From Jesus’ day until now, it has always been this way. There has always been division in the crowd because of Jesus. The division occurs at the point of belief. There is a great chasm created between believers and unbelievers, in those who believe in Jesus for salvation and those who don’t believe in Jesus for salvation.
The division between the unsaved and the saved is vast. It is impossible to overstate the great divide that exists between those who believe in Jesus and those who don’t. For example, Scripture tells us that all unbelievers are dead in their sin. Regarding life before salvation in Christ, Ephesians 2:1 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” Unbelievers are spiritually dead. They don’t have a relationship with God and are dead in the sense that they have no fellowship with God. They have no spiritual desires to worship God, or glorify God, or to live in submission to God. On the other hand, believers in Jesus Christ are said to be alive spiritually. Ephesians 2:5 says, “When we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together with Christ.” Believers are alive to God in that they have a relationship with God and the desires of their heart long to worship God, and honor God, and serve God, and glorify God.
Another example of the division created by Jesus between unbelievers and believers is regarding their sin. An unbeliever’s sin has not been forgiven and they remain under judgment. In John 3:36 Jesus says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” An unbeliever remains in judgment and what awaits them is eternal condemnation. On the other hand, believers in Jesus Christ have been forgiven of their sin and removed out from under judgment. In John 5:24 Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” And in Romans 8:1 it says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Because their sins have been forgiven, all condemnation has been removed for every believer in Jesus Christ.
One final example of the division between unbelievers and believers is the family to which they belong. Scripture calls unbelievers children of the devil. In 1 John 3:10 it says, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious…” There are two differing spiritual families that all people belong to. You are either amongst the children of God or amongst the children of the devil. The unsaved are called children of the devil. It is believers in Jesus who are called the children of God. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Jesus, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” And in speaking to believers, Colossians 1:13 says, “God rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”
What we each want to make sure of is that we are on the right side of the division. No one wants to enter eternity on the wrong side of the division. Everything about our eternity depends upon being on the right side of the division as believers in Jesus Christ who have spiritual life, whose sins are forgiven, and who are children of God.