“These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”
Proverbs 6:16–19
In previous articles, we examined six of the seven deadly sins found in Proverbs 6. Now we will examine the final one, “… he that soweth discord among brethren.” Verse 19
There seems to be something particularly serious about this seventh deadly sin simply because it is often seen in Scripture in negative ways, resulting in very serious consequences.
For instance, Korah and his two friends rebelled against Moses, causing discord within the camp of Israel. Their end was frightening! Judas continually caused discord among the disciples of Christ. He hanged himself! The interesting thing about those who stir up strife is that they may tell no lies, yet they produce as much commotion and disharmony as does a liar.
The word discord, used by King Solomon, appears only twice in the Bible, and it means “strife.” Webster’s Dictionary defines discord as “a lack of agreement or harmony, dissension, conflict.” Webster’s Dictionary also defines the word strife as “conflict, fight, struggle.” Synonyms are discord, contention, and dissension.
According to Biblical Leadership, “The 14,000-congregation Faith Communities Today (FACT) study in 2015 found that 75 percent of congregations have experienced conflict in the past, 20 percent at any one time. Sixty percent of congregations had some kind of conflict during the past five years. A 2001 Hartford Institute study discovered that 79 percent had had a conflict in the past five years.”
Church Conflict Forum, January 2, 2008, “Staggering Statistics” reported that, “More than 19,000 congregations experience major conflict every year. Twenty-five percent of the churches in one survey reported conflict in the previous five years that was serious enough to have a lasting impact on congregational life. Only 2% of church conflict involves doctrinal issues. Ninety-eight percent of church conflict involves interpersonal issues. Control issues ranked as the most common cause of conflict (85%). About 40% of church members who leave their churches do so because of conflict. Very small numbers (16%) of churches report positive outcomes from conflict.”
Sources: churchconflictforum.blogspot.com/200801/staggering-statistics; faithcommunitiestoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/American-Congregations-2015
What is the Toll that Church Conflicts have on the Pastor?
“The average pastoral career lasts only 14 years” due to conflict. “1,500 pastors leave their assignments every month in the United States because of conflict, burnout, or moral failure. Thirty-four percent of all pastors presently serve congregations that forced their previous pastor to resign.” Ibid.
So, we are beginning to understand the awful effects that the work of the person or persons who sow strife or discord have on the life of the church. This is the reason why God hates this type of conduct. The contemplated motive of such individuals is to destroy the harmony and unity of those who are striving to live together in love and unity in the church. Their actions are not limited to the church; they extend to the family circle, the community, the workplace, and even the world at large.
However, the emphasis of this seventh deadly sin pertains to God’s church, and that the evil-doer is used by Satan to deliberately destroy the love and unity that exist among the followers of Jesus. Those who carry out such work are doing Satan’s bidding because he hates to see God’s people united and living in love and peace.
“Satan works to make the prayer of Christ of none effect. He makes continual efforts to create bitterness and discord; for where there is unity there is strength, a oneness which all the powers of hell cannot break. All who shall aid the enemies of God by bringing weakness and sorrow and discouragement upon any of God’s people, through their own perverse ways and tempers, are working directly against the prayer of Christ.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, 152
“Discord and strife are the work of Satan and the fruit of sin.” Ibid., Vol. 5, 169
The Holy Scriptures inform us that the spirit of discord and self-exaltation are the evil traits that caused the problem in heaven. Lucifer came to cherish this selfish desire to be above his Maker, and consequently, discord erupted in the residence of God.
“All heaven had rejoiced to reflect the Creator’s glory and to show forth His praise. And while God was thus honored, all had been peace and gladness. But a note of discord now marred the celestial harmonies. The service and exaltation of self, contrary to the Creator’s plan, awakened forebodings of evil in minds to whom God’s glory was supreme.” The Great Controversy, 494
While in heaven, Lucifer went from angel to angel, sowing seeds of strife to create division among the heavenly host and thereby redirect the angels’ loyalty from God to himself. Because of who he was, the angels did not suspect his evil purpose; they trusted him as their commander. This diabolical scheme sowed seeds of doubt that germinated in the minds of many of the angels, leading them to question the character of their Maker. Sadly, because of the bewitching power of this operation, one-third of heaven’s angels will be eternally lost, and heaven was changed forever! Angels who once lived in love and unity will be forever separated because of the evil spirit of discord.
