17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.—The words of the Apostle Paul Romans 16:17-20
“Divide and conquer!”
Have you ever heard that phrase? In Latin, divide et impera (dee-VEE-day eht eem-PER-ah) means either “divide and rule” or “divide and conquer.” Many historians attribute this phrase to King Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great.
Known as a consummate warrior and harsh military commander, King Philip also created a very interesting secret strategy to develop an initial foothold in the Greek City-States he wanted to conquer. This strategy allowed King Philip to later conquer those living in each particular City-State without enormous expenditure of either financial resources or human capital.
You might suspect this strategy involved a mighty conquering army that rushed into the land, dividing the native forces, and taking control. But, King Philip had a much more subtle plan.
He would select either a revered building, or a revered philosophy, or a revered individual of the particular City-State. Then, he would take action against that building, philosophy, or individual. He would tear down the building, or threaten to do so. He would attack the philosophy, or begin a process of diminishing it. He would start a whispering campaign against an esteemed individual and through outright lies or half-truths, stir up controversy about that highly regarded person.
In each case, King Philip’s emissaries would so inflame the people of the particular City-State that the people would takes sides regarding the building, philosophy, or individual. Soon, the people would have divided themselves into smaller, contentious groups. As their in-fighting accelerated, King Philip would sweep in with his army and take control of the City-State.
Most of the time, King Philip had to expend very little financial and human capital to achieve his objective. His takeovers usually required a minimum of actual violence. In fact, while he personally possessed a very ruthless and cold-hearted, narcissistic/sociopathic personality, many people—even his most ardent foes—saw a public persona that seemed kind and gentle. (It is worth noting that the older Philip became, and the further he traveled away from people-groups most similar to his own, the more ineffective this strategy became. It was in these later attacks, in more far-away places, that he earned his reputation as a ruthlessly harsh commander in battle.)
Most of us may think of the term “divide and conquer” as a ruthless battleground strategy. But, it actually represents a very clever, decisive, enormously deceptive, and quietly subtle methodology.
And, that brings us to the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post. The Apostle Paul, as he concludes his long letter to the Christians gathered in Rome, warns them about the King Philip II-like strategy of “divide and conquer.” He urges them to watch out for those who would divide the believers in a particular gathering by pushing forward philosophies that do not square with what the Bible actually teaches. Such a strategy may possess a degree of subtlety that almost allows it to go unnoticed until it becomes too late to reverse. Yet, Paul makes it crystal clear how to respond: “...stay away from them.”
Yes! Stay away from those who begin a process of dividing the believers. Watch out for the very subtle activity that may represent the beginning of a campaign to fundamentally transform a body of believers, in order that a force coming from the outside may take control.
Follow Paul’s instruction to “...be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Paul even tells the Roman Christians why he asks this of them. Because “...the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
The only real antidote for an attempt to “divide and conquer” comes from Paul’s parting wish: “The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
Is the body of believers (the church) to which you belong experiencing a hostile takeover led by outside forces that wish to fundamentally transform your group into something that seems evil to you? If something seems “evil” it likely is evil! You must follow Paul’s instructions: “...stay away from them.”
Am I suggesting that you leave your church? Of course not! But, do not allow yourself to become pulled into the sphere of evil influence that wants to conquer your church. Keep away from them! Recongize this is spiritual warfare. Use the spiritual weapons of prayer, fasting, and the obedient application of God's Word to turn back the evil. Gather together with like-minded believers and support each other.
If you decide to act—by taking steps to repel the evil—by all means, “Be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” Know the difference between behavior that seems righteous and godly and obedient to Scripture, and behavior that seems evil, and ungodly, and disobedient to Scripture.
No matter how many of your friends fall into the trap set by your very own “King Philip II” don’t become one of them.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to enable us to discern good from evil. Protect us when someone tries to “divide and conquer” our particular fellowship of believers. Keep each of our churches safe from harm. Guard us and guide us, so that we may continue to obediently serve You. Grant us the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in our own lives and in the lives of our fellow believers. We pray in the merciful and protective Name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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