“STRIFE” (GAL. 5:20)

INTRODUCTION;

1. On a wall in an old German monastery are two sets of deer horns.

2. These two sets of horns are interlocked.

3. According to the story, two deer were fighting and their heads became jammed together.

4. Since they could not get “unlocked”, they both eventually died.

5. Animals fight. Children fight. Adults fight. People in the world fight. Even people in the church

fight.

I. IN A CASE THAT WAS TAKEN BEFORE A NEW JERSEY JUDGE SOME YEARS AGO, MEMBERS OF A RELIGIOUS GROUP HAD A DISPUTE OVER CHURCH PROPERTY.

A. Each side went to court and wanted the judge to side with them.

B. The dispute between the sides was bitter and heated.

C. The judge made this comment to the people who were suing each other, “This controversy

should be resolved by members of both groups on their knees in prayer to demonstrate your right

to be called Christians.”

D. The Bible says that people fight.

E. In Gal. 5 there is the word “strife”. (ASV)

F. The KJV uses the word “variance”.

G. Both translations point us to the idea expressed by Paul.

H. Strife and variance mean a contentious temper; disputing.

I. The word used by Paul means “quarreling, contention”.

J. In the NT, the word found in Gal. 5 is always evil.

K. The things associated with this word are so wicked that Paul wrote that this sin belongs to the

pagan world.

L. In Rom. 1, Paul again used the word translated “variance/strife”.

M. The first chapter of Romans describes some people who left God.

N. The people described in this chapter are at the bottom of the barrel.

O. Verse 28 says that these people “refused to have God in their knowledge”.

P. What happens when a society of people abandons God?

(1) Verse 29. READ.

(2) This is a vivid description of sin.

(3) Some were “filled” with unrighteousness.

(4) These people were overflowing in sin.

(5) The ones described by Paul were immersed in sin.

(6) These pagans were not only “filled” with sin, they were “full” of “envy, murder, and

strife”.

(7) The KJV has the word “debate”.

(8) This does not describe what the Presidential candidates do.

(9) This kind of debate is strife, quarreling, fighting.

Q. There are people in the world who want to fight and quarrel.

R. If we say, “It’s a nice day”, they respond, “No, it’s not.”

S. If we say, “You look nice”, they say, “No, I don’t.”

T. There is a spirit in some men and women that is always contentious.

U. There is a desire to be factious, combative and argumentative.

V. Some are just waiting for the next fight.

W. Paul says this is a “work of the flesh”.

X. The Bible says this spirit will keep people out of heaven.

Y. Most of us know someone who is just like this.

(1) Not long ago a neighbor stopped by our house.

(2) She wanted to speak to me.

(3) This woman said, “I have a problem with another neighbor. Every time I try to speak

to this person, I get snapped at. If I say hello, the response is, ‘What do you want?’”

II. MOST OF US CAN NAME SOME PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO ARE COMBATIVE, ARGUMENTATIVE, AND IN LOVE WITH QUARRELING.

A. Would we suspect though that this type of attitude would ever be in the church?

B. Could we ever find a combative Christian?

C. Is it possible for brethren to be argumentative and hostile?

D. Let’s move to 1 Cor. 1.

E. Paul knew quite a bit about the congregation at Corinth.

F. In fact, we might say that Paul was Corinth’s first preacher.

G. According to Acts 18, Paul established this congregation.

H. Because Paul had an interest in Corinth, it seems that he kept up with how things were going with

these brethren.

I. This is indicated in 1 Cor. 1:11 – READ.

(1) Paul said he had heard a report that there were “contentions” at Corinth.

(2) Not too long ago we looked at the word “enmity”.

(3) The KJV translators wisely used the word “hatred”.

(4) Hatred is the attitude. Hatred is a work of the flesh that is felt on the inside. Hatred is an

emotion of the heart (mind).

(5) Strife/variance is not an emotion.

J. When the emotion of “hatred” (enmity) is expressed/acted upon, we then have contention

(variance).

K. Hence, for there to have been “contentions” at Corinth, there first had to be hate.

(1) God’s people at this congregation hated each other.

(2) They despised each other.

(3) Christians looked down on each other.

(4) With this understanding of 1 Cor. 1, is it not easy to understand other parts of the book?

(5) The Christians would not wait for one another at the Lord’s Supper.

(6) Why not? They hated each other.

(7) Paul wrote a whole chapter on love. How come?

(8) This not only helped explain the spiritual gifts, it was to help correct their hatred.

L. What was in the hearts of the Corinthians (hate) came out in their lives (strife/variance).

M. If hate is in the heart, it will not take too long before it is seen.

N. People will fight, argue, and quarrel.

O. There is no better example of this than the Corinthian church. 1 Cor. 1:12 – READ.

(1) These people fought about which party they were in.

(2) 1 Cor. 6 says that fighting was not limited to inside the church.

