-A Plea for Unity

A Plea for Unity A PLEA FOR UNITY
G. C. Brewer

Introduction. This lecture is the closing address of the series upon the subject of the church in his­tory. In the preceding speeches, the fact has been emphasized that the fundamental plea of the restora­tion movement was for unity. In the literature of this movement, many sermons will be found dealing with the subject of unity. This lecture, therefore, cannot be expected to add much to our literature. 1 But if it Reminds us of the necessity of standing together in one spirit and with one soul, striving for the faith of the gospel, it will accomplish its purpose. The Sin of Division. In another address the sin of sectarianism has been pointed out and emphasized. But it will not be amiss to restate in this sermon the evils of division. We who try to measure our conduct by the word of God, must not allow anything to obscure the fact that divisions, factions, and strife are the most unscriptural conditions that can ever arise among us. These things are classed with drunkenness, forni­cation and idolatry, and those who are guilty of caus­ing division, of starting factions or of engaging in strife cannot inherit the kingdom of God. A few quo­tations from the inspired apostles will enforce this statement. “For ye are yet carnal; for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?” (1 Corinthians 3:3). “Now the words of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idol­atry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revel- lings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forwarn you that they who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19­21). “But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed” (James 3:14-16). The Ideal of Unity. It will hardly be denied by any one that unity among all the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be desired. Peace and good-will among all men is an ideal that our Lord Jesus Christ brought to the earth and which has inspired the nations of earth to seek peace and to assemble in peace conferences and to endeavor in many ways to bring about the end of carnal strife and bloodshed. A fail­ure to realize this ideal does not in any way diminish the glory of the ideal or discourage' those who have caught the vision and who yet hope to see' it material­ized on earth. But if the nations of earth cannot bring themselves to disarm and to live in mutual good will and brotherly relationships, there is no reason why the people who profess to follow Christ, who claim' to pos­sess his spirit and to be partakers of his nature, should not live in peace with each other. If there is a lack of peace there must be lack of spirituality, for the apostle Paul has just told us that carnality is the cause of factions and divisions. Then if we have mor­tified the flesh and have sunk ourselves into the Saviour, we will live together in peace and love. The value of unity has been recognized by men for many thousands of years. Aesop, the slave who lived and wrote before the Babe of Bethlehem came to bless the world and before the angels sang of peace bn earth, good will to men, tells us of a father who had seven sons. These sons grieved their father’s heart by their disagreements and contentions one with the other. When the aged father knew that the time of his departure was drawing near, and his heart yearning for the welfare of his sons, he taught them a lesson by binding seven rods together in a bundle and by giving this bundle to each of his boys and asking him to break it. When each boy had exerted his utmost strength and failed to break the bundle of rods the father took them, unbound them and broke each rod with the greatest ease. He then told the boys that If they would stand together they would be strong but if they were divided they would be weak and easily destroyed. This simple lesson is known to everybody and yet it is often forgotten in our practices, even by the best of us.

Greece was once a powerful nation, even a universal empire, because her people were united under one invincible leader but at the death of this conqueror the people were divided among the ambitious generals of the army and as a consequence the whole nation was overthrown and each division was swallowed up by the rival powers. Lord Byron wrote: “Tis Greece; but living Greece no more.”

Another story which illustrates both the beauty and the advantage of being united is that of the lost babe in the vast wheatfields of the northwest. A mother busily engaged with household duties allowed her little child to toddle out into the yard to play unguarded. The child wandered out into the standing grain and was lost. The mother missed the babe and searched and called but with no success. She became alarmed and called the neighbors to help her in the search. The neighbors, in sympathy with the parents and with deep solicitude for the child, began the search but they too failed to find any trace of the little one. The hour was getting late and the day was dying when one man suggested that they might search in scattered parts of the fields and miss the child or even should one find it the others might continue their search for hours before they knew that the babe was found. He suggested, therefore, that they form a line and join hands and march abreast across the fields, then when they reached the other side they would swing around and march back toward the house. In this way they would soon cover the wide acres and if the babe should be found the word would pass from mouth to mouth and in an instant the shout of triumph would arise from all as if from one man. Following this sugges­tion the line started its march, singing as it went across the field. After a little while some one in the line stumbled upon the babe sleeping sweetly among the yellow stalks of grain. The babe was placed in the arms of the mother and joy filled the hearts of all and rejoicing was heard for many miles around.

