I can hear Paul saying: "So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" - Romans 7
Within a very short space of time, we quickly find our differences, magnify them and then let our egos go to work on each other.
These ensuing battles and our score cards become the fruit which we then offer up to the one we actually serve while in the heat of those moments.
We Christians argue over words, but are specifically told not to.
We Christians fight like Cains over the mantle of Abel, while cherishing the belief that the winner will be the rightful and rational heir to Abel's throne.
Note that I said "We".
I wish I could point my fingers at the worst offenders in these discussions and say it's "Them". My ego would love that! But, that would be a lie.
The truth is, in each and every discussion, the Holy Spirit, should I ever choose to listen to Him, is telling me to shut up and find Him in silence.
Boring...what fun is that? My ego would rather catch someone in a misstep, beat them into submission with it, and then win the argument for me and my team!
Unfortunately for my ego, Proverbs is a mirror that's loaded with advice for my ego, who of course is not at all interested unless the advice helps it "win the fight".
By their fruits, by their works, ye shall know them and the works of a rational ego are not the same as those of a believing, faithful Christian.
In fact, the ego will tell you its stuff is better! So...Fight! Fight!! Fight!!!