Introduction

The final thing that God hates, listed in verse 19, is ‘one who sows discord among the brethren.’ I believe this one, being the last, is considered the most heinous of them all.

The reason I believe this is, of all the people to trust and place confidence in, it should be your brothers and sisters of The Faith. If you can’t trust them, then you really can’t trust anyone.

Definition

Discord—Disagreement among persons or things. Between persons, difference of opinions; variance; opposition; contention; strife; any disagreement which produces angry passions, contest, disputes, litigation or war. discord may exist between families, parties and nations. (1828 Webster’s Dictionary)

Bible Example in the O.T.

After receiving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, Moses went into the mountains to retrieve a physical copy of them written on stone. He was only up there for forty days when the rest of the camp became restless.

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32:1-6).

Only forty days and the people had already left the faith. They broke the first two commandments (Ex. 20:3-4). All this happened because Aaron, second-in-command, allowed discord to be sown among them. Instead of showing authority, he allowed things to progress; even joined in with their harlotry.

Bible Example in the N.T.

After the establishment of congregations, thanks to the apostle Paul’s preaching tours, some, within the congregation had sown discord among brethren. In his first letter to Timothy he writes, This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1:18-20)

And, again, in his second letter he writes, But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. (2 Timothy 2:16-18)

In both cases a man, named Hymenaeus, has been disrupting the local congregation with his false doctrine. Though not mentioned in his first letter, Paul mentions in his second letter that He, and others, claim that the resurrection has already passed. This creates confusion and dissention in the local work causing many, perhaps, to leave the faith entirely or to doubt the words of Paul.

A third example of this is found in 3^rd John concerning a man named, Diotrephes. I’ve already written an article concerning him and it can be found here.

Encouragement for Christians

We are given plenty of warnings of events like this that could happen in our own congregations. We need to be alert as to what is going on.

Paul warned the elders of Ephesus, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31)

Notice in verse 30, Paul warns that even those within the congregation, itself, men will attempt to take control of a congregation. Diotrephes is the perfect example of such. It’s one thing to have an individual from without come in and attempt to make a mess, but it’s another for someone within to do the same. Sometimes, it’s easier to see an outsider attempt to disrupt a congregation than it is within the local body.

When Peter committed a sin by creating a double standard, Paul confronted him face to face (Gal. 2:11-15). The idea is not to let something like this fester in a group as it will become worse if it goes unchecked. Church splits occur when a “cancer” goes untouched by the local brethren.

What about Meddling?

One final subject before I conclude this article. Paul addresses a matter concerning young widows (1 Tim. 5:11-13). This could also apply to anyone who decides to interfere, or meddle, in the affairs of others.

Here’s a definition of the word, meddle, To have to do; to take part; to interpose and act in the concerns of others, or in affairs in which one’s interposition is not necessary; often with the sense of intrusion or officiousness.

The individual may not understand that meddling could lead to sowing discord. As stated at the start of this article, if you can’t trust your own brethren, you can’t really trust anyone.

You will notice in John 21, after Jesus restored Peter to his rightful position, that Peter suddenly became concerned for John. He asked Jesus what was to become of him. Jesus replied, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” (John 21:22) Essentially, Christ said, “It’s none of your business, you already have your assignment, get to work!”

Once again, Peter was more concerned for the affairs of others than his own. It wasn’t revealed to him as it wasn’t necessary (Deut. 29:29). We can’t expect to know what all of our brethren are doing at every moment of every day as we would never get any of our own work done.

Aside from this, what would it benefit Peter if Jesus told him? Nothing! If Jesus told him that something devastating would occur to John, Peter would, most likely, spent a lot of time trying to prevent it or alter events to deter it. Thus, he wouldn’t have accomplished all that he did.

From Dan King’s Commentary on the Book of John:

A certain element of the human family is fixated upon these matters and convinced that the God of the Bible shares their sincere interest. But they are wrong. Just as Peter’s curiosity was left in the lurch by the Lord Jesus, so the Bible gives precious little encouragement to their fixation upon such things and almost no solid information about them.

What happens to John has no bearing on Peter’s soul and that is what he should be more concerned about. Instead of wasting time wondering what is to become of him, or any other Christian, he should focus on Jesus and His plan of salvation to enlarge the borders of His kingdom.

Conclusion

If we are to serve God in the full capacity that is given us, we need to focus on Him and Him only. Just as Peter, who started to sink when he took his eyes of Jesus (Mt. 14:25-31, 30), so will we when we concern ourselves with others. There is a fine line between showing concern for the brethren and trying to control their lives.

We can avoid sowing discord by setting a better example to encourage our brethren to follow. As Paul wrote, Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)