Schism
(Gr.
schisma, meaning "division"). The word is used eight times in the NT.
From this usage the theological meaning of the term can be derived. Immediately
one popular misconception can be removed. Schism and heresy are two different
terms and cannot be used interchangeably, yet they are often so used. Heresy is
not schism, for heresy is, at its base, doctrinal, and is opposed to the
Christian faith itself. Schism is opposed to charity and is not doctrinal at
heart.
Among
the various schisms of the Christian church three can be mentioned briefly: the
Donatist schism, the Great Schism (the break between East and West in 1054),
and the papal schism (some historians also speak of this as the Great Schism).
In the case of the Donatists, the problem was one of ecclesiastical discipline
in which they opposed internal corruption in the church. This party arose
during the Diocletian persecution when some Christians surrendered the
Scriptures. Augustine wrote against the Donatists because they persistently
separated themselves from the fellowship of the church, insisting on rebaptism
of Catholics as a condition of communion with them.
Biblically
it appears clear that the rending of the body of Christ is sin and that there
is no excuse for schism, which is related to love and not to doctrine. But when
doctrine is involved, it takes on different dimensions and is not so much
schism as heresy. Heretics are to be cut off from the church or excommunicated,
and this distinction is not one of schism.
In
I Cor. 1:10 schism developed from the party spirit or factiousness in which
individuals identified themselves as supporters of Paul or Apollos or Cephas.
Outwardly the church was one, but internally it was marked by divisiveness. The
schismatic tendency noted in 11:18 was based largely on social distinctions
rather than doctrinal differences. In chapter 12 Paul makes the point that the
divine wisdom which has established harmony between the members of the human
body points to a similar purpose in the body of Christ (see vs. 25). Diversity
of gifts should not invite to envy but to cooperation.