The Uncomfortable Question: Why Are We Fighting?
It’s a scene played out in countless churches across the globe. A disagreement over the new worship songs. A heated debate in a business meeting about the budget. A painful split over a doctrinal nuance. Cliques form in the foyer, whispers follow the pastor, and families who once broke bread together now cross the street to avoid each other. The Body of Christ, meant to be a beacon of unity and love to a watching world, often looks more like a battlefield. 💔
We ask ourselves, how can this be? How can people who profess faith in the same Lord, who are saved by the same grace, and who read the same Bible, be so consumed with internal conflict? We wring our hands and blame personalities, cultural shifts, or external pressures. But the Bible, with its unflinching honesty, points to a much deeper, more personal source. It gives a direct and startling diagnosis for our division.
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
— 1 Corinthians 3:3 (KJV)
The Apostle Paul doesn't mince words. The root cause of the fighting, the envying, and the divisions isn't a complex theological problem; it's a spiritual heart problem. It’s carnality. It's when believers, who have been made new in Christ, choose to live out of their old, fleshly nature. This article will delve into the biblical framework for understanding this conflict, not to condemn, but to bring clarity, conviction, and a pathway to the peace that Christ promised.
The Diagnosis: Walking as 'Mere Men' 🚶♂️
The word "carnal" can feel archaic, but its meaning is profoundly relevant. It comes from the Latin word for "flesh." To be carnal is to be flesh-led, not Spirit-led. It’s operating from the impulses, desires, and perspectives of our fallen human nature. Think of it like this: when you become a Christian, you receive a brand-new, divine operating system—the indwelling Holy Spirit. However, the old, buggy, virus-ridden software of the flesh isn't immediately deleted. We have a daily choice about which system to run. When we choose the old software, conflict is the inevitable result.
Paul identifies the tell-tale error messages of a carnal church:
- 👑 Envying (zelos): This isn't just wanting what someone else has; it's a burning jealousy over their gifts, their position, their influence, or their favor. It’s the feeling that rises when another ministry thrives while yours struggles, or when someone else is praised for a gift you wish you had. It sees another's success not as a win for the Kingdom, but as a personal loss.
- ⚔️ Strife (eris): This is the natural outgrowth of envy. It’s a spirit of rivalry, contention, and debate. It's the need to be right, to win the argument, to tear down another's point of view to elevate your own. Strife thrives on arguments, turning discussions into battles and fellowship into factions.
- ✂️ Divisions (dichostasia): This is the final, destructive outcome. Strife hardens into division. People take sides. Cliques form around personalities (“I am of Paul; and I of Apollos”). The body is literally torn apart, creating separate camps that often view each other with suspicion and hostility.
🚨 Carnality Checkpoint
When we see these traits—jealous rivalry, a contentious spirit, and party-forming—we are not witnessing a high-level theological dispute. We are witnessing the raw, un-sanctified flesh at work. Paul says this behavior makes us indistinguishable from the world. We are simply “walking as men,” not as Spirit-filled children of God.
An Identity Crisis: Forgetting We Are One Body 🤝
The second major reason for our arguments is a profound case of spiritual amnesia. We forget who we are. Paul labors extensively in his letters to remind believers of their corporate identity in Christ.
“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ... Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27 (KJV)
This is one of the most powerful metaphors in all of Scripture. The Church is not an organization; it is an organism. It is the living, breathing Body of Christ on earth. Every single believer is a unique, essential, and God-appointed member of this body. The fighting begins when we fail to grasp the implications of this truth. We fight when we try to make every part be our part.
The eye cannot demand the ear to see. The hand has no right to be angry with the foot for walking instead of grasping. To do so is absurd. Yet, in the church, we do this constantly. The members gifted in deep theological study look down on those gifted in simple, heartfelt service. The passionate, expressive worshippers are suspicious of the quiet, contemplative ones. We value our own function, our own preference, our own style, and we subtly (or openly) demand that every other member conform.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding of God's design. He created diversity for the body's health and fullness. Unity is not uniformity. Harmony is not unison. A healthy body requires different parts performing different functions, all working together under the headship of Christ. Our competition and comparison reveal that we've forgotten we're on the same team—we are, in fact, part of the same body.
