Have you ever been in the middle of a family argument that just wouldn’t stop?
Maybe it started over something small, like how to celebrate the holidays, but it grew into bigger disagreements that left everyone feeling hurt and distant.
I remember sitting at my grandparents’ table one Thanksgiving, watching relatives talk past each other. The tension was thick, and it made me wonder why relationships can break down so easily.
That’s where the idea of variance comes in. When we look for the variance meaning in the Bible, we find it’s an old word that points to discord, strife, or being at odds with others.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from tough topics like this. It shows us how division affects our hearts and communities.
In Scripture, variance often shows up as a warning against letting conflicts tear things apart.
Variance Definition Bible
In the Bible, variance means a state of disagreement, conflict, or division between people. It can describe tension that harms peace and unity. In the KJV, the word appears among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20, alongside hatred and strife. The idea is not simply having a different opinion. It points to conflict that damages relationships and works against godly love. Jesus also taught His followers to seek peace and reconciliation with others (Matthew 5:23–24). The Bible calls believers to choose patience, forgiveness, and peace instead of ongoing conflict.
Variance Meaning in the Bible
The variance meaning in the Bible is closely linked to disagreement, strife, and division. The KJV uses “variance” in Galatians 5:20 as part of a list of sinful attitudes and actions. This shows that harmful conflict can come from the heart and affect how people treat one another. Scripture does not say that every disagreement is sinful. Believers may hold different views while still showing love and respect. However, when disagreement turns into anger, hostility, or division, it becomes a spiritual problem. Ephesians 4:2–3 urges Christians to live with humility, patience, and unity.
Variance Bible Definition
The variance Bible definition refers to serious disagreement or conflict between people. In the KJV, “variance” is used in Galatians 5:20 and carries the idea of strife or discord. It describes behavior that can break peace and damage relationships. Scripture places this kind of conflict among works that come from a life ruled by sinful desires. By contrast, the Holy Spirit produces qualities such as love, patience, kindness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). The Bible therefore points believers away from needless quarrels and toward peace, forgiveness, and loving treatment of others.
Variance Meaning in Bible
The variance meaning in Bible passages points to conflict, disagreement, or discord. One clear example is Galatians 5:20 in the KJV, where variance appears in a list of works of the flesh. The verse connects it with other forms of harmful conflict, showing that the issue goes beyond a simple difference of opinion. Scripture teaches that believers should not let conflict control their relationships. Proverbs 15:1 shows how a gentle answer can turn away wrath. The biblical lesson is clear: Christians should seek peace and handle disagreements with wisdom, grace, patience, and love.
Meaning of Variance in the Bible
The meaning of variance in the Bible is disagreement that can lead to strife, division, or broken fellowship. The KJV uses this older English word in Galatians 5:20. In that setting, variance is grouped with other sinful behaviors that harm relationships. The Bible also gives a better path. Colossians 3:12–13 tells believers to put on kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, while forgiving one another. This does not mean avoiding every difficult conversation. Instead, it teaches Christians to deal with conflict in a way that protects love, truth, peace, and unity.
Variance Definition in Bible
The variance definition in Bible usage is conflict or disagreement between people. In Galatians 5:20, the KJV uses “variance” to describe a sinful form of discord. The word reflects an older English usage and may sound unfamiliar to modern readers. The surrounding words help explain its meaning because the verse also mentions strife, jealousy, wrath, and divisions. These actions can destroy healthy relationships and church unity. Scripture gives believers another way to respond. Romans 12:18 teaches Christians to live peacefully with others whenever it depends on them, making peace a clear biblical goal.
Variance in the Bible
Variance in the Bible is connected with conflict, strife, and division. The clearest KJV reference is Galatians 5:20, where variance is listed among the works of the flesh. The passage warns that such behavior does not reflect a Spirit-led life. The Bible instead calls believers to walk in love and peace. James 3:17–18 describes godly wisdom as peaceable and shows that righteousness grows where peace is practiced. So, variance is more than having different thoughts. It describes harmful discord that can pull people apart and weaken the unity God desires.
