The Sin of Sectarianism

THE SIN OF SECTARIANISM
By
James Scott Trimm

Now I beseech you, brothers, mark them which cause divisions
and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned;
and avoid them.
(Rom. 16:17)

One of the most under recognized and most serious sins is the sin of division of the Assembly.

In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul gives a list of the "works of the flesh":

19 For the works of the flesh are known, which are: fornication, uncleanness, perversion,
20 worship of idols, magic, animosity, contention, over zealousness, anger, insolence, FACTIONALISM, SECTARIANISM,
21 envy, murder, drunkenness and reveling, and all that are similar to these.
(Gal. 5:19-21)

Notice the last two items in verse 20: "factionalism" and "sectarianism". We will discuss exactly what these two words mean in a moment, but notice that Paul lists them on a par with such sins as "fornication", "worship of idols" and "murder".

In the Greek text these two words are "hairesis" (Strong's Gk 139) and "dichostasia" (Strong's 1370).

The Greek word "hairesis" means "a party or disunion". The NAS and NIV versions translate this word to mean "factions" the RSV has "party spirit" the NEB has "party intrigues", Beck has :divisions". The TEV has "They Separate into parties and groups." The Complete Jewish Bible has "factionalism" while ISR has "dissensions."

The word that appears in the Original Aramaic here is SEDAKA. Jastro defines this word as "split, slit, rent" The Syriac Dictionary (Lewis) has "a rent, tear, division, schism, sect" while the Lexicon to the Syriac New Testament (Jennings) has "a rent, tear, rupture, schism" from the root meaning "rived, split asunder, tore". Murdock and the Way version have "discords"

The Greek word "dichostasia" means "disunion, dissention, division, sedition". The NIV, NAS and RSV translate the word "dissention(s) the Complete Jewish Bible has "intrigue". ISR has "factions".

The word that appears here in the original Aramaic is P'LUGGOTA (Aramaic cognate of Strong's Heb. 6392) meaning "divisions" as Murdock translates the word "divisions". The Way version has "divisions"

These last two words in Gal. 5:20 each refer to those who split congregations and divide them! And Paul counts this as a "work of the flesh" along with fornication, idol worship and murder!

Paul writes to the Corinthians:

"for you are in the flesh. For there are among you, envy and
contention and FACTIONS, (P'LUGGOTA) are you not carnal and walking in the flesh? For when each man of you says, I am of Paul and another says, I am of Apollos, are you not carnal?"
(1Cor. 3:3-4)

"But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly
bring in destructive sects (Gk: hairesis = Aramaic sedaka)…"
(2Kefa 2:1)

This could also be translated "bring in destructive DIVISIONS".

And Paul warns the Romans to "beware of those who cause DIVISIONS (P'LUGGOTA)" (Rom. 16:17)

Dividing up a congregation into factions is a very serious sin.

It is Elohim's desire that his people be at unity. When Yeshua was speaking to his talmidim over his last earthly Passover sader, he took the time to specifically pray for the unity of the believers

17 Father, sanctify them by your truth, for your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world also I send them into the world.
19 And for their sakes, I sanctify my nefesh that they also might be sanctified in truth.
20 And I do not ask for the sake of these alone, but also for the
sake of those who will have faith in me through their word,
21 That ALL MIGHT BE ONE as you are, my Father, in me, and I am in you that they also might BE ONE in us, that the world might believe that you sent me.
22 And the glory that you gave me I gave to them, that they might BE ONE as we are one.
23 I am in them and you are in me, that they be perfected into one, and that the world might know that you sent me, and that you have loved them as also you loved me.
24 Father, I want that those whom you gave me might also be with me wherever I am so that they might see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me from before the foundations of the world.
25 My righteous Father, the world has not known you but I know you and they know that you sent me.
26 And I have made known to them your name and will make known so that the love with which you loved me might be in them and I might be in them.:
(John 17:17-26)

Three times in this short prayer, Yeshua faced with his eminent death, concerns himself, not with his own welfare, but with our unity as believers.

Many times the Scriptures emphasize the importance of being unified as believers:

" and be diligent to keep the UNITY of the Spirit in the bond of
shalom, that you be ONE body and one spirit, even as you are called in ONE hope of your calling. For YHWH is one and the faith is one and the immersion is one, And one Eloah is the Father of all, and above all, and through all, and in us all."
(Eph. 4:3-6)

"So also we who are many are ONE body in the Messiah and each of us are MEMBERS OF ONE ANOTHER."
(Rom. 12:5)

"Now I urge you, my brothers, in the name of our Adon Yeshua the Messiah, that you have ONE word to all and [that] there be no FACTIONS (P'LUGGOTA) among you, but [that] you be whole hearted in ONE purpose and in ONE mind."
(1Cor. 1:10)

"For as the body is ONE, and there are in it many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are ONE body, so also the Messiah. For all of us also are immersed by ONE spirit into ONE body, whether Jew or Aramaean, whether slave or son of freedom. And all of us drank of ONE spirit."
(1Cor. 12:12-13)

"Nevertheless, this that we have attained, let us follow in one path and with ONE ACCORD."
(Phil. 3:16)

"But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH ANOTHER…"
(1Jn. 1:7)

Beware of those who cause divisions in congregations. Creating such divisions is a "work of the flesh" comparable to fornication, idolatry and murder. Elohim's will is for believers is that we be in fellowship with one another, in one accord, and endeavoring for the unity of the spirit in the bond of Shalom.

