Does the Bible teach that a divided house is able to stand?

It is no secret that there is great division in the world today. If you ask people why, their answers are just as divided. One thing to consider is that for any people to be productive, prosperous, and unified, they must believe in a common purpose and values. Without this, it is impossible for there to be any firm foundation on which to build upon. Whether it is a nation or a house, it is no secret that a house divided cannot stand.

Where did the idea of a divided house not being able to stand come from?

The Bible tells us in Luke 11 about a time when Jesus was teaching His disciples about praying to God and providing for the needs of others. He makes a point about how sometimes someone will ask a friend for help, but because of the inconvenience the friend might make an excuse for why they cannot do it. But Jesus follows up by saying that the friend being asked might also see that his friend that asked has a great need and get up to help despite the inconvenience.

Jesus goes on to say that there should never be a hesitation to help anyone that asks for it and the importance of giving them exactly what they need. He then makes the point to the disciples that whatever they ask for they shall receive and whatever they look for they will find. He concludes with the point that if they are evil, they at least still know how to give good gifts to their children, but how much more shall their heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him?

In Luke 14:11 the story continues with Jesus casting a devil out of a man. Some of the people watching were making comments about how He was casting out the devil. Some said that He was doing it under the power of the chief of devils, Beelzebub, while others were wanting Him to provide a sign from Heaven as proof of where His power came from. Knowing their thoughts, He responded to their division and conflict by saying:

Luke 11:17–20. “…Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.”

How does conflicting power divide houses?

Although Jesus mentioned a house against a house, he also mentioned a divided kingdom. Practically speaking, a kingdom is made up of many houses. If those houses are in disagreement, then it results in a divided kingdom, or country. Jesus made a comparison to Himself by saying:

Luke 11:23. “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Jesus then made an illustration by saying that when the devil left, if it came back and found the man had no protection, the devil would bring the muscle of other devils to overpower the man and make things worse than they originally were as follows:

Luke 11:24–26. “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

It is clear to see that Jesus was teaching that someone might encounter and overcome difficult times, but if they are unable to defend themselves against further attack, like the devils, they can be overpowered again by those that are intent on causing division, strife, and oppression.

Jesus mentioned a Kingdom and houses being divided in Luke 17:17, saying “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth”. We see this as applying to the temple, or house of God where God lived among men beginning in the Old Testament, and as a Dwelling place where He lives in the believer in the New Testament:

1 Kings 6:11–14. “And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. So Solomon built the house, and finished it.” “And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.”

1 Peter 1:24–2:5. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.“

We also see this detailed when describing a person that has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, and the Holy Spirit dwells or lives in them, making the believer the “temple” of God.”

1 Corinthians 3:16–17. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.:”

1 Corinthians 6:18–20. “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

When the Holy Spirit comes into a believer, He seals them until the day of redemption, which is the day they stand before God in Heaven as a child of God. He also gives the power of God to the believer so that they have the strength to do all things:

Ephesians 4:30. “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

Philippians 4:11–13. “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.“

How does God help believers to be an undivided house?

We see then that the believer, once sealed by the Holy Spirit that has come to live in them, is the “temple” or “house” of God. However, like the man that was delivered from a devil by Jesus, they are still the target of the devil that wants to cause strife and conflict and trick them into letting the evil spirits control them. This will continue as long as the believer lives on this earth, but God gives them the wisdom, discernment, and power of the Holy Spirit. This enables them to be one house, undivided to resist the devil by focusing on walking in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit:

1 John 4:1-7. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.”

Galatians 5:16–17. “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

1 Corinthians 1:10-17. “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. 16 And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

Ephesians 4:29-32. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

How do we create an undivided kingdom and culture?

While many kingdoms, nations, and cultures have survived for years, we see that the foundation of their success is having common values that the people embrace and teach to their children. In the United State, the founders were nearly all Christians that believed in the principles of “One Nation Under God” as the key to national unity and survival.

For this reason, there was a strong emphasis on creating the nation based on Biblical Principles. Many today, will deny that, but there is a large body of evidence that supports this. The book, Silenced in the Schoolhouse, extensively documents this, quoting over 220 references. It even includes the full text of a US Supreme Court ruling documenting America’s Christian foundations in the court case, Holy Trinity Church vs. United States, on February 29,1892.

Of the first 100 universities in the United States, nearly everyone was started as a school to train ministers, “universal” Biblical principles, and common Christ-centered values. This is why they were called “universities” and not diversities. However, in an effort to overthrow universal Biblical values, the teachings of diversity in ways that cause conflict were put in place under the guise of equality and fairness. This goes against the principles of unity as we have seen.

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Sadly, schools and universities have forsaken their original calling and namesake. There is nothing that is universal in them anymore other than the teaching of division and strife and extreme persecution of any that object to their destructive practices. Biblical teaching of universal values has been forcefully cast aside and demonized much like Jesus mentioned about the man that was subject to the return of evil spirits. This has resulted in extreme division of thought, which has produced what we see today, a house divided.

Final Thoughts

As we saw in Luke 11:17, God tells us that when a kingdom (country) is divided against itself it will fall. As believers, Paul reminds us to speak in ways that draws us and others together. In conclusion, we must remember that no matter what, we are called to live our lives, united in love, until we are called home to the presence of our Father in Heaven.

Luke 10:27. “And he [Jesus] answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.”

After all, how can anyone object to it unless they are focused on living in opposition to a house united.