Variance Meaning in the Bible KJV
The variance meaning in the Bible KJV is disagreement, strife, or discord. The word appears in Galatians 5:20 in the KJV, where Paul lists it among the works of the flesh. The older word “variance” can be easier to understand when read with the words around it, including strife, hatred, and divisions. The passage warns against behavior that creates conflict and breaks unity. In contrast, Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit, including love, peace, gentleness, and self-control. The KJV usage therefore points readers toward peace rather than harmful division.
Biblical Meaning of Variance
The word variance in the Bible usually comes from older translations like the King James Version. It carries the sense of disagreement or contention that creates separation between people. In Galatians 5:20 it translates the Greek word eris, which means strife, quarreling, or wrangling. This isn’t just a mild difference of opinion. It points to ongoing conflict that stirs up trouble and breaks unity.
Another Greek root appears in Matthew where Jesus talks about setting people at variance. The word dichazo means to divide or cut in two, like splitting something apart. So the biblical meaning of variance highlights how differences can lead to real division if we don’t handle them with care.
The first clear appearance of this idea shows up in the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 10:35 (KJV), He says, For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. Here, Jesus isn’t promoting fights. He’s being honest about what happens when people choose to follow Him. Some family members accept the message while others reject it, creating natural tension.
Emulations Bible Definition
In the Bible, emulations describe intense jealousy, selfish rivalry, or a desire to outdo others for personal glory rather than honoring God. In the KJV, the word appears among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19–21. Instead of encouraging healthy motivation, biblical emulations promote envy, pride, and conflict. Scripture teaches believers to pursue humility, love, and unity, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape attitudes that reflect Christ instead of selfish ambition.
Examples of Variance in the Bible
The Bible illustrates variance through disagreements, divisions, and conflicts caused by sinful attitudes. Examples include the dispute between Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:36–41), the quarrels within the Corinthian church (1 Corinthians 1:10–13), and the rivalry among Jesus’ disciples over greatness (Luke 22:24). These accounts reveal how unresolved conflict can damage relationships, while forgiveness, humility, and reconciliation restore peace and strengthen the body of Christ.
Variance Meaning in the Bible KJV
In the King James Version (KJV), variance refers to strife, discord, and ongoing disagreement between people. It appears in Galatians 5:20 as one of the works of the flesh, highlighting attitudes that divide rather than unite. Biblical variance grows from selfishness, pride, and unforgiveness. God calls His people to pursue peace, patience, and love, encouraging relationships that reflect Christ’s character and promote harmony within the church and everyday life.
Seditions Meaning in the Bible
In the Bible, seditions refer to actions or attitudes that stir up rebellion, division, or factions within a community. Listed in Galatians 5:20, seditions are works of the flesh that threaten unity among God’s people. They often arise from selfish ambition, pride, or resentment. Scripture encourages believers to reject divisive behavior and instead cultivate humility, peace, and mutual respect, preserving the unity that Christ desires for His followers.
Emulations Meaning in the Bible KJV
In the KJV, emulations describe jealous competition and resentful ambition that seek personal recognition rather than God’s glory. Found in Galatians 5:20, the term warns against attitudes that create conflict and envy among believers. Biblical teaching contrasts emulations with the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, kindness, and self-control. Christians are encouraged to celebrate others’ blessings, serve faithfully, and seek God’s approval instead of competing for status.
Lasciviousness Meaning in the Bible
Lasciviousness in the Bible refers to shameless lust, sexual immorality, and behavior that openly rejects God’s standards of purity. It appears in passages such as Galatians 5:19 and Mark 7:22 as a serious sin flowing from a corrupted heart. Scripture calls believers to flee impurity and pursue holiness in both actions and thoughts. Through the Holy Spirit, Christians are empowered to live with self-control, integrity, and a life that honors God.
