UNITY AND UNIONS
Commentary by R. DeWitt, 2006; Add: 12/12
Commentary by R. DeWitt, 2006; Add: 12/12
The "unity of the faith" (Eph.4) will not happen from mergers of various religious ideas, according as history and the Word of Truth shows us. Any attempts to merge together sects or so-called "churches", can at best only be unions and ends in amalgamations (a mixture of ideas and practices). The other extreme practice of independency of church groups is also detrimental to the unity God enjoins us, by preferring a union of personal preferences to the Word of God, which results in confusion for any Christian testimony.
God speaks of unity as being "of one accord, of one mind" in the Word (Phil.2:2; Eph.4:4-6; Gal.1:2-3; 1 Cor. 16:19-20; 1 Cor.12:25; 1 Cor. 1:9-10; Rom.12:5; Acts 2:41-47; John 17:21; Amos 3:3; Psa.133:1). It is a "unity of the Spirit" (Eph.4:3). Some of us believe we have found this testimony worldwide in that recovery of Church Truth in circa 1800 AD and would like to share it.
The reception of believers into a fellowship of saints in a scriptural assembly, must be one with understanding and exercise to join with others of like mind to honor the Lord, after due consideration, prayer, and care (Acts 2:41-42). It needs to be a two-way thing, where the fellowship receives the applicant and the applicant receives the fellowship. Only disaster results from a merger of a "congregation" into a scriptural fellowship, as history has shown. This only applies to a sound scriptural fellowship, for we have no standard to apply to an unscriptural gathering.
We are seeing a tendency toward mergers throughout Christendom, and the result will be a larger organization for sure, but that is not the intent of God for His church. When the political "beast" of Revelation establishes his reign there will be one religious order in the world, and we seem to be rapidly moving that sad direction today. Thank God the true church (every true child of God) will be gone when this occurs.
The testimony of God in the world according to Scripture is being corrupted by willing agents of Satan, and such activity would have little effect on the universal church, except for the participation by misguided and carnal Christians who care more for their own glory than the glory of God. They join with all the worldly schemes and pervert the gospel to win converts, and produce a religious system and organization which pleases the flesh and disdains God's full Word ---the great goal of the enemy of all souls. Faithful saints need to appreciate the truth of "one body in Christ", and express that in unity worldwide in full accord with the Word of God (Rom.12; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4; etc.). Such a fellowship has been given to exist in the present day, if one should be a sincere seeker.
Size is not God's goal, rather holiness and unity in the faith He has given us, which needs to be individuals acting on a Godly conscience and convictions to embrace that which is shown to be in accord with "all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Perverse means are used to oppose the Word and support religious ideas of men (apostasy), and shows utter disregard for the honor and mind of God. Such men ought to be afraid, for "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb.10:31).
The hope here is for faithful believers in Christ to avoid mergers on one hand, and various independent gatherings on the other, and seek a truly scripture-only fellowship that appreciates and practices the truth of "one body in Christ" worldwide, and not allow the universal testimony to be diluted with various flesh-pleasing schemes to entertain the membership, and follow traditions, and various innovations to what God has given. May this be our earnest objective in the little while that remains. -RLD: see biblecounsel.net for such a universal testimony.
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