We are to pray for the peace, purity, and unity of Christ’s Church, but when division comes into the church, at whose feet should the fault be laid: those who refuse to move the faithful landmarks of their forefathers (like the Confession of Faith, Catechisms, Covenants, and Testimony that are agreeable to Scripture) or those who insist on moving them (Proverbs 22:28)? This is not a question that can be determined by counting heads to see how many favor holding fast the faithful landmarks as opposed to how many favor moving them. The fault for a division and schism within the church may even lie with those who have the greater majority. When did standing for that which is scriptural and historical become a matter of numbers? The few and minority often stood on the right side in Scripture (Noah and his family against the world; the minority report of Joshua and Caleb against the majority report of the ten; Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel against the 450 prophets of Baal; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego against Nebuchadnezzar and all of Babylon; Jesus against the Jews and the Romans; or Paul against the Sanhedrin).
Samuel Rutherford, made it clear that the decision as to who is at fault for a division within the church does not depend upon who has the greatest numbers, but depends upon who has the truth:
When the greatest part of a Church maketh defection from the Truth, the lesser part remaining sound, the greatest part is the Church of Separatists (The Due Right Of Presbyteries, p. 255).
The main points from our text are: (1) Paul Reveals the Division within the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:6-10); (2) The Lord Jesus Turns to Paul in Love and Encouragement (Acts 23:11).
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