Revellings Meaning in the Bible
In the Bible, revellings describe wild parties, drunken celebrations, and reckless behavior that promote sinful living. The Greek word behind it, komos, is rendered ‘revellings’ in Galatians 5:21 and ‘rioting’ in Romans 13:13, where believers are warned to avoid lifestyles marked by excess and moral compromise. Instead of seeking temporary pleasure through uncontrolled indulgence, Scripture encourages Christians to live wisely, remain spiritually alert, and find lasting joy through obedience and fellowship with God.
Wrath Meaning in the Bible
In the Bible, wrath refers to intense anger expressed either by sinful humans or by God’s perfect justice. Human wrath often leads to harmful words, conflict, and poor decisions, while God’s wrath is always righteous and directed against sin and evil. Verses such as James 1:20 warn against uncontrolled anger, whereas Romans 1:18 reveals God’s holy judgment. Believers are called to practice patience, forgiveness, and self-control while trusting God’s righteous justice.
Quick Reference Table
| Term | Biblical Meaning | Key Verses | Spiritual Lesson |
| Variance | Strife, discord, contention, or division between people | Galatians 5:20 (KJV), Matthew 10:35 (KJV) | Avoid works of the flesh; pursue unity in the Spirit |
| Eris (Greek) | Quarreling, wrangling, party spirit | Galatians 5:20, 1 Corinthians 1:11 | Leads to factions; opposite of love and peace |
| Dichazo (Greek) | To set at variance or divide | Matthew 10:35 | Following Jesus may cause division but calls for peace |
| Opposite: Unity | Harmony and oneness in Christ | John 17:21, Ephesians 4:3 | Fruit of the Spirit brings together what variance tears apart |
Dream & Real Life Meaning
When variance shows up in dreams, it often feels uneasy. You might dream of arguing with loved ones or standing in the middle of a heated crowd. Peaceful dreams could mean God is highlighting a relationship that needs mending. An urgent dream, full of chaos, might signal the Holy Spirit warning you about growing conflict in your waking life. Pay attention to how you feel when you wake up.
In real life, variance appears in everyday disagreements at work, home, or church. It might look like gossip that divides friends or stubborn arguments over small things. The Bible helps us test if an experience is from God by checking it against Scripture and the fruit it produces. Does it lead to peace and love, or more anger and separation? James 3:17-18 reminds us that wisdom from above is pure, peace-loving, and full of mercy.
I encourage you to pray about any variance you’re facing. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your part in it. Journaling helps too: write down the situation, what the Bible says, and what God might be teaching you. Over time, this practice brings clarity and transformation. Many people find that bringing conflicts to prayer softens their hearts and opens doors for reconciliation. Remember, God cares about your relationships and wants to guide you through them.
Faith Takeaways
- Pray for unity in your family and church, asking God to remove any roots of variance.
- Trust that the Holy Spirit can change contentious hearts, including your own.
- Reflect on times when small disagreements grew bigger and what you learned.
- Seek God’s wisdom before responding in anger during conflicts.
- Remember that true peace comes from putting Christ first over personal opinions.
FAQs
What is the variance meaning in the Bible?
Variance refers to strife or discord that creates division. In Galatians 5, Paul lists it as something that comes from our human nature and keeps people from God’s kingdom. The Bible urges us to choose love instead.
Where does variance first appear in Scripture?
The word first appears in Matthew 10:35. The thing itself is older than the word: conflict and division appear from Genesis onward, in Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) and in Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13). Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 warn that His message will sometimes separate people, even close relatives, based on their response to Him.
How does variance differ from healthy disagreement?
Healthy differences can lead to growth when handled with respect. Variance, though, involves selfish fighting and bitterness that tears relationships apart. The Bible calls us to resolve issues in a way that honors God.
What does the Bible say about overcoming variance?
Scripture points to the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, as the solution. Ephesians 4 encourages us to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Can variance ever serve a good purpose?
In some cases, like standing for truth, division happens naturally. But the Bible warns against creating unnecessary conflict. Jesus modeled both boldness and compassion.
