<p>11:19 <em>For there must also be factions among you, that they that are approved may be revealed among you- </em>The allusion is to Mt. 18:7: &quot;For it is necessary that the offences occur, but woe to that man through whom the offence comes&quot;. Causing division within the body is therefore a sin which may exclude us from the Kingdom. It is so obviously true to observed experience that factionism within the church causes 'offences' or spiritual stumbling. It is also true that the &quot;approved&quot; are &quot;revealed&quot; by their correct response to the factionism. How we respond to church division is one of the litmus tests that reveal our spirituality. So many stumble... but it will be no excuse to tell the crucified Lord at the last day that His death and pain for us was rejected by us because of the cranky people in a church we attended. The cross is still there, and His outstretched arms towards us must not be spurned because of an argument here and hypocrisy there. Likewise those who see through those things and will not be swayed from their focus on the Lord who loved them, and who will not spurn His Spirit because others do, are thereby declared &quot;approved&quot; even now. For the essence of judgment day is worked out today. &quot;Approved&quot; translates a word meaning 'tried'; it is in James 1:12: &quot;Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he is <em>tried</em> he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love Him&quot;. The experience of division in the church is the trial through which we demonstrate our acceptance before the Lord, and even have a foretaste of the Lord's acceptance at the last day.</p><p>Although sects and divisions should not be within the one body of Christ, in another sense there must be such sectarianism that they which are approved may be &ldquo;made manifest&rdquo; by their response to it- in anticipation of how we will all be &ldquo;made manifest&rdquo; (s.w.) at the judgment (Lk. 8:17; 1 Cor. 3:13). In this we see the Divine ecology; nothing is wasted. There must not be divisions; but even when they do occur, they are used by God in order to manifest the righteous and the principles of true spirituality. Thus trial can easily arise from within our ecclesial experience.</p>