A House Divided: Part 1

Mathew 12:25 "But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.""

In this verse, Jesus is pointing out the importance of unity. A house divided will fall, the only way we can hope to stand is through unity. So I want to do a series of posts on unity, unity in different groups that exist in our society. This is the first post in that series and it's on unity as a family.

God established the home in Genesis 2:24, and throughout the Bible lays out the way it should work. The father is the head, he should love his wife and not provoke his children (Ephesians 5:25, Ephesians 6:4). The wife should be submissive and respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:22-33). The children are to honor their parents (Exodus 20:12.) There are three parts to the family and each one has a job to do. A family works only if all three parts do their job, and that job has to be done with regard to the best interest of the other parts. It's like a three-legged stool. If one leg is cut off then the stool falls. If two parts of a family team up against one, the house is divided. If the children rebel against the parents, the family ceases to function. If the parents bicker constantly, the home crumbles into despair.

Life is a race, it's a marathon. It's hard, but thankfully, we have help along the way. Our family is supposed to be on our team. Parents should discipline with the child's best interest in mind, and the child should be able to see that. If any part of the family begins to question who's on what side than the family isn't functioning correctly. When there is constant contention and division, families fall apart. They become rivals rather than teammates, and your race is affected. 

Unfortunately, there are many fallen families today. In the U.S., almost 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Half of all American children will witness the breakup of a parent's marriage. Forty-three percent of children growing up in America today are being raised without their fathers.

Our houses are divided against themselves.

And they can't stand. They fall apart leaving broken people behind. Why? Why this pain and separation, why is there a brokenness in so many homes today? Those are questions I can't answer in any way besides blaming it on sin. I've seen what happy families look like, I've seen broken families, I've even seen Christian families suffering. There are many theories on what exactly causes the division: alcohol, poverty, arguments, unfaithfulness; it all just points to sin. A house divided, by any form of sin, cannot stand. We need to stop being divided by sin. We should be unified in Christ. But instead, we allow the sin to divide us, we hang on to our pride and watch our families collapse. The sin gets in the way of each part doing their job, and the three-legged stool falls. No family is perfect, every stool will wobble from time to time, but a family that seeks unity in Christ will resolve their differences. They will forgive each other when wronged. A unified family will experience sin but won't let it divide them.
If you, or someone you know, is in a house that is divided against itself, then there is one piece of advice I can give you: communicate. Communication is key. You have to speak out and let someone know what is wrong. Tell your family that this isn't how we are called to be. Show them the dividedness and explain the need for unity in Christ. If you live in a family that gets along and functions well, then you are truly blessed, I know there are families like that and it's amazing to see how they work together. But if your family is struggling, or you see someone struggling because of family issues, than you understand the pain. You realize how fallen your divided family is. Here's the good news: there is hope. You can speak out. I know that's hard. Saying something takes courage. I know that it seems impossibly difficult. But it is better than the pain of a broken home, and ultimately ought to lead to the glory of Christ. When you have the courage to speak out against the divisions in your home, the unity of Christ can be restored.


1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind."
Ephesians 4:2-3 " Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

These are just two of the many Bible verses explaining the need for unity. Today, I want to encourage you to seek that unity. We need to stop letting sin divide us, and stand together in Christ. As Benjamin Franklin puts it, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."