How can I spot variance in my own life?
Look for patterns of arguing, jealousy, or taking sides. Prayer and honest feedback from trusted friends help reveal blind spots. God’s Word acts as a mirror for our hearts.
What is the spiritual significance of variance in scripture?
It shows how sin disrupts the harmony God desires. Yet it also highlights our need for grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring real change and unity.
More Searched Questions About Variance
How many times does the word variance appear in the King James Bible?
Twice, exactly twice, in the whole book, and the two standings are not the same use of the word. The noun stands once, in Paul’s list of the works of the flesh: “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies” (Galatians 5:20). The phrase stands once, in the words of Jesus: “For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law” (Matthew 10:35). The King James Bible was searched through for this answer, and there is no third standing: no plural, no other “at variance”, nowhere else the word appears at all. Most of this article’s sections speak of Galatians 5:20 as the word’s home, and it is one of its two homes; the other is the Gospel.
That small count is itself worth having, because it tells the reader where the Bible’s teaching on the subject actually lives. The thing the word names, contention and division between people, is treated all through Scripture, but it travels under the neighbouring words far more often than under this one: strife, contention, divisions, debates. The word variance is the KJV’s older English label at these two places, and each place has a different Greek word underneath it, as the next two answers show. So the honest answer to the frequency searches is the count and the two addresses, and the honest way to study the subject is to read both passages whole, which this section now does.
What does variance mean in Galatians 5:20, and what is the Greek word?
Here is the word standing in its list, quoted whole: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like” (Galatians 5:19-21). The word rendered variance is the Greek eris, contention, strife, wrangling: quarrelling as a settled habit of the flesh, the temper that keeps a disagreement hot. It stands in a family inside the one verse: hatred before it, then emulations (jealous rivalry), wrath (outbursts of anger), strife and seditions after it, and those neighbours fix its shade. Many modern translations merge the family, rendering eris simply as strife and the next contention word as selfish ambition or rivalries, so the KJV’s two words, variance and strife, collapse into one; the King James keeps them distinct because the Greek has two words, not one.
Paul’s own verdict on the list is part of the answer and should not be trimmed off it: “of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). And the contrast he sets immediately against the list is the fruit of the Spirit in the very next breath: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23), which this article’s Conclusion quotes in another version. Variance in Galatians is therefore not a difference of opinion, and it is not a personality type. It is contention named as a work of the flesh, placed by an apostle between hatred and jealous rivalry, and answered by the Spirit’s fruit, not by winning the argument.
What does “at variance” mean in Matthew 10:35?
The phrase stands inside one of the hardest sayings of Jesus, and it must be read there: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36). The Greek verb rendered “set at variance” is dichazo, to cut into two parts, to set one person against another, and this verse is its only standing in the New Testament. Behind the wording stands the prophet Micah, who described a corrupt generation in nearly the same lines: “For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house” (Micah 7:6). Jesus takes the prophet’s picture of a divided household and says his coming will draw that dividing line through real families.
What divides them is stated in the next verse, and it is allegiance, not temper: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37), and the passage runs on to taking up the cross and losing one’s life for his sake. So the variance of Matthew 10 is not quarrelsomeness, and the verse is not a command to quarrel, not permission to despise parents or children, and not a celebration of family conflict. It is a sober warning that following Jesus will set some households at variance, because some will receive him and some will refuse him, and the split will fall along the closest bonds there are. The division is the cost counted in advance, in the same passage that commands the disciple to bear it rather than to cause it.
What is the difference between variance, strife and seditions in Galatians 5:20?
Searchers meet the three words together because Paul set them together, and they are three shades of one thing at three stages, not three synonyms used for variety. Variance is eris, the contention itself, the quarrel and the wrangling temper. Strife, later in the same verse, renders a different Greek word, eritheiai, the self seeking spirit that turns a disagreement into a faction, ambition that has to win and gathers a side. Seditions renders dichostasiai, standings apart: the settled result, a company split into camps that no longer stand together. Read in the verse’s own order, the family traces a path: contention feeds on self seeking, and self seeking ends in a standing apart. The searches that ask what variance, strife, seditions and heresies are examples of are answered by the passage’s own heading: they are examples of the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19).
