A Kingdom Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

Enraged protesters throw rocks, bottles and other projectiles at the police. Some get close enough to punch or kick. Police, holding plexiglass shields and batons, hold their ground. Suddenly, torrents of water from firehoses knock down many of the protesters.

This is a scene many of us have seen and continue to see all too often across the world. What has happened to global stability? Can we continue with every “kingdom” divided against itself?

More divided than ever

According to a 2022 report by Verisk Maplecroft, a risk analysis and consulting firm, today’s “world is facing an unprecedented rise in civil unrest as governments of all stripes grapple with the impacts of inflation on the price of staple foods and energy.”

The digital magazine Insurance Business agrees, noting that our “world is experiencing a surge in civil unrest incidents.” This surge has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years.

Although these two sources attribute increased civil unrest to inflation and the resulting cost-of-living crisis, those are not the only factors. Political, cultural and religious divisions are also turning neighbors and coworkers into enemies.

Selfishness permeates our society today, and it leads to division in every aspect of life. In a global Ipsos survey conducted for the BBC in 2018, the reasons for division most often given by survey respondents were 1) different political views; 2) differences between the rich and the poor; 3) tensions between immigrants and those born in a nation; and 4) differences in religion.

In 2023, the Allianz Risk Barometer identified a different set of factors: 1) the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, 2) a distrust of governments and institutions, 3) increasing polarization, 4) a rise in activism, and 5) climate and environmental concerns.

Fighting for their livelihoods

Some protesters’ actions are driven not merely by a matter of different beliefs, but by continuing threats to their ability to earn a living. Their protests are a last-ditch effort to protect their livelihoods.

The American Farm Bureau Federation explained the cause of widespread farmer protests in Europe this way: “Farmers across Europe are urging EU officials to deal with farmers’ concerns over prices and bureaucratic rules that limit their ability to produce food and prosper.”

The protests are popping up all over Europe. In Poland, farmers have attempted to block lower-priced imports from Ukraine. Other farmer protests span the continent, from Belgium in the north, to Italy and Greece in the south, Spain in the west and the Czech Republic in the east.

An electorate divided against itself

Politics is another deep-seated source of division. The depth of political rancor and bitterness throughout the world has been on display particularly during the election cycles of the last decade.

In the United States, consider incidents that occurred after the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

In February 2017, a month after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, protesters announced “Not My President’s Day.” They voiced not only their discontent at the election result, but their refusal to view the incoming administration as legitimate. Thousands of protesters showed up in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to vent their anger. Smaller groups came together in other cities, from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C.

Then, after the 2020 election, it was the political right questioning the results. That belief continues; a 2023 survey revealed that 30 percent of voters still believed the 2020 election was stolen.

This kind of growing distrust is not unique to the United States. Researchers at Britain’s University of Cambridge linked disillusionment with the electoral process to the cultural differences between rural and urban areas: “The growth of disenchantment in more rural areas has provided fertile soil for nationalist and populist parties and causes—a trend that looks set to continue.”

Even historically stable nations divided

The International Monetary Fund pointed out in a 2022 blog that “large and long-running anti-government demonstrations have occurred in some advanced economies where unrest is relatively rare, such as Canada and New Zealand.”

The IMF noted that its Reported Social Unrest Index was still below pre-pandemic levels, though it had risen “close to its highest levels since the onset of the pandemic.” The IMF projected increased turmoil in the future.

Regardless of the specific issues or demographic groupings involved, our world is experiencing greater turmoil within national boundaries. Can any such kingdom stand when divided against itself?

Adage from the Bible

Where did we get the saying about a kingdom divided against itself?

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ uttered the words about nations, cities and households divided against themselves (Matthew 12:25). His words have become a modern adage.

Abraham Lincoln, who later went on to become the 16th U.S. president, used this biblical adage when he accepted the nomination to be the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate (from Illinois) in 1858. The divisions he saw then soon led to the U.S. Civil War in 1861.

Jesus, however, was not speaking of civil unrest. His words came in response to claims some Pharisees made after Jesus had cast a demon out of a blind and mute man. They attributed Christ’s success to some sort of alliance with Satan himself (Matthew 12:24).

Jesus responded with those now famous words: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (verse 25).

Even though Christ was not speaking about civil unrest, the principle He stated applies to the ability of any political entity, religious group or organization to continue existing. Where unity is missing, no nation, city, church or household can long endure.

Our role as Christian citizens

In this age of hate and division, it’s not always easy to know how we should respond. On the one hand, we may well be—and should be—grieved at the injustices we see on the news daily. On the other hand, as Christians we cannot become embroiled in the politics of this world.

The apostle Paul warned Christians at Philippi about being overly concerned with “earthly things,” reminding them that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:19-20).

As Christ’s little flock, we can at times help individuals who have suffered injustice, but we cannot transform the world itself now. That is not our job. It will not be done until Christ begins to rule at His return.

At the same time, we must be careful not to become so cynical and angry that we fail in our biblical responsibility toward earthly government. In his letter to the congregation in Rome, Paul wrote that Christians are to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1).

He explained that “whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (verse 2). Christians are citizens first of God’s Kingdom, but also of the nations in which we live now.

Striking the right balance

This Christian duty toward the state does not mean blind acceptance of everything the state does. When Peter and other apostles stood before the Jewish religious court on charges of disobeying a direct command, Peter said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Obedience does not mean accepting any unjust action perpetrated by the state. Paul himself asserted his rights as a Roman citizen on several occasions (Acts 16:37; 22:25).

The key is to have the right priorities. First, we must be sure to obey God. That may sometimes mean disobeying the laws of earthly powers. Second, we must obey earthly authority when it does not put us in opposition to God. And finally, we may assert our rights, but only in a manner becoming to a child of God.

A world divided against itself

In writing to a young minister he had mentored, Paul described the time leading up to the return of Christ as “perilous.” The last days, he explained, would be marked by selfishness, which is at the heart of all division. His description is both vivid and bleak:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Selfishness permeates our society today, and it leads to division in every aspect of life. As Christians, we must work to overcome our own personal selfishness and avoid unnecessary division.

This effort is vital in our marriages and families, in which we must make personal sacrifices for one another for the sake of harmony (of course, not compromising any of God’s laws). A family divided against itself cannot stand.

We cannot allow ourselves to become more angry voices clamoring for one cause or another. Instead, we must live our lives in harmony with our families, our neighbors and our coworkers. And we must demonstrate good citizenship, living “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).