Works of the Flesh: Sects (1)

Let us now examine the work of the flesh known as "sects" (translated as "parties" in the ASV below; translated also as "heresies") in Galatians 5:19-20:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties...

The word translated in various versions as "sects," "parties," and the like is the Greek word hairesis, from which our English word "heresy" derives. Thayer defines the term as:

Act of taking, capture: e.g. storming a city; choosing, choice; that which is chosen; a body of men following their own tenets (sect or party); dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims.

The term is used in Acts 5:17, Acts 26:5, and Acts 28:22 to refer to various "sects" within a larger body (the Sadducees and Pharisees within Judaism; also the belief expressed by the Jews in the first century that Christianity was just another Jewish sect). The term is also defined as "factions" in 1 Corinthians 11:19 and "heresies" in 2 Peter 2:1. We see, therefore, that the New Testament usage of hairesis denotes the latter definitions as expressed by Thayer, either a sect or party within a larger group or one bringing forth a message contrary to that which had already been given, or a combination of both.

We can see from the usage of the term hairesis that it is very similar to the term for "divisions;" both incorporate the ideas of dissension and disagreement over doctrines and practices, yet it seems apparent that Paul uses "division" to denote more of the disagreements and divisions that occur within the Lord's Body; the term "sect" seems to be used more generally to describe any group that would remove itself from the Church of Christ. This is especially apparent in our world today with the proliferation of denominations and a denominational spirit-- when divisions on the basis of doctrines and practices is hailed as "diversity." Therefore, a blended version of the definitions given by Thayer for hairesis-- a sect or party following after doctrines that are in disagreement with the doctrines of others-- we shall use for our examination of this work of the flesh.

We may see an unfortunate tendency in the world of so-called "Christendom" that is an attempt to reconcile the obvious Scriptural difficulties with "denominational" or "sectarian" groups all claiming to be Christians in good standing with our Lord. The result has been ecumenicalism, a most extreme form of "unity-in-diversity," the belief that the differences in doctrines and practices between various denominations are not a roadblock to unity, that different denominations can recognize the "diversity" within "various Christian tradition" and can respect these differences, and therefore that all these Christian denominations, despite the differences in doctrine and practice, are all valid portions of the Body of Christ and their members are true Christians. While their goal is most admirable-- unity in faith, as Jesus desired in John 17-- we may see that their methodology is not in harmony with the Scriptures. Unity in the Scriptures is not based simply on "agreement to disagree," although we have seen that sometimes this attitude may be expressed concerning a liberty, as long as no one is compelled to sin-- but the unity is based on unity in the truth of our Lord Jesus (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Timothy 3:15, Galatians 1:6-9, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Ephesians 4:4-6).

Are we given the ability to conclude from these verses that we may establish a form of unity based on divergent practice and doctrine? By no means! We see in these passages the clear truth of God: There is one God, one faith, and one truth. There is one true collective, the Church, that is the pillar and support of that truth, and those who represent that collective obey the message of the Scriptures and seek the Scriptural answer for all things that they may do.

We may even see from the attitude of the denominations the difficulty of their mindset: they have no desire to achieve unity through an agreement on the fundamental doctrines and practices of Christianity, but seek to achieve some form of unity while holding on closely to their traditions, unwilling to examine the Scriptures and to humble themselves to accept the one truth of God and not the varieties of error that abound. We may see that in the case of the denominations today, unfortunately, it has happened truly according to the Scripture (2 Timothy 4:3-4). We have been hard on our friends in the denominational world, but rebuke rightly, considering that the sectarian spirit that abounds within these groups surely are manifestations of hairesis within them.

Ethan R. Longhenry
evangelist@norwalkchurch.org

The church of Christ in Norwalk, Ohio

Thank you for reading the electronic version of our bulletin, Good News for Norwalk. If you live in Norwalk or happen to be traveling in the Norwalk area, we would certainly love to have you visit one of our assemblies!

Our location:

386 North Edgewood Drive (just off US 250 just north of Norwalk's city limits)
Norwalk, Ohio 44857

Our assemblies:

Sunday morning assembly: 10:30am
Sunday evening assembly: 6:00pm

Our Bible studies:

Sunday morning Bible study: 9:30am
Wednesday evening Bible study: 7:00pm

For More Information

If you have any questions or comments about anything you have read here, or desire more information, please contact our evangelist, Ethan Longhenry, at evangelist@norwalkchurch.org.

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