The same two Greek words run through Paul’s letters and keep the same shades, which is a check any reader can make. Eris is rendered “contentions” where Paul rebukes Corinth: “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” (1 Corinthians 1:11). And Corinth is diagnosed with the whole family at once: “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3), where the divisions are the dichostasiai word again, the same word rendered “divisions” in the warning, “mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17). Held from the texts, then: variance is the contention, strife in this list is the faction making spirit, and seditions are where contention ends if it is fed.
What does the Bible say about being at variance, and how should it be handled?
The Bible’s handling of contention starts early, while it is still small. “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with” (Proverbs 17:14). Water through a crack is easy to stop at the first trickle and impossible once the bank is gone, and the proverb puts the wisdom at the beginning of the quarrel, not at its height. Its companion is blunt about the honour involved: “It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling” (Proverbs 20:3). And James gives the test by which variance is known wherever it appears: “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:14-16).
For the Lord’s servant the instruction is direct: “But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” (2 Timothy 2:23-24). For the church, the twin commands are to mark the division makers (Romans 16:17, quoted in the answer above) and to be “endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Scripture also shows, honestly, that sharp contention can happen between good men without ending in hatred: of Paul and Barnabas it is written, “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other” (Acts 15:39), yet both went on in the work, and Paul near the end of his life asked for the very man they had parted over, “Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). The Bible’s way with variance is therefore not a technique layered over the texts; it is the texts themselves: stop early, cease, be gentle and patient, guard the unity, and let even a parting be without hatred.
Is there a Hebrew word for variance in the Bible?
No, and the standings themselves are the reason. Both places where the King James Bible uses the word variance stand in the New Testament, which was written in Greek: the noun in Galatians 5:20 renders the Greek eris, and the phrase in Matthew 10:35 renders the Greek dichazo. No Hebrew word stands behind the English word in either verse, and no Hebrew word is translated “variance” anywhere in the King James Bible. A search for the Hebrew meaning of variance is reaching behind the wrong testament: the word’s home is the Greek New Testament, and its two Greek words are answered in full earlier in this section.
What the Old Testament does have is its own word for the thing itself, and it deserves naming at its texts, held as a neighbour and not as a translation. The word is madon, strife or contention, a contest or quarrel. It is the strife a wrathful man stirs up: “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife” (Proverbs 15:18). It stands at the head of the proverb quoted earlier in this section, “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water” (Proverbs 17:14). And it is the word Jeremiah uses for his own lot as a prophet among a hostile people: “Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!” (Jeremiah 15:10), where the “contention” is madon. The King James renders this Hebrew word as strife, contention and discord, never as variance, and that is the honest boundary: madon is the Old Testament’s word for the same human thing the Greek words name, and the two testaments’ words belong side by side, not fused into one invented word study.
What does variance mean in statistics and in ordinary English?
In ordinary English, variance means a difference or a disagreement, the state of being at odds, and its living idiom is “at variance with”: a report at variance with the facts disagrees with them, and two people at variance are in disagreement with each other. That idiom is the modern descendant of the Bible phrase in Matthew 10:35, and its close synonyms are difference, discrepancy and disagreement. This everyday sense is real, and it is the sense in which most non Bible uses of the word are heard.
