Division in the churches is painful. It wrings the heart with anguish. But God asked: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?<\/em>” (Amos 3:3). This is a strange declaration that they cannot. It is true as applied to both God and man.<\/p>\n Can you walk with God except you agree with him? He claims to be the Lord, the only ruler of the universe. Can you walk with him while you insist on making laws and changing his order? It applies to man.<\/p>\n Can two walk together when one insists on going another way? Often those we love most force us to the choice as to whether we will cling to God or go with them. If we love God better than we love them, we will cling to God and his ways. If division must come, let it come along the lines of love and loyalty to God.<\/p>\n If we separate from others and do not walk with God, another separation must come. Separation after separation must come until the lines of cleavage run with the line of loyalty to God. Until division along this line is reached, divisions must continue and multiply. So soon as, and not until, division along this line is reached, the union with God and among those true to him will be permanent.<\/p>\n God is directing these things and does all things well. All we have to do is to stand true and firm to God and his word all along the line and leave results with him. We can do nothing else.<\/p>\n We are poor and foolish and weak. God is wise and strong. Our only hope is to walk with God and be true to God in all things.<\/p>\n “For there must be also heresies\u00a0<\/em>[divisions]\u00a0among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.<\/em>” (I Corinthians 11:19).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Divisions must come until we are all willing to be led by God.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" David Lipscomb via\u00a0The Gospel Advocate, September 4, 1941 Division in the churches is painful. It wrings the heart with anguish. But God asked: “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). This is a strange declaration that they cannot. It is true as applied to both God and man. Can you walk with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1277,301,456],"class_list":["post-55878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-denominationalism","tag-division","tag-unity"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1234,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-are-there-different-denominations\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":0},"title":"Why are there different denominations?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 2, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Why are there different denominations between Christians? Answer: A denomination is a division and, yes, among those calling themselves \"Christian\" there are a great many divisions. Even among a particular denomination, there are divisions as evidenced by the Episcopals' arguments over their homosexual bishop, the United Methodists' arguments on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36540,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/old-tricks-from-satans-playbook\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":1},"title":"Old Tricks From Satan\u2019s Playbook","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Austin Hausner \"Is there a thing of which it is said, 'See, this is new'? It has been already in the ages before us\" (Ecclesiastes 1:10). Solomon reminds us that there is nothing new. This is important to remember because many things that people say are new are actually\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/divided-300x188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42064,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-know-if-the-thoughts-i-had-are-mine-or-from-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":2},"title":"How do I know if the thoughts I had are mine or from God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: How do I know if the thoughts I had are mine or from God? How to know if God wants me to do something? Answer: \"For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88477,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/vital-starting-points-for-unity\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":3},"title":"Vital Starting Points for Unity","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer All believers should, at the least, accept that Jesus wants His followers to be united together. He prayed \"for those who will believe in me through their (the apostles') word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93088,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-such-a-divide-in-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":4},"title":"Why Such a Divide in America?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton There is a huge divide in our country. I look at the huge divide between the right and the left in American politics, to say nothing of the huge divide in religions that claim to believe in Jesus Christ. Why are we so deeply divided? Part\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46667,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-ex-boyfriend-married-someone-else-but-wants-to-come-back-to-me-what-should-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":55878,"position":5},"title":"My ex-boyfriend married someone else but wants to come back to me. What should I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have never been married, but I do have children. (I know -- not good.) My child's father and I broke up and a few weeks later he married the girl with whom he had cheated on me.\u00a0 After nearly a year of no communication, he reached out to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55878\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}