The Unity Of God's People -- I
A careful study of the New Testament reveals that of all the things taught there, nothing is taught with more force, clarity, and power than that God's people should be united. Even if God had never spoken on that point, however, human wisdom itself would teach us that there is strength in unity. It is the duty of every child of God to work, pay, and seek to promote unity among the children of God.
In John 17, our Savior prayed that all who believe on him might be one in order that the world might believe that the Father had sent him into the world. For brethren to fail to give heed to this prayer and to work for its fulfillment is to flout the pleading of our dying Savior, and cast ourselves in the way of the world and hinder the lost in accepting him. I can think of nothing more destructive to the spread of the gospel than division within the brotherhood. In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul sets forth the fact that Christ died to break down the middle wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, to make in himself one new man. Note also in I Corinthians 1, that the very first thing Paul tries to correct in the sin-ridden Corinthian church is the divided state of the brethren. Many things there needed correction, but their division was the thing that received first attention. Notice the appeal that he sets forth on this point, "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, but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." If the name of a loving and dying Savior means anything at all to us, our pride and arrogance should wither and melt when we see divisions among us.
Notice another statement from the same writer, Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." From such statements as this, we see how imperative it is that the children of God work, plead, and pray for unity.
Let no one misunderstand this to be a plea for a compromise of any truth or principle of right. No Christian can afford to compromise the truth if he knows what the truth is. Truth does not belong to you or to me; it belongs rightfully to God. If I hold an opinion toward anything, this opinion is my property, and I have the right to waive it, suppress it, or even change it in order to have unity; but not so with the truth of God.
An opinion is something that I hold in the absence of sufficient testimony to produce faith. Faith comes from the hearing of the word of God. (Rom. 10:17.) An opinion may be based upon circumstances, or inferences improperly drawn; there may be no fact or truth at all upon which an opinion rests, as it may be a reasonable conclusion drawn from a false premise. Then my opinions I must hold strictly to myself. I must realize that others have the same right to their opinions that I have to mine. An opinion has no rightful place in the work and worship of the people of God. The saints must move by faith (not opinion); "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin." (Rom. 14:23.)
Now, in the church of our Lord today, I think that all of us must admit that there is an element of division. Division is sinful; it is of the evil one; it does not originate with God, neither is it promoted by him. Therefore, if I know my heart, I must hold in contempt the very existence of division, and the spirit that promotes it. The truth preached, believed, accepted, and obeyed never produces division. The truth brings unity. Division can not come from truth, for truth and unity are one. The only avenue of approach through which division can come into the church of our Lord is the avenue of human opinions. Therefore, when I find that division exists, I can truly know that it exists because of an opinion that one of us holds. If it is my opinion that causes the cleavage, I can and should remove it; and thus unity and harmony may prevail.
Let us consider the source of division as it now exists in the church of our Lord. When all the rubbish, bluster, sarcasm, and duplicity are swept away, and the issue is clearly seen, there exists only two points of difference. There may be many other things that come in as byproducts, but these two are the essentials.
Point number one, is benevolence, the care of the unfortunate, the poor, those who need help. Everyone agrees that the Bible obligates both individuals and congregations in such work. It is further agreed that in the early church benevolence was practiced. There is no point of difference here. It is still further agreed that the congregation is the only organization found in the New Testament through which the church accomplishes its work. In all these points I have not heard a dissenting voice. On these points there is unity; on this we can have faith, for here God has spoken.
Then wherein does the element of division enter? Well, there are some brethren, whom we most certainly credit with good intentions, who think and plead that the work of benevolence can be better performed when boards are formed and other organizations than the congregation are created through which the work of benevolence can be accomplished. These good brethren insist that the congregation is not a "caretaking institution", and actually can not do the actual work of "caring" for the needy. Therefore, they tell us, there MUST BE some other organization to care for the needy. This is where the benevolent organization enters the picture; and this is where the division comes in. Let no one be deceived about this: this other organization is the bone of contention. The issue is clear and simple.
Brethren who promote these benevolent organizations, insofar as I have been able to learn, have never contended that they are a matter of faith; but they are defended simply as a way, a method, an expedient by which the church MAY (not must) do its work. They "expedite" the work of the church. This is the best and strongest justification we have heard their friends offer for their existence.
Point number two, is evangelization. Again, everyone is agreed that the gospel must be preached, and that the obligation for preaching it rests both upon individuals and upon congregations. Further, it is agreed that the local congregation is the only organization known to the New Testament for the accomplishment of this work. It is also agreed that the early church did its work, and did it well, with no organization other than the local congregation. But some good brethren sincerely contend today that the work of the Lord is "expedited" and better accomplished when some one congregation becomes a "sponsoring church" and a host of other congregations become "contributing churches" for the accomplishment of a great work under a single eldership. Here, division enters. A study of this problem, and its solution, will be considered in our next article.