted and believe the lies, grabbing and eating the fruit of shortcuts and what seems to be appealing and appetizing to our souls, you are greater than our sin. You are greater than the lies, divisions and scandals. Your grace and mercy is powerfully effective in reaching our human hearts and frailties. Help us keep our eyes fixed on you!