Life On The Highest Plane
Such unity comprehends a universal brotherhood of men on the ground of a blood tie. They who are separated as far as the east is from the west by racial antagonisms and prejudices, by national division and friction, by personal suspicion and hatred, are made one by the blood of Christ. Enmities are put away at the Cross and those who were far apart are made nigh by the blood of a common Redeemer.
The synchronizing into one of people from the two great divisions of the human race - Jew and Gentile - through faith in Jesus Christ, as recorded in the book of Acts, is one of the great supernatural achievements of the ascended Lord. Through the shed blood of their common Saviour Jew and Gentile were made fellow-heirs and fellow-members of the body of Christ. Typifying the racial divisions and international antipathies of the present day they show us the only possible way to world peace.
Ephesians 2:14-16, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; ... Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments, contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; ... And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross, having slain the enmity thereby."
Such unity comprehends far more than just "the Fatherhood of God" and "the brotherhood of man." It goes infinitely deeper. Trusting in the blood of Christ for salvation Christians are baptized into the body of Christ, and each member is united to every other member in an organic bond as real and as close as that which exists between the members of the physical body. Brought into oneness through the death of Christ Christians are welded together into unity through the life of Christ. The life of the Head flows through the whole body uniting it in an inevitable oneness of faith, love and service. Every Christian is not only a member of Christ but Christians are members one of another.
Members of the body of Christ were united also in solidarity in service. Believers who were "added unto the Lord' were also "added unto the church."
Acts 5:14, "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and of women."
Acts 2:47, "Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
Confession of cleansing from sin and separation from life in the old sphere and of entrance into new life through a new birth was made through the act of baptism. Induction into the new order of which Christ is the Head was made public, through this divinely appointed rite.
Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."
Through the unity and solidarity of the body of Christ in its corporate life God revealed Himself to the world and worked to accomplish its evangelization. Christ, the Head worked through the members of His boy with mighty power to carry the Gospel out into the enemy's territory and to deliver thousands upon thousands of men and women from his power.
Against this unity and solidarity in passion and purpose the arch enemy of Christ aimed his deadliest darts. The most harmful thing satan could do to that Spirit-empowered Church was to work to diminish its power through disunion. This he succeeded to a certain extent in doing. There are recorded divisions between individuals because of a difference in personal viewpoint (Acts 15:37-40); between groups because of a difference in doctrinal conviction (Acts 15:1, 5, 24). Then there arose factions within certain churches and each faction sought to gain control of affairs (1 Corinthians 1:11-13). Again one man in the Church who loved preeminence and power was the cause of great dissension (3 John 9, 10).
All down through the centuries the devil has continued to use this method of opposing Christ. A most serious condition exists within the Church today which calls for very deep heart searching. In view of the need of the unsaved millions and of the growing apostasy in Christendom the dissensions that exist between individuals, and between groups within the body of Christ, are deplorable. It calls for a careful diagnosis of causes and for a Scriptural prescription of a cure.
The first cause is temperamental differences. Perhaps the majority of dislocations within the body of Christ could be traced ultimately to this source. Earnest Christians are often diametrically opposite in temperament and even the grace of God has not made them congenial companions. They grate on each other. One is mystical and the other is practical; one is militant and the other is gentle; one is refined and the other rough; one is social and the other is seclusive; one is scholarly and the other is scatterbrained; one is intense and the other is sluggish; one is Mary and the other is Martha. These people have to live under the same roof and work at the same tasks. By nature and possibly by training their way of looking at things is antipodal and their methods are as different as day and night. Such temperamental differences with their resultant dissensions are the cause of quarrels in the churches at home and of physical breakdowns and enforced furloughs in the Christian ranks upon the mission field.
~Ruth Paxson~
(continued with # 8)
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