(The following is the July 5 devotional from my Next Step Devotions book. Before reading it, I suggest you read Romans 16 and pay close attention to verses 17-18.)

Paul repeatedly writes in his letters about the importance of Christian unity. Christ expects his children to get along. Unity suffers when people create divisions that serve their unholy personal purposes.

Paul writes, “Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles contrary to the teaching that you learned. Avoid them, because such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites. They deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting with smooth talk and flattering words” (vv. 17-18).

Note what is involved with this kind of division in the church:

• Its promoters teach contrary to sound doctrine.
• They seek to serve themselves rather than Christ.
• They deceive others with smooth talk and flattery.  

Paul warns us to watch out for such people and avoid them. To do so, we must know sound biblical doctrine, not allowing anyone to tickle our ears with new and enticing claims of truth contrary to God’s Word. We must not fall for flattery and flowery speech. Such appeals to our vanity can sweep us away from sound truth. We should also include ourselves among those we observe, regularly checking our heart’s motives to ensure we build up the church, not divide it.

Does this mean all division is wrong, such as having different denominations within the Christian faith or varying opinions about matters not central to the gospel? No. Groups and individuals can still cooperate and fellowship amid such differences. But divisions like Paul described coming through deception for self-seeking purposes are always harmful. Beware of them and work to prevent them or stop their spread.

Next Step:
Describe a time in your church experience when a harmful and inappropriate conflict occurred. How did you respond? How would you hope to respond now if a similar situation developed?