It makes no difference which side of a disputed question may have been expressed first. Often this sectarian spirit parades under the guise of defending the faith. He does not say how they went about to produce the divisions and occasions of stumbling, except that they used smooth and fair speech. That they had a selfish motive is evident in that they were not serving Christ, but their own belly. There are many devious methods which a sectarian can employ to produce a division to his own advantage.
Most divisions work to the advantage of their promoters.
They are a lot like the visions and revelations of the so-called prophet, Joseph Smith, they have a way of working out to the interests of the parties involved. Quite the contrary, this text teaches us that those very ones who are laboring to divide the flock of God, whatever excuse they offer, are those to be marked and avoided. It is the division caused by them and not their supposed false doctrine, which was contrary to what the Roman Christians had learned. It is the spirit of those who would rather divide the flock of God than to permit God to judge his own people. This is just as contrary to that same apostolic doctrine which has been communicated unto us.