Dividing the House

The quote “A house divided cannot stand” is fairly common and often attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Yet it is a colloquialism that many don’t understand or apply. We acknowledge that it is probably true, but we don’t think beyond the theoretical. What does it really mean? How can we apply that principle to our lives? How are we falling short?

Luke 11:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.”

This quote actually originated with Jesus. The Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons with the power of satan, but Jesus argued that if satan worked against himself like that he would destroy himself. But this also applied to the Jews. They claimed to be the children of God, to follow and worship the one true God, yet they were opposed to Jesus. They were destroying themselves because they were fighting against Him.

We don’t realize it, but we often do this ourselves in many ways. We claim to follow Christ, yet we refuse to “flee from sin.” We claim to love our families, yet we choose to serve ourselves first. We claim to love our church, yet we gossip about those within it. We claim to love our spouses, yet we put them down and make jokes at their expense, or fail to defend them when others do that. These are just a few of the ways that we are being divided, working to destroy our own houses.

Proverbs 14:1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish tears it down with her own hands.

In general, the word foolish in Proverbs refers to a person who is rebellious, not simple minded. It is that foolishness or rebellion which tears a house down. In the context of wives, we tear our houses down by usurping our husbands, by refusing biblical submission, by tearing our husbands down directly with our words and actions. Husbands do the same thing by not loving their wives sacrificially, by serving self, by not nurturing her. This is rebellion against God’s will for our lives and the way He made these relationships to function. Rebellion is any time we choose our way instead of God’s. Any rebellion against God’s will and Word will tear down the “house” involved, whether it be family, work, church, etc.

Romans 12:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

Ephesians 4:1-3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Colossians 3:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

John 17:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

Peace and unity are our calling as followers of Christ. It is something we need to be diligent in. We do this through the love of God. Then the world will know Whose we are. When we fight and quarrel and gossip, we are not acting like our heavenly Father, but like the father of the world, satan, and make a mockery of the faith we claim. Satan wants to keep us divided so that we won’t be strong, so that the world will hate God and Christians. We need to do our best to work with others in humility and gentleness and patience, willing to yield and give up our way and our rights. That is the way of Christ. That is how we build up our houses.

Are you willing to build? What are you doing now that is tearing down your house?