(3) These people would fight in front of unbelievers.

(4) Christians would drag fellow Christians into court.

(5) These people liked to quarrel so much they would sue each other.

(6) They would fuss and confront each other in front of a pagan.

(7) 1 Cor. 8 introduces us to something else.

(8) There were questions about eating meat that had been sacrificed.

(9) Paul had to provide instructions about this.

(10) It would appear that the Corinthians also fought about what could be eaten.

(11) They fought over spiritual gifts.

(12) They fought over who would get to participate in the assembly.

P. The fights in the world vary in intensity and in subject.

Q. Whether we wish to admit it or not, there is still fighting within the church.

R. Some of the fighting most here never see. There are clashes in the brotherhood that most

here miss.

S. What most see are quarrels within a local congregation.

(1) 2 people want to do a project; 10 others do not.

(2) Some want to study this; others want to study that.

(3) Some think a preacher should preach on this; others think differently.

(4) These differences form a basis for contention.

(5) Quarrels have arisen over when to have services.

(6) I once saw a congregation introduce 2 Bible studies on Sunday.

One was at 9:00; the other was at 5:00 (an hour before the evening service).

(7) Let’s just say that not everyone was happy.

(8) Eruptions have occurred over who will do something.

(9) When a particular person was asked to do a project, I have watched some lose control

and say, “Why wasn’t I picked?”

(10) Not long ago a message arrived in our email box. A brother from NZ said, “I want

your thoughts on disfellowship.”

(11) I responded to the questions.

(12) A couple of weeks later the phone rang. It was another brother from NZ.

(13) From this man I heard the other side of the story.

(14) From what I could tell there was no hatred between the 2 but there was a strong difference

between them that needs to be settled.

(15) Differences exist. They are to be expected.

(16) All too often differences become quarrels and fights.

T. Fighting within the church is not dead.

U. If we take an honest look at fighting and quarrels, we find they are linked with “hatred” in Gal. 5.

V. Fights come because of a heart problem.

W. People quarrel and argue because their minds have not been transformed.

III. SOME MIGHT BE THINKING, “I DON’T THINK THERE ARE THAT MANY FIGHTS IN THE CHURCH. I BELIEVE CHRISTIANS SELDOM QUARREL.”

A. This is apparently not God’s view of the matter.

B. The word translated “strife/variance” in Gal. 5 is used 6 times in the NT.

C. Would you like to guess how many times this word is applied to Christians?

D. Only twice is it applied to non-Christians.

E. 2/3rds of the time this word is connected to members of the church.

F. This stings but this is how the Bible is written.

G. The Corinthian letter uses this word 3 times which is not surprising.

H. The word translated “strife/variance” is also found in Phil. 1.

I. Here Paul spoke of people who were preaching. He said people were preaching for different

reasons and not all of the reasons were good.

J. READ Phil. 1:15.

(1) As we think about this verse, bear in mind what is taught in Gal. 5.

(2) There is first a bad spirit (hatred).

(3) These preachers hated Paul. Look at Verse 17 – READ.

(4) The word “affliction” is a fascinating term.

(5) Paul said that he was in “bonds”.

(6) While in his bonds, some wanted to “raise up affliction”.

(7) “Affliction” meant to rub iron chains on a prisoner’s arms and legs.

(8) Punishment would be heaped upon punishment.

(9) How would this be done?

(10) Paul said that some were trying to do it through preaching.

(11) These preachers were being “combative” – guilty of strife.

(12) Exactly how this was done I do not know.

(13) Maybe these people were saying, “Paul, we are going here and there preaching. If you

were worth anything, you would be out here too.”

(14) Somehow these preachers were contentious towards Paul.

(15) They used the gospel to be argumentative.

K. When people are contentious towards us, even if this is a member of the church, there is a

tendency to fight back.

L. There is the temptation to be like the two deer that died.

M. “If you want to lock horns with me, come on. I’ll fight.”

N. “Do you want to quarrel? I will give you a run for your money.”

O. Notice Paul’s reaction to those who wanted to be argumentative. Verse 18.

P. Paul practiced what he wrote in Gal. 5.

Q. This is the right course for us to take also.

CONCLUSION:

1. We may be a person who likes to argue, fight, and quarrel.

2. Some people find this way of life pleasurable.

3. The Bible says this is the way of the pagans.

4. Christianity is, if we look at the fruit of the Spirit, “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,

goodness, and meekness.”

5. If we are Christians, the right path is clear.

6. Even if we are not combative by nature, there are times when we are tempted to fight and argue.

7. We need to be sure if we contend with someone that it is done as the Bible teaches.

8. The reason to live this way is seen from the 2 dead deer – if we fail to abide by God’s rules, we

will die.

9. Are you living in the way the Bible describes? Have you become a Christian like the NT teaches?