When the Body of Believers Turns on Itself
There’s a difference between disagreement and division. Disagreement is natural — it shapes ideas, sharpens perspectives, and builds strength. Division, on the other hand, is destructive. It fractures unity, fuels resentment, and distorts truth. And nowhere is this more evident than in the way believers, those who claim to worship the same God, have turned on one another.
The recent controversy surrounding the phrase "Christ is King" reveals just how far we've allowed division to drive our thinking. The accusation that this sacred declaration is a "slur" or a "political statement" has nothing to do with reality — it's a reaction rooted in old wounds and unresolved bitterness.
To some in the Jewish community, "Christ is King" feels like a threat — not because Christians are acting in hatred, but because history has left scars. For centuries, the name of Jesus was misused by corrupt rulers and misguided institutions to justify violence, oppression, and antisemitism. Those past injustices were real — painful, unjustifiable, and deeply tragic. But what’s happening now isn’t about history — it’s about policing present-day Christians for the sins of their ancestors.
There’s a sobering truth here that no one wants to face: Hurt feelings aren’t a license to persecute people today for the sins of the past.
If we refuse to move forward — if we continually assign modern believers the guilt of history — we are only recycling the same destructive cycle that kept division alive in the first place.
Our culture has become masterful at elevating offense above truth. We've learned to weaponize sensitivity — claiming harm, even when none was intended. Intent is no longer defined by the speaker but by the hearer — and this has created a dangerous climate where truth itself is seen as oppressive if it contradicts someone's feelings.
This is why a sacred phrase like 'Christ is King' is now under attack. It has nothing to do with actual harm — and everything to do with control. If a person or culture can dictate what words 'really mean,' they can rewrite reality itself.
Scripture warns us that this confusion would come:
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." — 2 Timothy 4:3-4
When feelings dictate reality, truth becomes fragile — manipulated, stretched, and reshaped to accommodate whatever narrative feels most comfortable. But the gospel doesn’t bend to comfort — it confronts us. And confrontation isn’t cruelty; it’s clarity. that kept division alive in the first place.
Scripture warns us about this:
"Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask this." — Ecclesiastes 7:10
The past matters — but we aren’t called to live there. Christ Himself acknowledged the corruption of religious leaders in His time, yet He still went to the cross for all people. His sacrifice wasn’t selective; it was for Jews and Gentiles alike — for the oppressed and the oppressors. He didn’t carry the burden of one people’s sin — He carried the burden of all sin.
When believers declare "Christ is King," it isn’t a cry of conquest — it’s a cry of surrender. A reminder that no earthly power, no ruler, no government — not even our own pride — holds the final say. To twist that into something hateful reveals a culture more eager to punish old wounds than to pursue healing.
Paul's words remind us how dangerous this is:
"If you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another." — Galatians 5:15
As Christians, we must recognize what’s happening here. This isn’t just about social trends or cultural shifts — this is spiritual. Division weakens the body of Christ, and if the enemy can convince believers to quarrel among themselves — to focus on past offenses rather than present truth — he’s already won half the battle.
The call for believers is clear: We must refuse to carry someone else’s offense as if it’s our own. The past deserves remembrance, but it cannot dictate our present actions or blind us to the truth of today.
So, when someone demands silence in the name of sensitivity, we should respond with compassion — but also with clarity. Hurt feelings must never dictate truth. The gospel doesn’t change to accommodate wounded pride.
Christians are called to truth. And the truth is this: Christ is King.