If we ourselves could not see the beauty of the ideal of unity and the advantage of being one in faith and life, we would be compelled to plead for unity because our Guide-book so emphatically and so repeatedly teaches us to be one. The night our Lord was betrayed and while he was in the shadow of the cross he prayed earnestly to the Father; first for himself that he might be glorified with the Father with the glory that he had before the world was; second, he prayed for his disciples and for those who might believe upon him through their word. This prayer, therefore, includes you and me and all others who today profess to believe in Christ. Our faith has come through the testimony of those disciples who knelt with the Lord and prayed that night. Christ, looking down through the vista of the years, embraced us in his prayer and bore us up before the Father in an earnest entreaty that we might be one. Hear his plea: “Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. As thou didst send me into the world, even so sent I them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they them­selves also may be sanctified in truth. Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word; that they may all be one: even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me. And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them that they may be perfect into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovest them, even as thou lov- est me” (John 17:17-23).

If there were nothing else in all the Bible to lead us to want to be united, this prayer would be sufficient. But the apostle Paul pleads with Christians to be united in mind and judgment and not to allow divisions to exist among them. “Now I beseech you, brethren, through 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 per­fected together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). As a prisoner in the dungeon of Rome, the care of all the churches weighed upon his earnest soul and he wrote the brethren at Ephesus to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. “I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, with all lowliness and meek­ness, with longsufTering, forbearing one another in love; giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There 1 John 5:8). Whenever it becomes proper and right for Jesus, Jehovah and the Holy Spirit to hate, slander and abuse each other; to wrangle, strive, contend and oppose each other, then it will be consistent for Christians to engage in such things. It will be sinful for the child of God ever to engage in these until this becomes proper. The chil­dren of God “must not strive, but be gentle toward all men; apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those who oppose themselves.’

If this unity which subsists between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit does not cause us to see and understand what is meant by “the unity of the Spirit” we may get the thought from Paul’s illustra­tion. After entreating the Ephesian brethren “to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye are called” by endeavoring to “keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” he showed them what that unity is by naming seven Ones. Seven is a prominent number in the Scriptures. It is by some people supposed to be. a magic number; to possess a charm. We do not attach any such idea to that number but there seems to be no doubt that the number seven is symbolic. It rep­resents something that is complete; a whole, a cycle, a perfect work, a finished mystery. Hence Paul shows us the perfection of the unity that subsists in the divine arrangement by enumerating the seven ones that compose the Spirit’s plan.

There is One body—(of Christ, which is the church and of which all Christians are members. Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:27).
There is One Spirit-—(The Holy Spirit, which dwells in that body to animate it and worketh all things. 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Corinthians 12:11; Ephesians 2:22).
There is One Hope—(By which we are saved and which causes us to sorrow not as those who have not this hope, for there is no other. Romans 8:24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13).
There is One Lord—(Lord means ruler—there is but one rightful ruler of our lives—He is Head of the body, the church, and his authority alone must be recognized).
There is One Faith—(That which comes by hearing God’s word; which was once for all delivered to the saints and which excludes, therefore, all opinions of men and all visions and dreams that have come since. Romans 10:12-17; Jude 1:3).
There is One Baptism—(That which was authorized by the one Lord, to name upon us the one Godhead; that which is taught by the one Spirit and brings us into the one Body. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13).
There is One God—(Who is the Creator of all. Who is over all—all these other members of the seven­fold unity—is manifested through all, and dwells in all).

What a tremendous appeal this is for Christians to be united. How can we imagine that we can please God or ever expect to see Him in peace if we foment factions, sanction divisions or perpetuate parties? How can we claim to be contending earnestly for the one faith, to be subjects of the one Lord and members of the one body when we are divided into hundreds of bodies, each recognizing some central head other than the Lord and being ruled by laws other than the divine? When we wear human names to distinguish us one from the other and When we contend for creeds and opinions and theories? How can we be children of one Father and not be similar in disposition? How can we all belong to one family and not recognize a kinship? How can we all be partakers of the one Holy Spirit and not compose one holy brotherhood? How can we claim to love the Lord while we are defeating his cause and blaspheming his name for the sake of selfish ends and party principles? How can we hope to be saved if we consent to belong to any body other than the “one body”—the church?

It is sometimes argued that we now have unity among the followers of Christ. It is said that all the different denominations are one in the most vital and fundamental sense; that they have one Lord and one faith, etc.; that they compose one spiritual body but are divided into branch organizations. This claim is vitiated by the fact that the denominations are en­gaged in the work of destroying each other; that there is no peace between them. On the contrary, there is a clashing of their creeds and a rivalry in their efforts and too often bitterness and jealousies in their hearts. If it could be said with any degree of truth that these denominations are one in an invisible sense, and this is what is claimed, this could not be the oneness that our Saviour prayed for. If it were possible to have this visible division and strife in an invisible union, the purpose of the prayer of our Savior would still be defeated. He prayed for a oneness that the world might see, therefore a visible unity, and be made to believe that the Father had sent him. We can never regard this prayer as fulfilled until we have removed the reproach that is cast upon the name of our religion by our parties and our divisions.