The Source of the Wars: Unmasking Selfish Desires 🔥
James, the brother of Jesus, takes a direct, almost brutally honest approach to the question of church conflict. He doesn't allow us to blame external factors. He turns the spotlight directly on our hearts.
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”
— James 4:1 (KJV)
The fights among us come from the war within us. The word translated "lusts" (hedone in Greek, where we get "hedonism") refers to our desires for pleasure, our selfish ambitions, and our personal cravings. These desires are at war inside our own souls, and when they go unchecked, they spill out into our relationships and create conflict in the church.
What do these "lusts" look like in a church context?
- The Lust to Be Right: An overwhelming pride that cannot admit fault or consider another perspective.
- The Lust for Control: A need to have things done "my way," from the order of service to the color of the new carpet.
- The Lust for Recognition: An ego that craves the spotlight, affirmation, and a position of influence.
- The Lust for Comfort: A resistance to any change that disrupts our personal preferences or traditions.
James is clear: the Holy Spirit does not produce arguments. He produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). When the opposite of this fruit is manifest in our interactions, we can be certain that it is not the Spirit leading, but our own selfish desires.
Friendly Fire: Aiming at the Wrong Enemy 🎯
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of our internal conflicts is that we completely misidentify the enemy. We turn our weapons on each other, engaging in devastating friendly fire, while the true adversary celebrates.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
— Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)
Our brother or sister in Christ is not the enemy. The pastor with whom we disagree is not the enemy. The church down the street with a different worship style is not the enemy. Our battle is spiritual. The enemy, Satan, is a master strategist, and his primary tactic has always been division. From the Garden of Eden to the Corinthian church to the modern-day congregation, his goal is to sow discord, suspicion, and strife. He knows that a divided army is a defeated army. While we are busy fighting over secondary issues, the real war for the souls of men and women is neglected.
💡 A Shift in Perspective
What if, the next time a conflict arises with a fellow believer, our first thought wasn't, "How can I win this argument?" but, "How is the enemy trying to use this situation to create division?" This shift in perspective moves us from attacking each other to standing together against a common foe.
The Way Forward: From Carnality to Christ-Likeness ✨
Acknowledging the problem is the first step, but God always provides a path to healing and restoration. If the problem is carnality, the solution is to consciously and consistently walk in the Spirit. This involves several key heart postures:
- Embrace Humility: The ultimate antidote to pride and selfish ambition is humility. We must adopt the mindset of Christ, who “made himself of no reputation” (Philippians 2:7). This means esteeming others as better than ourselves, listening more than we speak, and being willing to yield our preferences for the sake of unity.
- Activate Love: We are commanded to love one another. This is not a sentimental feeling but a decisive action. First Corinthians 13 tells us this love is patient and kind; it does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way. If we were to filter all our church interactions through this grid, most conflicts would dissolve before they begin.
- Refocus on the Mission: A church that is inwardly focused will always find things to fight about. A church that is outwardly focused on the Great Commission has no time for petty squabbles. When our primary passion is reaching the lost and making disciples, our internal differences seem insignificant by comparison. Unity is the byproduct of a shared mission.
- Practice Quick Forgiveness: We will hurt each other. We are imperfect people. The key is to be “kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). A culture of grace, where forgiveness is extended quickly and offenses are not nursed, is essential for a healthy body.
A Final Plea for Peace
The arguing in the Body of Christ is not just an internal problem; it's a testimony problem. Jesus prayed for our unity for a specific reason: “that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21). Our love and unity are meant to be the most compelling apologetic to a watching, fractured world. When we fight, we slander the name of the very One who saved us.
The call is to lay down our fleshly weapons—our pride, our envy, our selfish desires. It is a call to remember who we are: one body, united in Christ. It is a call to refocus on our real enemy and our true mission. Let us cease walking as mere men and begin to walk as the Spirit-filled, unified, and love-drenched Body of Christ He has called us to be.