In statistics, variance is a precise measure and not a mood at all: it is the average of the squared differences between each value in a set of numbers and the mean of that set, and it tells how spread out the set is. A set whose values cluster tightly around their mean has a small variance; a set scattered widely has a large one. Two more modern uses travel with the searches. In accounting and finance, a variance is the difference between a budgeted or expected figure and the actual figure, the gap a business then has to explain. In real estate and planning, a variance is an official permission to use land or to build in a way that the zoning rule would otherwise forbid, a granted departure from the rule. None of these modern senses, the everyday disagreement, the statistician’s measure of spread, the accountant’s gap or the planner’s permission, is what the King James word means in either of its two standings. In Galatians 5:20 it is contention, the quarrelling work of the flesh, and in Matthew 10:35 it is a household set against itself over allegiance to Jesus. A reader who brings any of the modern meanings into those two verses will read them weaker than they stand.
Is Variance a Sin in the Bible?
Yes, when it comes from the flesh. Paul lists variance among the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:20, between hatred and jealous rivalry, and he warns that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21). That is the quarrelsome temper that keeps a disagreement hot, feeds on pride and envy, and breaks fellowship. But not every disagreement is variance, and not every division is sin. Paul himself withstood Peter to his face when the gospel was at stake (Galatians 2:11), and that firm stand was faithfulness, not flesh. And the division Jesus warns of in Matthew 10:35 is not a sin believers commit; it is the cost of following Him when a household refuses Him. So the test is the source and the spirit. Contention that grows from pride, envy, and a need to win is sin. A firm stand for truth, spoken in love, and a division caused by allegiance to Christ, are not.
What Does Variance Mean in Modern Bible Translations?
Modern translations drop the old word variance and say what the Greek means in plain English. The English Standard Version renders the Greek eris as strife, so Galatians 5:20 reads hatred, strife, jealousy. The New International Version renders it discord, so the same verse reads hatred, discord, jealousy. The New Living Translation renders it quarreling, and the New King James Version renders it contentions. All four are translating the same Greek word, eris, which means contention, quarreling, and wrangling. The King James Version is the only common translation that keeps variance, an older English word for disagreement that has grown into discord. That is why the verse can look different across Bibles while saying the same thing. If your Bible says strife, discord, quarreling, or contentions in Galatians 5:20, you are reading the same word the King James calls variance.
Why Does God Hate the One Who Sows Discord Among Brethren?
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things the Lord hates, and the list climbs to its climax with the seventh: he that soweth discord among brethren. The six before it are a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet swift in running to mischief, and a false witness that speaks lies. Sowing discord is the harvest of the other six, because pride, lies, and scheming bear their fruit when brothers turn against each other. To sow is to plant on purpose. The sower uses gossip, whispering, half truths, and tales carried from one ear to another, and the crop is strife. Proverbs 16:28 says a whisperer separateth chief friends, and Proverbs 6:14 describes the same person devising mischief continually. God hates it because He loves unity: Psalm 133:1 calls it good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity, and Jesus blesses the peacemakers (Matthew 5:9). The sower of discord works directly against both.
What Causes Variance According to the Bible?
Scripture names two roots, and they work together. The first is desire. James 4:1-2 asks, From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? When people want what they do not have, recognition, control, money, or being right, they fight for it, and the quarrel is the desire turned outward. The second root is pride. Proverbs 13:10 says, Only by pride cometh contention, and Proverbs 28:25 adds, He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife. Pride refuses counsel, insists on its own way, and treats others as rivals. Envy feeds both roots: James 3:16 says, For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. That is why the Bible treats variance as a heart problem before it is a people problem. The quarrel starts inside, in wanting and in pride, and only then spills into the room. The cure starts in the same place: humility before God, which James 4:6 promises He answers with grace, and James 4:10 with lifting up.
What Does the Bible Say About Variance in the Church?
Paul treats variance in the church as a spiritual emergency, not a personality clash. To Corinth he writes, 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 (1 Corinthians 1:10). The church there had split into camps behind Paul, Apollos, and Cephas, and Paul calls the result carnal: For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (1 Corinthians 3:3). His instructions are plain. Avoid the arguments that breed it: But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain (Titus 3:9). Mark the dividers: Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them (Romans 16:17). And guard the unity: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
What Does Luke 12:51 Mean, I Came to Bring Division?
