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"Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions,
are ye not carnal and walk as men?" (I Cor. 3: 3).
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery . . . . . seditions"
(Gal. 5: 19, 20).
"For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly"
(Rom. 16: 18).
Whenever there is a crime committed, and the culprit is not known, one of the first
things that the Criminal Investigation Officer asks is, Who will benefit by this crime?
and many a time this has opened the way to the detection of the criminal. The same thing
often appears to be true, sadly enough, in the perpetration of error, and we find the
Apostle associating false teaching with emulation and envy, with "filthy lucre", and with
service that he calls "serving their own belly". To stand resolutely for the truth, without
compromise, is not a "paying proposition" as the world uses the term.
The "offences" that the Apostle associates with the "dissensions" caused by these
false teachers may be best understood by referring back to the earlier occurrence of the
word skandalon in Rom. 14: 13. Dissensions and stumbling-blocks were both contrary
to the teaching that the Apostle had been giving in Rom. 12:-15:, where he enjoins
unity, acceptance, reception, and a willingness to forego legitimate liberties for the sake
of others. Nevertheless, following the usual method of Biblical instructions, the Apostle
does not rest satisfied with the declaration of positive truths, but supplements them by a
negative warning. In our own teaching we should do well if we followed the Apostle's
example here more consistently.
Another feature of importance is suggested by the word para in Rom. 16: 17, where
it is translated "contrary". The same word, in a similar context, occurs in Gal. 1: 8:
"Though an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you para that which we have
preached to you." Like all prepositions, the word para must be translated in a variety of
ways according to the case it governs and the demands of the context, but the underlying
and basic idea is "beside", as in the word "parallel". Where there is a frank denial of
truth, we are not deceived, but where the evil doctrine "comes up alongside" the danger is
serious. Often we may have to appear unkind and uncharitable in the eyes of those we
serve when we denounce some doctrine that is in many points very like the truth for
which we stand. In Rom. 1: 25, in connection with the introduction of idolatry, this
same word is used. Had the worship of idols been introduced at the beginning as
something opposed to the worship of the living God, it would probably have made little
progress. It came in, however, as something "beside".
"They worshipped and served the creature para (alongside) the Creator."
The initial sin of the garden of Eden is also characterized by the same word. The
word "offence" (Rom. 5: 15, 16, 18, 20) is paraptoma, "to fall aside"; "transgression"
(Rom. 5: 14) is parabasis, "to step aside"; while "disobedience" (Rom. 5: 19) is parakoe,
"to hear aside". There is no frontal attack either in the record of Gen. 3: or in Rom. 5:
It is all "beside".