Hoiv to Attain the Ideal. The great problem of attaining the ideal of unity has not yet been solved. Very few men today will even attempt to defend divi­sion and denominationalism. The desire for unity is widespread and the advantage as well as the Scriptur- ainess of unity is admitted upon every hand. But how can we attain this ideal? We still believe that the true basis of unity was found by the pioneers of the restor­ation movement. We believe that the word of God forms a sufficient platform for all Christians. We believe that if we could forget pride of party, love for denomination, zeal for inherited traditions and turn back with earnest hearts to the church of the New Testament, we would all be one. It cannot be that the New Testament is not plain and it cannot be that we of this enlightened age, do not have the ability to do the things that men did two thousand years ago. The only trouble is in our hearts. Are we willing to sur­render completely to the will and way of our Lord and to become and be just what the disciples of the New Testament were? Then are we willing to work and to worship in the same simple manner that they used ? If we can find this willingness in our hearts, there should be no trouble in getting together and in staying together. But we again meet the objection that those of us who claim that we have abandoned all denomination- alism and have been delivered from all creeds and are now speaking where the Bible speaks and remaining silent where the Bible is silent, are nevertheless divided into factions and contending sects. This objec­tion is made not only with reference to the modern schism of which we have spoken, which has torn our people into two parties known as “Disciples of Christ” and “Churches of Christ,” but it applies to those who belong to that band that composes the so-called churches of Christ. Even we, it is said, fight and devour each other and split and divide over the most insignificant things. It is sad to have to admit that there is all too much truth in this objection, but we must again plead that our failure to apply the prin­ciple cannot in any way affect the truth of the principle or overthrow it as a challenge to the World. The divi­sions that exist in local congregations or in any par­ticular sections of the country, whatever may be the ostensible cause, are caused by carnality. This may be manifest in jealousies, envyings, pride of opinion, love for hobby, determination to have one’s own way, or by a thousand other weaknesses of the flesh. But after all they have their birth in the flesh and are brought forth in the works of the flesh, which are condemned in the severest terms that even Inspiration could use.

We must not overlook the fact that when the Apostle Paul condemned divisions and pleaded for the unity of the Spirit, he was not writing to denominations, but he was writing to local congregations. Denominational- ism was not then in existence and no creed-making body of professed Christians had ever assembled. The strife and the divisions that then existed started between individuals and spread through the congrega­tions until many thereby were defiled. When we allow such things to spring up among us today to destroy the sweetness of our fellowship, to disrupt the congrega­tion and to damn the souls who engage in them, or become influenced by them, we trample ruthlessly upon the teaching of the apostles and upon the prayer of our Lord. We would as well disregard the word of God upon baptism or upon the Lord’s Supper, or upon any other doctrinal point as to disregard it upon the practical point of peace and good will. Of course, those who are involved in a division always claim that some vital point is in question. They strive to justify the condition that exists by citing some doctrinal disloyalty, or some unfaithfulness to the word of God. Frequently, however, it is only our opinion or our judgment that has been disregarded and not the word of God. And even if some brother does not have a true understanding of what the Lord teaches upon some point, that is no reason that his failure to understand this truth should be made the cause of division. Even if he teaches error, this error would have to be very heinous if it is as great a sin as the sin of division. If the error that he teaches does not affect any condition of salvation or any item of wor­ship; if it does not change the organization or the function of the church of the Lord, then why should our objection to his error be made so strong as to destroy fellowship, divide churches and disgrace our­selves before the world.

If questions arise upon which the word of the Lord says nothing; questions of mere preference or taste or opinion, how shall we prevent differences of this kind from causing division? The Apostle Paul laid down the principle that will answer this question forever. In our endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit we are to do so in all lowliness, meekness and longsuffer- ing, forbearing one another in love. If no one ever differed from us or ever crossed our path or got on our nerves, we would have no opportunity of developing the beautiful graces of longsuffering and forbearance. If we will suffer long and forbear in love those that displease us, we will not only be like the Master, but we will have peace and brotherly relationships every­where. If we would each esteem the other better than himself and do nothing through strife and vainglory the troubles that infest the land today would, like the Arabs, fold their tents and. silently steal away. It is small wonder that the Apostles so repeatedly admon­ished us to love each other and to treat each other with proper love and consideration. Hear the apostle Paul again on. this point: “Be of the same mind one toward another. Set not your mind on high things, but con­descend to things that are lowly. Be not wise in your own conceits” (Romans 12:16). “So then let us fol­low after things which make for peace, and things whereby we may edify one another” (Romans 14:19). “Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus: that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6). “Finally, brethren, fare­well. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you” (2 Corinthians 13:11). The apostle Peter is no less insistent and impressive in his admonition: “Finally, be ye all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tenderhearted, humble- minded: not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For, 'He that would love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile; and let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears unto their supplication; but the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil’ ” (1 Peter 3:8-12). Sometimes in our zeal for the truth we lose our love for souls but this is the rankest sort of sectarianism. We should we love a doctrine if it is"not for the purpose of teach-' ing this as a truth to the sons of men in order that they too may be blessed and saved? Then why should we make it the occasion of destroying souls instead of the means of saving them? If our manner of con­tending for the truth keeps people from believing the truth, or drives them away from the truth, then we are ourselves enemies of the truth instead of its friends even though we believe it sincerely. What good end is served if we destroy peace and harmony among thou­sands of people in cur effort to correct a small error which probably would reach only a few people in one locality? Our efforts sometimes are similar to the solicitous servant who jealously guarded his master’s slumbers. The master had given orders to the ser­vants not to allow him to be disturbed, but he was awakened by a bright flash and a sudden roar in the room which almost deafened him. In great excitement he inquired of the servant what this meant; the servant standing with a smoking revolver in his hand said that there was a mouse gnawing paper in the corner of the room and he feared that it would disturb the master and therefore shot it. Brethren, let us quit shooting mice and therefore stop exciting people to the extent of heart failure and death.