Luke 12:51 is the same hard saying as Matthew 10:34, spoken in different words: Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. The next verses paint the same household split, five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three, father against son, mother against daughter (Luke 12:52-53). Jesus is not commanding His followers to quarrel. He is warning that His coming forces a choice, and the choice will divide people, because some receive Him and some refuse Him. That is why He is still called the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6): His goal is peace with God, and the division is the result of the gospel meeting resistance, not the goal itself. The division is also temporary. Paul says God will gather together in one all things in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). Until then, following Jesus can cost family harmony, and He tells His disciples the price in advance so no one is surprised.
What Does Galatians 5:21 Mean, They Shall Not Inherit the Kingdom of God?
The warning is aimed at a way of life, not a single failure. Paul says, they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21). The word behind do is prasso, to practice, to keep doing as a habit. He is describing people who live in the works of the flesh without repentance, and that pattern shows they do not belong to Christ. The same warning stands in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, where Paul lists the unrighteous who shall not inherit the kingdom of God, and then adds the hope: And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:11). A believer who falls into contention, repents, and turns back is not the person Paul is describing. The verse is a wake up call for those who treat quarreling as normal and never turn from it, and it points to the chapter’s other side: the fruit of the Spirit, which is the life of those who do inherit.
What Bible Verses Mention Variance and Strife?
The word variance itself stands in only two places in the King James Bible: Galatians 5:20, where it is a work of the flesh, and Matthew 10:35, where Jesus sets a man at variance against his father. The Greek word behind it, eris, appears nine times in the New Testament, rendered strife in Romans 13:13, 1 Corinthians 3:3, Philippians 1:15, and 1 Timothy 6:4; debate in Romans 1:29 and 2 Corinthians 12:20; and contentions in 1 Corinthians 1:11 and Titus 3:9. The teaching around it runs wider. James 3:14-16 warns that where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. Proverbs 17:14 says to leave off contention before it be meddled with, and Proverbs 20:3 calls it an honour to cease from strife. The answer is in Ephesians 4:3, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and in Galatians 5:15, which warns that if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
What Is the Opposite of Variance in the Bible?
The opposite of variance is unity, and the Bible paints it in three pictures. The first is a family at peace: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1). The second is a church holding together: Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3), and the prayer of Jesus for His own, That they all may be one (John 17:21). The third is a life, not a rule: the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). Variance tears apart; unity gathers. Variance grows from pride and wanting; unity grows from humility and the Spirit. Romans 14:17 gives the test of which kingdom a person is living in: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Where variance rules, that peace is gone. Where the Spirit rules, unity follows.
What Happened Between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15?
Paul and Barnabas, close mission partners, had a contention so sharp that they parted. After the first journey, Paul proposed visiting the brethren again, and Barnabas wanted to take Mark, also called John, with them. Paul thought it not good to take him, because Mark had departed from them from Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work (Acts 15:36-38). The Bible does not soften it: And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other (Acts 15:39). Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, and Paul chose Silas and went another way. The parting was real, and it was not hatred. Both kept preaching, and the work doubled into two teams. Years later Paul asked for the very man they had parted over: Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). The story shows that sharp disagreement between good men can happen, that a parting can be without hatred, and that time and grace can restore what contention broke.
Conclusion
The top spiritual truths about variance are clear: it harms relationships and communities when left unchecked, but God’s Spirit offers a better way through love and humility. We don’t have to live divided. Jesus brings the power to heal what strife breaks.
One final powerful Bible verse comes from Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV): But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Friend, no matter what conflicts you’re facing today, there’s hope. Turn to prayer, lean on God’s grace, and watch how He works in your heart and relationships. You are not alone in this journey.
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I am John Grisham, and through TheBiblimeaning.com, I share the deeper meanings, symbolism, and spiritual insights found within biblical names, verses, and stories. This platform is dedicated to helping readers explore God’s Word with clarity, faith, and understanding. My goal is to make biblical knowledge inspiring, accessible, and meaningful for everyone seeking spiritual growth.