This is the very work that is being carried out in God’s church today by those who have sold themselves to the devil. Paul dealt with this problem during his ministry. The church in Corinth was especially plagued with this divisive element. In his first letter to them, he stated:
“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
“Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” 1 Corinthians 1:10–13
The True Reason for Discord.
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
“For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor.
“For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:1–11
This discord motif was uppermost in Paul’s discourse to the Corinthians to the extent that he highlighted their attitude even when they were gathered together for church services. He said:
“Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.” 1 Corinthians 11:17, 18
We need to understand what motivates a church member to cause strife within the church. Let’s look at a few texts of Scripture to find the answer to this important question.
“He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife … .” Proverbs 28:25
“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” Romans 13:13
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 1 Corinthians. 3:3
“Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife … .” Philippians 1:15
“He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.” 1 Timothy 6:4
“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. … For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” James 3:14, 16
Notice that two words appear to go together and are repeated in these verses—envy and strife. Solomon used the word pride, which stems from envy. Mrs. White tells us, “Envy is the offspring of pride.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 651
It is not by chance that these Bible writers put these two words together in these passages because envy is the root cause of discord or strife.
“Envy is one of the most satanic traits that can exist in the human heart, and it is one of the most baleful in its effects. Says the wise man, ‘Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?’ Proverbs 27:4. It was envy that first caused discord in heaven, and its indulgence has wrought untold evil among men. ‘Where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.’ James 3:16.” Ibid., 385
So, we see the reason—the root cause—behind church members going about the church and sowing seeds of discord and strife is envy. Wherever there is discord and strife, we can be sure that it is the devil working through human instrumentalities to accomplish his destructive purposes.
“In the rebellion of Korah is seen the working out, upon a narrower stage, of the same spirit that led to the rebellion of Satan in heaven. It was pride and ambition that prompted Lucifer to complain of the government of God, and to seek the overthrow of the order which had been established in heaven. Since his fall it has been his object to infuse the same spirit of envy and discontent, the same ambition for position and honor, into the minds of men.” Ibid., 403
What is envy? According to Wikipedia, “Envy is an emotion which occurs when a person lacks another’s quality, skill, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it.”
“Envy is not merely a perverseness of temper, but a distemper, which disorders all the faculties. It began with Satan. He desired to be first in heaven, and because he could not have all the power and glory he sought, he rebelled against the government of God. He envied our first parents and tempted them to sin and thus ruined them and all the human race.
“The envious man shuts his eyes to the good qualities and noble deeds of others. He is always ready to disparage and misrepresent that which is excellent. Men often confess and forsake other faults, but there is little to be hoped for from the envious man. Since to envy a person is to admit that he is a superior, pride will not permit any concession. If an attempt be made to convince the envious person of his sin, he becomes even more bitter against the object of his passion, and too often he remains incurable.
“The envious man diffuses poison wherever he goes, alienating friends and stirring up hatred and rebellion against God and man. He seeks to be thought best and greatest, not by putting forth heroic, self-denying efforts to reach the goal of excellence himself, but by standing where he is and diminishing the merit due to the efforts of others.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 56
What are the Seeds of Discord?
“There are men who are ever talking and gossiping and bearing false witness, who sow the seeds of discord and engender strife. Heaven looks upon this class as Satan’s most efficient servants.” Ibid., 607
“A person who will allow any degree of suspicion or censure to rest upon his fellow workers, while he neither rebukes the complainers nor faithfully presents the matter before the one condemned, is doing the work of the enemy. He is watering the seeds of discord and of strife, the fruit of which he will have to meet in the day of God … .” Counsels on Health, 297
What Should be Our Attitude?
“Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions (disunion, dissension) and offences (skandalon [“scandal”] or stumbling block; occasion to fall; things that offend) contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid (shun, go out of the way) them.” Romans 16:17
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1–3
[All scripture is from the King James Version]
Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at 718-882-3900.