Contention Comes in Church

 “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him.” -Mark 3:1,2.

Church is typically thought of as a gathering place (Hebrews 10:25) for Christians who have come together in UNITY to worship God, fellowship with other believers, and be taught from the Word of God. This may be an ideal, but it isn't reality, and the Bible recognizes it for what it is. The synagogue is a type of church, and as we see from the above scripture, even Jesus faced contention with it while He was here in the flesh.

This example through Jesus is negative contention that shouldn't be, but the Bible also calls upon Christians to contend for the faith among the body of Christ, which is the REAL church of the Bible;

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” -Jude 3-5.

We have to understand thet the devil has come to “steal, kill, and destroy,” for he was a murderer from the beginning, and he is the father of lies; see John 10:10, 8:44. This enemy will not allow us to continue in peace, and will especially try hard to divide real believers.

But out of respect for avoiding the possible conflicts, many have gone too far the other way, and choose to follow a path of peace & unity with all, instead of taking a stand. It is true that the Lord does not want us to be lightly moved to bickering, but we MUST take a stand for the TRUTH, and not turn a blind eye toward ways of error within the body of Christ.

“Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.” -I Timothy 5:20.

“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;” -Titus 3:10.

“Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.” -2 Thessalonians 3:6.

When the Bible speaks of unity, it is always for Christian believers with other Christians, but today the gatherings within church buildings are spiritual pollutions of many types. If such an organization is committed to Bible obedience and born-again behavior, then there will have to be contentions against worldliness & sin, as we are directed to do. God never wanted such a polluted body, and we certainly can't have unity with it;

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." -2 Corinthians 6:14&17.

We are also warned greatly against the false teachers & prophets that will arise, and from these we must turn away, or put them away. I fear that even when such phonies come in and are recognized, most will tolerate it without any response. They are in a life-long habit of attending the same church organization, and confronting or stepping away would dislodge them from friendships they value (too highly).

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." -Acts 20:28-31.

I Corinthians 1:10 urges believers all to speak the same things, so that there be no divisions among us; we are FAR from that today, and it has become more a time of "anything goes" than of holiness unto the Lord (I Peter 1:16). God isn't urging us to pick fights every Sunday, but He won't accept compromise with the Word of Truth, either. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) to discern spiritual fruit (Matthew 7:20), holding up all things to the light of the Bible (John 3:21, Acts 17:11). Listed below are other scriptures pertaining to the unity-contention conflict we face as Christians.

Matthew 10:34-36,12:9-14, 13:24-30&37-40, 18:15-17, 24:24; Mark 1:23,39; Luke 4:28,29, 6:6-11, 13:10-14, 17:3; I Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; I Timothy 1:20, 6:5; 2 Timothy 2:17,18, 3:1-5, 4:14; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 17-21; 3 John 9,10.

"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." -2 Timothy 4:2-4.