If we love souls of men to the extent that we are willing to preach to, pray for, and labor to save a vile reprobate, (and we should do this), why will we then destroy a man who is clean in life, earnest in heart and faithful to God in everything except some minor point ? This point may have to do with the state of the dead, or the question of what will become of the heathen or the millennium or some other fanciful, far-fetched or untaught question. Or it may be on some method of getting our money together on Lord’s day or about educating our children and there may be some impor­tant truth involved but surely no truth can be as vital as union with God and therefore union with all the children of God. Nothing should separate us from each other unless it is something that separates us from God. But some one is ready to suggest that ho one should teach any error or set forth any theory or speculate on any point. That is all absolutely correct, and a man who is well balanced and deeply philosoph­ical will not do so, but if we were all infallible we would not need any rules to regulate our conduct. We would not need the Bible. It is because some men can­not see things in a sober, calm, considerate, judicial manner that we have hobbyists and fanatics. They see only one point and exalt it out of all proportion to other things and to its own value. They • therefore press it, emphasize it and almost idolize it. Such men as this and such practices as this may try our patience but how would we know that we have patience if it is never tried? How do we know that we ourselves are not extremists or cranks on some other point? How can we demonstrate that we are well balanced and even tempered if we are never tried ? If we become as radical in opposing something as the other man is in advocating it, then we are no less one-sided than he is. And if we are not careful and prayerful and intro­spective in our thinking on this man’s error we will be motivated as much by a dislike for the maii who holds the error as we are for the love of the truth which he perverts. When this is discerned in Us by our own children or jby any others instead of their being made to shun the error which we oppose or love the truth Which we profess to defend (?) they are made either to regard us with pity or with contempt. ' A Radical never converted anybody. A ranting partisan never reflected honor upon any cause. A bitter, bickering, contentious man is not welcomed in any company of sane souls.

Littleness, captiousness, Phariseeism dwarfs the soul, paralyzes the heart and vitiates sympathy and love and all other noble impulses' at their very sources. Such a spirit stabs spiritual religion dead at your feet, and turns you into a rabid, ranting, rag-chewing, hair-split­ting hypocrite, as self-deceived, self-righteous and self­assured of your own “loyalty” and “soundness” as the ancient Pharisees who were your exact prototype.

Let us examine burselves to see if we be in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5), and cease to judge and disfel- lowship each other. “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion of falling” (Romans 14:13).

If we have weak brethren, the New Testament tells us how to treat them. We are to receive them but not for “doubtful disputations.” We who think we are the “loyal disciples” of this age ought to come together in a national assembly and spend forty days and forty nights in Bible reading and fasting and prayer.

We have an opportunity today that no generation has had since the days of the apostles. The world is in confusion and thousands of souls are crying for the light. The philosophies and sciences of men have failed to solve social, economic and political problems. Reli­gious denominationalism has utterly failed and a nom­inal Christianity has not met the demands of yearning souls. Our homes are decadent; our schools have no fixed and definite purpose; our nations are confused and confounded; revolutions are heard rumbling in the distance and war clouds hang dark and ominous over our heads. In the midst of this sad situation, Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, the Prince of peace, and the Savior of men still stands with outstretched arms and in pleading tones calling all men to come unto him and find rest. He is willing to take them to his great bleeding, pulsating heart and heal them of all their dis­eases. But the world does not see this loving Savior; they do not know his healing grace and cleansing power. They do not realize that his gospel is a remedy for our ruined state and we who know him and who have been saved by him should join our hearts and our hands, forget our personal differences and our carnal ambitions and march forward inspired with the g]ory and triumph that awaits a consecrated church. May the Lord grant us the ability to catch the vision; to make tne surrender; to join our forces and rush for­ward in a final triumphant advance.