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Comment by J. Jury (אליהוא) on September 14, 2012 at 8:54am: Clement of Rome, in his first letter to the Corinthians, recorded some similar thoughts.

1 Clement 2:5-6, "You were sincere and undefiled, and free from malice one towards another. All kinds of sedition and schisms were abominable in your sight. You mourned over the transgressions of your neighbors, reckoning their shortcomings to be your own."

1 Clement 46:5-7, "Why are there strifes, wraths, factions, divisions, and wars among you? Do we not have one God and one Messiah? Is there not one Spirit of Grace that has been poured out upon us? Is there not one calling in the Messiah? 1 Why do we tear down and tear apart the members of the Messiah, stirring up factions against our own body, reaching such folly as to forget that we are members one of another?"

1 Clement 46:9, "Your division has perverted many. It has brought many to despair, many to doubting, and all of us to sorrow; yet your sedition still continues."

1 Clement 50:2, "Who is sufficient to be found in love, except for those whom God has deemed worthy? Let us therefore beseech Him, and ask of His mercy, that we may be found blameless in love, standing apart from the factions of men."

Comment by Russ Bubb on September 15, 2012 at 10:04am: James, when you were holding unauthorized bible studies in your home after being warned by your pastor/rabbi (or your "covering" as he called himself) not to do so, weren't YOU being divisive and stirring dissension in the body?

Comment by James Trimm on September 15, 2012 at 10:15am: Russ,

For several reasons: No.

First of all my studies did not conflict with the meetings he was having. Nothing prevented people from attending both, and my studies were 20 miles from his.

Additionally there was no organized Nazarene restoration in those days (the 1980's) and the studies he was holding were affiliated with the IAMJC and UMJC, which by definition embraced One Faith Two Expression Theology (see http://nazarenespace.ning.com/page/one-faith-two-expression ) which by definition identifies these organizations as being in union with anti-nomian Christendom. We are not to be in union with Christendom, but to come out from Babylon and be separate. There is a distinction between the Scriptural doctrine of Separation and the and the Sin of Sectarianism. It is one thing to define the line between what is and is not the Body of Messiah, and it is another thing to seek to divide the Body of Messiah.

Comment by James Trimm on September 21, 2012 at 5:08pm: Yirmeyahu,

You make the situation simpler that it actually was. In the first century much of the halacha we know today in Rabbinic Judaism was still fluid. There were at least two major schools of Pharisees, the School/House of Hillel and the School/House of Shammai. These two schools were still debating much f the the halacha that later became codified in the Talmud. Likewise there were various sub-groups of Essenes. For example we know that there was a celibate group of Essenes and we know that their was another group of Essenes that engaged in marriage and had children.

Now there is little doubt that some groups of Essenes disagreed with some groups of Pharisees on various issues. Among these are the three primary issues that the Essenes called the "Three Traps of Belial". These were:

1) Divorce (the Pharisaic halacha of Hillel was seen by the Essenes as back-door polygamy because it allowd divorce to easily... they took a position in close agreement with Shammai (as did Yeshua))

2) materialism (They felt the Pharisees of at least some school did not emphasize enough in opposing materialism, Yeshua seemed to agree with the,)

3) Purity regulations (The Essenes opposed at least some schools of Pharisees as not holding strict enough purity rules, Yeshua did not seem to agree here except in context of spiritual purity)

3a) At least some "Works of the Law" Essenes held to 24 purity regulations that stand largely at odds (being generally stricter) than the halacha of the Pharisees, at least as it became codified) (Paul stood strongly against these, and apparently Yeshua did as well, though He never invokes the phrase "Works of the Law" in the Gospel accounts coming down to us).

Now I have often said that the Nazarenes began from within the John the Baptist Essenes and combined elements of Essenism with School of Hillel Pharisee-ism. As such we can learn a great deal from both the "Rabbinic Literature" and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In fact, if you look at the rulings of the international Nazarene Beit Din, I think you will find that they exhibit exactly the balance I have expressed here.

http://nazarenespace.com/page/halachot-of-the-nazarene-beit-din

And I think that in itself also disproves your attack that "fostering an environment where an unadulterated spirit of rabbinism is the goal at Nazarenespace"