WHAT THE PARTY SPIRIT DOES TO US

The problems in the churches of Galatia were such that the apostle Paul had cause to talk about human nature, which he saw, in this context at least, as higher and lower. The “lower nature,” the rendition in Phillips and the New English, is referred to as works of the flesh (RSV), sinful nature (NIV), and self-indulgence (Jerusalem) in other versions. This gives us a broad definition of the Greek term that Paul used, sarx, which Barclay defines as “the unregenerate self.” It is our carnality, that part of us that is inclined to sin.

The apostle is not simply saying that this lower, carnal nature is to be controlled, but crucified. Since it is active voice it is saying that this is something we are to do to ourselves, with the help of the Holy Spirit of course. It is not something done to us, which would be passive voice, but we do it We are to murder our sinful nature once for all. That our fleshly desires have a way of hanging on all through our lives, even if murdered, takes nothing away from the fact that they are to be treated with such finality as to be crucified. The apostle does not indicate, however, how much time such a crucifixion requires. Some of us have been at it a long time!

Paul is unequivocal in this context as to who a Christian is: Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal. 5:24). If the Bible at this point said it is baptism that makes one a Christian, it would be in our repertoire of memorized passages. A Christian is one who has murdered his sinful nature with its passions and desires? How amazing!

Equally amazing is what the apostle includes in the list he makes of “the works of the flesh” or the things that belong to our lower nature. We are not surprised to find, reading from Phillips: sexual immorality, impurity of mind, sensuality, worship of false gods, witchcraft, hatred, strife, jealousy, bad temper, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like that. Most of those were predictable, though we might be surprised to find jealousy and bad temper included in the more serious sins, and the inclusion of witchcraft should motivate us to keep our distance from the likes of Ouija boards, horoscopes, and fortune tellers, even when it is “just for kicks.”

I left out three items in the above list so as to mention them now, and what a shock they are. Phillips renders them “rivalry, factions, party-spirit.” The RSV has “selfishness, dissension, party spirit.” The Jerusalem Bible says “quarrels, disagreements, factions.” It is clear that Paul includes the quarreling, factious, party spirit as a work of the flesh, placing it alongside idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, and adultery. The party-spirit is to be crucified as well as hatred and anger.

Why is the party-spirit so serious as to be included in such a list of major sins? What makes it such a crucial sin that we are under mandate to murder it once for all? Paul would have his own answer, but here are some things that can be said about what the party-spirit does to us.

1. It would have us love only those of our own party. There is a love that “covers a multitude of sins,” but such love is seldom shown to those outside our own group. While we scrutinize the behavior of others, we make excuses for our own and overlook their inconsistencies. When people come to see that to be loved and accepted they have to toe some party line, they realize that they are not loved at all for who they are but only as members of the party. This is made plain when they are given the cold shoulder for even a slight departure from any “issue” mandated by the party leaders.

When we love only those who are “of us” it is a different kind of love than our Lord urged upon his disciples, “Love one another even as I have loved you.” Jesus’ love was consumate and unconditional in that it included the unlovely, the undeserving, and even those that were “in error” and “living in sin.” He may not have approved but he always loved and accepted.

2. It causes us to draw lines on each other more quickly. It is remarkable how slow Jesus was in drawing lines on people or giving up on them. As Jesus told the story of the Prodigal Son it is evident that he hadn’t given up hope for him even when he was in the pig pen. “He came to himself,” the Lord related, which pointed to his nobler instincts. He didn’t draw lines on such outcasts as lepers and beggars or such rejected sows as prostitutes and tax collectors. In eating with “sinners” he associated with folk who did not care about religion or church. But Jesus was not a party man. He was in fact murdered by the party spirit.

If we would be like Jesus, we will not draw lines on our sisters and brothers over matters where we may justifiably differ. We will never see everything alike, but we can start right now in receiving one another even as Christ receives us (Rom. 15:7).

3. It tempts us to be satisfied with the truth we now have. The dear old preacher who proclaimed proudly that he had not changed his mind on anything in 25 years had at least one thing going for him. He didn’t have to worry about examining old ideas or entertaining new ones, which can be painfully humiliating. Truth sometimes hurts and growth is often uncomfortable, but the freedom that results is worth every sacrifice. But some people never experience such freedom in that they have already discovered all the truth. There is nothing else to learn, no new discoveries to be made, no questions that have not already been answered.

4. It blinds us to the good in others and to truth held by others. While there is much evil in the world there is also much good. We are blind in one eye when we see only the bad. We have much more in common with other believers than we are willing to admit. We agree far more than we disagree, and our agreements are usually on things that matter most, such as the centrality of Christ in our lives. Truth is truth wherever it is found and whoever holds it. It would do our souls good to admit that there are many in other churches whose lives are more exemplary than our own. But partyism blinds us to the good in others.

It is a terribly revealing fact that most folk grow up in our congregations without ever hearing anyone speak except those of our party. The implication is either that others are not equal to us or that they have nothing to teach us, or both. That we have little or no fellowship with other Christians shows that we are blind to the fact that they are as good as we are and that they too hold precious truths. Partyism keeps us from listening to other believers and learning from them. God intends that we love, accept, and enjoy one another in Christ, sharing in every good and perfect gift. Partyism obstructs such blessings.

5. It makes us look ridiculously inconsistent to the world and to other Christians. While partyism demands conformity for unity and fellowship, it never achieves it, not in a single church anywhere in the world. Every church has its disagreements. None of us sees everything exactly alike. But still each faction is uniform on “the issues” on which it draws the line of fellowship. And yet it allows for diversity in non-issue matters, which are major issues with still other factions.

It becomes even more ridiculous when we can’t even call on a brother to lead us in prayer to our heavenly Father, however exemplary his life may be in the community, because he is “unfaithful,” which means he has a different view of the millennium, or has a piano in his church, or gives alms through some agency. A “faithful” brother has to pray, one who is true to the issues, even if his life is less Christlike. Being right is what counts in a church faction! The world, which has a higher standard for human relations than that, is turned off by such nonsense.

6. It shrivels our souls and could cost us our souls. Lest we forget, the factious, party spirit is listed by Paul as carnal, as a work of the flesh. He warns that those who practice such things “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Thus the call for the crucifixion of anything about us that is sectarian. We are at war, Paul assures us, the Spirit against the flesh. Partyism shrivels the soul, making pygmies of us. It is joyless, graceless, and loveless.

When it comes to defending our social and political freedom, we will bear arms, go to war, and lay our lives on the line. But we allow factions and partyism to invade our churches and personal lives and rob us of our freedom in Christ, all without a struggle. We must realize that we are in mortal combat with the fruit of the Spirit against the works of the flesh, a war that must end only with victory. Liberty in Christ is the issue. We must stand up and be counted, declaring that “Christ has made us free” and that we will not allow ourselves to again be “entangled with a yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

One thing is sure, there will be none of the ugly spirit of partyism in heaven. Let us each do all we can to end the sectarian spirit on earth. What a tragedy if we allowed it to rob us of heaven! —the Editor